Built on Lies

"I didn't want to be an escort for young guys, and I wasn't looking for a boyfriend. One thing I wouldn't do was any of what I considered kinky stuff, and another was group sex. I dated men from their late forties up into their eighties, usually established businessmen who needed arm candy."

"So you had sex with a lot of them."

"I'm not going to lie to you; of course I had sex with most of them. But I very rarely got anything out of it. If I did have an orgasm, it never took long to come down from the high after opening my eyes to see some old man using me."

"Christy, how could you do it? Just have sex with any guy."

"First off, it was my job, and I tried my best to be a good companion. When it came to the sex, I pretended I was dreaming it. No, that's not quite right. It was as if I put myself in a parallel universe so it wasn't really me doing those things. I was there but yet I wasn't. It's so hard to explain but that was my way of dealing with the sex.

"I tried to go there with you our first time but when I opened my eyes I saw you smiling at me. I was actually saddened that we were through. That's when I said to hell with it and decided that if we had sex again I would truly give myself to you. I did it on our last night together. It was the best sex I have ever had. I knew it was because I cared for you.

"As for the money I have paid down my school loans to less than twenty thousand dollars. There is no way I could have worked a normal job and earned that much money."

"What's that for?" I asked when I saw a small smile cross her face.

"There were twelve different men who either wanted to marry me or keep me as their mistress. They offered to pay off my student loans and help me finish school. But I couldn't do that; it would have hurt my parents if I had. I don't want to be anyone's mistress or private lover.

"I wanted to prove I could make it on my own. Am I proud of being an escort? No, it's probably the saddest part of my life. But it put me through school and I am proud of accomplishing that. And in a few weeks I'll be graduating and returning home to Ohio to be with my family."

"Ohio! You're from Ohio?" I asked.

"Yes, didn't I mention that to you? I'm from Ohio but attend school here at Michigan State. Let me guess. You're not from Iowa, are you?"

"No, it was another of the lies between us. Damn, I'm so sorry. We built a whole relationship on lies. I lived in Newark my whole life other than when I was in the service. That's why I said it took me five hours to drive here. What part of Ohio are you from?"

"Pataskala," she replied before shaking her head and laughing.

We both realized it was only thirty miles from Newark, making us damn near neighbors.

She looked up and said, "Randy is here to pick me up. Our two hours must be over."

"Who's Randy?" I asked.

"He's like a bodyguard. Since you weren't a regular client he drove me here and will take me back to the office. They really do try to keep us safe."

She took out a small notepad and pen from her purse and wrote down her phone number. I was going to give her mine when she shook her head.

"Adam, I don't know where we go from here or if we even do. Our whole relationship was built on lies from both of us." She stood up and I could see tears forming in her eyes. "The ball is now in your court. I'm sorry that I can't change my past but I want you to know I care for you."

She quickly left before I could even get up. Randy saw she was crying and looked over at me. Christy shook her head no. I'm assuming he asked if I had hurt her. As I got up to pay for our drinks I noticed Christy left two hundred dollars on the table. I knew that was her part for our date. She hadn't even taken my money.

I had a lot to consider after our conversation. Thinking I was going to get even with her, instead I ended up hearing her story. Honestly I didn't know what I was going to do.

****

The next week I tried to put her out of my mind, but it just wasn't happening. I hated that she was an escort and lied to me, but I lied to her too. What kind of relationship could we have starting out the way we did?

It was obvious I would never hear from her again if I didn't contact her. After all, she gave me her phone number and said any future involvement would be my decision. She couldn't reach me even if she wanted to since she hadn't taken my phone number; it was now all up to me.

Later the following week I opened a piece of mail to find an invitation to the graduation ceremonies at Michigan State University. The signature was Sylvia Masters.

Why Sylvia had invited me to her graduation just didn't make any sense. Along with her name she added her phone number, so I decided to give her a call.

"Sylvia, this is Adam, Adam Parks. I just received an invitation to your graduation. What's going on? How did you get my address?"

"First it was easy to find your address. You told Christy you were from Newark, Ohio. I just checked online. Not exactly brain surgery.

"I didn't send the invitation for you to come and see me but to see Christy. She poured her heart out to you and you haven't called her. If she knew I sent the invitation she would be really pissed at me, but I hate seeing her the way she is now. She really does care for you and really hoped you would call her. She quit the escort service the day you left, saying she could no longer do it and will pay her student loans after graduation. It's next week by the way."

"I saw the date on the invitation," I said, unsure if I should add more.

"One last thing; you should be proud of her. She is graduating in the top five percent of her curriculum which is in the medical field. She has already accepted a position as an assistant pharmacist in her home town. If you really care for her then you'll be there for her. You might want to call her first since we have thousands of graduates and she can give you an approximate time and where to meet her afterward.

"If you choose not to come, please understand she won't hold anything against you. Just two people saying the wrong things at the wrong time."

"Sylvia, what is your degree in, and where are you from? I'm sorry I never asked. You're a true friend to Christy."

"I'm going to be a nurse. I've gone for five years and am glad to finally be done. I live here in Lansing, Michigan. Christy and I became good friends when she started school. Not only is she beautiful but she is one smart lady. If it wasn't for her, I might not have made it. Well Adam, whatever you decide, it was nice meeting you. I just thought you should know how Christy really felt."

After hanging up, I had even more to think about. All my life when dealing with situations involving women I went to my sister Ellen for advice. I wasn't sure she would be home, but I took a chance and went there.

"Hi Adam, what brings you here?"

"Sis, this is difficult for me. I'm in a situation that I'm not sure what to do. I just need your opinion.

"Okay, is she young, old, married, pregnant, or have kids?" asked Ellen.

"Please Ellen; I'm really serious this time. Let me tell you the story from the beginning. If you just want to joke about it, I'll leave."

"Damn Adam, you really care for a girl this time. So what seems to be the problem?"

I began with how I met Christy and ended with the invitation and phone call to Sylvia.

"So Adam, you've told me you two lied to each other. Both of you were in the wrong, sure, but what's the real problem here?"

"She worked for an escort service. I just don't know if I could stay with a woman who sold herself like that. She was an escort for a year."

"Well, she either really needed the money, is into drugs, or she's a sex addict."

"To help pay for her senior year in college and to help pay off some of her student loans. She's due to graduate next week. According to Sylvia, Christy is in the top five percent of her class. She wants to become a pharmacist."

"Are you serious, Adam? The girl was an escort to help pay off her college debts. Apparently she's smart if I'm to believe all this, but what about her personal life?"

"Believe me Ellen; it's all true to the best of my knowledge. I went to tell her off, but when she sat down she told me her life's story. She's from Pataskala, has two younger brothers and a sister. She's beautiful and of course smart."

"So what do you want from me? She sounds like a decent catch. Are you worried about her being an escort and being with other men?"

"Of course I am. That's the whole problem. She's so great but I don't know if I can accept her past. I just don't know."

"Adam, do you consider yourself a good catch? I mean, if a woman wanted you, would she be getting a decent guy, even considering all your faults?"

"Yeah, I'm hard working, good family background, never been arrested, hopefully own my own business someday and I think I'm a pretty good lover. What are you getting at?"

"While you were in the service did you have sex with other women? If I remember correctly you wanted to tell me how many women you had been with."

"Now, Ellen, that's different. I was single, overseas, and alone. I didn't love those women, it was sexual release. Most every guy does it."

"Adam, which sounds worse? A girl needs to pay her way through college so she sells herself to get the money for that education. On the other hand we have a horny soldier who pays women for sex. Get my point? She did it to help herself through school. You did it to get off and paid for it."

"I know what you're saying but I'm just not sure," I replied.

"Okay, I'm going to tell you a story but if I ever hear it mentioned again, I swear I'll kill you. When I was in college I was an escort for two weeks."

"What! You? But dad gave you the money for school."

"Shut up and listen. I wanted to be a little wild and rebellious so I became an escort for a couple weeks. It was the worst and hardest thing I ever did. I'm not going into any details with you but your friend Christy must be a saint to put up with it for a year.

"How she could be an escort and keep up her grades is more than I could ever do. That's all the advice I can give you. I can tell you're crazy about her but how does she feel about you?"

"She says she really cares for me and I do believe her. What I would like to know is if you would come with me to her graduation next week to meet her and tell me what you think."

"I don't know, Adam. What if I don't believe her or dislike her? What then?"

"I'll have an honest opinion of someone I trust. Look Sis, I care for her but don't want to make a mistake. Please, it's only one day and I know Bill wouldn't mind watching the kids so you can spend a day with your brother." I was smiling hoping she would say yes.

"Okay, I'll mention it to Bill tonight but I'm going to tell you my honest opinion. No bullshit, no matter how much it may hurt your feelings. And if she's as smart as you say, she'll know exactly why I'm there."

That evening I called Christy.

"Hello," she answered.

"Christy, this is Adam."

"I didn't think you would call. It's so good to hear your voice, Adam. I missed you."

"Well, I'm coming up to see you next week."

"Oh, it's not a good time. I'm graduating then."

"I know. I'm coming up to see you get your diploma. My sister's coming with me."

"I can't get you an invitation in time. I gave mine to my family."

"That's okay, Sylvia sent me two. How will I be able to find you though?"

"Sylvia? How did she know your address? I don't even have it."

"You told her I lived in Newark, Ohio and there's only one Adam Parks in the phone book. Please don't get mad at her for inviting me. I really do want to see you again."

We talked for a good half hour. By the time we hung up I knew approximately what time her class would be receiving their diplomas and that she would be wearing a white robe. The top five percent of each curriculum were wearing white. All other graduates would be wearing green. We also made plans where to meet. Then it was just a matter of waiting for graduation day to get there.

****

Ellen and I got there a good hour early and parked in the gigantic lot where buses picked us up and took us to the stadium doors. It was like being in a crowd of people for a football game but today it was to see the graduating class.

We stopped and got a couple of bottles of water to drink while we waited. I don't know how many times Ellen told me she couldn't believe I convinced her to come. It took us a while to find our seats, but thankfully they had numerous volunteers for just that thing. When they got to the medical curriculum I became a little excited. I brought my binoculars but everyone pretty much looked the same. They started off with the top five percent. When I saw Christy cross the stage I had tears in my eyes. Since her full name was Christy Evelyn Roberts, we were Adam and Eve after all.

"From what I can see she's a beautiful girl," Ellen said after I gave her the binoculars so she could look too.

We waited till Sylvia crossed the stage too then headed to the visitor's center where we met Christy and her family. The minute she saw me she ran into my arms and hugged me. I believe even her family was surprised at her reaction toward me. Sylvia joined us just as we went through the introductions.

While we were talking, Mr. Roberts invited us to join them for a celebratory dinner. Later they were going to Sylvia's graduation party and then to the motel for a well needed rest. We were heading home first thing in the morning. After dinner Mrs. Roberts invited us to the party they were throwing for Christy the following weekend.

Ellen begged off but I told them I would be there. When we got to our room we talked for a few minutes. Ellen said she liked Christy and her family but was really tired so we could talk more on the way home. Ten minutes later she was fast asleep.

We got an early start home and talked about Christy on the way.

"I think Christy is one of the nicest women you ever introduced me to. She's a bit shy for being an escort."

"Why do you say that, Ellen?"

"I believe her being an escort was just what she said it was—a job when she needed the money. Something tells me you're her first love. Adam, never bring up her escort job and treat her with respect. You have the makings of a long term commitment here, if you ask me."

The rest of the way home we talked about family and work, but Christy was always on my mind.

****

I was excited and riding on air all week. Even mom and dad noticed it. I tried calling Christy at least once a day just to leave her a message. I was surprised that on Thursday she actually answered, since I knew she was moving out of her dorm. We talked for a few minutes and I told her I would see her Saturday.

Ellen called me and asked me to stop by and pick up a gift she bought for Christy. When I stopped over she handed me a wrapped gift.

"What did you get her, Adam?" asked Ellen.

"Was I supposed to buy her a present? Oh shit! I screwed up already. I never thought about buying her a graduation gift."

Ellen handed me another gift. "Give me a hundred dollars and you can give her this present. I knew you'd forget so I picked up something for you."

"What is it?" I asked.

"Give me the money first and I'll tell you." Ellen was laughing as I gave her the money. "I got her a gold bracelet and you got her a matching eighteen karat gold necklace with a heart attached. Dainty but very pretty."

"Thanks Ellen, I owe you one."

"You owe me a lot more than one, but who's counting," Ellen said and winked.

On the day of the party, I had to park almost a block away, so I took my gifts and headed to the house. There were so many people walking around. I kept looking for someone I might recognize, hoping to see one of her family. I was on the sidewalk looking a bit lost when Marie, Christy's sister came up to me.

"Boy, I'm sure glad to see you. I was hoping I was at the right house."

"Christy sent me out to wait for you. I guess she was afraid you might leave or something."

Marie was only sixteen and was a beautiful girl. She was the youngest of the siblings. Once inside she started introducing me as Adam, Christy's boyfriend from Newark, Ohio. We finally saw Christy in the back yard. When I saw her smiling and hugging some young guy, I felt just a tinge of jealousy.

Marie looked at me and grinned. "Don't worry, that's our cousin Keith. Our family is pretty close."

It was obvious she read my expression. When Christy saw me she came over and gave me a full blown hug. God, I could hold her forever. Marie smiled and walked away. I hardly left Christy's side for the next hour. Eventually I was a little more at ease and talked to other people.

There were relatives, neighbors, and even a few classmates at the party. I even recognized a couple girls from the cruise. Sylvia said she was glad I made the right decision to go see Christy. No one knew that Sylvia or Christy worked as escorts. Even their other friends thought they just worked for the casino. The name of the business was 'Fantasy, Friends, and Casino'.

While talking to Sylvia, she let it slip that Christy admitted I was her first real relationship, which was why she was so scared to tell me the truth about her job when we met. The more I heard people talk about her, the more obvious it was how special she was.

At one point she asked me to take a walk with her. We told her parents we would be back in a few minutes, and then took off down the sidewalk. Part way down the street she pulled me between two garages and kissed me. And not just a peck on the cheek either. The kiss was full of passion.

"Adam, I just needed to kiss you so badly. I want you to know that I really do care for you and hope you feel the same about me. I just ask that we take our time and build our relationship. I start work on Monday and then I won't be able to see you as often as I would like."

"Christy, I'm not going anywhere. I'll be here for you. We can call each other and use the computer. I'll try to get away and see you on the weekends."

"Thank you for understanding. Now we should get back before my mom sends all my cousins out to find us," she said and gave a little shudder.

Laughing, we headed back to the house and Christy opened her gifts. Most people gave her cards with money in them, which would help her a great deal in paying off her debts. She and her dad were going car hunting sometime during the week. Her old car was falling apart and she needed something safer to go back and forth to work in.

When she opened the present from Ellen and me, she gasped. "They are so beautiful. Adam, you didn't have to do that. Please tell Ellen thank you."

She gave me a hug and even a light kiss. Some of the guests looked surprised until Marie told them I was Christy's boyfriend. I couldn't help but smile.

When I was leaving, Christy walked me to my car. "I guess Ellen likes me since she bought me a gift."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Come on Adam, you bring your sister to my graduation. Don't get me wrong, I'm really glad you did, but I knew it was so she could check me out."

"Ellen told me you would know. I cared for you but I made so many mistakes in my life. I figured you would forgive me for bringing her if you cared for me. My sister is a great judge of people and she really likes you. Just trying to be honest with you."

"I promise to always be honest with you too. No more lies," said Christy.

Then we kissed like two teenagers in heat. I wanted her so badly but we would just have to wait. After our kiss I watched her walk back to her house. I missed her already and she wasn't even out of sight.

In the following weeks we talked to each other most every evening, discussing our day. The first couple of weekends I went to see her and we had a great time. The following week I asked her if she would like to come to my house and meet my parents. They would be having a cookout and Ellen and her family would be there. It really made me feel good when she agreed to go.