At 4 p.m. on Saturday, Doris Martin, a tall, slender, fair-skinned, 22-year-old woman, received a text message notification on her phone. She had finished baking a surprise birthday cake for her boyfriend, Kelvin Coker, as she intended to lose her virginity to him.
Doris rushed to pick up the phone from the plastic chair in the kitchen and read the text message on the screen.
"Doris, come to Robin's Five Star Hotel, Room 305, and meet me there. I plan to celebrate my birthday with you," Kelvin said.
"Really? I will be there," Doris texted back. She didn't ask questions or call her boyfriend. She just packed up the small cake in a white plastic bag, as she had learned to bake in a culinary school.
Doris stepped out of the kitchen and met her mother, Esther Melvin, in the living room.
Esther was a janitor at the Robin's company, a magnificent six-story building, and she had been using the money she earned to take care of Doris since her husband dumped her 17 years ago and remarried a rich woman from the upper-class families.
Esther was from a poverty-stricken home, and she felt bad that she couldn't support Doris's dream to further her education at the prestigious university, since Doris had graduated with distinction from high school.
"Mom," Doris rushed to meet her mother. She was excited about going to see Kelvin. She wore a blue short dress that she had used to bake the cake for her 24-year-old boyfriend, as she wanted to bathe.
"Mom, I want to rush and have my bath. Kelvin invited me to Robin's Five Star Hotel. He planned to propose to me," Doris said, her cheeks flushed with excitement as she looked at her mother's face.
Esther frowned upon hearing about the luxury hotel. She resembled Doris. She wore a brown top and black skirt with the Robin Group name inscribed at the back.
"Doris, you cannot go there. I told you that you mustn't lose your virginity until you're married," Esther said, as she tried 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 do not sleep with him, he might cheat on me, and I do not want that," Doris said firmly, and her mother scowled.
"Doris, this was the same stupid trick that 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 higher class family. Please, you shouldn't go," Esther begged, trying to stop her daughter. But Doris had already made up her mind.
"Mom, I do not 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 that she shared with her mother.
Once she was done bathing, Doris stepped out, smiling as she donned a red short dress and black shoes. She wanted to look sweet for Kelvin.
Doris's phone chimed once more. The notification sound captured her attention, and she rushed over to pick up the phone.
Doris read the text message.
"Where are you, Doris? It's getting late," Kelvin said.
"I will be there. Please, give me about an hour," Doris texted back, knowing that Robin's Hotel was far from the local neighborhood where she lived with her mother.
It was past 5 p.m. on the clock, and 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, as she had bought it with her saved money.
Doris felt bad that she was disobeying her mother. But she believed that she wouldn't end up like her mother had.
Before Doris exited the room, she looked at her reflection in the mirror and smiled. She was adorable, and she quickly dialed Ella's contact.
"Hello, Ella. Guess what?"
"What is it?" 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 am nervous. You know that it's my first time," Doris said anxiously.
"Aw. I am so happy for you. You shouldn't keep Kelvin waiting. I am sure that he will appreciate it," Ella replied, her tone gentle, urging Doris to go.
"Alright. I will call you later," Doris said before disconnecting the call. She stepped out of the room and met her mother in the parlor.
Esther was still pacing around.
"Mom, why haven't you gone to work? You will be late, and you might lose your job," Doris said, as she rushed over to pick up the cake that she had baked for Kelvin.
"Doris, I am not trying to stop you from going. But please, promise me that you will use protection and you will not lose yourself like that?" Esther pleaded, and Doris's cheeks flushed.
"Mom, how can you say that? Well, I don't even know if Kelvin will touch me. But I am going to be careful. Don't worry," Doris assured her mother with a smile before her heart calmed down.
Esther nodded and escorted Doris out of the apartment they lived in.
"Come on, let's go. You know I work for the Robin's Group. But I am a janitor at the company. I wish I were a staff member at the hotel to keep an eye on you," Esther said, her tone laced with anxiety as she worried about what might happen to her daughter.
What if Kelvin had ulterior motives? Besides, Esther didn't like him. He was a rich kid.
"Don't worry, Mom. I will be fine. Take care of yourself, and I will call you," Doris said, and Esther nodded. "Got it."
They stepped out of the yard and made their way to the road. Once they boarded a public transit, Esther and Doris sat together. There were other passengers 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 dropped off at the impressive hotel entrance.
Taking a deep breath, Doris steadied herself, holding the cake in a white plastic bag, and walked through the hotel gate.