Fending For Herself 3
Quinn drove to the diner at the corner of the street. She parked, got her wallet and purse, and then ran inside.
"Hello, can I help you?" the woman behind the counter asked. "Hi, can I have one cup of decaf coffee, and the lasagna special with fries?"
"Sure," the lady said. Quinn took a seat at the counter, and then noticed a woman who looked like she couldn't be that much older then Quinn, but she was battling a crying newborn and five year old girl. The girl was crying, begging for dessert, but her mother told her that they didn't have the money for dessert.
Quinn slid over so she was next to them. "Hi, I'm Quinn," she said, extending a handshake. The woman smiled at Quinn, and then shook her hand. She glanced down at Quinn's stomach.
"You're pregnant, darling?" she asked Quinn. "Unfortunately."
"How old are you?"
"17."
"Wow, I was that age when I had Mckayla. She's five now, and then I went and had Erik here."
Quinn smiled as the waitress slid her food in front of her. Mckayla rushed over, and asked, "Can I have a fry fry fry fry? Pretty please? I'll give you a nickel!"
"Mckayla, you already ate, that's not nice," her mother scolded her.
Quinn smiled, and said, "If she wants a fry, it's alright with me as long as it's okay with you."
Mckayla turned back to her mother, clasped her hands in front of her, and pouted her lips.
"Alright, Mckayla, one fry," she sighed.
"What's you name?" Quinn asked the woman.
"Jenifer. What's yours?"
"Quinn."
"I wanted to name Mckayla that for awhile," she laughed.
Just then, Erik started crying harder. "He wants to be fed," Jenifer explained. She picked him up and grabbed his stuff, shouting for Mckayla to come with her.
Quinn ate her food in silence, unti Jenifer and Erik came back.
Jenifer looked around her, and then her face grew pale. "Where's Mckayla?" she asked.
"I'm not sure," Quinn replied.
"Oh no, she'll surely die if she's out, all alone, in this big world! She doesn't really have a sense of danger!"
Quinn saw Mckayla outside. She was standing in front of rush hour traffic, her arms spread out wide. The trucks were too close, and going too fast, to stop to save Mckayla.
Quinn, without thinking, jumped out of her seat and ran into the street. She picked Mckayla up, and dragged her to the sidewalk just in time to save Mckayla's life.
"Thank you, thank you!" Jenifer cried, rushing outside and wrapping Quinn up in a tight hug. Then she picked Mckayla up, hugging the girl tightly.
"Thank you so much!" Jenifer sobbed. "Where do you live?"
"Um, well… I got kicked out of my parents' house when they found out I was pregnant, I have nowhere to go. I have one small duffel bag of stuff, a piggy bank, and no job, no house or apartment."
"Well…" Jenifer thought. "I could get you a job working at a pizza place. The pay isn't that great at first, but at least it's something, and you'll probably be on cleaning duty. Also, the guy that runs it likes to take care of his people, so if I explain your situation, he'll give you an apartment or something. Trust me, this guy is great. He's the reason that me and didn't Mckayla starve to death."
"That'll be great."
Jenifer flipped her phone open, and then began dialing a number. When she hung up, Jenifer nodded and said, "You've got the job, Quinn!"