It took me only a few seconds to find a cheap little restaurant called
'Eggs 'n' Bakin'' soon after I left the park.
I settled down into a green cushy seat at the counter, and stared blankly at the menu on the bulletin board on the wall. Pretty much everything was more than I could afford.
I ended up just asking the waiter for a glass of cold water.
"No problem," he said. "Hey, Karl! Bring me a glass of ice water, will ya?"
"'Kay, Dad." I heard some rustling in the back, and then out emerged a handsome young man, who looked about the same age as me, came holding the water tightly in his hand.
"Here ya go," he said, smiling. He had dirty blonde ruffled hair, and light blue eyes. For some cheap waiter, he was pretty cute.
"Thanks," I managed a weak smile. He winked at me and returned to the back.
A few moments passed, and suddenly I had to go to the bathroom.
"Excuse me," I said, as Karl's dad walked by. "Is there a bathroom here I could use?"
He set down his tray and pointed with a long stubby finger, the direction in which I could find a bathroom.
"Go through that back door, and make a left, there's a short little alleyway, and at the end there's a door that's marked 'Storage,' but just ignore it. There's a bathroom in there."
"Thanks," I said, getting up from my seat. The cold water had made my head feel a little better, but now it was making its way down to my bladder.
I went through the back door just like he'd told me, and soon I found the little room marked 'Storage.' I went in, relieved myself, washed my hands with some cheap face-wash soap stashed under the sink, and wiped my hands on the sweater the Squeegee man had given me.
On the way out of the bathroom, I smacked into some huge guy who had also been waiting to use the toilet.
"Well, well," a familiar voice chortled. My heart stopped.
"Why, don't you remember me sweets?"
Sure, I remembered him. It was on of the two guys who'd been following me last night on the street. Kip, or Kirk, or something like that.
I panicked, backing away from him until my back was against the cold brick wall of the alley.
"You forgot to give me something yesterday."
Before I could say anything, he had both of my wrists grasped in one of his hands, and he clamped his disgusting mouth over mine, his tongue forcing his way in.
I gasped for breath, and struggled to free from his grasp.
"It's not so bad, is it?" he rasped.
His breath stank of beer and god knows what else what.
I turned my head towards the wall, so I wouldn't have to smell it.
He reached out his hand and gripped my chin tightly between his thumb and forefinger.
"I've seen you before," he wheezed. "You're one of those whores from the Cat Scratch, aren't you? I'm surprised that you'd be trying to get away. They used to tie you up.'
Before he could get anymore out, I spat into his face, which was shiny and greasy with sweat.
My spit hit him right between the eyes.
His eyebrows furrowed in anger. I pushed myself back against the wall, trying to put as much distance between the too of us as possible.
"You didn't have to do that, bitch," he growled. With that, the back of his hand rammed into my face, causing the side of my head to bang against the brick wall.
I saw stars. My knees buckled violently, but he held my upper arms tightly, preventing me from falling over. Groaning with disgust, he shoved me carelessly onto the floor.
My head throbbed, and my cheek stung from where he'd hit me.
"Bitch," he hissed again, the steel toe of his boot crashing into my side.
For a moment, his mood toward me changed, and he ran his greasy fingers through my hair. I whimpered, and he stood up and faced the other wall, trying to quickly undo his belt.
Oh, God, not here. Not NOW.
He hovered over me, trying to wrestle my skirt off. Gathering up my strength, I kneed him as hard as I could in the crotch.
He let out a murderous howl, and doubled over in pain. He kicked me in the side again, as if to get even.
I let out a yelp of pain, but it only came out as a squeak. His face was full of rage, and for a moment I thought he was going to really kill me.
"What the hell's going on back there???' Karl's voice rang out.
I heard his footsteps moving toward us.
"Jesus,' said, when he saw me huddled on the ground.
"Get lost, bud," Kip growled. "This is between me and her."
Karl must have seen the fear in my eyes, because at that moment he came rushing towards Kip, and pushed him off me with all his strength.
I turned away, closing my eyes, trying to block out the noise, but I could still hear the sickening sound of fist against flesh. I prayed the fist was Karl's. There was a storm of cursing too.
A few moments later, I gathered up the courage to look over my shoulder, and saw Kip walking away furiously, nursing a bloody nose. He gave me one more frightening glare, and turned to leave.
Karl knelt down beside me. "You okay?" he said, pushing my hair back to examine a bruise on my cheek.
Suddenly, I yearned for Roger to be with me. The tears started to fall, and I sobbed uncontrollably into a complete stranger's shoulder. Karl didn't seem to mind. He patted me on the back silently, and waited until my tears were done.
"Do you need a place to stay tonight?" he asked. He was staring at the clothes the Squeegee man had given me. He probably thought I was homeless. I suppose in a way, I was.
I nodded wiping my tears on the back of my sleeve.
"Hey, you can sleep on my couch tonight, if you want. I've got an apartment right above the restaurant, since my old man owns it." He held out his hand to me.
"Okay," I whispered, placing my hand into his.
"You can take a shower and get cleaned up, once we get upstairs," he said.
"I could take a look at your head too. It looks like he hit you hard."
I shuddered, and nodded, folding my arms under my chest.
"I'm Karl." He smiled.
"I'm Mimi."
"Mimi. I like it. It's simple. Well, come on, Mimi, you look like you could use a nap."
He didn't know half of it.
I allowed him to help me to my feet, and escort me up to his apartment.
And all the while I kept wishing that Roger was here with me.
I settled down into a green cushy seat at the counter, and stared blankly at the menu on the bulletin board on the wall. Pretty much everything was more than I could afford.
I ended up just asking the waiter for a glass of cold water.
"No problem," he said. "Hey, Karl! Bring me a glass of ice water, will ya?"
"'Kay, Dad." I heard some rustling in the back, and then out emerged a handsome young man, who looked about the same age as me, came holding the water tightly in his hand.
"Here ya go," he said, smiling. He had dirty blonde ruffled hair, and light blue eyes. For some cheap waiter, he was pretty cute.
"Thanks," I managed a weak smile. He winked at me and returned to the back.
A few moments passed, and suddenly I had to go to the bathroom.
"Excuse me," I said, as Karl's dad walked by. "Is there a bathroom here I could use?"
He set down his tray and pointed with a long stubby finger, the direction in which I could find a bathroom.
"Go through that back door, and make a left, there's a short little alleyway, and at the end there's a door that's marked 'Storage,' but just ignore it. There's a bathroom in there."
"Thanks," I said, getting up from my seat. The cold water had made my head feel a little better, but now it was making its way down to my bladder.
I went through the back door just like he'd told me, and soon I found the little room marked 'Storage.' I went in, relieved myself, washed my hands with some cheap face-wash soap stashed under the sink, and wiped my hands on the sweater the Squeegee man had given me.
On the way out of the bathroom, I smacked into some huge guy who had also been waiting to use the toilet.
"Well, well," a familiar voice chortled. My heart stopped.
"Why, don't you remember me sweets?"
Sure, I remembered him. It was on of the two guys who'd been following me last night on the street. Kip, or Kirk, or something like that.
I panicked, backing away from him until my back was against the cold brick wall of the alley.
"You forgot to give me something yesterday."
Before I could say anything, he had both of my wrists grasped in one of his hands, and he clamped his disgusting mouth over mine, his tongue forcing his way in.
I gasped for breath, and struggled to free from his grasp.
"It's not so bad, is it?" he rasped.
His breath stank of beer and god knows what else what.
I turned my head towards the wall, so I wouldn't have to smell it.
He reached out his hand and gripped my chin tightly between his thumb and forefinger.
"I've seen you before," he wheezed. "You're one of those whores from the Cat Scratch, aren't you? I'm surprised that you'd be trying to get away. They used to tie you up.'
Before he could get anymore out, I spat into his face, which was shiny and greasy with sweat.
My spit hit him right between the eyes.
His eyebrows furrowed in anger. I pushed myself back against the wall, trying to put as much distance between the too of us as possible.
"You didn't have to do that, bitch," he growled. With that, the back of his hand rammed into my face, causing the side of my head to bang against the brick wall.
I saw stars. My knees buckled violently, but he held my upper arms tightly, preventing me from falling over. Groaning with disgust, he shoved me carelessly onto the floor.
My head throbbed, and my cheek stung from where he'd hit me.
"Bitch," he hissed again, the steel toe of his boot crashing into my side.
For a moment, his mood toward me changed, and he ran his greasy fingers through my hair. I whimpered, and he stood up and faced the other wall, trying to quickly undo his belt.
Oh, God, not here. Not NOW.
He hovered over me, trying to wrestle my skirt off. Gathering up my strength, I kneed him as hard as I could in the crotch.
He let out a murderous howl, and doubled over in pain. He kicked me in the side again, as if to get even.
I let out a yelp of pain, but it only came out as a squeak. His face was full of rage, and for a moment I thought he was going to really kill me.
"What the hell's going on back there???' Karl's voice rang out.
I heard his footsteps moving toward us.
"Jesus,' said, when he saw me huddled on the ground.
"Get lost, bud," Kip growled. "This is between me and her."
Karl must have seen the fear in my eyes, because at that moment he came rushing towards Kip, and pushed him off me with all his strength.
I turned away, closing my eyes, trying to block out the noise, but I could still hear the sickening sound of fist against flesh. I prayed the fist was Karl's. There was a storm of cursing too.
A few moments later, I gathered up the courage to look over my shoulder, and saw Kip walking away furiously, nursing a bloody nose. He gave me one more frightening glare, and turned to leave.
Karl knelt down beside me. "You okay?" he said, pushing my hair back to examine a bruise on my cheek.
Suddenly, I yearned for Roger to be with me. The tears started to fall, and I sobbed uncontrollably into a complete stranger's shoulder. Karl didn't seem to mind. He patted me on the back silently, and waited until my tears were done.
"Do you need a place to stay tonight?" he asked. He was staring at the clothes the Squeegee man had given me. He probably thought I was homeless. I suppose in a way, I was.
I nodded wiping my tears on the back of my sleeve.
"Hey, you can sleep on my couch tonight, if you want. I've got an apartment right above the restaurant, since my old man owns it." He held out his hand to me.
"Okay," I whispered, placing my hand into his.
"You can take a shower and get cleaned up, once we get upstairs," he said.
"I could take a look at your head too. It looks like he hit you hard."
I shuddered, and nodded, folding my arms under my chest.
"I'm Karl." He smiled.
"I'm Mimi."
"Mimi. I like it. It's simple. Well, come on, Mimi, you look like you could use a nap."
He didn't know half of it.
I allowed him to help me to my feet, and escort me up to his apartment.
And all the while I kept wishing that Roger was here with me.
