But, there was a catch! It seemed there was always a catch. If she had really thought about it, nothing was truly free; somebody had to 'pay the piper'. Destiny had never really given it much thought before, because, growing up in a more or less loving home like she did, she had never really had to pay her own way. Her parents had always made sure she had everything she needed ( even some stuff she wanted ), so Destiny had never had to fend for herself; plus, the fact that she had not really ever been taught to survive on her own counted against her.
So when Destiny's new 'friend' told her that she was going to have to carry her own weight, she was a bit flustered. At first, she was kinda okay with what he told her she must do ( 'after all, it WAS just him, right?' ), but when other girls starting staying with them ( even other men! ), Destiny felt pretty sure that this wasn't the future she had dreamed of. She played the role for what seemed like years ( maybe it was! ), getting more & more tired, wearing herself out till she had earned dark circles around her eyes. She was losing weight, becoming almost waifish in appearance. The drugs he gave her didn't help much either, not like they were supposed to, anyway. The more she relied on them, the more she needed them.
Destiny continued to suffer the rather short leash she was on, because she thought she had no other choice, but one day someone came along, promising to take her away from all of this! The drudgery that she went through on a daily basis had taken an obviously heavy toll on her body, which was looking pretty old for one so young. If she ever hoped to see her twenties, she had to act quickly!
It took some doing, but her new 'savior' finally convinced her old 'friend' to let her leave & go with him to a different city. Destiny was glad for the change: she had worn herself out in that other place, doing certain things she was pretty sure weren't healthy, physically or spiritually speaking. When she was finally free of that place & settled down in her new home, Destiny breathed a sigh of relief; it was good to be able to just rest & recuperate without having to do all those things that other man had made her do!
For the first year or so, Destiny was almost tempted to think she had died & gone to Heaven! Her 'savior' played the part of 'the white knight', seemingly going beyond the call of duty, making sure she had everything her little heart desired. She was beginning to fill out again, the dark circles around her eyes were almost gone & she was beginning to regain her youthful appearance again ( she WAS only almost 18, after all ) If she had thought about it, Destiny would have known that, someday, there would be a price to pay, but as we've seen, Destiny never was much of a thinker!
'Out of the frying pan, into the fire!' Very quickly, Destiny was learning the horrifying truth of that phrase. If she thought she'd had it bad before, she found that this man was ten times worse. Although she was spared the horrors that she'd suffered before, she quickly learned the evil that men are capable of: and this time, they didn't leave a mark!
She was not subjected to the filthiness that she had endured before, but now she learned that the game could be played much dirtier than she had ever thought possible! Destiny found herself playing the part of a pawn in a very large game of chess, or cat & mouse, if you prefer. As long as she did exactly what she was told, when she was told. Destiny had no serious issues, but the minute she questioned her erstwhile 'savior', she learned very quickly to keep her opinions to herself. She also found out how much pain one could be subjected to, all without leaving a mark!
When Destiny finally decided she'd had enough & made plans to escape, she found this master a bit harder to leave behind. Leaving, for one thing, would involve leaving behind all the comforts, cold though they were, to which she had become accustomed. It would also mean making her own way & as good as that sounded, it scared her as well. She had, ever since she left her parents behind, been taken care of, to whatever extent, even though there was always a price to pay. Destiny knew, though, that she couldn't continue on this path if she was to have any hope of surviving this journey!
The decision to quit this business, Destiny knew, was the best she had ever made. Though she knew it would mean, once again, pulling up roots & finding another city, doing so would probably save her life! While leaving this master behind, to say nothing of her former life-style, was by no means an easy task, she was finally able to break free of her chains. Once free, Destiny vowed, with all the Strength that was in her frail body, never to return!
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The Destiny Saga, from the beginning, has been almost totally a work of pure fiction. However, some might find that it resonates with their spirit, whether because of similar personal experience, or that of a loved one or mere acquaintance. Whatever the case may be, we should all be able to relate, to whatever extent, with the theme of having a master over us. We are, each one of us, the master over our own destiny, through choice. Destiny was finally able to break free of her bondage, though she bore the scars of experience till the day she passed on her life to Sarah.
Charles Haddon Shank
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