Hi! Thanks to everyone who reviewed my first story Run and Tell That. I hope you enjoy this one as well.
I'm extremely upset to announce that I don't own any of the Hairspray characters. I wish I did.
He lay sprawled and half clothed across the motel room's bed. She watched him with disgust as he slept. The smirk on his face showed her that he was enjoying his sleep. She wanted to wipe the stupid grin from his face by smothering him to death with the very pillow he was lying on, but she knew she didn't have the guts to do it. The fat jerk was her highest paying customer and she surely needed the money. She sat on the edge of the bed, looked at herself in the mirror and wondered why she had allowed herself to sink so low…why she sought refuge in the arms of a different man nightly.
It wasn't hard for her to remember a time when she had been happy; truly happy. She hadn't always been this way…the way she was now. In fact, there was a time when she felt like she had been on top of the world. She once was a dancer on a top-rated television show in Baltimore, Maryland. She had thousands of fans and rarely went places within the city without being recognized. She had danced on the Corny Collins show for four years before abruptly leaving. Everyone had been stunned and wanted to know exactly why she decided to walk away for good. She had practically grown up before their very eyes and literally danced her way into their hearts. One particular person knew exactly why she called it quits, but he decided to keep his mouth shut. He kept playing his role as Baltimore's hottest bachelor.
For weeks she had stayed locked up in her room, refusing to talk to anyone. Her mother had tried everything to coax her out of her room, with very little success. She didn't care about anything anymore, because he had broken her heart. The only time she had come out of her room was to eat. Food became her refuge because it was no longer an option, but a must have. She needed to eat. She no longer ate because she wanted to, but because she had to. After four weeks of being locked up in her room, she decided she had to leave Baltimore. She had rumors about herself on the radio, all of them completely false, but it wouldn't be long, if she stayed, for them to figure it out. She waited until her mother had gone to the studio before she packed all of her clothes and called a cab to take her to the airport. Her earnings from dancing on the Corny Collins show, had allowed her to buy a ticket to New York City.
She had left her mother a note, explaining that she needed to get away for awhile. She didn't expect to be gone for over 2 years, but she couldn't go back now. Although, it's been 2+ years, it seemed much longer. She was now an adult. Living in the big city had matured her and the money she had, had quickly run out. She spent it all on her apartment and other very important things. She needed money badly and was willing to get it by any means necessary. Her life had taken a downward spiral after that. She worked as a stripper and eventually a prostitute. She sold her body for money.
Now as she looked into the mirror, looking at face devoid of emotion, she thought of him…the only boy she's ever loved. She thought of him everyday since she left. Her constant reminder of him was enough to make her miss him terribly, despite all of the horrible words they said to and about one another. She missed dancing and singing with him, but more than anything else, she missed the way she felt in his arms.
But that was then, this is now.
The fat slob on side of her stirred in his sleep a little and she knew it wouldn't be long before he had awakened. She didn't want to be there when he woke up, so she grabbed the money from the dresser and left. She arrived home and changed into some more decent clothing before knocking on her neighbor's door. The smile on the face of the person who greeted her on the other side of the door made everything else in the world seem irrelevant and unimportant. If no one else in the world loved her, this person sure did. "Hi mommy, her one and a half year old daughter greeted her with a toothy grin…the grin that was an exact replica of her fathers'.
"Hi baby!" She said taking her daughter out of her neighbor's arm and pulling her into a bear hug. "Thanks so much for watching her for me, Miss Jones," she spoke to her elderly neighbor holding out some cash to give to her. "No problem," her neighbor answered refusing to take the money. This was a daily routine. She would offer Miss Jones money for keeping her daughter while she was "working" and her neighbor would politely decline.
She walked into her tiny one bedroom apartment with her daughter in her arms.
"So it's just me and you tonight baby. What do you feel like doing?" she asked her daughter, Tabitha, placing her down on the floor.
"Praying!" her daughter shouted happily jumping up and down. She hadn't quite mastered her L's yet, so she pronounced them as R's. Tabitha, who was a bundle of energy, fell back while jumping up and down. Being the tough cookie that she was, she laughed hysterically about it.
"Here, let me help you up, Tabby," she said giggling and offering a hand to her fallen daughter. That small motion sent a jolt of deja vu through her.
It was six years ago and she was watching him and Tracy dance the night away when much to her surprise he came up to her, held out a hand to her, and said, "Let's dance."