Charming: The Slipper - 3. Chapter Three

I waited and waited…and waited. The meeting was taking longer than expected, because of my little disruption undoubtedly. I literally felt like a teenager in the principal’s office again, waiting for what kind of disciplinary action would be used on me, which was often the case during my grade school years. Before I enrolled into the academy and became an agent, I didn’t hold back my feelings about a fellow peer who was talking shit to me, and neither did my fists. I got in trouble very regularly; it really became a weekly routine for me to go to the principal’s office to be disciplined, and then I waited for my mother to arrive to discipline me further. However, no amount of shaming stopped me from continuing my bad behavior that resulted in at least one fight every other week. It was surprising that I only got suspended a couple of times throughout my high school years, but it had to do with my mother’s affair with the principal himself that caused him to be very lenient on me. And when it was revealed to the entire school population what was happening, I inevitably got into more trouble because of it.

My life was hell, and it was all because I came a poor background, living on a trailer for most of my life. I couldn’t afford clothes that didn’t come from the thrift store, the latest technology like a phone that was operated by genies or food that was grown from golems. I sometimes didn’t even have enough money to buy lunch at the school cafeteria. I knew since childhood, though, that my mother was born and raised in a wealthy family, but something happened between her and her mother that caused her to be disowned. The reason why was never clear since my mother kept that part of her life hidden from me…but I was certain that she got pregnant with me out of wedlock, which was frowned upon in a society of people who still practiced arranged marriage like it was a business transaction, and I wouldn’t be surprised if interbreeding was still a practice as well.

My mother also kept who my father was from me among other things. The only other things that I knew about my family was that I also had two aunts, one who wasn’t better off either and the other who managed to marry a prince at a ball. She always spoked negatively about her, presumably because my aunt managed to find her happily ever after, while my mother was stuck draining the wallets of any man who would give her any attention just to keep the trailer. My life seemed hopeless already, but when my mother discovered a gay lifestyle magazine under my bed one day, it got even worse.

I knew my relationship with my mother wasn’t the closest, but I still loved her regardless and though I was afraid to tell her that I was gay, I never would’ve believed she would disown me. I remembered crying at the bus station with only my old backpack that carried not even a week worth of clothes. I was shivering so much as I sat on a bench and waited for the next bus to arrive. I didn’t know where I was going, and I had just enough money to buy a drink and a bag of chips at the vending machines nearby. I didn’t know what was worse, that fact that I could die of the cold or starvation or...grief. I continued to wallow in my grief even after the bus arrived, and I sat at the very back, letting fate take over the steering wheel of my life.

Eventually, my eyes couldn’t pour out any more tears, and I was about to fall asleep when the bus stopped at another bus station, jarring me from sleeping for a short moment. I saw a short, elderly, Filipino woman standing up from her seat right across from mine, and I watched as she slowly made her way out of the bus. She was the only other person in the bus with the exception of the driver, and when I looked at where she sat, I saw something interesting. Standing up, I walked to her seat and saw a wallet lying on the seat cushion. Picking it up, I opened the wallet and saw hundred-dollar bills that were barely contained in one of the wallet’s pockets. My jaw dropped; I never saw so much money in one place and in person, and my mind immediately went to how I could spend this money, allowing me to continue surviving as a homeless teenager until I could get my feet back onto the ground.

However, as I looked through the window, I saw the elderly woman walking slowly to the bus station, completely oblivious to the fact that she forgotten her money and knew that keeping her wallet for myself was not right. Though, the demon on my shoulder did try to convince me that someone keeping hundred-dollar bills in their wallet rather than using a simple debit card was most likely a snobbish person. This was a person who loved to show off how much they had as they shopped at expensive clothing stores and ate at five-star restaurants. This was just pocket change to her, the demon tried to tell me, and I really wanted to side with the demon and keep the money…but I decided instead to exit the bus and run towards the woman. Sure, I got into altercations on a daily basis that always led to fights, which didn’t make me the most outstanding student, but I still had some sense of morality and taking money from an elderly woman didn’t align with that. I still had a heart, and no one like my mother or all the people who bullied me was going to take that away.

I called out to the woman who stopped and turned around. I told her that she left something behind, extending her wallet to her. She smiled brightly and thanked me graciously before accepting back her wallet. I just nodded to her, and I turned around to head back to the bus when the doors closed, and I watched in horror as the vehicle started driving away. I yelled out for the bus driver to stop as I sprinted behind the bus while waving my hands hysterically. But the bus didn’t stop, not even at the slightest, and all I could do was watch as my only ride drove away with my backpack and my few other belongings that caused me to curse and kick the air around me. I was left without money, clothes, food, or any hope that I could make it on my own as I fell to my knees, the rain still lightly showering onto of me as I cried. No tears came out, only raw emotions that I choked out in defeat. My life was literally over.

Suddenly hearing a voice, I turned my head to see the same woman looking at me close by with sad eyes, but I looked away since I didn’t need anyone’s pity. I just wanted to be by myself; however, the woman didn’t take the hint as she walked in front of me and just stood there. I finally looked back at her, and I saw that she was giving me a gentle smile before saying whether I needed a place to stay. I then wondered how she knew that as I stood back up. I refused the offer at first, saying that I could just get some help at the bus station, but she shook her head and said that my good deed would not go unrewarded. She then proceeded to tell me that she was visiting her goddaughter and that she would welcome me into her home without hesitation. The offer was too tempting, and I knew that I could just stay at the bus station with no food to eat or dry clothes to change into. So, I sighed and nodded, thanking the woman for granting me a place to stay even if it was just temporary.

She just nodded with bright smile, moving her umbrella so that it was over both of our heads as we began walking to the bus station. Later I would discover that this chance encounter with this kind woman wasn’t a coincidence, her goddaughter being a blond woman who stood by her pumpkin-colored vehicle and turned out to my mother’s hated sister and my aunt. Then one thing led to another, and this woman, Cindi, became my guardian and gave me a new life, away from weekly fights at school and living in a trailer with a mother who disowned me. I owed her so much, and the idea that I messed up once again made me physically sick as I returned my mind to the present day, while I sat in Cindi’s office, waiting for what my fate would be. Then I heard the door of the office open, I slouched in my seat and closed my eyes as I listened to the clicking of Cindi’s heels that went around me and to her desk.

“You can open your eyes now, Max. There’s no surprise.”

I sighed and opened my eyes, seeing Cindi who was looking down at some files in a manila folder. “So…what’s my punishment…or do I need to start packing my things?”

To my shock, Cindi smiled and leaned forward on her desk. “I got a case for you, Max.”

“What?” I said, sitting straight up in my seat. “What are talking about? You’re giving me a case? After what just happened at the meeting?”

Clasping her hands together, Cindi said, “Look, Max. I know you didn’t have that sneezing fit on purpose to disrupt the meeting. However, I also know that fairies wouldn’t be flying around this place if someone just took out the—”

“I know, and I’m really sorry. I really am.”

“Apology accepted then. Now back to the more pressing matter.” Cindi rotated the files and pushed them towards me. “Your research and investigation into the illegal animal trade were very well done since it allowed me to identity the gang leader who’s responsible for these illegal activities and even find his current hiding place.”

“Really?” I looked at the files on Cindi’s desk and saw a picture of who I assumed was the gang leader. “What’s his name?”

“He simply identifies as Franklin. The little background I got about him is that he originated from the country of India. Born with a mother who was an Indian native and a white father from Britain, he lived there for an unknown amount of years until he moved to the United States and quickly climbed the ranks of the gang before becoming its official leader. Everything else is obscure. His gang did a flawless job to conceal their leader’s identity and his motives, until you started your investigation, of course,” Cindi informed me with another smile.

“So…what’s the next step?” I asked.

“That’s where you come in. The place that I discovered Franklin likes to frequent to is a club called The Jungle, hanging out mostly in the VIP section.”

I wondered why that place sounded familiar, then it struck me. “Is…Is that the gay club downtown?”

Cindi nodded nonchalantly. “And that’s why I need you to take this case, Max. To enter the club as a normal patron, make your way to the VIP section where our target is located, and…well, to put it frankly, seduce him.”

I was silent as I looked at Cindi, waiting for her to start giggling and say that it was a joke; however, she didn’t even crack a grin as she continued to look at me with complete seriousness. All I could do was slouch in my seat once again and place a hand over my face, not believing the situation that I was being placed into.

“You’re not joking around, are you?” I said, peeking at Cindi who remained serious-faced. I then dropped my hand and said, “Why me? I mean, I know it seems like I’m the perfect person for this case…being gay and all. But I thought being an undercover agent is playing the part, to make everyone think you’re someone that you’re not. Why can’t the other agents pull that off?”

Cindi sighed. “Let’s just say that Franklin has very…discriminating tastes.”

Feeling my face getting hot, I then asked, “What…What does that mean?”

“He has a type, Max, and you fit that type perfectly,” Cindi said bluntly before standing up from her desk chair and walking to my side. To be completely honest with you, Max, I still think you’re not ready to take another mission as an undercover agent…however, this won’t be another one-night job like your pervious missions… Getting Franklin to know you and have him trust you over time, enough to make him believe that you’re trustworthy to leave himself vulnerable to having his secrets exposed and known is the name of the game here… You’re the only person who meets the qualifications for the mission and to get Franklin to invite you to the VIP section which will be the first step to finally exposing this illegal animal-trading ring and bring some strong justice to this criminal… So, are you ready to begin, Max?”

I chewed on my bottom lip, wondering if I was truly qualified to take on this huge mission like Cindi said. Then I knew that if I succeeded and got this gang leader behind bars, then that would prove to not only be a successful win for this city, but also for me as well. This would most likely remove the stigma of me being part of the agency as false case of nepotism, have everyone here know that I was more than capable of doing my job as a undercover agent. Also, I couldn’t stop myself from thinking about how I could shove this in Grant’s face since I knew he wanted to take up this case before it was handed to me. However, I didn’t want to get too ahead of myself since the mission hadn’t even begun yet, but I looked up at Cindi and nodded, which caused her to smile and every bit of approval I received from my aunt was very much accepted.

“I’ll do it,” I confirmed.

“Great. I’m counting on you, Max,” Cindi said, patting my shoulder and began commencing with debriefing me on the mission.

I smiled, but I couldn’t deny the whispers in my head that told me that if I failed this mission, the remaining credibility I had in this agency and my aunt’s pride for me as her nephew would vanish faster than the flick of a wand. So, I couldn’t screw up. Not this time, not ever.

***

Entering my apartment, I was immediately greeted by the dog I decided to keep after I rescued him since he was literally the sweetest being I have ever befriended. It took some time for the dog to completely trust me, that I wasn’t going to harm him in any way like those bastards who thought that him being mauled by another dog would entertain their guests. Soon, the dog was always by my side, jumping all over me as soon as I returned home and today was no exception. He was a friend that I didn’t know I wanted, and there was no way I was going to let him go. I was still trying to find a name for him, already thinking of a few, but none of them seemed to fit. However, I didn’t stress myself over it, knowing the right name for my newfound pal would come eventually.

After, I patted the dog on the head and scratched him all over, I went to my bedroom, changing out of my work clothes and entering the kitchen to prepare my dinner, the dog following me the whole way. I didn’t make anything fancy, just one serving of instant noodles that I made special with some extra spices added that should amplify the otherwise boring flavor of the chicken broth. As I sat down on the small dining table, I opened the folder that contained all the information that I needed to know about the mission that I was going to undertake.

As I tried to read and eat at the same time, I also kept looking back at the pictures taken of the gang leader, Franklin, that were shot by surveillance cameras. One picture in particular captured this Franklin guy up close, and I couldn’t deny my interesting in the man who looked very intimidating based on his tall, wide frame that must’ve only be built by hard muscle. However, he was also smiling, smirking to be specific, and I wondered what or who he was smirking at. I didn’t even meet the guy yet, and I was already starting to become infatuated with him. Then I guessed it would only help me with the mission to get Franklin to be interested in me if the feeling was mutual. Then I told himself to not get attached; this was a criminal, a gang leader, someone I was working to fight against, and that was I told myself as I tried to pry my eyes away from the handsome face in the picture. I needed to prove myself and to everyone that I could do this, and I was going to do exactly that this coming weekend.