This Is My Life

19

I woke up to a soft tapping on my shoulder. Startled, I jumped and looked up at the person. It was an older lady.

"We are at the bus terminal now dear." She seemed very sweet.

I thanked her, and almost jumped off the bus. I was so excited to be free. I was also shocked about the amount of kindness I was shown by that lady. I could tell that everything was behind me now. It was like a weight had lifted off my shoulders. I could finally start over.

Once I got off the bus I walked around, taking in my surroundings. I wasn't sure if I was far enough away to stay here, but it was a nice place. From what I could see it was little, and clean, not like those run down little towns. A lot nicer than the dump town I used to live in. As cute as this place was though, I couldn't stay. I knew how easily news traveled in small towns, and this place wasn't far enough away, anyone could find me.

I decided that I would stay here one night. Before checking into a little motel, I went to a salon. I got the girl to chop off most of my dark brown curls, and dye the rest of it black. Surprisingly, it suited me.

I walked to the closest clothing store and bought some dark clothes including a baggy, black hoody, and a black tuque. I wasn't sure if I would have to live on the streets, or if the police would be after me. I thought it would be unlikely that my grandmother would care enough to call them, but I wasn't sure. It wasn't like people wanted me back there, but they might love to see me brought back in handcuffs. Because of the incident at school with the knife, I wasn't supposed to leave.

Once I was done my shopping I head out to the motel. It was quiet, but nice. I was always alone anyhow so this didn't feel much different. Sleep came easily that night, and I was awake at the crack of dawn the next day.

I didn't know where I was going, or what was going to happen, so I made sure to shower, and eat as much as I could. I even brought some food along in my bags to take with me.

I headed back to the bus station feeling full and fresh. I couldn't help the smile on my face.

"You seem to be in a good mood young lady."

I heard the familiar voice from beside me at the bus terminal. I was standing there awaiting the busses to come take me to another location. I turned around to see the lady's face from the bus the other day.

"Yes I am." I smiled at her warmly. It felt nice to be able to have a conversation with someone, even if it was just small talk.

"Are you going to see someone special?" She asked me, looking genuinely curious.

"Actually no, I have no one special to go see, but that's alright."

The lady looked truly sorry for me and replied, "Oh dear I am sorry."

"It's alright. I am happy, I am out to explore. Find a new place. Start my life." I smiled at her again to ensure her that she had not hurt my feelings.

"I am too! I just retired, and my husband died a few years ago. I thought that I should get out and live the rest of my life before I no longer can. Oh and by the way, I like the new hair." She winked at me and I couldn't help but feel at ease talking to this lady.

"That sounds like a great plan." I shook her hand and said, "I'm Mel." No one ever called me Mel besides my parents, but with this running away thing, I was going to change my name. I loved my parents too much and wanted to keep some part of the name they gave me the same. I would have to change my last name though.

"My name is Darlene. You can call me Darla" She replied shaking my hand.

We both got on the same bus, not caring where it went, and we sat together. Darla told me lots about her life. She never had any children, she lived with her husband of 30 years until he past away a few years ago. Darla was 50, and her husband would have been 55 this year. She told me the tragic story of her husbands heart attack.

Having someone to talk to felt great and time flew by. It wasn't too long before the bus stopped at another terminal. I checked out the window to see where we had stopped. It was dark outside but from what I could see we were in a bigger city. The lights were bright, and the buildings were tall.

"Would you like to grab something to eat with me?" I asked, hopeful.

I was more than excited when Darla accepted my offer to dinner. We went to the first place we saw and both stuffed our faces. Luckily it was a buffet. Everything was delicious. After we had finished our meal we continued to sit and talk in the restaurant.

"So where are you going tonight?" I asked.

"I'm not too sure yet." She smiled, even though she had no clue where she was even going to sleep tonight. For some reason it did not bother her. She was like me. I hoped that this wasn't going to be the end of our journey though.

"Where are you going to stay Mel?"

"I don't know, a motel maybe."

"Mel... how old are you."

I looked at her shocked. I was unsure if I should tell her my real age. If she knew how old I was, she could send me back to the police, or worse, where I came from. I also didn't want to lie to her. I felt like I could trust her, and maybe if she knew how old I was she would keep me company longer, feeling sorry for me. When I took too long to answer Darla spoke up.

"Mel, you can tell me. Nothing will happen to you."

"Sixteen." I mumbled out in a whisper.

She looked shocked. I guess I look older than I am.

"Are you running away, dear?"

"It's a really long story, you don't understand. You can't turn me in!" I began to panic.

"I'm not going to turn you in." Darla answered softly taking my hand. "Come on lets go find somewhere to stay for the night, and you can tell me your story."

She led me out of the restaurant, and to a fancier, hotel. The building was so tall, it had at least 20 floors.

The inside was shiny, and clean. Everything seemed to sparkle. I had never been in such a nice hotel. Then I realized I couldn't afford this. Even just for one night. I had money, but it wouldn't last long if I burned through it on things this expensive.

"I can't afford this place, maybe we should go somewhere else." I tried to tell Darla but she denied. She told me that this was on her, I didn't need to worry about it.

When we got to the room, I nearly jumped on the bed. The room looked so cozy, the bed looked so cozy, everything was just so inviting. I explored the bathroom, and every shelf and drawer. There was even a balcony that looked out over the city. It was so beautiful at night. It was like nothing I had ever seen before.

I went back into the room to tell Darla what she wanted to know, to persuade her to not turn me in. When I went in, Darla was already asleep on one of the beds. I would wait until morning to explain everything. The bed was the most comfortable bed I had ever slept in, and I was asleep within minutes.

The next morning I awoke feeling refreshed and new. I couldn't wait to go out and explore today, but first I needed to talk to Darla. When I went to wake her up though, she was not in the room. The bed was made perfectly, and there was no note. I had already lost my new friend.