Whispers Journey

Wash, Rinse, Repeat

The alarm went off at 7 am and for a minute I forgot where I was, or who I was. I'd written notes to myself and put them on the fridge and the bathroom mirror, "I am Whisper Brooke Wilson, I am 16, I live in Big Sky Montana I CAN DO THIS, DON'T CRY" I looked in my bare fridge and pulled out leftover pizza then stared at the empty counter where there was no microwave or coffee pot, I added them to my To Get list and put my notebook in my pocket then brushed my teeth and headed downstairs. I was let in the back door as the restaurant didn't open til 11 but there was plenty to do before that. I started by cleaning the restrooms and vacuuming the dining room, cleaning all the tables then putting out silverware on each table By 10:30 I was already exhausted but I was scheduled til 2. I was introduced to the sink which was already piling up with mixing bowls and cups from dough prep and some pans that had been soaking since the night before in now freezing and greasy water. I got the dishes caught up pretty fast and kept a pretty steady pace all day. I heard my co-workers talking about me, giggling about how small I was and how young I looked. I listened but didn't engage. 2 o'clock came and I asked a nice girl with pretty hair busing tables for a good store to get cloths, she looked me up and down then said "Well Big Sky Mall has the best shops, but maybe you should go to Goodwill that might be more in your budget " she smiled at her smugness and walked away. I took a taxi to the mall to get the rest of the stuff on my list. I had about $200 left for food so I went to the corner market and took as much as I could carry. I didn't let myself get too many sweets cause I knew they wouldn't fill me up. By 4 I was alone with my radio and nothing to do so I decided to go exploring. 

At the end of the block beyond the grocery store was a Chinese restaurant and a laundry mat. The bookstore shone in the late afternoon light and Whisper was drawn like a moth to a flame. She'd always loved reading, it was her escape into worlds where she could be a queen or ride a dragon or explore a creepy old house but still be safe. She bought 3 books an a calendar to keep track of her work schedule. The sun was almost down and she was scared to be out alone so she ran back home to the warmth of her twin bed with the worn yellow and blue bedspread. She'd bought coffee for the next day, tacked her calendar to the wall and wrote down her work schedule, took a shower and put on fresh underwear and a nightgown that went to her ankles. She was warm and felt safe. She hadn't met any neighbors, she wasn't sure she had any really. She felt alone but as she fell into her first book the rest of the world melted away. 

7 am came again and now with rich smelling Foldgers in her pink daisy mug she felt ready to take on the world. She worked her soon to be regular 7-2 shift cleaning and washing dishes. The pretty haired girl Rebecca inspected Wispers new used Levi jeans and an outdated Rebock T-shirt and rolled her eyes in disgust. Whisper had shopped at the Goodwill after all when she noticed a top at the mall was $14 and she just didn't have that kind of cash. She didn't care really she was comfortable and clean and that's all that really mattered. Dan sat her down to go over her bills and gave her the number to the telephone company to have the service put in her own name. She thought she really didn't need it, she could use a pay phone if she needed to talk to anyone. She couldn't call home cause her mom never paid the phone bill so they hadn't had service in months, her dad either. She didn't remember her Aunt Kelly's phone number and probably wouldn't call her anyway. She knew about the rent and her $200 loan so she knew she'd be in debt for a month or so anyway. At the end of her shift Rebecca was out back smoking by the dumpster. She flicked an ash in Whispers direction and snarled her lip "Soooo Whisper, she said this in a breathy hiss, what's your story? Like where did you come from, I KNOW your not from Big Sky or probably even from Montana cause you talk different. Why did you come HERE?" Whisper paused for a second wondering if she wanted to answer or not " I came from far away, I'm not from here your right but I'm here now. " "How old are you for real? I'm 17 next week and your like way smaller then me, you look like your 11" "Everyone grows different I guess" with that she walked away. She was at the end of her budget so she just went home to read. She wondered if this was all there was to life, get up, go to work, pay bills and do it all again. She wanted the thrill of being on the train again. She knew she'd have to stay here for a while and save up some cash before she took off again. She decided to seek out the local library and look in the Travel section to read about the world. She wanted to go EVERYWHERE.