Chapter 16: Do not fall into heresy, depart from the right path, or walk in darkness.

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Compared to the cramped, single-occupancy curtain rooms, the layout of the champagne room was certainly more spacious and comfortable, though it was only the size of a household bathroom. At least it had a sofa, softly padded walls, a small coffee table, and the lighting was upgraded from a dim little lamp to a hanging colored light ball.

Still without a door, it no longer had the vaguely transparent curtains but instead was fitted with a purple opaque soft plastic door curtain. Importantly, there wouldn't be bouncers constantly watching over the champagne rooms. They would only appear after fifteen minutes, reminding the guests and dancers outside the door that time was up and they needed to either pay more or leave.

"Enjoy yourself, sir," the bouncer said as he led Tommy Hawk to the entrance of the room, said his piece, then turned and walked away.

Melanie, on the other hand, walked in carrying a bottle of cheap champagne, with a look of utter disbelief on her face. Tommy Hawk gestured for Melanie to sit on the sofa, stationed himself by the door, and after lifting the curtain to check that the bouncer had walked away, he turned around: "Alright, now we have fifteen minutes of uninterrupted time to talk."

"Why are you here, Tommy Hawk?" Melanie seemed uncomfortable being caught by someone she knew, dressed in such garish attire. Sitting on the sofa, she curled up slightly, trying to minimize her exposure as much as possible.

Tommy took off his jacket and handed it to Melanie: "You should be grateful the high today is only 17 degrees. I wore a jacket. And, I must add, nice wig."

Melanie put on the jacket, took a few deep breaths to compose herself, and tried to maintain the same indifferent expression she had previously shown Tommy Hawk: "You haven't told me why you're here; you're a high school student, Tommy."

"A classmate gave me a ticket to come see what the world is like," Tommy said as he pulled out a cigarette from his pocket, put it in his mouth, and when he saw Melanie's expression, he handed her the box: "Care for one?"

Melanie, visibly irritated, accepted the cigarette. After Tommy helped his distant aunt light it, he fell back to his position by the door: "I remember your job was as a substitute teacher. Have you expanded your business to tutoring high school students like me who are uninterested in learning, in nightclubs now?"

"It's not funny, Tommy," Melanie said as she exhaled a puff of smoke. "I... I said I was thinking of changing jobs."

"Weren't you busy preparing for those public school interviews, aiming to become a regular teacher?" asked Tommy Hawk, furrowing his brow slightly.

His aunt Melanie had graduated from the College of Education at Rhode Island University. Although it wasn't a prestigious institution, the career plan for its graduates was clear: obtain a teaching certificate and then apply to join some public middle or elementary school in Rhode Island, becoming an educator.

Rhode Island University wasn't prestigious, so it was very difficult for its graduates to get jobs in elite private schools. However, securing a position in public schools was much easier, especially thanks to the rights that teachers' unions had fought for public school teachers after World War II. Once a teacher had worked at a public school for two years, they were automatically granted tenure, making it nearly impossible for them to be arbitrarily fired.

This meant that unless a teacher committed a crime and went to jail, it was as difficult to dismiss them as it was to contend with the teachers' union, which represented a million American primary and secondary school teachers. As for the teacher's performance in educational work, according to the teachers' union, that shouldn't factor into the decision to dismiss a teacher from a school.

This was a major reason for the disparity in education quality between American public and private schools. After all, for teachers, as long as they survived the two-year probation period, they had an iron rice bowl—a stable job with guaranteed job security, earning the same salary regardless of whether they worked diligently or were lazy until retirement, and then collected a pension each month.

Melanie was one of those teachers without ambition. She was deferring from school to school within the state as a substitute teacher. All her efforts and hard work were to ensure that when she got an interview opportunity at a public school, the principals of the schools she had worked at would give her a positive evaluation, thus endearing her to the school. And once she was hired, she would secure a stable job paying $240 weekly, which she would hold until her retirement and eventually her death.

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In order to blend into the public school and coast along, you've been a substitute teacher for so long, and now you're suddenly preparing to switch jobs? And to a striptease dancer, no less?

"I took this part-time job because I need money," Melanie said, looking down, her voice indifferent, "Five hundred dollars, or maybe more."

Tommy Hawk flicked away some ash: "I guess it's because of that ex-boyfriend of yours?"

"We started dating in college, and during that time... we did some pretty crazy things," Melanie began, her hands trembling slightly as she struggled to bring a cigarette to her lips for a deep inhale before she continued, "Later, that guy became a teacher at a public elementary school faster than I did, then he hit on some chick there and got her pregnant, so we broke up. But now, he found out that I'm also preparing to become a public school teacher, and he's using those crazy things we did in the past to blackmail me."

"Maybe he has some photos that, if exposed, could completely sever your ties from the teaching profession?" Tommy Hawk was silent for a few seconds before asking, "So the bruises on your face, are they from a dispute with him as well?"

Melanie looked up at Tommy with a somewhat desolate gaze and finally nodded slightly.

"What a jerk," Tommy said noncommittally, glancing outside before he continued to stare at Melanie. After a good half minute, it seemed he made up his mind and said, "I'll take care of him for you. In return, you'll do something for me, deal?"

Melanie noticed that Tommy had been staring blankly at her. Her complexion changed slightly as she heard Tommy's words, "You'd better move those eyes away from me, even though we're not related by blood, I'm still your aunt, and I absolutely won't let you..."

"Aunt Melanie, I'll take care of that bastard for you, let you become the sacred people's teacher, but you need to use your apartment as collateral to help me borrow twenty thousand US dollars from the bank. I'll pay you back within a month, interest included," Tommy Hawk said, as if he hadn't heard a word Melanie said, cutting her off and stating his terms bluntly.

It wasn't until Tommy finished speaking that Melanie realized she had misunderstood him, but she still kept a serious expression, "You can take out a loan for your college tuition on your own, unless you're planning some shady dealings, combined with your lurking in this kind of place, Tommy Hawk, I suspect you're planning to deal in..."

"No! Of course not, although I do intend to do some business, but I can assure you, I will not violate any law of America," Tommy Hawk said, his eyes honest and calm as he met Melanie's gaze:

"I swear on the name of my devoutly religious mother, who often tells us stories from the Bible at the dinner table, the most common thing she tells us is: 'Do not follow false teachings, stay off the crooked path, and walk not in the dark, for its ways are twisted and its paths askew.' I've always remembered her words and earnestly promised her I would never follow the path of evil."

Melanie looked down, "So, you're not going to kill that bastard, nor are you planning to invest the money in marijuana or drugs."

"I'll send him where he needs to go. If you're interested in the business, I can tell you about it. You can listen and then decide whether to lend me the money. So, shall we go home together, Auntie? Consider that I'm just a poor high school student, let's go home for a chat. The rates here are too expensive for me," Tommy Hawk smiled at Melanie and reached out his hand.

Melanie hesitated for a moment, then stood up. Instead of shaking Tommy's hand, she gently hugged him, "Let's go home, kid."