Serving Lola

“Pearl Avondale?” Pearl’s blonde head glanced up. She rose from her seat in the small square “waiting room,” in which one young heavy male sat, along with a very thin older woman who was probably a druggie. “Yes?” she said as she approached the woman sitting behind the counter. The woman eyed her as if she were a vile and loathsome creature. Yeah, Pearl thought to herself, I may have broken the law, but that doesn’t mean you’re superior to me. It really doesn’t. “Please glance over the info on this sheet to be sure it’s correct,” said the snob with the heavy-framed glasses. Pearl studied the form on the clipboard that had been handed to her. Name, age, address, phone, a list of medications – which happened to be none – were all as they should be. “Looks good to me.” “OK, then,” Miss High and Mighty said, taking back the clipboard. “Your probation officer will be with you shortly.” Pearl waited nervously for what seemed like an eternity. Finally, the door on the side popped open, and her name was called. Pearl rose from her seat. “This way,” said the woman. Pearl followed the tall, slender woman down a short corridor and into a room at the end of it. The office was small and cramped, with tons of papers on the walls and barely enough room for the desk and two chairs that sat in it. Pearl sat in front of the desk as her PO squeezed in behind it. She studied the woman, trying to size her up. Would she go easy on her? Or would she be the bitch from hell? Either way, the woman was absolutely stunning with large dark eyes, full lips, and long dark hair. Could this really be her PO? “You’re Lola?” “I’m Lola,” said her PO as she glanced up from the paperwork before her, makeup perfectly applied. “Surprised?” “Uh… yeah, I am actually. I guess you’re just not what I think of when I think of female POs.” Expression never wavering, Lola asked, “And what do you think of when you think of POs, Miss Avondale?” Pearl cleared her throat and chose her words carefully. “Well, to be perfectly honest, I really don’t know what I expected. Perhaps someone a little harsher looking.” Lola nodded, a slight smile momentarily forming upon her wine-colored lips. Then, without further question of Pearl’s visualizations, she got down to business, once again glancing at the papers on her desk. “So let’s see… this is your first offense for possession of a small amount of marijuana.” Pearl sat silently as Lola glanced up at her and then back down. “You’ve been ordered to pay a fine of $500 and to complete three months of probation, which will include community service. That service will consist of volunteering at the local library.” “Yes, ma’am,” said Pearl, “and I’ve already paid the fine.” “Good. That’s one thing we can cross off the checklist.” Lola then pulled something out of a file cabinet behind her and set the plastic-wrapped object down before her. “What’s that?” “That’s a cup for you to pee in for your drug test. Be glad you don’t have to endure an observed test since this is your first offense. Bathroom’s two doors down on the right.” Pearl rose from her seat, picked up the small cup, and then proceeded to leave the room. “Uh-uh,” said Lola. Pearl stopped and faced the lovely PO. “Purse stays here.” “Oh, OK,” said Pearl, placing the small bright pink purse with its gold accents on the chair. “Leave the cup on the back of the toilet when you’re done.” “All done?” Lola asked when she returned to the room. “Yeah. Sorry it took so long. I didn’t expect to be tested so soon, so I had to guzzle some tap water in order to get my bladder full enough.” Lola smiled. “Happens sometimes. But that’s the thing about probation, Pearl. We never warn our clients of anything. You will never know when I’ll demand a urine sample, and you will never know when I’ll pay you a visit at home either.” “I understand,” Pearl said, giving a slight smile of her own. A moment of silence, and then Lola asked, “Why?” “Why?” The PO nodded. “Why were you in possession?” Lola was right. They definitely didn’t warn their clients of anything. As far as she had always heard, all the probation and parole officers cared about was seeing to it that their clients carried out their sentences as ordered, not why they got in trouble in the first place. “Well,” Pearl sighed, “I did a stupid thing.” Lola gazed at her, waiting for her to go on. “I know this is a horrible excuse, but I was in a long-term relationship with someone, and it ended a few months ago. It ended very suddenly, actually. I became depressed, and well…” “So you’d never smoked pot before?” “Actually, I did a few times in my teens, but that was a decade ago.” “Any other drugs or alcohol?” “No other drugs. Alcohol very seldom.” “Well, that will be none at all for now. You are aware that that’s forbidden as part of your terms of probation, correct?” “Correct.” Lola shuffled some papers. “What ended the relationship?” Was she serious? Was this really the kind of thing probation officers asked? “Well, she decided she wanted children, and she didn’t want to adopt them or be artificially inseminated either.” Lola’s expression remained neutral. After a moment of silence in which Pearl couldn’t figure Lola out, she said, “So it’s just you in your apartment now?” “Yes, I moved out of her house and into my own apartment.” “And your job?” Pearl shrugged. “I’m a phlebotomist, and well, it’s just a job, but it pays the bills.” “OK, then. Come see me every Tuesday, pay your monthly fee on time, and stay out of trouble.” “Yes, ma’am. That’s it?” “That’s it,” Lola said with a smile. Pearl tore her hazel eyes from Lola’s gorgeous face and left the building. She would certainly rather not be on probation, but since she had no choice at the moment, having a PO like Lola just might prove to be a rather interesting experience.