As the sun eases lower on the horizon behind them, casting a beautiful golden hue on the world as Steve gradually navigates the heavy evening traffic of rush hour. Silently he muses that if he didn't know any better he'd think he was in Los Angeles, not Phoenix.
For the most part, traffic flows more steadily than he'd encountered on the LA freeways. Navigating away from downtown Phoenix, he gradually passes by three interchanges before finally leaving the greater metropolitan area as commercial and residential areas give way to open desert and the freeway narrows down to two lanes again.
While Steve focuses on traffic, Aurie flips the radio through the different local stations available. Unable to find a Jazz station, she briefly tunes in to a Spanish station before getting annoyed at the constant banda-style music and switching to something else because she isn't in the mood for it. By the time they leave civilization behind, she's tuned to a station playing a mix of easy-listening music.
About forty-five minutes later and having just passed the exit to Casa Grande, Steve notes the signage for Toltec and a large truck stop there.
"Do you need me to stop for a bathroom break?"
"No," she shakes her head. "I'll be good to Tucson. We've got about an hour until we reach the outskirts."
"So how much longer until I see that famous petrified poop pile in the middle of the desert?" Steve teases.
"Not much," she smirks. "You can see it off in the distance now." Pointing, she adds, "Off to the right there's that jagged shape. That's it."
Both fall silent again. As the minutes pass and close the distance, Picacho Peak grows in size. Thanks to the setting sun, the mountain casts a huge shadow over and beyond the interstate.
"Very picturesque," Steve observes. Glancing at her sidelong, he adds, "Looks more like a saddle than a poop pile."
"Depends on the angle and mood. And it's nearly nightfall, so it's not going to look as much like a turd," she quips, earning a smirk from him. "We've got another forty-five minutes to Tucson after this."
"You sure you don't want me to stop?" he asks after seeing the sign for the exit.
"No," Aurie shakes her head. "We're so close, I just want to get there."
"Yeah, me too," Steve agrees. "We're getting there so late, we're not getting anything done today. We should probably stop at the pharmacy first to get your prescription, then get dinner before heading to the hotel and calling it a night."
"We're staying at a hotel?" Aurie blinks in surprise.
"Yes, why are you surprised?"
"Because I have an apartment to stay at," she points out like it's obvious. "I thought you'd stay at a hotel because I don't think you'd last the night at my place."
"Why not?"
"Aside from it being really weird, my bed is a lumpy little twin. So sharing it wasn't an option."
"I could've slept on the floor."
"Not if you don't like dealing with roaches, the occasional scorpion, or sometimes mice crawling around." At Steve's disgusted face, she adds, "It's always been a problem. It's an old building and the owners don't do a whole lot about it."
"Those are health risks," he counters.
"Which no one cares about when you can't afford better," she shrugs. "And even if the roaches and mice weren't a problem, the entire place is nothing but saltillo tile. Hard to sleep comfortably on. And if there are any mice around, you'll hear them skittering across the floor."
"I'm not feeling adventurous enough to give it a try, so we'll be staying over at the Randolf Hotel on Broadway. It's across from a Randolf Park." Out of the corner of his eye, he notices Aurie frowning in confusion. "Something wrong?"
"No," she shakes her head. "Just wondering why you picked there. That's about the center of Tucson and a bit out of the way."
"It was the only hotel close enough to where you go to school that had an available suite with two separate bedrooms." Glancing over at her, he adds, "I thought you'd be more comfortable with your own bedroom instead of us sharing the same room. It was also better than two different hotel rooms."
Aurie nods in understanding.
"Broadway runs east to west and is one of the main streets, so it makes it easier to get around. Depending on the time of day or day of the week, traffic can be heavy. It's not really close to my apartment or school." She briefly pauses to think. "Actually, that hotel is about in between everything. School and my apartment are in or near South Tucson, and that's not far. A few minutes southwest. And we've got to stop by Youth On Their Own and that's on Alvernon, which crosses Broadway near the hotel and then it's a few minutes north from there." Looking over at him, she adds, "I thought you'd screwed yourself and was going to drive all over creation, but it's not too bad."
"Is it going to be street driving? Or will the freeway come in handy to get around?"
"All street driving. Well," she begins to correct herself. "Technically only my apartment. It's right by I-10. But going from the hotel to it will only be surface streets. The interstate passes by downtown and skirts close to the outer edges of Tucson, but thanks to Davis-Monthan almost nothing is cutting across town from north to south. The only other freeway is I-19, but that's going south from Tucson to Nogales."
"Davis-Monthan?" Steve looks over at her in confusion.
"It's the Air Force base."
"Oh, right, I forgot Arizona still had nearly all of their bases." When he glances over and sees her confusion, he adds, "A lot of military bases got closed in California in the past few years. Anyways, where is the pharmacy Zach sent your prescription to?"
"It's at a grocery store near my school. I think those close at six or seven. We're not going to make it in time after all."
"I think you're right," Steve grumbles, looking at the digital clock on the dashboard reading six thirty. "Well, you know the area where we're going. What restaurants are near the hotel?"
"I don't know it real well, but Broadway is part of one of the bus routes I take sometimes. A mall is near there, so there are lots of choices. I think there's a couple of fast food places, big chain sit-down restaurants and a little Greek place that I heard is really good."
"A gyro sounds good, how about that one?"
"Works for me," Aurie shrugs.
"Greek it is," Steve grins.
Within a few minutes, they're reaching the outskirts of Tucson as the interstate transforms into a freeway with more lanes of traffic. Night has fallen and traffic is light. It doesn't take long to get to their exit for Broadway, which happens to take them through downtown Tucson.
Soon after they find the Greek restaurant tucked in a corner of a small strip mall close to the hotel. It's almost nine pm by the time they finish eating, head over to the hotel, and check in. As promised by the lawyer he spoke with on the phone earlier, a large golden envelope had been dropped off for Steve at the front desk. Claiming that and their room card keys, they head upstairs.
Stepping off the elevator onto the fourth floor, Steve leads the way down the corridor to their suite. Unlocking the door, he holds it open for Aurie to step inside into the sitting room area that's complete with a long sofa situated along the left wall facing a large TV set up against the wall to their right. The armchair sits directly in line with the door, allowing whoever is seated in it to talk to others relaxing on the sofa while still being able to comfortably watch the TV.
Across the room from the entry door is a patio door that opens to a balcony overlooking the park. In front of it on the right-hand side is a computer desk and office chair with a telephone on top.
There's also a doorway next to the TV leading to one of the bedrooms with an attached bathroom. To their immediate left is a small kitchenette area with a sink, coffeemaker, and small refrigerator. Near it on the left side of the room is another bedroom also with an attached bathroom.
"What room would you like?" Steve asks while closing the door behind him.
Aurie pokes her head into the room on her right first then the room on the left.
"They both look the same," she looks over to him with a shrug. "This one, I guess," she states, referring to the room on the left.
"Okay," Steve nods.
They disappear into their respective rooms. Feeling dirty from traveling and getting involved in the accident, Aurie wants to take a shower but knows she can't. Considering her options, she decides it's probably a good idea to clean up with a towel and carefully wash her hair so the stitches don't get wet. Grabbing a clean pair of shorts and a worn, comfortable t-shirt, she disappears into her bathroom.
Meanwhile, Steve is of the same mindset. He disappears into his bathroom to take a quick shower, stepping into the bedroom a short while later to change into a pair of loose shorts and a tank top. Emerging back into the living room, he settles on the sofa. Pulling out his cell phone, he dials Mark.
"Hello?"
"Hey, Dad. Sorry for calling so late."
"Well, long time no hear, son," Mark greets with false cheer. "You know, earlier I was only joking about your trip turning into a literal 'Road Warrior'. You didn't encounter any more burning vehicles? Or have you and Aurie moved on to bigger things? Like saving people from burning buildings?"
Confusion immediately clouds Steve's face.
"How do you know about the accident?"
"From the afternoon news broadcast."
"It got reported on the California news?" Steve incredulously asks.
"Yes, because the family caught up in that accident were from Santa Ana. It got a lot of coverage and you two got identified as helping to save them."
"Oh," Steve replies, nonplussed. "So you got the whole story then?"
"Except for the part where you let Aurie climb into a burning wreck to save the baby," Mark comments with a slight bite in his voice.
"I didn't let her do that," Steve retorts defensively.
"Then I'd like to hear what happened."
With a heavy sigh, Steve recounts the entire story since the stolen Escalade raced past them chased by the State Trooper. He explains why he insisted on taking Aurie to the hospital when they got to Phoenix and details everything, including his conversation with Mishayla's lawyer friend. When he finishes, Mark releases a heavy sigh of his own.
"It scared me to hear on the news that Aurie climbed in that SUV to save the baby."
"You weren't the only one, Dad. When someone helping get the passenger out said a kid had gone in the back for the baby, I look over to the truck and I think my heart stopped when I saw she's nowhere near it."
"Like father, like daughter," Mark fondly quips. "How is she feeling?"
As if on cue, Aurie enters the room with her hair freshly blown dry and loose. She heads over to the kitchenette area to get a glass of water. Having noticed, Steve glances over.
"Seems fine. She just came into the room, do you want to talk to her?"
"Yes!" Mark eagerly replies.
"Aurie?" When she looks over at Steve, he holds up his cell phone. "Dad wants to talk to you."
Walking over, she places her glass on the coffee table as she eases onto the armchair. Steve then hands her his cell phone. He watches and listens to her side of the conversation in amusement.
"Hi. Oh. Steve told you about the accident. It's on the news?" she asks in confusion. "I mean, accidents happen all the time. Not like it was a bunch of kids in a burning school bus or anything huge."
Her tone becomes annoyed and defensive.
"There were a lot of people who stopped to help. I didn't plan on doing anything, but no one could get to the backseat. I was the only one small enough to climb in there."
Pausing again she listens before speaking again.
"Yeah, but it was fully burning by the time the fire department got there. We were in the middle of nowhere, so it took them a while. I didn't think about it and went in. I'd have hated just standing there and the baby died in the fire."
She pauses again for a longer stretch. Steve has a pretty good idea of exactly what Mark is saying to Aurie without being able to hear him.
"That's kinda what Steve said too," she smiles softly. "He said you'd think that."
Another pause.
"It's not bad, but they insisted on giving it two stitches." Scowling, her tone becomes annoyed again. "I get needing the tetanus shot, but it was a small slice."
Listening to Mark, she relents with a frustrated sigh.
"Okay, fine." Another brief pause. "They only gave me a prescription for an antibiotic and we got here too late to pick it up, so we'll get it tomorrow. But they didn't give me any pain medication. Just said to take ibuprofen or acetaminophen."
She pauses again before answering.
"They said because I'm under eighteen and considered by the state an independent minor they couldn't prescribe any pain medicine. Probably thought I'd sell it or something stupid," she rolls her eyes. "I had to take a towel bath since I can't shower and was careful about washing my hair, but otherwise I feel fine."
She pauses to listen to Mark.
"Okay. I will. Hang on." Looking over at Steve, she holds out the phone. "He wants to finish up with you."
Nodding, Steve takes the phone back.
"Hey, Dad."
"It's late and I won't keep you much longer. There are a couple of other things I want to update you on."
Mark proceeds to tell Steve about his conversations with Dr. de la Torre and Amanda and Jesse.
"That explains a lot," Steve comments when his dad finishes. "Would've made sense if we were initially told the reason why," he carefully states, aware of Aurie still sitting nearby and not wanting to anger her.
"I'm not sure knowing why she had to return to Tucson by today would've made a difference," Mark reasons. "She still would've reacted the same way."
"Maybe. I still think you should've tortured Amanda and Jesse more."
"That's asking for more trouble than I want to deal with right now," Mark laughs. "Well, I'm glad you've got legal acknowledgment from the state, so hopefully everything will go smoothly from here on out."
"I hope so too." Steve looks over at Aurie and smiles. "I think we've had more than enough adventure today."
Aurie nods and smiles back as he hears Mark's laughter over the phone.
"All right, you both have a good night."
"Goodnight, Dad."
Ending the call, Steve looks at the screen, silently noting he'll have to plug it in soon. Looking over at Aurie he smiles again.
"Dad said the accident got covered on the news in California because the Lovatos are from Santa Ana. It's probably going to be on the news here."
"The news will start in a few minutes at ten on the network channels," Aurie observes, twisting around to look at the clock hanging on the wall in the kitchenette area.
"Are you going to stay up and watch it?"
Aurie shakes her head.
"We already know what happened. I'm tired, so I'm going to bed. What time should I get up?"
Steve considers it.
"I'd like to take care of your school first since it's Friday and we don't know how long that'll take. We can be out of here by seven-thirty to get something to eat then head over to your school."
"I need to stop by my apartment before we go to my school. I've got a couple of textbooks they'll want back. All my other books are in my locker at school."
"Okay," Steve nods. "I'm going to watch the news out here. You have a good night."
"Goodnight."
Getting up from the chair, she disappears into her room. Steve turns on the TV, flipping through the channels before settling on one with a nightly news program. Sure enough, the accident is covered. His stomach knots up when they show video of the burned-out wreck and he tries not to think about Aurie climbing inside to get baby Dennis out. He continues watching the program through the weather and sports segments until the end when he turns off the TV and heads into his room for the night.
Morning came too soon.
Shifting slightly in bed, Aurie comes to awareness with an annoyed sigh, feeling like she's got an ocean filling her bladder. Glancing at the clock, she notices it's six a.m. Grudgingly she gets up to take care of business in the bathroom.
Returning to bed a few minutes later, she tries going back to sleep. Trying different positions, she can't manage to fall asleep again and ends up giving up. Getting out of bed she digs through her clothes for something to wear. Mentally she notes she's got to get more clothes from her apartment. The clothes she was wearing yesterday morning were ruined and she had to change into clean ones at the hospital. She can get away with wearing her jeans a couple of times before washing them, but can't do that with her shirts or undergarments.
After getting dressed, she heads out into the main area. Crossing over to the coffee maker, she sets it up to brew about three cups of coffee into the small carafe. While waiting for the coffee, she heads into the sitting area and turns on the TV. To keep from waking Steve, she lowers the volume and activates the closed captioning. Walking back to the kitchenette, she pulls a coffee cup from a cabinet just as the coffee maker finishes brewing. Once her cup is ready, she returns to the sofa and settles down to watch the news.
She's not surprised when the accident is mentioned during the broadcast. It's weird hearing her name mentioned but is glad they don't have a picture of her. She doesn't feel comfortable with the big deal they're making of it and is glad she could help get the baby out, but others did a lot more.
After watching the weather report, she starts flipping through the channels, trying to find anything to keep her mind off of losing her life in Tucson. So much happened yesterday that she barely thought of that at all. Now she's going to be home just long enough to give it up.
It's nearly seven when Steve emerges from his room, not expecting to see her dressed and sitting on the sofa watching TV.
"Morning," she greets him.
"Good morning," he greets back. "You're up early. How long have you been up?"
"Since six." Ignoring his surprised expression, she gestures with her mug toward the kitchenette. "If you want coffee, there's about a cup or two in the carafe."
Unable to resist the aroma, Steve heads straight for the coffee.
"The cups are in the cabinet above the coffee maker," she adds, setting her cup back onto the coffee table in front of her.
"Thanks," he replies over his shoulder.
Reaching into the cabinet, he grabs a cup and pours coffee into it. Once ready, he heads to the sitting area and eases into the armchair.
"Why'd you get up so early?" he asks, taking a sip of his cup.
"My bladder wouldn't let me sleep in," she replies, causing him to smile in amusement. "Might as well get up."
"How are you feeling? Any soreness or stiffness?"
Aurie shakes her head.
"Just a little tenderness on the one they stitched up."
"That's good," Steve nods. "We'll get your prescription and anything you need for it later. What time does your school open?"
"Now. There are early classes like band, but we've got all day. The main office would be open until four."
"They wouldn't close early because it's Friday?" he asks while taking another swallow of his coffee.
"I guess the principal might sneak out early, but there's always someone in the front office. Probably because of the clubs, detentions, and stuff that happens after school."
"Well, I'm not interested in speaking to the principal. I've got the documents proving the state of Arizona acknowledges my custodial rights for you. The office staff should be able to provide your official records without a problem."
"Why would you need my records?" she asks out of curiosity.
"You've already put in a year's worth of work for certain classes. Those records might help keep you from repeating those classes at whatever school you end up attending back home."
"Okay," she nods, uncomfortable with the reminder she's losing everything.
The silence awkwardly stretches out again until Steve breaks it.
"Well, do you want to check out what they're offering for breakfast down in the lobby? Or did you have somewhere in mind to eat?"
"It's probably easier if we just eat here."
"All right, let's get going."
Turning off the TV, Aurie gets up from the sofa while Steve carries both their cups to the kitchenette. Heading downstairs they take advantage of the complimentary breakfast laid out for guests, providing a nice selection of food from scrambled eggs to cereal. When finished they head out the door into the bright morning sunshine.
Within minutes of climbing into the truck and Steve pulling out onto the street, Aurie directs him to head south on nearby Alvernon Way then west down 22nd Street, a route that takes them around most of Randolph Park.
"This is a really big park," Steve comments after turning onto 22nd St.
"Technically it's two parks, Reid and Randolph. You'll see the Reid Park Zoo entrance in a minute. You can't see it from this street, but Hi Corbett Field is here. The Colorado Rockies do their spring training here; the rest of the time, it's the Tucson Toros."
"There's a baseball stadium here too?"
"Yeah," she nods. "You already saw the golf course and the path for running and biking. They put nearly everything right here."
"They certainly did," Steve agrees. "How far are we from your apartment?"
"Not far. All this traffic is what's going to slow us down. I'll let you know when to turn left on Park Avenue when we get close to it. Then it's a few blocks to Old Benson Highway where you'll have to make another right."
"We're ending up on a highway? I thought you said your apartment is right next to the interstate."
"It is." Seeing his confusion, she elaborates. "Old Benson Hwy is a frontage road. From what I understand, it was part of Highway 80 down towards Benson until the interstate was built."
"Which swallowed up most of the highway," Steve concludes.
"Except for the parts that ended up being frontage roads. It's the only way to get to my apartment and it's one way. So we're going a bit further east to head west towards 4th Avenue, which is closer to my building, but we can't get to it from that way."
"The streets around here are a bit convoluted," Steve shakes his head.
"They can be at times. Your turn is coming up at the next light."
Nodding, Steve maneuvers into the left turn lane and waits for the signal. When the light changes and he makes the turn, he notices mosaic signs saying South Tucson.
"Interesting that Tucson is broken up into directional areas." Glancing over at Aurie and seeing her confusion, he adds, "I just saw a sign saying South Tucson in mosaic tile. Is it the same for the north, east, and west segments?"
It takes a moment for her to process what he said when realization lights up on her face.
"Okay, I get what you're saying. South Tucson is its own city within Tucson. They have their own mayor, city council, and police department."
"So it's an enclave."
"What does 'enclave' mean?" she asks, looking confused.
"What you're describing," he explains. "You've got the city of South Tucson surrounded by the city of Tucson."
"Oh. Then I guess it's yes, it's an enclave," she agrees, causing Steve to smile.
"It feels like we're driving through east LA," he comments, looking around. "A lot of Spanish on the signage for the businesses."
"Yeah, a large percentage are Mexican Americans. Native Americans from the local tribes and whites are the next biggest groups. Other ethnicities are sprinkled in."
"Must've been nice coming up from Mexico and ending up living here with so many Spanish speakers around."
"It was," Aurie replies, disappointing Steve when she doesn't share more until she informs him of Old Benson Hwy coming up.
After making the right turn, he tries fishing for more information.
"How'd you find out about the park and South Tucson?" Looking over at her, he adds, "Or did they cover that in history?"
"I didn't take any history classes. That's next," she hesitates then corrects herself. "That would've been next year. And it would've been world history. A couple of neighbors who've lived here all their lives told me a lot about Tucson. Up ahead on the right you're going to see a boarded-up restaurant. Right after that is the Coronado Trails Apartments. You'll turn right into there."
What appears to be a 50's era diner comes into view. It certainly had seen better days. The abandoned building sported lots of boarded-up windows behind the broken plate glass windows. The sides of the building sported so much graffiti that looked more like an intentional mural.
When he sees the lettering on the decorative brick wall in front of what appears to be a former motel spelling out Coronado Trails Apartments, he turns right into the first driveway.
"Stop here for a moment so I can get the mail. Don't bother parking. I'll just be a minute."
Steve stops in the middle of the driveway as she gets out. She heads for the large silver postal box next to the building. She unlocks the cubby hole for her apartment and takes out a small pile of mail. Returning to the truck, she climbs back in.
"Head towards the back," she instructs him. "My unit is going to be on the right side."
Slowly driving through the parking lot, Steve looks around. All parking is away from the buildings down the center of the paved lot. The structures flank both sides of the parking strip in long, two-story rows. It looked more like a motel than apartments.
"I take it this used to be a motel a long time ago?" he asks.
"Yeah," Aurie confirms. "Park in one of the last slots."
Following her direction, he parks and cuts the engine.
"I'll just be a few minutes," she states, unfastening her seatbelt.
"I'm going with you." When she looks at him in confusion, he shrugs. "I'm curious."
Since she didn't have a reason to convince him to stay in the truck, she doesn't reply. Sighing heavily, Steve exits the truck with her and walks with her across the parking lot to the stairs at the end of the building. He notices three men, hanging out in and near a doorway of a ground-floor unit a few doors down.
"Ignore them," Aurie quietly tells him, deliberately not looking at the men. "They act like animals sometimes and take staring as a challenge to try starting shit."
He keeps an eye on them out of his peripheral vision until they start climbing up the stairs.
"They give off the vibe of dealers," he comments as they reach the second floor.
"They are," she confirms as they walk down to the fourth door. "I'm surprised we're seeing them this early in the day. They're usually like most roaches that only come out at night."
"And these are your neighbors?" he incredulously asks.
"They are when you have to live in the bad part of town," she shrugs as she unlocks the door, letting him inside.
As Aurie closes the door behind them, he doesn't fail to notice her immediately locking the door.
Looking around, Steve takes in the apartment, noting it's very small. A window on the right next to the door is situated above the heating and AC unit. There isn't much in the way of furniture. What's there is clearly secondhand, patched together, and has seen better days.
On the right side of the room near the window is a rickety bookcase about as high as Steve's waist with a small TV on top. Various books, magazines, and assorted items fill the shelves. Next to the TV is a tiny, fake Christmas tree. Across from that against the left wall is a twin-sized daybed that's seen better days. Two plastic Christmas ornament balls, one gold, and the other blue, replace two missing decorative ball caps on the frame of the bed. A couple of different joints of the frame are wrapped in white duct tape to match the scratched paint of the frame.
Flanking on either side of the bed are milk crates doubling as end tables. Small, mismatched lamps perch on top. Assorted throw rugs of varying sizes and quality cover areas of the reddish-brown Saltillo tiles. A small, oval table with a rickety wooden chair is positioned in the space between the bookcase and the kitchen at the end of the room. Across from the table to the left is the doorway to a very short hallway where the closet is. A quick right leads right into the bathroom. The walls are mostly bare. A calendar hangs off a nail on the back of a kitchen cabinet above the table.
"This is a cozy little place," he observes. "Why do you still have your Christmas tree out?"
"Don't have anywhere to store it," she replies, walking back to the kitchen. "I have to keep the curtains closed so no one can look in and see what I'm doing or if I'm not here. That's not good for live plants. So it's doing double duty as a houseplant."
"So how bad is this neighborhood that you have to keep the curtains closed so much?"
Standing at a tiny section of the kitchen counter dividing the room, she starts looking through her mail. Opening one up to look at it, she finally answers him.
"Bad enough where I don't go out again at night once I get home." Setting down the letter to open another bill, she adds, "I'm sure those guys make drugs in their unit because I smell it in the air sometimes." She pauses again to open the last envelope. "The cops have been trying to nail all of them. They got one, but he's already out of jail. It's stupid because he shot at them." She looks away from the bill to point out a repaired hole in the ceiling. "That's a bullet that came through the window."
Steve's gaze drops away from the patched bullet hole to gape incredulously at her.
"Have you reported their activities?"
"No," she shakes her head. "I mind my own business."
She ignores his look of disbelief to toss the torn open envelopes into a small trashcan situated nearby. Taking the bills, she steps over to the bed to place them on it before heading into her closet.
"Ignoring illegal activity doesn't make it go away," he argues.
"And if the cops don't arrest all of them and they find out who snitched them out, they'll come around to retaliate," her muffled voice retorts from the closet. "And even if they get jailed, in this neighborhood all that shit never goes away."
Pulling out a couple of tops, she emerges from the closet and drops them onto her bed.
"There's also a few druggies that live in a couple of units," she adds, folding up her shirts. "There's also a couple of prostitutes. Then there's that vacant desert lot at the edge of the parking lot. That opens wider behind this building to the other side of that abandoned restaurant, where you saw that big chunk of desert driving here. Sometimes bodies are found out there."
She heads back into the closet. While she's going back and forth, Steve casually wanders the tiny kitchen, peeking into cabinets and noting she's got very little in the way of anything. Aside from the refrigerator and gas stove, there's a small microwave and coffee maker that's seen better days. He finds one saucepan, a frying pan, and a baking sheet. She's got two mismatched plates, a chipped coffee mug, a cutting board and a mixing bowl, a few cooking utensils, and not much else besides several dead roach carcasses.
In one drawer there are a couple of mismatched spoons, forks, butter, and steak knives. She has one cabinet designated for cleaning supplies, mouse traps, and bug spray. Another cabinet is designated for dried goods, such as cereal and canned vegetables.
"Isn't Youth On Their Own supposed to help you find housing and get you into a safer apartment complex?
Returning with clean underwear and socks, Aurie puts them with the shirts. Turning to look at him, she answers his question.
"They do what they can and it's about what will fit in my budget. I only get so much money from the state. Legally I can't work more than eighteen hours a week. Food stamps help me with groceries, but I have to pay for water, light, and gas. Then there's things like clothes, school stuff, and cleaning supplies I may have to buy."
"Which will eat up any money you have left pretty quick," Steve finishes with a sigh.
Nodding, she heads back into the closet one more time. He opens the refrigerator and notices it's about as empty as the cabinets, but figures that has more to do with her likely not doing any shopping before she left for California. Besides the dead roaches, her place is very neat and clean. Moving her out and dealing with her things should be fairly easy.
"This area is the cheaper part of town and at the time I needed an apartment, this place was the only one that had a vacancy," she states while digging in her closet. "It's okay. Bullets rarely fly around here and I just have to be careful."
"You live by yourself, how are you supposed to protect yourself? Because someone can come in through the window."
She's got a plastic grocery bag in one hand as she closes the closet door. Coming back to the bed, she puts the bag on it. Reaching down next to the bed, she picks up an old, worn-out baseball bat from the floor and shows it to him.
"I have this," she explains. "It's not the best, but it's something. I also sleep light. And I've got a broomstick jammed against the edge of the sliding part of the window."
"What's that supposed to do?"
"Keep the window from sliding open. And if they break the glass, I'm going to hear it and grab my bat."
Setting the bat down, she starts stuffing the clothes into the bag.
"And did you carry that bat with you when you came home after dark?"
"No," Aurie shakes her head. "Doesn't fit in my backpack." Having finished packing, she heads over to the bookcase. "I'm not allowed to work any later than nine-thirty. And I can't work more than three hours on a school night. I'm usually off no later than nine. I just protect myself in other ways."
Pulling out four textbooks from the top shelf, she carries them over to the bed and starts flipping through them, then takes out any notepaper she may have tucked into the pages.
"What other ways?"
Before she can answer, there's a knock on the door. Grateful for the distraction she heads for the door and peeks through the peephole when there's another knock.
"Aurie, it's me!" a male voice with a slight lisp calls out. "Don't hide from me. I know you're in there!"
Recognizing the person and their voice, she smirks to herself and opens the door. Steve watches her let in a Hispanic male with black hair. He's taller than her and looks to be in his late teens and has the physical features of Down Syndrome.
"You know I'm going to check who it is before I open the door, day or night."
"But I'm unforgettable. You should know it's me right away," he smiles, throwing his arms around Aurie.
Laughing, she returns his hug.
"I've got lots of questions," he states, releasing her. "Like when did you get back from California? How was it? Did you find your father? And who is this guy?" he asks, eyeing Steve who briefly looks down to the ground and tries suppressing his amusement.
"Let me introduce you to him first. This is Jesus Grijalva," Aurie begins introducing her friend to Steve.
"Don't call me 'Jesus'. Call me 'Chuy'," he interrupts.
Aurie rolls her eyes before continuing.
"Chuy, this is Steve Sloan," she gets as far as saying before Chuy interrupts again.
"Nice to meet you," he eagerly states, stepping forward to shake Steve's hand.
"Nice to meet you too, Chuy," Steve replies with an amused smile.
"If you'll stop interrupting me, Chuy," she tries again with annoyance coloring her voice. "California was nice. We got back yesterday. And I did find my father. You just met him."
Chuy's face lights up in surprise as he looks at Steve.
"You're Aurie's dad? Where've you been her whole life?" he demands.
"Yes, I am, Chuy," Steve nods, amusement clear in his voice. "I never knew about Aurie or I'd have been in her life a lot sooner."
"Oh," Chuy replies with some uncertainty. "That's good because she's like my little sister and is an awesome friend and neighbor."
"Well, I'm glad she had someone like you to act as her big brother," Steve replies, earning an ecstatic grin from Chuy.
"Are you here to stay or are you leaving to be with your dad?" Chuy asks Aurie.
"Steve got custody of me, so I'm leaving," Aurie replies with some discomfort.
"That's kinda good because I'm leaving too."
"What?" Aurie gapes at him in shock as he nods.
"Remember that dude ranch job I was trying for?" At Aurie's nod, he continues. "I got it. So I'm moving to Sonoita!"
"You did? That's great!" Aurie gives him another hug. Releasing him, she turns to Steve to explain. "This lady named Carla Martinez bought a deserted ranch in Sonoita, which is about forty-five minutes from Tucson."
Unable to contain his eagerness to share, Chuy interrupts to explain it to Steve.
"Yeah, Mrs. Martinez is great! She's rescued all sorts of farm animals, like horses and donkeys that were too old and were going to be killed. She then wanted people like me or who were disabled to visit and stay there for a few days so they can play with the animals. Oh, also people who had someone they love die can go and find their peace and ease their grief a little. It's really pretty out there, but she needs a lot of help. She hired me to live out there and help take care of the animals like a cowboy!" he proudly declares.
"Do you have your cowboy hat yet?" Steve playfully asks.
"Not yet. I've got to finish moving there and then I've got to get one."
"You already started moving out of your unit?" Aurie asks.
"Got it emptied yesterday with help from Mrs. Martinez and her sons. I came in to turn in my keys and saw you get your mail. I wanted to come over and say goodbye and give you my new address and phone number. Good thing I did since you're moving too."
"Yeah," Aurie smiles sadly. "I'm going to miss you coming around to share the latest chismes."
"And I'm going to miss your empanadas," Chuy replies. "But I'll write or call with chismes about the ranch, except it'll probably be more about the horses and chickens."
Aurie and Steve laugh as he digs into a pocket of the backpack he's carrying. Pulling out a colorful pamphlet for El Rancho Tranquilo and a pen, he steps over to the counter. On the back of the pamphlet is a space for notes where he writes a phone number before handing it to Aurie.
"That's about the ranch and the address and business phone number are on it. Mrs. Martinez says I'm getting my own cabin that's got a phone line. That number I wrote is my private number. Just don't call me in the middle of the night when I'm sleeping."
"I won't," Aurie grins and puts the pamphlet in the clothes bag.
"Do you have a phone and address where you're going to live?" Chuy asks her.
Aurie starts shaking her head when Steve interrupts this time.
"I've got that for you, Chuy."
Reaching into the trash can, Steve pulls out one of the envelopes Aurie tossed and tears off a piece. He then writes the address of the beach house and two phone numbers before handing it to Chuy.
"That's our address. The first phone number is for the part of the house where my dad lives and the other is for the part I live in. You'll be able to reach Aurie there either way."
Chuy looks at Aurie in surprise.
"You've got an abuelo too? And you're gonna live with them both?"
"Yeah," Aurie nods. "We're heading back to California on Sunday or Monday."
"Then I'll have to call you in a couple weeks since we don't have enough time today to tell each other everything. I've got to walk up the street and meet Mrs. Martinez at the grocery store."
"Why are you walking all that way?" Aurie asks in confusion. "Why aren't you taking the bus?"
"Because it'll take longer and she'll be waiting a lot longer."
Aurie rolls her eyes again.
"We've argued about this before, Chuy. Walking is going to take longer than the bus."
"Not when it takes longer to wait for the bus to show up, Aurie," Chuy counters.
"How about we give you a ride, Chuy?" Steve interrupts before the argument can drag on.
"Really?" At Steve's nod, he grins. "Thanks!"
Smiling back at Chuy, Steve looks over at Aurie.
"If you've got what you need from here, we can drop him off and head over to the school."
"I'm ready," Aurie nods.
Picking up the shopping bag by the handles, she then gathers the textbooks in her arms before ushering them out and locking the door behind her.