At that moment, things shifted inside of me. Maybe this is what my path was. To get away, like I desperately needed. Find a new type of way to live, even if I knew it was pretty much impossible. I wouldn’t be normal, but life couldn’t get any worse for me.
I made a promise to myself right then and there. I wouldn’t ever allow another to put their hands on me like before. I’d never submit to a human being where only my body was wanted.
I’d be perfectly happy to hide away and just be. I wasn’t sure what that’d entail, but it sounded like the best plan I could think of.
***
I could officially say that sleeping in a car wasn’t one of the best places to do so. My neck was sore and I was pretty sure that there wasdrool down my chin. It wasn’t the worst place to doze off, though.
It beat a bare cement floor, where the cold seeped into my bones. Where the entire space smelt like pee and puke.
“We’re about ten minutes away,” Dawn said quietly enough that I didn’t jerk.
The only reason I woke up, I think, was because the road was no longer smooth. The car’s tires rumbled the seat, dirt flying up behind us as Dawn drove as fast as she dared.
Once the sleep cleared my vision, I could see a tiny bit more of the fields we passed. Tall corn swayed in the breeze, and a few barns or houses dotted the areas. Otherwise, I couldn’t see much of anything.
“Tomorrow, I’ll start making phone calls to get you in to all those doctors.”
Great, I thought, not looking forward to that one bit.
“First, I think your eyes need to be checked. You squint too much.”
I didn’t bother to look at her, or to shrug. She had a point, but I still didn’t want to go anywhere once I was at her house. I’d be fine to hide away in a closet.
“Both of your parents wore glasses.” That got my attention. I didn’t know all that much about them, nor did I really care one way or another. Or at least I hadn’t until it was brought up. A part of me didn’t want to knowanything, even the smallest of details, about two of the people who should have been the role models for a child.
“I may have some pictures of them stashed away somewhere,” Dawn went on, none the wiser to where my thoughts were quickly going. She paused long enough to turn the car onto a different road, this one slimmer than the one before. The dirt was smoother, if only a little.
“I do have to say, I’m glad that the officer had called me first. If anyone else had been contacted, they wouldn’t have thought twice to send you to a mental ward just to not deal with you. Some stuck up members who would rather pretend to be perfect but hid the worst type of lies behind closed doors.”
Well….okay then. I guess the mystery of me having other family members related by blood was solved.
“Sorry. I shouldn’t put my past into your thoughts,” Dawn shot me a look that was hard to read before turning her gaze back to the road. “My issues are just that. Maybe they’d treat you better.”
I hardly thought that.
“Anyhow, home sweet home, Koda.”
Dawn pulled the car to a stop in front of a two-story house with a huge porch around the front. The almost too lime green paint blindedin the sunlight as I slowly made my way from her car.
For some reason, the house already fit Dawn, right down to the style. A bunch of flowers littered the yard, like they had always been there, along with a huge willow tree.
“You can spend as much time out here as you want, whenever you want. I can even get a swing to hang up in the tree for ya. I used to have one as a kid and spent hours just being in nature. Actually, the tree out back would work even better for that.”
I nodded, eyes wide at the tallness of the tree and how the branches swooped to the ground. I didn’t see a swing being tacked to it, but I didn’t care. I could easily see myself sitting under it, though. Maybe even napping.
I followed Dawn up the three steps and onto the porch where a couple of chairs sat, along with a table between them.
“I’m an outside type of person, so if I’m not working, you’ll easily find me here,” she pointed to the chairs, ”or working in the yard. I had plans to start a garden this year, but I didn’t get everything in time to do much.”
Dawn chatted the entire time while unlocking the door, my one bag over her shoulder. I almost thought about taking the things from her, but decided against it. Surely she’d have handed it to me if I were to carry the things she bought.
Once inside, she slipped off her shoes, and I followed along. Some people were weird about shoes being worn inside, and I’d hate to overstep my welcome right before I even walked in.
The entire downstairs was a bit crowded with walls filled with nature. Pictures of acres and flowers and storms took up almost every space. I guess it at least covered the crazy wallpaper that peaked out on some of the walls.
Dawn pointed out the living room and kitchen. A bathroom and a sunroom towards the back. Then, she led me upstairs. Her room was the first door, and my room would be at the end of the hall. She let me go after handing the bag of stuff over, letting me explore on my own.
