The Edge of Reality

Chapter 27: The Peculiar Recovery

As per usual, I avoided thinking about the dramatic events of the morning as I worked the day away. My motivation drained with the last of the daylight and I was exhausted by time I left. I stepped out into the chilling night air; the freeze would be beginning soon and I had nowhere to go. I supposed I could go back to Valtura's house, as there was no one there, but it didn't feel right. Besides, I barely knew how to drive and would probably topple off the mountainside if I tried to get back up there. I started the car for just long enough to drive to the back of the parking lot, heat up the interior and sort through some of my things in the backseat. I did have a blanket and some sweaters, so I hopefully wouldn't be too cold. This was better than sleeping outside, at least. I tried to settle in across the back seat, but the night was early and my hands were cold so I wasn't at all drowsy. I texted Naham about it, and he sympathized but couldn't do anything about it. He had weird tensions with his roommates, and couldn't let me stay with him. He was working a graveyard shift, so he couldn't even come spend a couple hours with me. I decided to try driving around a bit, lacking ideas of anything else to do. As I turned the key in the ignition and gently pressed the gas, I realized I didn't really know how to drive- I only took a couple test runs around the parking lot before leaving onto the street, however. At this point I really didn't care. I drove past a couple of bars, bustling with cars and people going in and out. A thought occurred to me, and I realized I could get by if I were desperate enough. I was decently attractive- flirt a little, go home with someone... I could have a bed to sleep in and maybe even something to eat if the man were nice. I could even do that... every evening. That sounded stressful, but if I played my cards right I might be able to snag a more secure place in some guy's life. Was that a sugar daddy? I always heard that term used in light or funny contexts, but nothing was funny about what I was actually considering. No, I wasn't that desperate yet, but I would keep it on the back burner. Besides, I was in a relationship and I didn't think Naham would be very keen on me sleeping around, even if it was just to keep out of the cold.

As I kept driving, I came to a rougher part of town. The houses were beat-down and there were fighting going on around me on the sidewalks and even in the streets. I double checked that the doors were locked, and when I looked up I had to brake quickly because I'd almost run into the side of a building. I really needed to stay focused otherwise I'd end up even worse off. I examined the building as I backed away. It looked like it was some sort of volunteer place, maybe a food bank. The lights were on inside and it looked comforting against the dark sky and even darker tone lying over the area. I had nothing better to do, so I parked the car as best as I could and walked inside. It was a huge facility, packed with boxes, food, clothing and other supplies. A handful of people were walking around carrying or sorting these things, and I tentatively approached a small desk where a man stood going through papers.

"Hi," he said to me, noticing me all of a sudden. His tone was calm but he looked very eager as he greeted me, clearly waiting for me to state my intentions.

"Hi, I'd like to volunteer," I said quietly, not knowing what I was doing but figuring it was better than nothing at all.

"Okay..." maybe I hadn't said enough. "Are you with a group? Or did you sign up alone?"

"No, I'm on my own, I just saw this place and came in," I said, feeling a bit stupid without knowing why.

"Oh! Okay, that's fine," he said quickly, picking up a clipboard and extending his hand. "What's your name?"

"Tesha," I said, shaking his hand.

"Okay Tesha, we're actually starting to close up for the night, but you can help us do that," he started walking into the clutter of boxes behind him and motioned for me to follow. "My name is Eitan, by the way."