On a sunny Saturday afternoon, Doris Martin, a tall, slender, fair-skinned 22-year-old, received a text message on her phone. She had just finished baking a surprise birthday cake for her boyfriend, Kelvin Coker, and planned to lose her virginity to him.
Doris rushed to pick up the phone from a plastic chair in the kitchen and read the message.
“Doris, come to Robin’s Five Star Hotel, Room 305. I plan to celebrate my birthday with you,” Kelvin wrote.
“Really? I’ll be there,” Doris texted back. She didn’t ask questions or call her boyfriend. She packed the small cake in a white plastic bag, as she had learned to bake in culinary school.
Doris stepped out of the kitchen and met her mother, Esther Melvin, in the living room.
Esther was a janitor at Robin’s company, a magnificent six-story building. She had used her earnings to care for Doris since her husband left her 17 years ago and remarried a rich woman from a higher-class family.
Esther came from a poverty-stricken home and felt bad she couldn’t support Doris’ dream to further her education at a prestigious university, especially since Doris had graduated with distinction from high school.
“Mom,” Doris said, rushing to meet her mother. She was excited about seeing Kelvin. She wore a blue short dress she had used while baking the cake for her 24-year-old boyfriend, and she wanted to bathe.
“Mom, I want to rush and have my bath. Kelvin invited me to Robin’s Five Star Hotel. He plans to marry me and propose,” Doris said, her cheeks flushed with excitement.
Esther frowned upon hearing about the luxury hotel. She resembled Doris and wore a brown top and black skirt with the Robin Group name inscribed on the back.
“Doris, you cannot go there. I told you that you mustn’t lose your virginity until you’re married,” Esther said, trying to stop her daughter.
“No, Mom!” Doris snatched her hands away from her mother’s hold.
“All my friends have lost their virginity to their boyfriends. Kelvin loves me very much. If I don’t sleep with him, he might cheat on me, and I don’t want that,” Doris said firmly. Her mother scowled.
“Doris, this was the same stupid trick your father used on me 19 years ago. I was young and foolish, and after he married me, he left me for Nora, who was richer and from a high social family. Please, you shouldn’t go,” Esther begged.
But Doris had already made up her mind.
“Mom, I don’t want to hear about Dad. He was dishonest, but Kelvin is different. I have to go.” Doris rushed to the bathroom of the self-contained rented apartment she shared with her mother.
Once she finished bathing, Doris stepped out, smiling as she donned a red short dress and black shoes. She wanted to look sweet for Kelvin.
Her phone chimed again. The notification caught her attention, and she rushed to pick it up.
“Where are you, Doris? It’s getting late,” Kelvin asked.
“I’ll be there. Please, give me about an hour,” Doris texted back, knowing Robin’s Hotel was far from the local neighborhood where she lived with her mother.
It was past 5 p.m. Kelvin texted, “I am waiting, my love.”
Doris smiled and rushed out of her room. She had styled her long blonde hair to fall behind her back. She checked her dress, which she had bought with her savings.
Doris felt bad about disobeying her mother but believed she wouldn’t end up like her.
Before exiting, Doris looked at her reflection in the mirror and smiled. She was adorable. She quickly called Ella.
“Hello, Ella. Guess what?”
“What?” Ella asked lazily. She was with Kelvin in another hotel room, waiting for Doris to arrive.
“Kelvin invited me to meet him at Robin’s Hotel. I’m nervous. You know it’s my first time,” Doris said anxiously.
“Aw, I’m so happy for you. You shouldn’t keep Kelvin waiting. I’m sure he’ll appreciate it,” Ella replied, her tone gentle and urging.
“Alright. I’ll call you later,” Doris said before disconnecting. She stepped out of the room and met her mother in the parlor.
Esther was still pacing.
“Mom, why haven’t you gone to work? You’ll be late and might lose your job,” Doris said as she rushed to pick up the cake she had baked for Kelvin.
“Doris, I’m not trying to stop you. But please, promise me you’ll use protection and not lose yourself like that,” Esther pleaded. Doris’ cheeks flushed.
“Mom, how can you say that? Well, I don’t even know if Kelvin will touch me. But I’ll be careful. Don’t worry,” Doris assured her mother with a smile.
Esther nodded and escorted Doris out of the apartment.
“Come on, let’s go. You know I work for Robin’s Group, but I’m a janitor. I wish I were a staff at the hotel to keep an eye on you,” Esther said, her tone laced with anxiety.
'What if Kelvin had ulterior motives against Doris?' Esther didn’t like him. He was a rich kid.
“Don’t worry, Mom. I’ll be fine. Take care of yourself, and I’ll call you,” Doris said.
“Got it.”
They stepped out of the yard and made their way to the road. Once they got into a public transit, Esther and Doris sat together. Other passengers were in the bus. The air was thick with dusty wind and the scent of different perfumes.
Upon arriving at their destination, Esther dropped off at Robin’s company, while Doris sat anxiously with her cake and got off at the impressive hotel entrance.
Taking a deep breath, Doris steadied herself, holding the cake in a white plastic bag, and walked into the hotel gate.