Her thoughts turned to what she needed to do when she got to New Mexico.She needed to find a place to live and then a job.She might have to stay at a homeless shelter for a few days, but she’d do whatever it took to take care of herself.
The rocking of the bus made her eyelids heavy.She hadn’t gotten a lot of sleep, and her body was tired as well as achy.She shoved the bag and her backpack against the window, leaned against them, and closed her eyes.
The bus slowing down made her jerk awake.Looking at the sun, she guessed she’d been asleep for a few hours, so they were nowhere near New Mexico.
“Why are we stopping, sir?”she asked the driver.
“I need to gas up, and it would be a good time for you to use the facilities and grab some food and something to drink.When we get back on the road, we’ll be driving for eight hours before we have to stop again.”
She nodded and glanced around as they pulled into a big gas station.The driver parked, then yelled at the other passengers.
“You have twenty minutes before we leave.I won’t wait.”
Naya gathered her things and walked off the bus.She tried not to stare at people, but it was hard.Some of them looked very different from anyone she’d ever known, with their crazy hair and unusual clothing.She scrambled into the bathroom before anyone and locked the door behind her.She set down her bags and used the toilet.
She sucked in a breath when she wiped herself because she was so raw down there from all the sex she’d had.Her nose wrinkled when she caught the scent of sex and sweat.God, what she wouldn’t give for a bath right then.
After washing her hands, she splashed water on her face and then dried off.She glanced at herself in the mirror and her mouth dropped open.Jesus.She looked like a walking corpse.There were dark shadows under her eyes, and her face was pale and thin.Her hair looked crazy, like a rat had made its nest in it.She tried smoothing it down a bit, but gave up when someone knocked on the door.
“To hell with it.It doesn’t matter right now.”
Naya knew she only had a few more minutes, so she grabbed her bags and walked out, smiling slightly at the other woman.
She ran up and down the aisles, grabbing some aspirin, bags of chips, a candy bar, a banana, an apple, and a Gatorade because she felt dehydrated.The bus had a bathroom, so she could drink as much as she wanted.She made it to the counter, paid for her food, and then walked out to the bus.
The driver nodded at her as he talked to another man.She sat in the same seat behind the driver and made herself as comfortable as possible before peeling the banana.
The driver stepped on, looked around, then closed the door and started the bus.
Naya ate her banana and drank half her drink before shoving everything into her backpack and relaxing back against the window.
Her focus blurred as the miles passed, and she fell into a restless sleep, jerking awake every time the bus hit a rock or a crack in the pavement.She placed her bags against the window and then leaned against them, using her backpack for a pillow.
Night fell, the few other people on the bus settled down, and the silence inside only accentuated the tires rolling over the pavement.But the steady rhythm made her mind fuzzy and made it impossible for her to stay awake.
She hoped and prayed that when she got to New Mexico, it would be easier for her to take care of herself.
