Part Time | Self Para | 3 of 3
Eighteen Years Old. He could do whatever he wanted. Except drink. Legally anyway. He chose to finish off school since he only had a month left anyway. Besides, he wasn’t exactly sure what he wanted to do. With his diploma at least he’d have the option of going to college. Summer came and he kept receiving calls from universities that he just ignored. He was waiting for one call in particular, although he knew it would never come. That he would have to be the one to call her.
He didn’t have trouble with getting close to his clients. As long as he had a large amount of them around, he couldn’t start falling for any one of them. Although the housewife, the gang member, and the politician were the closest to him and had the potential to fall for him, Vitto always made sure they were distracted with something else. The housewife had her hands full with her son; the gang member always had to make sure he wasn’t being watched; the politician was married to his job.
Besides, all Vitto had to do was remember the two guys he’d previously fallen for. Three guys really, although he never counted the third because they never had a chance to explore any kind of romance with him. But once he thought of them, he knew he couldn’t let himself fall for someone again. Especially someone paying him for sex.
There came a time when the politician’s assistant walked in on the two of them making out. Vitto could tell the assistant didn’t approve but she said nothing except to tell her boss someone important was on the phone. Vitto had to suffer an uncomfortable silence with the assistant but the phone call was quick and the assistant was sent away a moment later.
Another time came as he was leaving the housewife’s house when he noticed a black car parked across the street. He didn’t call attention to it but kept walking. It looked almost like the one the politician used. However, he was almost positive it was the assistant who was following him. His suspicions were confirmed when he called the politician on his burner phone to meet up for lunch and he was picked up in a different car. The assistant wasn’t with him.
And then there was the time when he’d scheduled to meet with the gang member in one of their usual alley meeting places. Except when he got there, a different gang member, a hoodrat, met him with a gun pointed directly at him. He didn’t dare run. He didn’t dare move. He just spoke. “He told you I’d be here didn’t he?” That much was clear. He’d never seen this gang member before and Vitto looked as poor as he was. This hoodrat would have nothing to gain from killing Vitto. Unless his gang member had given him away.
The hoodrat nodded, still holding the gun up, but not shooting. What was he waiting for? “So why did he sell me out?” Vitto had thought he and his gang member had a great little thing going. Apparently not.
The hoorat looked confused and shrugged. “That’s what I want to know. I don’t even know how he knows you.” They were both quiet for a moment. Vitto processing what the hoodrat had said. Maybe his gang member was tired of him and figured this was the best way to keep him quiet. “So? How do you know him?”
As he had done many times before, he decided to tell the truth, while withholding the most important information. “I caught him beating up some kid so I got him in the head with a plank. I guess you can say I’ve kind of been his bitch since then.” It seemed to make sense to the hoodrat why the gang member would give him away so easily. But now it was Vitto’s turn to ask his question. “Why would he call a hit on me now though?”
The hoodrat shook his head. “It wasn’t him who called it. It was some old dude. Said you were fucking his wife so he wanted you gone.” And then everything started falling into place. The assistant, the husband, the hoodrat. The politician, the housewife, the gang member.
It was all a guess but he had enough evidence to support it. The assistant was following him and saw him come out of the housewife’s home. She must have done some research and figured the housewife was married. She probably found a way to tell the housewife’s husband and send him a picture of Vitto. With that picture he most likely hired the hoodrat to take him out. His gang member must have heard about the hit and taken the opportunity to sell him out. After all, his gang member could probably find another hooker to get off on easily.
“Okay,” Vitto finally answered. “So go ahead and do it.” The hoodrat looked confused and scared. As if he knew something was going to happen. Or like he felt he was missing something. And indeed he was. The politician had given him a number to dial in case of emergencies and during his free time, Vitto had practiced dialing it with his eyes closed. Or as was the case now, with his hand in his pocket.
The sound of sirens quickly surrounded the alley to Vitto’s relief. They were faster than he’d thought they would be. It had only been a minute. But he guessed they were pretty close by anyway. He wanted to run, but he was surrounded so he had nowhere to go. Cops came out of their vehicles armed, yelling at the hoodrat to lay down his weapon, which he did. He was arrested and Vitto was taken in for questioning.
It was his chance to get revenge. On the assistant, on the husband, on his gang member. But he said nothing. Even when the arresting officer told him that if he gave her any information on the hoodrat’s gang, she would let him go. He needed to protect his politician and his housewife. Even his gang member.
The officer had his fingerprints run and figured out his identity. Who he was, how old he was, who his parents were. Since he was no help, she sent him back to his parents, who were now living in Texas again. But before the plane from Seattle to Dallas departed, the officer gave him her card and told him, “When you’re eighteen, if you ever feel like joining the force, call me.”
Vitto was confused. He guessed she saw something in him he didn’t see. Besides, he’d be eighteen in two years and what were the chances she’s still have the same number or even still be living in the same place? Vitto told himself everything he could to convince himself never to call the woman. Yet, he kept the card.
His parents met him in Dallas. They were happy to see him but became strict with him, worried he would run away again. He promised them he wouldn’t, and to show them he meant it, he got a job. He’d only missed one semester of school, which he made up the next summer, so he was still able to graduate on time. But now he didn’t know what to do. He was stuck. Again.










