My dear Sugar daddy

EMMA ALVAREZ

The last class of the day comes to an end. I take a deep breath, relieved. It is time to go home. It's only a few months until I finish my management degree, and I’m excited to finally start my professional career. I dream of becoming a great administrator in a gigantic company, working in a building with at least thirty floors.

I pass through the classroom door and walk down the hallway, which is filled with students milling about. I keep my worn cell phone in my purse. Suddenly, a male voice calls my name. “Emma Alvarez...” I look up and see the university coordinator standing in front of me.

“Hello, Mr. Perez,” I reply with a smile.

“Can you come with me to the coordination office?”

“Of course.” I’m confused—this has never happened before. I know I haven’t done anything wrong for the coordinator to call me. Still, I follow him as he turns his back and walks down the long hallway.

We enter a room. He sits in a chair behind a wooden desk and points to another chair in front of him. I sit down and place my bag on my lap.

“Miss Alvarez, I must inform you that there are some monthly payments overdue,” he says.

“What?” I am astonished. I have no idea what he’s talking about. My father is responsible for paying the tuition. I feel my face burning, embarrassed by the situation. Since I don’t know anything about it, I don’t know what excuse to use. I take a deep breath and shift in my chair.

“Mr. Perez, I have no knowledge of this. My father handles the payments, and I’ll talk to him about it. I’m sure he will bring the outstanding balance up to date.”

“Of course, Miss. I’m informing you because you are an excellent student, and we don’t want this to affect your degree completion. There is a risk of losing your scholarship.”

“Of course, I will sort it out after this weekend.” He smiles, points to the door, and tells me I can leave. So, I do.

I leave the room, my heart racing. My first thought is that I can’t afford to lose my studies. My second is my father’s financial situation, although I had no idea it was this bad.

“Emma!” I hear Lucia’s voice as she runs toward me in the parking lot where my father’s old truck is.

“My friend, calm down!” she pants. “What happened? You walked right past me and didn’t even notice.”

“I need to go home as soon as possible. Can we talk tonight?”

I get into the van, open the door with effort, and notice some people looking at me. At this university, most students are children of businessmen, politicians, and wealthy families. I got a scholarship that covers only 30% of the tuition, and my father offered to pay the rest to make my dream come true.

I have been teased many times. The popular girls always make fun of my non-branded clothes, my father’s old car, and more.

“Do you need help, Emma?” Juan shouts mockingly. He’s a spoiled boy who thinks he’s the center of attention. He’s handsome, and girls fall at his feet, but since I’ve never given him a chance, he teases me whenever he can.

“Go to hell!” my friend shouts back.

“Don’t mind him, he’s an idiot.” I tap my friend’s shoulder to calm her down.

I get into the car, ignoring the contemptuous looks.

“See you later!” I say goodbye to Lucia.

“I’ll be at your place tonight. See you later!”

I turn the key in the ignition, but the car won’t start. I try again and see Juan laughing with his group of popular friends from college. Idiots!

The car finally starts, and I leave immediately.

Despite all the adversities, I never let them affect me because my goal is to become an administrator and give my father a better life. It’s just the two of us since my mother passed away.

______________________

I arrive home, open the door, and look for my father, who isn’t in the living room. I walk down the hallway and see his bedroom door open. I peek inside and find him sitting on the bed, surrounded by papers.

“Daughter, are you home already?” he asks nervously.

I walk over and notice he’s hurriedly picking up the papers. I frown, confused by his behavior.

“Dad, what’s going on?”

“Nothing’s going on, honey.”

“Don’t fool me, Dad. I was told about the late payments at the university. Why didn’t you tell me?”

He looks pale and visibly sad. I feel a knot in my chest seeing him like this.

“I was trying to work it out.”

His voice sounds sad, and seeing my father like this causes me so much pain. I sit beside him, looking at the papers on the bed. They’re bills—debts, college fees, house expenses.

“What happened?” I ask cautiously.

“I lost my job; they cut my salary three months ago.”

“Oh my God, why didn’t you tell me?”

“Daughter, you have your studies to worry about. I was trying to manage, but... it’s complicated.”

I know I can’t despair; that won’t solve anything. I take a deep breath and look away.

I glance around the room with its simple, old-fashioned decor and remember my mother—such a wonderful person. She would still be with us if that damn accident hadn’t happened.

“Everything will be alright. We’ll find a solution, okay?” I say, looking at my father and caressing his face.

“God help us,” he says, forcing a smile.

After learning everything that’s going on, my father shows me the unpaid bills. We talk about our current situation, and now I have to think of something. I don’t know where to start. Nothing comes to mind that will help us.

I go to my room, take a shower, and get ready to make lunch.

After lunch, I return to my room to focus on my studies while I still can. The thought of losing everything I’ve worked for so far makes me feel terrible.

___________________

In the evening, Lucia arrives at my house. I invite her to my room since she’s been worried ever since I nervously left the university.

We sit on my bed’s mattress—old-fashioned iron frame, but the mattress is soft.

“What’s wrong?” she asks as I start to vent.

“What you heard. I may have to drop out of college.”

“Girl, there must be another way. A solution!”

“What solution? I’m three months behind on payments. If I don’t pay this week, I’ll lose my scholarship and continue being the laughing stock of the whole university.”

“Oh my God!” She puts her hand to her forehead. “I don’t know what to do...”

I get up and pace back and forth.

I think about looking for a job. Even though I’m young—only 21—I could get one. But I won’t earn enough, and certainly not on time.

“A pitiful situation. Some people are so lucky. My neighbor made a leap in life; she suddenly arrived in a luxury car, always carrying shopping bags...” Lucia comments.

“But what did she do to get all that?”

“A sugar daddy.”

“What? What is that? Is that a profession?”

Lucia laughs, gets up, and goes to the dresser where there is a pitcher of water. She fills a glass, drinks, then looks at me thoughtfully.

“Let’s say... a rich man is looking for a young girl. It’s not a conventional relationship per se; she becomes exclusive to him. He gives her everything—gifts, trips, clothes, and so on.”

“So, it’s yes...?”

“No, my friend, she’s not a prostitute. At least, I don’t think so. It’s a little more refined. There’s a lot involved. I’m trying to understand what you’re saying, but it’s hard.”

I can’t deny that material comforts are tempting, but staying with a man in exchange for financial benefits goes against my values. Besides, I’m a virgin.

“That’s strange,” I say.

“This is wonderful! I would love to have a handsome, rich, millionaire man who would give me an apartment, a credit card with no limits...” Lucia lies down on the bed and looks at the ceiling.

“It would be a princess life.”

“I just want to graduate, then I’ll make a princess life for myself.”

“Find a sugar daddy. Make him pay your tuition and then send him packing.”

I’m thoughtful, considering what she just said. Could this really work?

EMMA ALVAREZ

“Categorically, no,” I rejected my friend's idea. “I was only joking. Now, I have to go.” She jumped out of bed, we hugged, and my friend left. I was left alone, spending a long time reflecting on our conversation. I imagined myself in that situation—having a nasty man giving me things, but in return, giving myself to him. I know some men might not be so nasty, but it’s all very complicated.

It was already late. I ended up falling asleep, though it took a long time because I kept thinking about all the problems. But in the early morning, I heard my father coughing. I jumped out of bed, left my room, and ran to his bedroom door. Through a small crack, I saw him sitting up in bed, coughing uncontrollably.

I realized he was not in good health. Perhaps he was prioritizing my studies and our debts so much that he wasn’t taking care of himself.

“Dad…” I whispered, opening the door slowly.

“Daughter, it’s all right,” he ans