Thank you for beta'ing, MsSchneeheide!

Warning: several flashbacks containing domestic violence and abuse in present time

Out of everyone Blanca works for, Millie is definitely the worst and the most demanding. She's grouchy often and keeps calling Blanca by the wrong name. She's seventy-five years old and racist. Her blue eyes are cold and domineering and her lips are thin. The only reason Blanca is caring for her, is because Millie is wealthy. Her daughter Margaret had actually wanted her in a home, and Blanca can understand why. The bitch is a lot to deal with.

"Bianca!" she hollers one afternoon.

Rolling her eyes inwardly, Blanca sighs and pauses in the middle of folding Millie's laundry. "Yes?"

"Heat the soup up on the stove! Make that two, actually, my church friend Patty is coming over!"

"Okay." Blanca reluctantly walks to the kitchen. She pours chicken noodle soup into a pan and turns on the burner.

"Not the microwave like you tried to do last time!" Millie adds condescendingly. "Don't be a lazy Mexican."

"I know, ma'am. I remember now. I'm actually from-"

"Clean and dust my wheelchair!"

"Alright, I will after I make your dinner and serve it to you."

"Hurry it up, I'm starved!"

"So am I," Blanca hisses through gritted teeth so Millie can't hear her.

"Tomorrow, we're doing a jigsaw puzzle on my balcony! You better be available."

"I am."

"Finish my laundry!"

"Can I do it while you and Patty eat together?"

"Yes. Make it snappy!"

It's on and on with this stuffy old codger, but Blanca has to power through it, as she's making lots of money and trying to get back on her feet.

While her mother is working and her sister is at Karla's place, Maritza takes a stroll around the more barren areas of Queens. She's trying to pick up customers in a spot where nobody would find her. She sees a young white woman in a red bustier, matching tight skirt, and black fishnet stockings walking up and down the street. At once, she has an idea. She hates men, but when it comes to her family, she'll do anything she can. She's desperate, and it's the only job she'd get that doesn't require neat clothing. She'll have to keep it hidden from her mother and Raiza, because she doesn't want to shame them. A cab stops near the woman, and Maritza runs to it with her thumb up. The woman getting inside holds the door open for her.

"Thanks," Maritza says, out of breath. "Where are you headed? I need to go to a strip club or something."

"Indigo Club. They call me Pennsatucky."

"Yessica Spencer," Maritza lies. "I think I've seen you before." She doesn't want any of her co-workers knowing her true name. They shake hands and then Pennsatucky slams the door closed. The cab begins driving towards their destination and the butterflies flitting about in Maritza's belly won't stop.

"Is that so? From where?" Pennsatucky twirls one of her brown pigtails. "You don't know me. So don't act like you do, alright?"

"Sorry," Maritza apologizes. "You just look familiar."

"Why the fuck are you even here?"

"I'm on a mission to support my mom and sister. They're in a homeless shelter right now." They actually aren't yet, but Maritza needs the sympathy and financial assistance in advance.

"They should go into prostitution, too. Make some money."

"My mom's afraid of men, and my sister's only four. That just leaves me."

"I hope you're eighteen or over. I'm thirty-three. It's illegal if you're a minor, but I won't tell."

Maritza doesn't trust Pennsatucky to keep a secret. "I'm eighteen," she fibs.

The woman raises a skeptical eyebrow. "You told my buddy Dixon you were younger than that."

"Oh, I was seventeen at the time he offered his services, but I just had a birthday, so..." Maritza shrugs, trying not to appear nervous. "Besides, um, who are you to judge? You're a year older than my mom, yet you look eighteen."

Pennsatucky sighs. "Okay, then, ya got me there. First Spanish chick I've seen in a while."

"So?"

"So, means you're gonna be with a pimp who knows his español."

Maritza is quiet after that; she doesn't know what else to say. The rest of the ride is somewhat awkward and then they reach the place.

As Maritza and Pennsatucky walk through the back door of the Indigo Club moments later, Maritza can right away see that this brothel is disguised as a very fancy hotel. They approach a tall, middle-aged African American lady. "This is Vee, she's our Madam," Pennsatucky introduces the older woman. Standing next to her is Papi from school, and Maritza feels a jolt shoot through her. The girl winks at her with a smirk.

"No digas nada en la escuela sobre mí aquí, ¿de acuerdo?" she pleads Daddy.

Don't say nothin' in school about me bein' here, okay?

Daddy gives Maritza a head nod. "I got you. I wouldn't wanna get myself in trouble for my secret life anyway."

"Gracias."

"What'd you say?" Vee asks roughly.

"I know her from school, that's all."

Pennsatucky gestures to Maritza. "Vee, this is Yessica Spencer, our newest courtesan."

"Hello, ma'am-um, should I call you Madam?" Maritza asks.

"Madam Vee. Are you sure you would like to work here?"

Before Maritza can answer, Pennsatucky butts in. "She wants to support her family. They're bums."

Vee studies Maritza very carefully and feels her face and hands. "Your skin is a little rough and blotchy, but a shower and lotion can fix that. You have the potential to be a hooker. How long have you been living on the streets?"

"Only a week, Madam Vee. I'm sorry if I smell like a sewer." She has recently rubbed fish oil all over herself to keep up the stink so people would believe she's a dumpster diver and presumably, homeless. She will be in a very short time after Thanksgiving, anyway, so it's not too much of a lie.

"Nothing a shower can't fix. Your long black hair and chocolate brown eyes will make you more appealing, and your figure is that of a supermodel. You're in."

"Thank you," Maritza whispers and glances down at her dirty fingernails. "This is probably a stupid question, but is there a brothel that makes the women higher than the men?"

Pennsatucky laughs. "You must be dreaming!"

"I'm dreaming of a better life," Maritza says pathetically.

"The men who come here love dumb blondes, exotic beauties such as yourself, and white girls with black or brown hair. You'll fit right in." The madam pinches her cheek.

Maritza glares at the ground.

When Vee is finished with Maritza, she uncovers the mirror. Maritza can't even recognize herself anymore. She has on pale face powder, bright blue eyeshadow, thick, black eyeliner and mascara, and dark red lips. Her nails are filed and polished black, and she's wearing a too-tight pink and yellow halter crop top with what looks like a green thong. Completing her outfit are purple fishnet stockings and gold high heels. She can barely move in them.

"I look like a fucking slut!"

"That's the point!" Pennsatucky says. "We're prostitutes, not sluts!"

"It's the same thing."

"Look, do you want money for your family, or not?" Vee asks harshly while leading her into a bedroom. A guy who resembles a mailman smirks at Maritza and then rubs himself. Shuddering, she averts her gaze. "Answer me!" Vee snaps, giving Maritza a little shake.

"Yes..."

"Good. Here's your pimp, Humps. He'll show you around to all the men, but at the end of the night, you're his only and he gets half your income. Got that?"

Maritza nods. She hears the mental click of the lock go off in her head, and the way Humps is looking at her makes her feel like she's trapped in an animal cage. He's so ugly, too. "Ew, he's literally masturbating in front of me. Aren't they supposed to be hot?" Maritza asks. "Could I get someone better looking...and a lot less horny?"

"I'm sorry, did I say you had a choice?" Vee snarls. "You wanted this profession, your wish was granted, and this is how you thank us? I work hard every day to make this place a fine establishment and Humps is a very nice gentleman who you just insulted." Vee stares her down and Maritza backs away. "Apologize to your master."

"I'm sorry, sir."

"Good job. Next time, you'll be punished."

Maritza gulps and nods slowly. "Okay."

"Alright, pussycat, your name is now Lolita Candy, since you're so sweet, mouthwatering, and young-looking," Humps informs her. Maritza cringes. She doesn't even like too much candy.

"My name's Yessica, actually..."

Humps grabs her wrist and yanks her to him. "Don't get cocky with me, Lolita. It's been decided."

"Ow," Maritza says softly. His grip hurts like hell and his boner is starting to press painfully into her belly. "What about Karina...or even Almita? Por favor...I want a regular name like in El Callejón de los Milagros. Why it gotta be trashy?"

"Stop trying to bargain with me, you cunt!" he yells with his hand raised in the air, ready to strike. She jumps sharply. "It'll never work! Get down on your hands and knees and beg for my forgiveness, puta. My hand can't stop twitching, and I really don't feel like hitting you on your first night, but I will."

Maritza does what he says and starts sobbing while pleading with him to accept her apology. He only pays her and lets her go home once she chokes down a live baby mouse while he aims his gun at her head. It's so terrifying and gross. She feels degraded and filthy, but she's now four hundred dollars richer and she'll only have to go back one more time.

Then never again.

She can't stop shaking and throwing up, though, so she'll blame it on food poisoning. She's so sick that she stays home from school the next day. Her friends will miss her, but they get it.

When Blanca had seen Red for the first time in over a decade, she had been instantly reminded of Red's warning about Dean at the restaurant. She'd thrown her arms around the chef and apologized in tearful Spanglish that Red was right all along.

"Oh, you naïve girl, I'm glad you've come to your senses now," Red had told her, and then directed her to the task of helping Norma and Gina put food on trays. Although they're very nice ladies, Blanca feels slightly out of place being the only Hispanic woman. She just tries to make the best of it and she's used to it anyway. At Friendly's, most of the staff is white, too. She just thanks her lucky stars that none of her co-workers or bosses with the exception of Millie, don't forbid her from speaking her native tongue at times. Red seems to understand her on some level, and the older lady is an immigrant too, from Russia. For some reason, Blanca gets what Red is saying in Russian every once in a while, and she responds in Spanish. She loves that connection they have.

"Why would you starve someone out again?" Blanca wants to know as she's winding her hair up and putting it into a hairnet. "¿Qué pasa si ya están muriendo de hambre?"

What if they're already starving?

Red shrugs. "If they're stupid enough to insult my food or my girls, they deserve it. Then they take me seriously."

"Do I have to do this?" Blanca slides her hands into plastic gloves and cuts into an avocado.

"You can if you want," Gina cuts in, and Norma nods in agreement.

"O net, etot porosenok," Red mutters as a beast of a man lumbers into the cafeteria, scowling. By the worried look on her face as well as Norma's and Gina's, Blanca knows this giant bearded man is up to no good. He eyes the women and shakes his head.

Oh no, that pig fucker.

"So you replaced that shit for brains cunt with another one who looks exactly like her?" He steps closer to Red, who is standing in front of Blanca and her co-workers.

"How did you know-"

"I saw her walking out of here. Answer my question!" he barks, and everyone jumps.

"Their appearances completely differ. Mr. Caputo hired her, yes. Aleida no longer works here, as she now owns a salon. She got her cosmetology degree-"

"I don't give a flying fuck, Reznikov!" he bellows, making Blanca drop the knife and shrink back. She can't continue what she's doing now-her hands are trembling. "I've had enough of these filthy Mexicans, they're already filling up the student body and even some of the staff...and they don't know anything! You're aware of the reason Córdova only teaches Spanish and kindergarten, right? That's easy to do when you're an illegal alien!"

"Don't you fucking say that about my best friend, cabrón!" Blanca snaps before thinking clearly. "You just assume you can come in here and-"

He pushes past Red and before anyone can stop him-not like they are able to, anyway-he yanks Blanca to him by her hair and swings his fist right into her face, knocking her down. The other women shriek as her body hits the floor. She lets out a cry of pain as she covers her left eye where she's most injured and they gather around her. She curls into a ball and whimpers as Norma strokes her hair comfortingly. Red glares at him as she pulls Blanca into her arms. Gina shushes her gently, but she can't help herself. She just starts sobbing.

"Yeah, shut up, spic." He kicks her in the side and then leaves the room. She can barely breathe now.

"Oooowww...oooowww..." What this stranger had done to her is triggering so many flashbacks, one after the other.

It's finally time for Blanca to stop having to use a wheelchair. She has some trouble walking, but she's relieved to use her legs again. Dean still wants her in high pigtails daily and they have sex before homeroom every day.

He's getting more and more possessive with her. He'd gotten in trouble with the art teacher for yelling at her because she assigned him a group that didn't include Blanca. He kicked a desk over on the floor and things toppled off it. He threw a fit just because Blanca was working with Diablo and some other boys and girls in her group.

Blanca comes face to face with Dean a while later after he had yelled at her for trying to help him understand what their Latino carpenter was saying. She's petrified of what he's going to do to her next. She mentally prepares herself for the worst.

"So nice to see you again," he says in such a menacing tone that makes chills run up and down her spine.

Blanca looks down at her feet, unsure of what to say next.

"There's my little Mexican maid. Talk in Spanish for me, slut," Dean commands her.

"I-I thought you don't like it?" she whispers.

"When you dress the part, it makes me horny when you speak it."

"Soy Dominicana, n-no M-mexicana," Blanca corrects him in a soft, shaky voice as she draws her knees to her chest and rests against the headboard. She flinches sharply when he comes closer to her and he draws his hand back, as if he's going to slap her. She's so scared and cold in her maid costume that she's shivering. "Te-te amo, mi a-amor." She doesn't dare take her eyes off him. She can sense tears trickling down her cheeks and she wipes them away with her gloved hands. "Lo siento por llorar…" She sniffles and lets out a tiny whimper as she lays face down on their bed. She enjoys speaking her first language, but she's terrified that she doesn't know when she'll have to stop and he'll hit her for not using English. She presses her lips together and squeaks when his hand comes down harshly on her butt.

I'm Dominican, not Mexican. I love you, my love. I'm sorry for crying...

"A dirty Dominican, huh? I bet you'd rather fuck your own kind, huh?" He spits at her and she feels it. "What, white guys don't have big enough dicks for you?'"

"No, eres muy bueno…" she lies.

You're very good...

"Oh yeah." He groans while masturbating in front of her and then he jumps on top of her suddenly. He pulls down her skirt and stockings. Grabbing a pair of scissors from his nightstand, he cuts away her underwear and plunges himself into her from behind. She can't speak since her chest and belly are being crushed under him. He yanks at her hair. "I didn't say stop talking, bitch!"

She gasps. "No puedo respirar..."

I can't breathe...

"Oh fuck, say that again!" he commands and digs his fingernails into her sides.

"No puedo...respirar..." she repeats. "Lo siento..."

Then she passes out.

"Oh, Blanca, my dear, I'm so sorry about that nasty Piscatella, he has no respect for anyone here and we don't know why Caputo rehired that pig fucker," Red is saying as she slowly comes out of her panic attack. "He scares us all too, sweetheart. You're okay now, I promise. We'll make sure he doesn't touch you again."

Blanca sniffles as she takes ice from Norma and holds it to her eye. She winces as she sits up. "Can't you call the cops? That was a hate crime!"

"I tried that once...and ended up kidnapped by him and his evil minions. One of the women gave me this!" Red points to a faint red line on her cheek, maybe hidden by concealer. "Piscatella scalped me, too...I had to wear a blonde wig for a while."

She stares at Red in horror. "Ay coño, ¿por qué? When was this that they allowed this monster to work here? Why hasn't anyone warned my babies about him...not even Karla spoke a damn word..."

"When I started here when you and Karla were kroshechnyye deti, probably around two and four years old, so did he, thanks to the former principal Jack Pearson. Piscatella was a very mean and violent gym instructor...and I was a foreign exchange student who lived with his family before that. He's always had it out for me. Once our vice principal Fig heard my story and many others', she talked to Jack. He did not want to get rid of Piscatella, but these officers, Charles Ford and Wade Donaldson, took action and he was quickly fired and arrested when he tortured me, and I guess they let him come back...thirty years later. He hates women, especially those in power."

tiny children

"I can't allow him to harm my children, I have to do something," Blanca mumbles. "It's a good thing Maritza stayed home, but I'm still so worried about Raiza. Lo siento for what happened to you, Red."

"Oh, spasibo."

Thank you.

She stands up with the ladies' help and rushes out, prepared to make her way to the principal's office. She nearly runs into the vice-principal, a Hispanic woman not much taller than herself. "Louise, lo siento, pero...it's about...Piscatella. He's a new teacher, I guess. I need to tell Mr. Caputo he attacked me! He is an abuser of women! Red said he's a misogynist, too."

"Blanca, is it?"

"Sí," Blanca murmurs, nodding fervently. She blinks away more tears, but it stings so much and brings back the most agonizing memories.

"I'm so sorry, I have no idea who that is-"

"Him!" she hisses, subtly tilting her head toward the asshole resembling Bigfoot.

"Okay, he must have gotten in using a visitor's pass, or he's being interviewed for a job...we gotta stop this from happening! Good thing I'm married to a cop."

"That's not always...wait, who is he?"

"You familiar with the captain of the force, Donaldson?" Blanca shakes her head no. "Well, that's him."

"Wow, your husband and his partner, I guess, put him behind bars three decades ago...I wonder how he got out."

Louise scoffs as they walk to Mr. Caputo's office together. "His sentence was probably up. White losers like him always get second and third chances. We get fired? We're dunzo."

"Yup...it's the sad truth," Blanca mutters.

"Mami, ¿que pasó?" Maritza asks worriedly as Blanca walks into Karla's house, followed by Flaca holding Raiza's hand, Daisy, and Karla carrying Benji. She fears that Dean has returned, but she doesn't want to mention it in front of anyone. Blanca had done her best to cover up her black eye with eyeshadow, but Maritza can still see redness and swelling as her mother gets closer to her.

"Never mind me, are you feeling any better?" Blanca rests the back of her hand against Maritza's forehead. "Sin fiebre."

No fever.

"Sí, I ain't vomiting as much. Estoy realmente preocupada por ti en este momento."

I'm just really worried about you right now.

"Sissy!" Raiza shouts and races to Maritza. The little girl jumps into her lap and Maritza winds her arms around her baby sister. She kisses Raiza's cheek a few times.

"Hola, hermanita..." She gently eases Raiza off of her, as she's still feeling very weak. "Mami, por favor...dime."

Mom, please, tell me.

"Some jerk who tried to conseguir otro trabajo en tu escuela. Aparentemente, trabajó allí hace treinta años," Blanca answers Maritza.

get another job at your school. Apparently, he worked there thirty years ago.

"Oh, that's just wrong!" Maritza exclaims. She gets up with a stagger to her step. She hugs Blanca and then her friends. "Lo siento..."

"Don't worry about me, I'm fine now. He's far away from us." Blanca sits next to Maritza, puts an arm around her shoulders, and kisses her temple. Maritza hums and leans into her mom's embrace as Karla gives her some ice and then starts making snacks. Raiza and Benji begin playing with soft blocks on the floor. They make a tower and sit Raiza's Dora plushie and Benji's Pokémon on top, but are disappointed when their building falls apart.

"Sí, he got taken to jail on the spot!" Flaca adds to Blanca's statement and joins them on the couch. She smiles. "Yo, chiquita, I don't have homework to give you like Señora Córdova and Daisy do aquí, pero, I just wanted to see how you're doing. Were you really okay here by yourself?"

Maritza nods. "¡Sí, gracias! As much as I love seeing y'all in school, watching reality television with a bowl of soup and crackers and a glass of water was hella relaxing! I even got a puke bucket for myself, which I had no problem emptying. I don't really feel it anymore."

"Oh, good, so you should be back tomorrow?" Daisy asks.

"Mm-hm. ¡Gracias por las tareas!"

Thank you for the homework.

"¡De nada!"

While Benji plays with his kitten, Raiza climbs into Blanca's lap and kisses where her injury is.

"I make your owie all better."

"Aw, gracias, bebé," Blanca murmurs with a grin.

Maritza watches their interaction and beams. She isn't sure what she should do with her money since Blanca would be suspicious as of why so much cash suddenly landed in her purse. Maritza has it hidden in a zippered jacket pocket and makes sure she's always wearing it so it doesn't get laundered.

Standing in front of the full-length mirror only clad in a bra and jeans, staring at her black eye from Piscatella, the bruises that his shoe had made and the marks Dean had inflicted on her that had never healed, Blanca reflects on when she first met her ex. He saved her from drowning at the beach since he was a lifeguard and she went out too far in the water. She loved him right away, but she doesn't have those feelings anymore. As she reads Black and Blue, she cries at some parts, because Frances' story became hers almost sixteen years down the road because she hadn't rapidly gotten out of this relationship with him.

Dean stands up in his seat and orders his wife, who's just a young woman of eighteen, "Get in here, you ugly piece of shit!" He hates when he can't see her. It makes him think she's running away. Blanca quickly scurries into the kitchen.

"Yes, Dean?" she answers. "I just put Maritza down for her nap-"

He grabs her by the arm roughly, drags her up to the attic, the farthest room in the house, and shoves her through the doorway. "Stay there and don't come out til I call you! You understand me?" he hisses.

She stumbles into boxes and hits her head on the baseboards jutting out from the ceiling. A cry of pain escapes her lips. Before she can answer her wicked husband, he slaps her, and she falls again.

"Stop that crying! You will be silent as a church mouse while I tell this asshole he's fired!" He slams the door and walks away. She pounds on the door with her fists as hard as she can, multiple times. "Let me out of here! Please!" she begs. "I can't breathe in here!"

The door quickly opens and she gasps in surprise. The angry face of her husband appears, and she crawls back as far as she can, so he won't touch her.

"One more word out of your mouth, and you die," he threatens her coldly.

The door closes and once again, she's enveloped in the blackness and heat of the attic. Blanca leans back against the wall and closes her eyes to prevent more tears from pouring down her face.

Thirty minutes later, the attic door opens with a creak, and cold air whooshes in as he lets Blanca out. She's crying softly, until he shuts her up by throwing the young woman in his bedroom. Blanca stares at the purplish handprint on her arm, and suddenly, he's heavily on top of her, so much that she can barely breathe. With a grunt, he thrusts himself into her, and she lets out a shriek of agony. He laughs at her under him, weak under his power.

She needs to escape before it's too late.

It was a shame that she didn't, though, because it was the perfect moment. Maritza was so little at the time, and she could have given her an entirely different life-although she wouldn't have ever had Raiza. Maritza would have never known Dean. As soon as she finished high school, Dean proposed and Blanca said yes, just to please him. She thought married life might make him happier and friendlier, but it didn't. He never changed, from the moment she was fifteen and a half. She gave herself another chance to get out when Raiza was one, and Maritza was thirteen, but that was shot down.

"Blanquita, why don't you get some ice and take the night off work? You've had a hard day," Karla points out.

"I can't, you know that...I need the moolah." Blanca inhales and exhales slowly as she sits at Karla's vanity with her head in her hands. "Ay, this is excruciating," she mumbles under her breath. "Was he tryin' to break my ribs or somethin', or knock me out just for sticking up for you?"

"Looks like it. He's a savage, no doubt...it really hurts to see you suffering, querida." Karla sets her hands on Blanca's shoulders and gives her a soothing massage.

"My first time, I wasn't raped...I was fourteen...I felt special...you don't need to feel bad for me, you've had it worse..." Blanca trails off and glances over her shoulder at Karla with tears swimming in her eyes, blurring her vision. "I should've stayed home to take care of my daughter."

"Your trauma is completely valid," Karla assures her. "I'm sure Maritza understands why you couldn't, she said she didn't even need you this morning."

"She does seem capable of handling herself," Blanca admits. "She's proven to me over and over again that she's responsible...it's just that she shouldn't have had to take all of that on. No child should ever have to deal with such violence in their own home. No wonder she got so worn down. She rarely, if ever, gets sick. She takes Advil for her period once she feels it coming and she eats breakfast right away in the mornings...and I know she doesn't drink too much. It's not like she has money to eat out, unless someone pays for her."

"What did I serve that was so horrible?" Karla asks. "I don't keep old food, I promise...does she have any allergies?"

"Lo sé. No, I would've told you if she did. I know she's not pregnant..."

"Maybe she just wanted to be cozy in her pajamas and have a day to herself," Karla suggests. "I get it if she skipped for that reason. It's not like she's out causing trouble while playing hooky."

"You think she was faking it? Karla, I saw the bowl in the dishwasher...and she looked hella pale."

"Oh yeah...I'd talk to her about this if I were you. I dunno, something in my gut tells me she's ill from something else entirely."

"¿Como qué, violación? No, no..."

Like what, rape?

"Or something she had at McDonalds. They have the worst crap!"

Blanca exhales a sigh of relief. "That seems more likely."

Thank you for reading and reviewing: Juliette45, MsSchneeheide, and VeraRose19!