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My phone rings and I see it is my mom. I considered spending the stay-at-home order with my parents in New Jersey, but with Dad’s recent car accident and Mom’s high blood pressure, I decided against it. I kept SugarTime open until recently, and I don’t want to take the chance of potentially exposing my elderly parents to a deadly virus.
“Hi Mom,” I answer as cheerfully as possible.
“Hi sweetie. Dad and I just wanted to check on you. Are you sure you and Apollo don’t want to come stay with us?”
My mom loves my cat. He is sweet and affectionate, whereas her cat is standoffish and rude.
“I’d love to be able to spend this time with you and Dad, but I need to consider your safety. Have you guys been staying in?”
“Mostly, but Dad went down to the food bank to pick up some groceries. They had real Kraft Macaroni and Cheese. You know how I hate the fake government mac and cheese where the cheese looks green. And we got eggs too! A local farm donated dozens of eggs to the food bank. I guess they usually supply restaurants with eggs, but since restaurants are closed, they donated them instead. We had omelets with farm fresh eggs this morning, and it was so good.”
My heart breaks. My parents sacrificed so much so I could follow my dreams and now, when they need me the most, I can’t provide for them. I try to stay optimistic.
“I love being able to use fresh eggs at the bakery. I’m going to get some money to you and Dad. Take-out seems like a promising option for SugarTime,” I lie.
“You’re a smart girl. I know you’ll make it work. Don’t worry about your father and I. We will be just fine. I’m sure your Dad’s disability checks will start arriving any day now.”
Oh no. They haven’t gotten disability yet? That means their situation must be really dire. My heart starts beating rapidly, and I look down at my lap.
“I’ve got to go, Mom. I’ll call you tomorrow. Give Dad a hug for me. Love you!” I say in a fake-cheerful voice.
I hang up, feeling incredibly sad. How has our family come to this? We’re people who have always worked and pay our taxes. And yet now, my parents are going to a food bank? I’m surviving on the free lunches provided by the city? How have we fallen so far, so quickly?
Suddenly, I know what I have to do. I have to do a cam show. I saw that girl make one thousand dollars in half an hour, and if I even make a tenth of that, I’ll be happy. I have to help my family, and that’s that.
4
Whitney
I stare at myself in my tiny bathroom mirror. I’ve always received compliments on my big brown eyes so I’ve spent quite a bit of time accentuating them with make-up. I watched half a dozen YouTube tutorials on how to do sexy eye make-up before deciding on this look. I’ve contoured my cheeks and lined my lips to give myself a vampy, pouty look. My freshly washed locks are fluffy corkscrews framing my face.
“Am I really going to do this?” I ask Apollo. My cat is currently my only source of conversation. I feel like he’s judging me as he leaps from his perch on the side of the tub and exits the room.
“Hey, don’t be like that. This was your idea, remember? And if you want your cat food, then you better get on board!” I call after my cat.
Apollo merely meows disdainfully and walks on. How sad. Well, hopefully someone will show up for my cam show so I have someone to talk to that doesn’t walk on four legs.
I dress like I’m going out for a casual date. I put on my favorite, most flattering jeans and a top with lots of cleavage. I’ve arranged my bed into a colorful display of pillow and throws, pulling cushions from my couch to make it look inviting. The deep jewel tones of the stacks of pillows remind me of a desert oasis filled with harem girls and belly dancers. I like the vibe and find it sexy.
I set up my laptop so that only me and the bed are in the frame. I don’t want anyone to see particulars, like my diploma on the wall or the photo of myself and my grandma in Paris. That would be creepy. Then again, there are so many more logistics involved in this than I anticipated. The site I’m using is called LiveFans and my screen name is CurvyGal. I don’t think I could handle it if guys logged in expecting some lithe, petite girl and upon seeing me, logged right back out. I want to be as upfront as I can without giving away too much.
