Hope Granger has waited her entire life for this, waited to have the guts and the means to leave Adrian. It's here and she's a little nauseous. She tells herself that its excitement not fear. She adjusts her white tank top just have something to nitpick at.
She watches Albie owner of the town bar and her mother's boss loads her final box.
She hugs her mother and steels herself not cry. Though the familiar smell of Chanel no. 5 almost derails the effort.
"Call me the minute you get in." She commands steepling her hands near mouth as though she's praying. Hope nods. "I will."
She settled into the cab of her truck when her sister finally gathers her nerve. She rolls her eyes as Grace fastens the seat belt for her. She hugs the brunette girl her kissing her cheek despite the knowledge it will make the younger girl shy away.
"You're going to be Fine Gigi. You always are." Hope puts on a brave smile. Yup the pukey feeling is more fear than joy. She manages to make Grace relax enough to release her though. "Bye Brat. Call me if you need help with your English homework."
"Totally. Can you see over the chair and boxes?" Hope glances into the rearview, to see her wheelchair. "Yup." "Alright. I love you bye sister."
"Love you too. Bye Gracie Face."
"Mama?" Hope looks over her mother has a look on her face she can't quite decipher. Happiness, Sorrow, Fear, Its all there in her brown eyed gaze.
"Bye, Darlin." Collette blew her a kiss.
"Bye Mama." She set the car in gear.
She watches her family grow tinier and tinier in her rearview waving amid the west Texas dust her truck had kicked up.
She wouldn't miss this tiny dusty town. With it's 159 residents and faded route 66 fame. However, she would miss those two women.
She turns up the alternative country station out of Amarillo. My Hometown by Charlie Robinson flows out. Wind blows through the rolled down windows of her 1955 Chevy step side pickup. She brushes Auburn locks behind her ear and sings along with the radio softly. The terror is ebbing and she's at peace for now.
-/-/-/-/-
She makes it into the city after a two day drive. It's evening and the colors of fall greet her in a way not seen in Texas. She finds her apartment building is rather upscale. It has a door man even. She grins, that makes her feel fancy.
It turns out her landlord lives three floors above her, a young black man named Alec Hardison. It's small but clean and handicap accessible which is all she really needs.
She doesn't have many things so it doesn't take the movers long.
That night she sits in her kitchen eating Ramen noodles which she fixed herself. Its stupid she knows but despite being twenty years old already. It makes her feel grown up.
-/-/-/-
Freshman orientation is a little overwhelming, but a girl wearing a mini skirt adorned with safety pins a black slashed up tank top sits down beside her. Hope tries very hard not to stare but its hard. The girl has on more makeup than a drag queen with a Mary Kay addiction, along with jet black and neon pink streaked hair. There is a stud in her chin that makes Hope's face ache in sympathy. They don't make them like that where she's from.
"Trysta Cades." she offers a ring bedecked hand. "Hope Granger." She supplies shaking the proffered hand. She has lunch with Trysta and promptly decides she adores her. They talk for what seems to be forever, so she's late for her therapy consultation at Branley Athletics. Still being late doesn't change her country girl tendency to dawdle.
She's rolling up to the door at the same time as a long haired stockily built man is walking to it. To her surprise he holds open the door and actually looks her in the eye as he speaks.
"There ya go Miss."
"Thank you."
"Not from around here are you Darlin'? he grins and Hope suddenly realizes he's very good looking.
She finds her voice. "How'd you guess?"
"That Texas twang has a very distinctive sound." She grins back at him.
"You don't sound Bostonian either."
"I'm not." He shrugs loping calmly next to her as she wheels toward the front desk. "I'm Hope by the way." she says suddenly realizing she's had a whole conversation with a nameless man. "Eliot Spencer."
The receptionist appears. "May I help you?"
"I have a consultation with a Drew Ashman."
"Ah, good kid. A little flirty but good." Eliot tells her.
"Really, good to know. You aren't the least bit curious why the cripple would come to the gym are you?"
"You shouldn't call yourself that, and no because I'm pretty sure I know already."
"Ok, I'm curious. " she laughs lightly. Brown eyes shining.
"You have spastic Cerebral Palsy and are here for maintenance therapy.
Her eyes narrow. "Are you a creeper? Did you read my file." she half teases.
"Nope. It's just the way you hold your body is very…"
"Let me guess? Distinctive."
"You could say that yes."
-/-/-/-
Hope isn't sure what to make of Eliot but some part of her can't help but like him. They work out beside each other. Eliot making use of the treadmill as Hope tries to breathe through her stretches and track conversation with Drew. Who's really sweet but flirty as Eliot predicted. He's lithely built with brown hair and eyes. He's a tad effeminate and any doubts she has about his sexuality are put to rest when he mentions he's seen Wicked five times. No straight man willingly does that.
-/-/-/-
"You're new in town. If you ever want a good drink. Check out Mcrory's Bar." Eliot says. She looks down and checks her cell Missed call: Colt/Dad. She so did not want to open that can of worms today.
"I just might do that sometime."
-/-/-/-
She goes to the bar a week later and finds Eliot sitting amongst a group of people. She rolls the bar which is to tall for her to order at. So she sits at a table and waits for a waitress too come by. She wait's a bit the bar is hopping. Eliot comes up behind her and sits a drink in front of her.
"You look like a vodka and cranberry kinda girl." he grabs a chair from a nearby table turns it backward and sits down beside her.
She laughs. "Don't tell me I gave a tell just by sitting here…"
"No, that one was all wild guess and old bartender instinct."
"Hm, you'd get along with my Mom then. She's the best waitress and bartender at Albie's."
"Hardison is still updating the bar. It was built before the ADA."
"You actually know what that is?"
"I'm a vet. Some of my friends are disabled. So I notice it more if a building isn't up to standard."
A blonde girl came over and plopped down in the floor next Eliot's chair.
"What's wrong with you." She asks.
"Parker!" Eliot admonishes. "No its fine a prefer honest curiosity to political correctness and staring any day. I have cerebral palsy and can't walk."
"My boyfriend is your landlord." The a girl adds apropos of nothing. She wondered if all of Eliot's friends were this odd.
"The others want to meet you. Eliot doesn't make friends often." Eliot groaned.
"Okay." well it looked like she was about to find out. She was beginning to wonder what the hell she'd roped herself into. Eliot seemed alright and he was hot. She'd go with it for now.
