Tom looked at Peter in shock. "I don't believe you," he said, continuing to stand in front of Peter. Peter smiled, noticing the surprised expression of disbelief on Tom's face.
"It's okay if you don't believe me, but that's the truth, Tom. I didn't sleep with any woman for money," Peter said, and Tom crossed his arms over his chest as he stared at Peter in awe, even as night fell.
"The truth is, there was a beautiful young lady I saw today who was struggling to carry her nylon bag. I offered to help her, but she refused and said I stunk. And guess what?" Peter looked at Tom, who stood speechlessly in front of him in the closed shop.
"She opened her red purse and threw a $100 bill at me, just like that. She said I should get some new clothes because I stink," Peter said, shaking his head at the memory.
"What! Just like that?" Tom asked as he finally walked over to sit beside Peter on the bench. However, Peter shifted away from him again, surprising Tom, who laughed and said, "Wait, Peter, just because you bought new clothes now, you’re avoiding me? Really?"
Tom didn’t get annoyed, and Peter laughed as he stood up, glancing back at Tom, who finally sat on the bench. Peter said, "What did you expect from me, Tom? That I would sit with you while you soaked me with sweat?"
Tom frowned silently, realizing Peter was serious. Peter continued, "I was just telling you how I was insulted by this pretty lady, and you thought it was a joke that she just handed me money like that. Well, it’s not."
Peter looked away, choosing not to sit back beside Tom. Tom said, "It’s okay, Peter. I believe you now."
Tom knew that Peter was an attractive, handsome young man, and many ladies shamelessly approached him, trying to woo him as their boyfriend, but Peter always refused.
Tom had even seen some women offering cash to Peter to sleep with them, but Peter had clearly rejected it, saying he couldn’t sleep with a woman for money, which Tom couldn’t understand.
They were poor and couldn’t afford rent in the city, even though Tom knew Peter had graduated from a well-renowned university that his parents had sent him to. But Peter wasn’t able to find a good job, and his previous friends who were fraudsters had sent him away. On top of that, Peter didn’t want to return to the village empty-handed to face his parents.
Tom knew that if he were in Peter’s shoes, getting contract jobs from various women asking him for only a one-night stand, he would accept happily. He was suffering daily, and he wasn’t a graduate either, so he couldn’t expect to find a better job—life in the city was hard.
He sat and stared at Peter, then after a while, Tom shook his head and said, "You’re indeed a lucky man, Peter. Most men in your position would just take advantage of these pretty ladies asking for their services. You could just sleep with them, collect your payment, and move on. They aren’t even asking you to marry them! You’re really missing out, man! Honestly, if I were you and I received so many proposals from at least one woman, I would have left this slum where we sleep every night a long time ago," Tom said.
"Hmm," Peter sighed, finally walking back to the bench to sit beside Tom. He stared out at the busy road and the different types of exotic cars driving by and said, "Well, that’s you, Tom, not me. I cannot sleep with a woman for money. Before I left the village for the city, my mom advised me not to fall for any woman who would try to make me her puppet by paying me money to sleep with her. Mom always said that I would lose my respect as a man if I allowed a woman to work and feed me while I relaxed in her comfort and became her slave. No matter what I do in the city, I will never be able to progress if I let a woman toss me around," Peter said.
"Shut up, Peter! How about now that you're not with a woman? Aren't you being tossed around every day already?! Imagine a lady just giving you $100 without you doing anything for her, not even touching her bag! Why would she just throw you such a large amount of money? If not that she admires you and likes you... Look, let me tell you, man, no woman will just hand over her money to a man like that, never!" Tom exclaimed, and Peter sighed.
"It's alright, Tom. I saw it in her eyes too that she admired me at first, but after smelling me and noticing I was drenched in sweat, she threw the cash at me. So maybe you're right. I guess if I had been ugly, she wouldn't have helped me," Peter agreed, shaking his head sadly.
"That’s the same thing I’m advising you, Peter. Explore these ladies while you have the chance before you die of poverty! Chai! If you see another lady again who wants to disturb you or asks you to spend just one night with her, please link me to her, and let me become her puppet!" Tom begged.
"No." Peter stared at Tom, shaking his head in rejection.
"Seriously, Peter, if you don't help me with this, then we're no longer friends," Tom glared at Peter, who stared back at him in shock.
"You can't be serious, Tom! So you want me to scam women and turn into a prostitute too? What's the difference between you and my previous friends who were fraudsters and threw me out?" Peter questioned, but Tom shook his head and replied, "This is different, Peter. The women want to help you, and you can move out of poverty. In return, you’ll be warming their beds and satisfying them... It’s completely different from fraud. With fraud, you wouldn’t offer them any services, you’d just scam them out of their money and run away. But this way, you’re being paid for the service you provide," Tom emphasized, but Peter still shook his head and replied, "No. I cannot do that."
"Oh, Peter! I can’t believe I’m advising an English graduate like you on something as simple as this," Tom said frustratedly. He stood up from the bench while Peter said, "I will not become a male prostitute, Tom. Never! This conversation is over. If you want to cut me off, then fine! I don’t care, and I will never be a woman’s puppet. If I see any woman looking for recommendations for a male prostitute to service her bed and satisfy her desires, I will recommend your services to her. Count me out."
Peter stood up from the bench as well and started walking away, leaving Tom standing speechlessly as he watched him go.
"Okay, Peter. That’s fine for me. I’ll be expecting my first-ever contract job servicing a woman!" Tom shouted after Peter, who only shook his head and paused to look back.
"Are you really serious about becoming a male prostitute?" Peter questioned Tom as he approached him.
"What do you expect from me, man? I'm not a graduate like you, and I’m from a poor family, too. This year, I’ll be 30 years old, and yet no wife, no car, no house! And you’re here getting proposals from different pretty women asking you out."
"Just know that if you see a pretty young woman stopping you again and proposing to you to become her sugar boy, just tell her you have a very handsome dark-skinned friend with a big rod who will satisfy her however she wants, and refer me to her. I’m ready to start the job immediately," said Tom.
"What!" Peter exclaimed, laughing as he stared at Tom in shock.
"You can't be serious about this?" Peter said, but Tom ignored him and walked past him to climb onto the pavement. Tom still wanted to run some errands, even as the night approached, as his job was to carry people’s loads and help them take their bags to their cars until it got dark.
"I'm serious, Peter. Just a one-night stand with a rich woman will change my life forever. That’s what some young ladies do here in the city—service a rich man and warm his bed for money. Life isn’t fair to everyone, Peter, and we all have to strive hard to survive it. So I’ll be expecting the contract from you. I have to run along now before the night completely falls. Let me see if I can earn some extra cash to add to the little I’ve collected during the day," Tom said, and Peter replied, "Okay."