Truth or Lies? by A. Gomez (book club recommendations txt) 📗

and rolled over. She wanted to sleep longer. After a few more minutes of encouraging words she finally got up. Betty was absolutely a morning person. She was chirping like a little bird about dinner and what she had to eat. She told me about all the new girls she met and she talked about last night and how much fun she had with the other girls that were in our bedroom. I had to tell her to hush about that or else we might get in trouble with Debbie or Mr. Chang.

We all went down for breakfast like the other morning and we all went to our assigned chores. Betty Lou and I were always together no matter what and Debbie knew better than to separate us. Betty and I were diligently working when we heard a knock and voices coming from the general direction of the main kitchen. I wasn’t sure if the voices were in the kitchen but I decided to investigate regardless.

“Betty Lou, please stay here. I’ll be right back. I’m just going to take a few towels to the kitchen.”

She nodded and continued working. I grabbed a stack of kitchen towels and under the ruse of delivering them to the kitchen, I headed in the direction of the voices. I walked in and saw Debbie talking with a slender Asian man. He was delivering groceries and she was busy putting them away. As I placed the towels on the island the man looked up and we locked eyes for a moment. He looked surprised? Startled? He stared at me as if he knew me? His jaw dropped ever so slightly. Do I know this man?

“Oh. Isabel, you startled me. This is Ricky.” She inclined her head in the direction of the Asian man. “He came early to deliver those ingredients you asked for and some groceries.” She continued to put the food away.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Ricky. Here, let me help so I can familiarize myself with the kitchen.” I took the bags from his hands and placed them on the island. He was quickly at my side, helping unpack the food. I could sense he wanted to say something but couldn’t because of Debbie. We unpacked in silence. Debbie was muttering something to herself.

“Are there anymore in the car, Ricky? Do you need help with unloading the car?” Please say yes, so we can walk outside and talk in private.

He took a fleeting look at Debbie. She was already walking outside to his vehicle to get the rest.

“No, thank you, Dr. Langley, I think Debbie is getting the rest,” he answered in a thick Chinese accent.

Dr. Langley? I was introduced as Isabel. “You know me?” I asked in a hushed voice. He nodded, his gaze turning to the bags as he began to fold them.

Debbie was back quickly from his car with the last of the bags.

“Thank you, Isabel, but Ricky and I can handle it. You can go back to your chores,” Debbie said in a monotone dismissing me.

Shit. There goes my chance. I nodded. “Well, it was nice to meet you Mr. um…” I offered him my hand.

“Hong, Ricky Hong,” he answered, taking may hand and squeezing it tight. “But they call me Chex because I’m so good at chess.”

Shit! Recognition washed through me. Chex, the anonymous information I received that one morning from a Chex at the DA’s office. I needed to somehow get him alone. “I hope to see you again. When do you usually come around and at what time?”

“I usually come in the mornings every Friday.”

“That’s enough questions, Isabel. Go on and finish your chores now,” Debbie snickered awkwardly. “I’m sorry, Ricky, Isabel is new here and is always so inquisitive.”

I hesitated, mentally calculating the consequences if I didn’t do what she said. I didn’t care what happened to me but I cared about Betty and that’s where they knew they could control me. I nodded, smiling weakly and headed back to the laundry room. I glanced back over my shoulder. Ricky waved a brief goodbye. So, I finally met the infamous Mr. Hong and I wasn’t able to say two words to him… or he to me. I puffed my cheeks up with air and let out a loud exhale. Crap!

And, so, we settled into a routine of sorts. Breakfast, chores, appointments, lunch, appointments, dinner, evening appointments, then bedtime—whatever that might be for each girl. And me barely sleeping at night. I would sometimes have lunch with Victor Chang but we would always have dinner together. I asked him for a few educational books for Betty and he actually agreed to get them for me. His being so agreeable pleasantly stunned me. He even bought me more clothes. They were more of the casual everyday wear kind and also Gucci.

Betty and I got to know all the girls in the mansion since they all helped take care of Betty at some point or another. There were thirty girls, including Betty Lou and me. But that number fluctuated up and down on a weekly basis since Chang always had new girls coming and existing girls going away to places unknown to us. The girls also helped read with Betty while I was with Chang. A few of them, at one point, were math majors in college. Those girls helped with Betty’s math lessons. I was relieved Betty was getting some sort of education, even if it was in a weird, unconventional way. Something was better than nothing.

Thanksgiving came and went. It was just another week for us—business as usual. We had nothing to celebrate and nothing to be thankful for. I thought, perhaps, since it was the holidays, the girls’ appointments would slow down. On the contrary, they had more appointments and more repeat clientele. It was deplorable. I hated every waking minute, watching them come