The Companion (Part III)

Facundo was heterosexual, with absolute and full conviction. He had never had any experience with men, never.

He liked and enjoyed sex with women, and this was taken for granted when he agreed to work with his pimp.

"This wasn't what we discussed," Facundo said, uneasy and annoyed. "You never told me I'd be working with men. I don't want to do it. I won't do it."

"I know, we never discussed that your services would be with men. It's not necessary for you to tell me, I know. But listen, please, just listen. He's a very powerful man and he's insisted a lot, and I'm offering you a commission that's double your usual pay, plus it doesn't involve sex or any situation that includes that. It'll just be a companionship service, like an assistant, that's what he asked for. He has to make a trip to Miami and he wants you as his assistant for three days. I'm insisting: there's a commission that's double your usual pay."

"Let me think about it."

Don't be late.

Facundo was torn between his desire to earn the money they were offering him and his convictions about his sexuality, but "it doesn't include sex, that's it," he told himself to give himself arguments to accept the service. Deep down, he believed he was questioning his sexuality "if they're offering me to be a companion to a man, it's because they think I'm homosexual," he told himself as an argument to refuse.

He thought about it for almost two days, and only the insistence of his pimp convinced him:

"Look, if you don't want to do it, that's fine, but in that case, I think I won't be able to keep counting on you."

Faced with those arguments, Facundo finally accepted. The woman knew very well how to persuade and control, and the young journalist and occasional companion had been an easy and manipulable prey.

Facundo felt bad again, ill-tempered and humiliated. He had tried to forget that he sold his body, with elegant words he tried to avoid the fact that he practiced prostitution. The good life couldn't make him forget that essential fact.

It hurt him to feel like an object, and all the initial doubts reappeared, with more force. A ghost that seemed to have been overcome returned to be present in his life.

But despite the discomfort, the humiliation, and the painfulness of accepting his condition, he knew he was in a labyrinth from which he couldn't easily escape. He even doubted if he wanted to escape from it.

And he tried to prepare himself for that service, to become aware that it was just a job, that it didn't question his sexuality. The nervousness increased as the date approached.

The woman sent him the list of clothes he should wear, where he should present himself, and sent him a plane ticket. The instructions were very clear, the list of clothes was exhaustive and included a swimsuit, sports shorts, sweatpants, running shoes, formal attire, and even ties, plus a notebo...