The Pledge

This is a short scene I wrote for a class. The assignment was to write a scene in which at least two characters conduct some form of transaction that could be called "paying the rent." I don't really know what else to say about this. I hope you enjoy it.

            The two sat in a dingy motel room. One on the bed, the other in a faded brown armchair. The man in the chair wore a black suit and a red tie with black stripes, had tight cut hair, polished shoes. He had brought a briefcase, the contents of which the other could only guess at. It all seemed very businesslike. The one on the bed spoke first.

“So, what exactly do you want me to do?”

“You know the drill. Or is this your first time?”

“No, I’ve done it a couple of times before. It just seems a little different this time. I’m not sure how you want to proceed.”

“How do you think we should proceed?”

“Well usually they tell me to strip to down to my underwear first. Then what happens next depends on whoever I’m with. One time I had to be tied to the bed and recite dirty poetry. One time I had to give myself a sponge bath with toilet water. One time we actually just talked. I suppose the question is, which direction do you want to take it?”

“I think you can leave your clothes on for this round. It’s a little more prestigious to be here with me. Next, I think we should get to know one another a little. You could tell me a little about yourself so I can judge if we’ll get along.”

“Well, I’m 19. Like, I said I’ve been involved in this for about 6 months now. My dad is the one who got me into it. He made some phone calls. I met with Greg first, and he started the whole process.  It’s a little humiliating, but I look forward to the rewards. I want to be a lawyer, and I’ve been told this is a good route to go. I’m ambitious, dedicated, and I’m willing to do what it takes. I suppose there are some things I would never do, but so far I feel like nobody has asked anything too extreme from me.”

“That all sounds good. Now down to business.”

He got up from the chair and moved to the desk where he had set down his briefcase. He turned his back to his companion as to let nothing show as he opened the briefcase. When he turned around, he was holding two things. A stack of papers and an old wooden paddle with holes cut into it.

“This is your final test. After tonight, you’ll be one of us. This is a contract, which you will sign,” he said as he proffered the papers to the boy on the bed. “It outlines your rights and obligations as a brother, as well as a nondisclosure clause in case you get any funny notions. I’ll give you a few minutes to look it over, then once you sign in the others will come in and we’ll begin the initation.”