Chapter 12
Two Months Later...
"Double Caramel Expresso. Raspberry donut. Two extra spoons and straws." I say unloading the ordered items off the tray and onto table. The customers thank me. I thank them back. I make my way across the packed café. It has been a month since I started working at Jane's café. I enjoy it. I love it.
It keeps me busy. The pay is nice. Plus, I get tips. I put the tray on the stack of trays and head into the kitchen. It is even noiser back here then ever. I take off my aprons and walk back to the lockers. It is time for me to go. "Leaving?" Kevin asks opening his locker. "Yes. I have been here since seven. I have two hours to chill before going to work." I tiredly say opening my locker.
I am so freaking exhausted. It is what you gotta do to survive. I grab my jacket and purse. "Do you need a ride?" He asks me. Kevin is a seventeen year old high school student who I have ever known for a month. "I'm okay. I prefer the bus. It gives me time to wait and sit. Thanks." I close the door and leave out of the locker room.
I go back through the kitchen and out into the café. I use the register to clock out and I am on my way out of the door. I put on my jacket and stuff my apron into my purse. A chill day it is. Fork really does love to tease us with the weather. I start my walk across the parking lot and down the street to the bus stop.
My bus should arrive in an hour. I open my purse and take out my book When Love Stops Time. It will never stop for me but I'm loving the place that I am in now. I ready for almost twenty minutes when Paul's car pulls in front of me. I haven't seen him in two months.
"Need a ride?" He asks. "No. The bu-" "It's cold. Get in the car." I heavily breathe out getting up and getting into the car. I swallow putting on the seatbelt. He rolls the window up and drives. The ride is silent. He stops at the stop light. "Where to?" "The supermarket. I start my shift in an hour and some change." I look at my watch. 2:12. 3 to 10. 3 to closing.
"How are you and Rachel?" I ask. I don't want to come off as a pathetic ex-girlfriend. "Good. Having a boy." "Well, that's good. You wanted a boy. I'm glad for you." I say smiling. He drives off. I'm glad he got the son that he wanted. "Where you live now?" "Here and there. Things have been down for me lately. My parents didn't like how I lived my life so they took everything but I'm mang-" "Where you live?"
"Homeless shelter." The light turns green. I don't know why I feel calm in telling Paul about my life. "I put my stuff in storage. I work two jobs. I take the bus to and from work. Kind of hard but I am making it."
Let's not add that I have no friends. Claire and everybody else ruined that. I see the future but has yet to see any type of future. I have tried. I literally have tried. I tried on lottery tickets. I failed on whatever could help but nothing has been proven to be truth.
"Talk to them?" "No. I haven't see my mom since I told her and have not seen my dad since he had my stuff moved out of the apartment. That was it. Just did not approve of my actions. I'm okay though." The only thing I can do. The rest of the ride to the supermarket is silent. "Thanks for the ride." I tell him getting out of his car.
Soon as I close the door, he drives off. I watch. I guess he's still mad and upset over me losing our baby. I heavily breathe out walking to the bus stop bench. Might as well sit it out till my shift begin.
XVXVXVXVXVXVXX
(10:42pm) Oak Street, Forks.
I hum walking down the darken streets that is only lit by the street lights. I heading to my usual sleeping spot. I got my book bag. I got my sleeping bag. I got the usual. It's how I have been living for the last eight weeks. Crime is not that bad in Forks. I got my pepper spray and a switchblade. I'm good. I sigh watching a red truck drive down the street and pull over to the side.
I quickly open my purse and look around for my pepper spray. "Mary." A familiar voice say opening his car door. "Sam." I say relieved. He was about to get sprayed. "Paul said you was working the late shift. The homeless shelter closes at ten. Where are you staying?"
"Around. He told you?" "He told me. You lost it all cause you told your parents the truth. Where are you staying?" He asks again. "I sleep in the bushes behind the bus stop." I say pointing to the two giant bushes behind the bus stop. "A dangerous situation for a woman. I can giv-" "No. I am okay. I don't need help."
"You can be attacked." "I sleep with my pepper spray and knife. I am okay, Sam. I really am." I say nodding. I don't need help. "I'll pay for your first and second night in a motel. Can you get in?" He asks. I swallow watching a nice black jaguar drive by. "Now." "Okay." I quickly say rushing to his truck. I get in. He drives.
The ride is silent. I place my pepper spray in my purse. "Paul told me the reason of the breakup." "He has a right to feel as he should. I've learned to moved passed his words and have grown as a person." I say looking out of the window.
"Can I ask the damage?" "Scarring on the uterine wall and mostly damaged the left fallopian tube and slightly damaged the right. No big deal." I don't want to think about it. "A big deal when you're 18 years old and it was the result of an attack." "Not really. She'll be having a baby. Don't want to take a mother from her child. Over and done."
"Any treatment?" "Just surgery. A 15% chance of getting pregnant but it is more of seeing the extent of the damage. It is always adoption and surrogacy. I wouldn't mind adopting. I'll have a house full of kids." I can already see a future of that happening. "Did you tell Paul the extent of the damage?"
"No. I told him that I can have kids. Can't tell the full truth after he blamed me for not protecting our child. I tried to keep the conversation on a positive note but he already had our breakup in his mind." "Paul has a personality on him but he cares for you. He really do."
"Not enough to face hardships of not being able to give kids, Sam. Anything could've happened in the future but it showed this showed that time should not be wasted on Paul. I'll find a person who'll accept me and accept the idea of adopting. Better now than later."
I visited my gynecologist the other day. It was a normal check to see how I have possibly healed after my miscarriage. Well, I found out that I am no longer on my father's insurance. The reality of how much parents can hate a child can hit the heart. I have no type of insurance. I will have to come out of my pocket for every single thing that I need concerning my health including this surgery that can give me the right to have children.
After taking a few moments, it dawned on me over how much I hate them. My mother is the reason why I am in this situation in the first place. Her and Claire. My father should never have taken her side. I don't see myself over forgiving them. I made sure to hold those words to heart as I took a cab to Sam's house to repay him for the nights in the motel.
I arrived to see a bunch of teens wrestling in the front yard. "Can you wait here?" I ask the taxi driver opening the car door. "Sure. Sure." It'll be at least five minutes. I step outside of the car and close the door. The teens greet me. I greet them back. "Just came to give Sam his money back for the two motel nights." I say taking my wallet out of my purse.
"Sam is not here." Jacob say walking over. "Oh. Well, can you give him the money?" I ask walking over to him. "Sure. How you been?" "Good. I've been good." I hand him the money. Paul walks out of the forest. That's right. Paul is a forest walker. I can't do it.
"That's good. I wanna apologize for my sister's actions." He say in a low voice. "Jacob, you have no reason to apologize. You won't the one who acted. It was her. I gotta go. Bye." I wave to the people.
They wave back. I turn around and head for the cab. I ain't got no words to speak to Paul and he has no words to speak to me. He don't want a woman who can't have kids. His words. I get in the car and the cab drives off. Maybe this will be the last time I step foot on this tribe.