The early bird gets the worms.
The second mouse gets the cheese.
— The Ghost's Ghost
I met Dandy Bowman in January, 2021. But first, I met Destiny.
Destiny was one of the other girls working Broadway. She was only a couple years older than the rest of us, but she watched over us like a mother hen, trying to keep us safe.
She saw me turn away John after John before, finally, she said, "Amber, if you can't do it, you can't do it."
"Yeah, well, I don't know what else to do. I'm out of options, Dez."
She gestured toward one of the cars. "Look, but don't make eye contact. Red Honda. On the corner. See it?"
"Yeah. Who the hell is that?"
The driver was Dandy. I'd seen her parked in the same spot the night before. I was pretty sure she followed me for a while. I thought she might be a stalker.
"She's a thief," Dez said. "She's been hittin' up some of the girls to partner on a two-chick scam. I tried it once, a while ago. It's not for me. Turnin' tricks is ugly, but it's honest. Her shit's just dirty. But if you can't do this, maybe try that. Be careful, though. Somethin' about her is off."
"How do you mean?"
"She robs dudes, but it's not about money. It's about pain."
"Oh. Shit."
"Yeah. Just... promise you'll take care of yourself. That's all I'm sayin'."
That's a promise kept.
They say the neon lights are bright on Broadway. Well, I don't know who the fuck they are, but they've never been to Broadway Avenue in Gary, Indiana.
Broadway is a dark and depressing place, even during the daytime, but it's so much worse at night. Especially on a cold winter night.
I spent the next two hours wandering along Broadway, watching Dandy's car in the shadows. Just watching. I was waiting for her to approach me, or wave me over, but she just sat in the car, watching.
Every now and then, I'd approach a John in one of the other cars and turn away. At one point, I made the mistake of leaning in the window of an old, beat-up, gray Cadillac. I knew it was a bad move the moment I did it. The guy grabbed me like he was going to pull me in, through the window. I decked him and he shoved back out, sending me reeling across the sidewalk.
I hit the ground hard and tried to hide the tears as I picked myself up, to walk away in disgust.
I saw Dandy look.
She got out of her car and followed me into The Lakeside Saloon, a shitty bar, befitting a shitty situation in a shitty town on a shitty night.
I ordered a drink. Whiskey. Neat. I nursed it because it was a luxury I couldn't afford.
I finished it before Dandy finally made her move. As I stared at the empty glass, not wanting her to realize I was waiting for her, she waved over the Bartender.
"Tell my sister her next one's on me," she said.
I raised an eyebrow as I looked her way, to make sure she knew I took the bait.
You know the rest.
And you know what I am.
I am a Bitcoin thief.
Do it once, it's a thing you did.
Do it twice, it's a thing you do.
Do it enough, it becomes what you are.
I only did it once.
Once was enough.
The night I met Dandy, I said, "Bitch, I'm not robbing anybody."
I confess.
I lied.
But I lied to her, not you, right? That's gotta count for something.