I couldn't have moved my hooves underneath the sink quicker. The cold water gushing onto my hooves brought my mind away from my previous task, even if it was only for a moment. A warm and wet towel remained tucked underneath my arm, while Filthy Rich dressed himself and left me in the room, a large bag of bits sitting on top of the bed. Soap covered my hooves, both rubbing against each other in order to get rid of the smell and the reminder that I had just done that for money. I was naïve and allowed that colt to talk me into doing something I was not trained in. My face felt like there was lava flowing through my veins. Embarrassment was running through me, although I wasn't sure why. There shouldn't be any problem with performing that kind of a massage on a colt. The rationalizations began.
First of all, there were some stress knots in his body, probably due to his rich lifestyle (which I will never understand). Those knots were unable to be released by my magic or my hoof, which had started to bug me by the time his massage was going to end. However when my hooves were dirtied, I noticed those stress knots had released, and he was as relaxed as a sleeping foal. Second, there couldn't be anything wrong with using my special talent as a means to help people.
My hooves retreated from the faucet when they were finally clean, and I looked down at the warm and wet towel. I was aware that the towel was wet with more then just water, and my eyes shifted towards the hamper in which dirty towels were placed. Did my colleagues feel the same as I did? Would they question me if they happened to notice the differences in white color? Despite my years of training and the friendship that I made with both twins, this couldn't be risked.
The big pouch in the center of the bed, that had to be hidden as well. I scrambled around, pushing the pouch and the towel underneath the bed before I smelled my hands to make sure soap still lingered. Lotus knocked on my door, and then entered, a large smile on her face. “So how is the newbie?” She asked, before she moved over to me and hugged me gently. The color managed to drain from my face before Lotus came in the room, so she wasn't able to notice my embarrassment. My hooves wrapped around her waist as we shared this hug, and then I pulled back. I sat on my bed before I responded.
“I'm doing well, that massage was easy. It was just nerve wracking to have a man who is very wealthy asking you for a massage.”
“I can understand that. My first massage with him made me nervous as well.”
A sigh of relief moved out of my lips as I realized I wasn't the only one who got nervous on my first massage. But the end part of the massage was a different deal entirely. Could the two of us talk about it? We were both adult mares, and she was probably more adept at my previous massage then I was. However, Lotus never had a lover of her own, whether it was a mare or colt. She never talked about anyone in particular as if they were a lover. But then again, I never took part in her life conversations. My thoughts were broken by her words, “I'm going to check on you in a few hours, when your shift is done. If you don't mind, I would like if the sheets and covers were replaced by the time you leave, along with the towels put away. If anyone else asks you for a massage, I will honestly pay you whatever amount the massages give you. This is your start to becoming a professional, and I really want you to succeed.”
“Thank you Lotus, I won't disappoint you.” I replied as a weight sank into my stomach. I couldn't tell her now, since I already did disappoint her.
~
The next few hours were not anything noteworthy. Ten ponies asked me for a quick massage, since they were going to ask for an appointment. But if you were able to schedule an appointment, and get a quick massage after it, who wouldn't want to do that? The blood vessels in my head throbbed as a headache started to pool together. Using my spell too much was apparently the cause, but it had to be done if I wanted to make this much money. Now that I think about it, a headache was preferred to what happened to my reputation at the end of this story.
I'm here for a reason, wait your turn.
Lotus knocked at my door again and allowed herself into my room. The duties she previously asked for were done, and I sat down in my bed, keeping my gaze with her so that she didn't look under the bed. “Well let's see here, eleven people asked for your massages. That's eighty eight bits.” She said, a clipboard in her hand as she moved over the previous customer signatures.
My jaw would have hit the floor if it was capable. Eighty eight! Combined with the bits that were hidden underneath my bed, I just got a hundred bits in one night! Lotus giggled, probably because the surprise on my face was capable of being seen by pegasi in the sky. “I don't know what to say.” Was my response, as Lotus grabbed a medium sized bag from her hip. Her posture was slightly more straight as she handed the bag to me, which I happily took.
“I hope that you can buy whatever you need for the next week, you certainly worked hard today.” Lotus said. My hooves agreed, considering they were aching along with my head.
“I will, don't worry about me. I'll see you next week.” I responded, and Lotus left to go file the papers for today. My back hooves pulled the bag and towel out from underneath the bed, and then I looked at the medium bag. It could certainly fit a towel. I bunched up the towel into a small ball, and then pushed it into the bit bag, followed by emptying the twenty extra bits. I tied the bag to my hips, and almost fell over from the weight. This walk home was going to be long, I could tell.
~
My body remained frozen as I stood near the back door to my house. Luna's splendorous stars glittered in the sky, but the light in the kitchen told me that my father was doing the dishes. My parents promised to do the chores on Saturday, since I was working. The outside wall had no means to climb up it, and unfortunately I couldn't walk into the house with a hundred bits dangling from my (probably dislocated) hip. I softly moved around the house, tip hoofing until I reached my window. The window opened, although my headache now was worse as a result. I slowly started to levitate the bag up and off of my hip. Slowly, it ascended until the bag was inside my room. A splitting pain moved through my mind. My teeth gnashed together and I kept the spell up until the cloth bag hit the ground. A sigh passed my lips. The evidence was gone.
I passed through the front door and the first thing that I heard was my mother coming up to me and hugging me. “Oh there she is! My own little girl is growing up!” She said, as I felt my hip and back being squeezed back into place. “How was your day at work?”
“Oh it was fine Mom. I'm thinking of switching jobs.”
They were not excited by this proposal. My mother's grip on my body was loosened, while my father looked up from the dishes to stare at me. His horn glowed and I could see the shuffling of papers into a big pile, before being placed out of sight. “Why do you say that?” He asked me. One of the things that I liked about my dad, he would never judge me, he would ask questions before doing so.
“Well... I don't like washing dishes forever. It gets boring and tedious. I have a headache from levitating crates of dishes.”
“I have a headache from listening to your mother, that doesn't mean that I shouldn't stop doing it.”
My mother smiled and let out a small laugh, although annoyance was plastered on her face. “Yes Dear, if you are going to want to move out of here, you can't do that without money.”
I wanted to ask when the suggestion of my moving came up, but a certain conversation a month ago refreshed my memory. “I know that, I was thinking of doing something else with my talents.” I replied. My father took a glance of my cutie mark to remind himself of what I could be, and I could see the nervousness moving into his body.
“What are you thinking of?” My mother asked, as she released me and took a step back.
“Well... massaging people. I mean, I'm not called Stress Relief for nothing, right?”
A sigh came from both parents. My dad was still not convinced, “What kind of massaging?”
“Professional kinds? I'm not sure how to make it more clear.”
“You aren't planning on doing any funny business?”
I started to blush, “I would think that my dad would know what I did and didn't do. I don't plan on doing anything other then relieve tense muscles.”
“Through sex?”
The three of us remained silent, probably because I couldn't think of a good response. I wanted to tell him that I would never do that. But if I did, I would be lying. Twenty extra bits were lying in my bag because of an extra massage. Twenty bits that could buy a cute outfit, or rent for my own place. The silence was obviously worrying my parents. My mother walked back over to my dad, wishing that she could still defend me. “Are you going to answer me?” My father asked in a worried but slightly higher tone. When he was worried, he got angry.
“No, not through sex.” I finally responded. But my large pause wasn't exactly the reassurance that my parents wanted. They stared at each other, as if telepathically trying to figure out what they were going to do if their daughter sold herself for money. “I have to go to bed, please leave me alone.”
My hooves made soft noises as I finally reached my bed, my headache growing worse as the door slammed behind me and locked into place. I laid down on my bed, staring up at the ceiling as my thoughts raged around in my head. “They probably won't want you to keep going to work, if you keep doing... that for it.”
“You used to be able to lie to them so easily? What happened?”
“This is your special talent, you should be practicing it, since that is what makes you different from everyone else.”
“I don't care if it makes me different.” My voice uttered, as my hooves ran down my abdomen. “That isn't what I'm worried about. What I am worried about, is which talent makes me different?”
Despite the release, I still woke up four hours later, shivering as a breeze passed over my body. Blue hues looked over to the window, which still remained open from when I smuggled my money. My head was not pounding for the time being, but the previous pain was so great, that I didn't want to risk it. My hooves touched the carpet of my room, and I walked over to the window, shutting it with a sigh. Those papers Dad moved were now on my mind. He was always honest with me, although I couldn't say the same for myself. Why was he now hiding something?
Slowly down the hallway I moved, my eyes focused on the kitchen counter. No one was awake, this was my chance to look. I opened a drawer and managed to see a small hint of the paper underneath the silverware. The papers were pulled out and shuffled along the counter. Despite the possibility of my headache coming back, I illuminated my horn, and looked down at one of the documents. Many of them were bills, although this one happened to jump out at me.
“We are aware of your desire to take out a loan for a thousand bits, but unfortunately we are unable to do so at this time. Your record in paying back money has not exactly been flawless, and we are hesitant to provide you with the aforementioned money.” The document said, followed by an apology.
What did my dad want a loan for? I looked at another paper, which asked for fifty bits in rent. Another document stated that a lack of payments towards the house would result in the house being taken. My eyes drooped a small amount, depression and worry moving through my body. If I could keep my massage sales up, then I could help pay my way around this house. No one cared if I helped a rich man release in order to acquire this money. All that mattered was that the money was paid, not the smell. The previous documents were placed back, as I held onto the two that my weekend job was going to pay.
I hesitated, as my dad's attitude was played out before me. After the judgment that he placed on me from making this money, should I use it to help him? My own house was just around the corner, if the hundreds of bits were saved up. Anger moved through my body, and I placed the two bills back underneath the silverware. They could pay the bills on their own. As much as it hurt me to think this, saving their ass was not my special talent.