[interesting]

It had been roughly a week since the move and mother and daughter were settling in. Tina still didn't have her own bed so, while she used the room to store her items and for schoolwork, she still slept in the same room as Justine, in their twin bed. Tina had also taken to sleeping in the buff, much to her mother's unease. At first, Justine had tried to say something to her daughter, but then she remembered how she had sold herself to August Rand, the owner, for the rent and food for the place, and how she had similarly settled the issue with the movers. She didn't feel like she had a leg to stand on in teaching morality to her daughter. And so she accepted, reluctantly but without saying a word, the fact that her daughter was now sleeping with her nude.

That being said, Justine had taken to wearing a flannel pyjama in order not to confuse her daughter (or herself anymore). That moaning sound, and her name, spoken through the bathroom door, had more than shaken her core. She was glad, however, that her relationship with her daughter seemed to be improving. Tina was much more talkative, and she seemed in better spirits. In those few days, they hadn't met any of the other tenants in the building, although they sometimes heard them.

What kept Justine awake at night, mostly, was thinking that everyone in the apartment complex was sleeping with August Rand, or had at least slept once with him. It probably there were only women, because she didn't fancy August being into men, for some odd reason. Truth be told, now that she knew he was a former porn star, she had looked him up on the internet. He had done everything, short of straight gay pornography. It had been, to some extent an education, and Justine started to wonder just how much like these girls in the videos she needed to be in order to satisfy her landlord.

That evening, returning from buying a new pair of shoes, Justine finally crossed paths with another tenant, a young woman, barely eighteen She wore a short dress (way too short for Justine's tastes) and a belly shirt, no bra. She wore her head up, with pink highlights and glitter on her face and upper chest. Her makeup was excessive over the eyes, very pinky and glittery as well. The young girl smiled as Justine was walking up the steps to the building.

"Hey! You must be the new tenant."
"Hello. I'm Justine."
"They call me Pinky. Can you guess why?"

Justine laughed along with Pinky. She had the most beautiful smile, her lips all purple and pink.

"It's nice to meet you, Pinky."
"Same. Your daughter's hot too."
"uh... thanks, I guess."
"A bit young though... August's not into that young."

Justine felt awkward that the subject was being brought up. She didn't think she would have to talk about it. Thinking seemed quite enough, in fact. But Pinky didn't seem fazed by it. She continued.

"What were you doing before coming here?"
"um..."
"I can go first, if it makes you feel more comfortable. There's no secrets here."
"Ok..."

Pinky spoke without hesitation, as if her story didn't bother her at all.

"When I was twelve, I was raped by my dad, and I ran away. I became homeless, rather quickly... got into drugs, prostitution. The works. Anyway, six months ago, I hit bottom. I was found in a ditch, ten kilometres off the highway..."
"oh my god!"
"Yeah. The nurse at the hospital told me I needed to get clean or I would die... and, you know, she was right... she told me about this place."
"The nurse?"
"Yeah. She said she used to live here a couple years ago, when her brother got out of jail and came to kill her. He was shot by the police but she broke down from it and... well it's her story, not mine to tell."
"Wow."

Suddenly, Justine's plight didn't seem so bad.

"And now you're here?"
"Yeah... and August is... nice. He's like a client, only he doesn't judge me. I got no more pimp, I'm off the hard drugs... I make my own hours now."
"You still walk the street?"
"No. I'm on the internet now. A lot safer, if you'd believe. Plus, I only get high-end customers now. No more trash."

Justine couldn't believe the girl's candor.

"And yourself?"

It was clear that Pinky was expecting a story in return. Justine felt bad for not having a story as sad or dramatic.

"I'm here for... my daughter. We were living in a dump, I... was a nude dancer at some point..."
"You'd be good. You look so hot. Wish I had your breasts."

Pinky reached down and gropped Justine's breasts, making her freeze. Pinky pinched them and pulled away.

"So you're here to protect your daughter."
"Yes... we were going to get evicted and... I couldn't let that happen. She's... everything to me."

Saying those words suddenly made Justine's heart swell with love for Tina, and she remembered the words heard through the door.

"You're having a nice memory," Pinky said.
"I... guess I am."

Pinky gave a big hug to Justine.

"I'm so glad to welcome you here..."
"I'm... also glad to be here... to meet you."

Pinky pulled back, shaking her shoulders. Justine walked past and suddenly, she didn't feel so bad anymore. If a girl like Pinky had a chance here, how much more did Tina and her have, not dragging a past as sordid behind her. And Tina... she could be given a little slack, given all she had endured, the loss of her father so young, the isolation, the death of Ludmilla... and so what if she slept naked. It only meant she was comfortable. She had never done that at the old place. It was a good sign.