Layla's Heart

Layla sat wondering, dreaming of what her life would have been like if things would have only been different, if that one moment would'nt have changed her life forever. Did she really ask for this, was this nightmare ever going to end? She kept asking the question over and over in her head. Remembering the details of that cold and hateful night.

"Your such a pretty little girl." the man said as he gently touched her hair. "So, Jennie, how much for the girl?"
"No, she's not...she's my little girl. I couldn't"
The man's eyes were cold, and the stentch of his breath was awful. "Well darling maybe I should rephrase my question. I want her and your going to give her to me or I'll kill you and her." His crooked smile revieled his dingy yellow teeth. Layla hid behind her mother, she remembered her mother dealing with may different men but never one this cold and heartless.
Her mother screamed, and the man threw her to the ground, she staggered to her feet and tried to rush him but she fell to the ground as his hand made contact with her head. "Mommy, Mommy!" Layla cried out. The man turned and yelled for her to shut her trap. She tried to Keep quiet but couldn't keep from whimpering. The man threw her into the back of the car, the leather interior was cold on her skin, she curled up in the back seat of the car.

From that day she lived her life in fear and pain. The pain of being ripped away from her mother. Layla could remember the sweet sound of her mother's voice, it was the only way she could survive. The only comfort she had ever known. Day's were long and her nights were filled of disappointment, and regrets.

Sir came in with and man and demanded that Layla treat him right.
"But Sir, I've met my quota for today. Please give him to someone else." Layla pleaded for a break.
"Shut up tramp!" His hand hit her face and she began to whimper. "Quiet!" Sir yelled.
She could remember that day like it was yesterday. Sir never brought in men from the street, but that day this man was cold and down right mean. He slapped her around, and brusied her beautiful body. She couldn't move and her eyes were swollen shut. The man looked at her with a crooked smile as he walked to the door.
"Good day darling."

Where had he found this man, what did she do to deserve this. Sir had never let any man hurt her before. Why this why now. Layla lay on the bathroom floor letting the cold ease the pain. She wondered if she would ever get out of this world that she lived in, this world that was chosen for her. She dozed off into a deep sleep dreaming of a different world one that was kind and full of hope. Hope. Something she had never known something that was foreign to her. She dreamed of the days when her mommy would hold her in her arms and sing sweet songs to her. It had been so long that she couldn’t remember what she sounded like or even the words to the song.



She awakened to the pain shooting through her body. She felt the hard floor beneath her and could barely move. She inched up and the pain made her let out a loud shriek. Layla made her way to the bathtub and began to run the water. She thought that if she soaked in a nice hot bath she wouldn’t hurt so bad.

There was a knock on the door. “Layla?” The voice sounded sweet and almost safe.
“Um…yes…”
“Layla, my name is Madison, I’m here to check on you. Sir sent me.” “Layla are you okay?”
“I’m fine.”
“Layla are you sure? I’m coming in.”
Madison reached for the door and turned the knob. the door was locked.
“Layla let me in.”
“Okay…” Layla was reluctant. She stepped out of the tub, wrapped a large bath towel around her body, and moved painfully to the door. She unlocked the door and hid behind it, afraid of whom and what was on the other side.
“Layla, I’m not going to hurt you I’m here to help you.” Madison looked at the badly bruised girl. She looked as though she was in a lot of pain. “Sweetie what happened?”
“He…he…hurt me.”
“Who did this to you? Does Sir know?”
“No! Don’t tell him, Please he’ll blame me!”
“Layla, no he won’t, we have to tell him.”
“No!
“We have to.”

Madison pulled out her cell phone ad dialed Sirs number. Layla could hear The Strong deep voice of the man on the other end of the phone.
“Sir its Madison, Layla’s hurt bad.”
“I’m on my way”

Madison sat down on the floor next to Layla and held her close to her heart. Layla had not been held like this since she was a little girl, before her mother was ripped away from her. Layla cried softy in Madison’s arms until she drifted off into a light sleep.

The banging was loud and her head was pounding. Sir flew threw the door as if he were a big ball of fury. “Layla are you okay?” Sir seemed sincere but then again his biggest moneymaker was after all out of commission.
“I’m brusied and in pain, I can barely move.”
“Who did this to you? Was it Jimmy? That little…wait till I get my hands on him!”
Sir made a phone call, his voice was muffled and Layla could not make out his words but she could see the anger in his eyes, the look of a murderer, and then the room went black.

Layla heard the voice, the one that had haunted her as she slept. The voice sounded scared and uncertain. Layla opened her eyes and saw the man standing near the door. He looked clean and sober, almost nice looking, as if he could not hurt a living being. “Jimmy, why did you hit my girl?” Sir said in a quiet voice.
“Sir, I was drunk, I don’t know what I did.”
“Jimmy my girls are important to me and I don’t like when they are hurt. It hurts my business.”
“Sir I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt her.”
“But you did. Look at her, she can barely move.”
“I…I…”
“That’s what a month of my income gone. At $500 hundred a job, about 4 jobs a day that makes how much?”
“I don’t know Sir.”
“That’s $2000 dollars a day that im out and well you have to pay it.”
“But Sir I don’t have that kind of money.”
“You find a way to pay me by noon. You come back here at noon weather you have the money or not or I come after you and you really don’t want that now do you?”
“No Sir.”
“Leave.”

Sir picked up the phone and yelled into the receiver. Moments later there was a man scooping her up in his arms and carried her to Sir’s car. He laid her on the leather seats and closed the door. The ride was long and bumpy, her head was pounding and her body ached. When the car stopped the door flung open with a sense of urgency. The man carried her to the big house that Sir called his home. The man took her to a room where she was to stay until she was better and could continue her work.
Sir sat at the edge of her bed staring at her as if he hand never seen her before. There was a knock on the door. “Come on in.” Sir replied. The door flung open and there he was, the man that she would never forget. “You got my money?”

“No…”
“Im sorry I didn’t catch that.”
“No…Sir, I couldn’t get it.” The look in Sir’s eyes yelled murder. Sir held out his hand and the man that escorted Jimmy into the room handed Him a gun. Sir held the gun to his head and Jimmy began to plead for his life.
“Sir please I’m sorry! I will never touch another woman again…please Sir, don’t please…”
The shot rang and all of a sudden, there was silence. He did it. He killed a man. He had killed a man for Layla.

For the next few weeks, Layla was waited on hand and foot and everything she needed was given to her. For the first time in her life, she was treated like the princess that she longed to be treated like her whole life. Layla knew her time in the house would be coming to an end and she would have to go back to her work. Back to all the men. The men with no names. The men that were nothing more than faces in her past. Layla fell back to sleep getting as much of it as she could because in a few days sleep will be almost non-existent.


Sir knocked and came into the room. “Layla, we need to talk.” Layla opened her eyes and look at him she knew he would put her back to work soon.
“How have you been feeling?”
“I’m doing good Sir. I’m ready I guess.”
“Layla, I don’t want you to go back.”
“What?”
“Well I think you put in enough time for me and you have been very loyal so I want you to live here in my home come and go as you please, and live your life. No work.”
“But Sir…I don’t know what to say. If I’m not working how will I get my day to day necessities?”
“I will take care of you. There is a guest house behind this one with a wait staff and I want you to live there.”
“Okay.”
Sir got up and walked toward the door.
“Sir?”
“Yes Layla?”
“What about Madyson?”
“She’s still around. Why?”
“I would like to talk to her if I could.”
“Sure thing.”

Layla remembered when she first met Madyson, she had such compassion for Layla that it made her heart sing. She had never felt so secure and loved since the day she was torn away from her mother. Layla lay in bed thinking of all the things that she dreamed of doing when she got away from Sir and how she would finally get to do them.

There was a knock on the door.
“Come in” Layla called.
“Hi sweetie how are you feeling?”
“Oh Madyson! He gave me my freedom!”
“Yes I know.”
“He said I am going to leave in the cottage.”
“Yes, He told me and he also said that you wanted to talk to me.”

“Well, yes Madyson I do. You know it would be great if you lived there with me.”
“What if I told you that Sir is a step ahead of you?”
“Really!”
“He’s having my things moved in as we speak.”
“Madyson, I’m so happy I really don’t know what to say.”
“Well I know what to say. You’d better get packing!”
“Okay.”
“Ill see you soon.”
Layla was so excited to make the guest house her home it would be the first home she had ever known, and she was determined to make it the best home ever. On the day of the move, Layla was excited and afraid, she had never been on her own before. As she walked into the house it took her breath away. The front entry way was painted a a beautiful sage with a dark colored antique bench up against the wall. Layla walked in to the sitting room, her heart leaped as she looked around the room, this would be the room where she would go to unwind.

“God, if there really is a God, I can’t thank you enough, I really wanted out of that life and I don’t know if your really looking out for me but if you are thank you” The first prayer ever to come out of her mouth and for some reason she really felt like it was reaching heaven.
“Layla, are you okay?” asked Mady
“Yes, im fine.” a tear rolled down her face.
“Why are you crying?”
“Oh Mady, these are tears of Joy. I never thought that I would ever cry because I was happy.”
“Layla can I ask you something?”
“Yes, anything.”
“Do you believe in God?”
“After today I think I do.”
“Well, I do and I have been praying for you, and I want you to meet my Jesus.”
“Mady, who’s Jesus?”
“Jesus is God’s son.”
“I didn’t know God had a son.”
“Jesus was sent to earth to save this world.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Well I”ll start in the beginning. God created the earth he created everything, He created you and me in his image! Then came the fall of man and all these things happened and the world became corrupt and the only way to save this world was to send Jesus in the flesh to die on the cross for our sins. He was crucified on the cross for us, he did nothing wrong but in order for you and me to be able to spend eternity with God he took the blame for our sins and through him we can be saved. Set free from addictcion.”

“What do I have to do.”
“Pray and ask Jesus into your heart.”
“Oh Mady, Im ready! I want to know Jesus! I want freedom!”