8 When Nightmares Become . . . (1/2)

Glory's last man has just left. He is usually the last man every night. He comes when he is sure everyone has gone, when everything is silent, and dead, when all the girls have gone to their beds and the men to their wives.

He comes up soundlessly, like a breeze, and leaves quickly. He doesn't touch, just watches, in ghostly silence, and pays heavily.

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Glory is afraid of him. But she needs the money. Her father's farm needs new yam seedlings, her mother needs a new wrapper, her siblings new shoes and uniforms.

When the man leaves she doesn't think of him, she thinks of her family. He is just like the other men. Even though he is different; but he is just like them.

In some way her family is like that too – using her, getting all they can from her, because they can. She has an obligation to give all she can – to the men because they pay her, and to her family because she is the first child.

She changes the sheets, and changes into the extrlarge faded-blue JESUS IS COMING SOON polo she wears to sleep. She can't sleep.

She turns off the blue light, and waits for the nightmares.

They come in a rush, swarming into the darkness, barging into her half-sleep.

When she opens her eyes she cannot see anything in the dark, but she feels something against her arm, something cold.

It is a body.

Her screams wake the whole building; but n.o.body comes to her room. The other girls are used to her nightmares. They just hiss, curse her and change positions to re-enter the darkness of their sleep.

Her screaming drops to a whimper on the floor of her throat as she calms down.