Seasons [h.s]

Winter- Part 9

"MRS. MYERS!" I yelled as I pounded on the her front door again.

"Mommy, let's go home." Mia fussed.

"Mrs. Myers! Please open the door." I begged, almost to the brink of tears.

Finally the door swung open - Mrs. Myers standing in the doorway with disheveled hair and a blue bath robe. "What?"

"I had until Sunday... You gave me until Sunday! W-why is there an eviction notice on my door?" My blood boiled with anger.

She simply shrugged. "I gave you until Sunday, and at 12 AM it was indeed Sunday. You had enough time to give me my money, but you didn't. I'm done handing out favors."

"You're sick." I said through gritted teeth. "It is freezing outside, my daughter is tired and we have no where else to go. Please, just give us until the morning."

"I can't do that, I'm sorry." She shrugged and began to close her door.

"Please, don't do this!" I could feel tears welling in my eyes again. The door was slammed shut.

"Mommy, can we go home now?" Mia tugged on my coat.

"I'm afraid not," I stated, trying so hard not to believe my own words. We no longer had a home; my Mia had no where to lay her head. I took her in my arms and headed down the steep stairs, trying my best not to look back. Mia began to sob, and I along with her. I set her down once we made it out of the building, and bent down so that I was at her eye level. "Mommy needs you to be strong, okay? We're going to be walking a lot for a while, and I need you to stay close to me. Don't let go of my hand, understand?" I wiped the tears from her eyes.

Mia nodded slowly, fear overtaking her face. "W-where are we going?"

"I'm not quite sure, my love."

**

New York was at dangerous place at night. I had seen movies, heard many stories, but never experienced it for myself. The more we walked, the more tense I became. I held onto Mia tightly as we made our way down the still crowded streets; I desperately looked for a friendly face, but most people didn't even make eye contact. It was now 4 in the morning, and my legs were beginning to ache.

I finally got up the courage and asked someone for assistance. "Excuse me?" I tapped on the tall figure, their face hidden in the darkness.

A bearded man with a cigarette hanging outside of his mouth turned to face me, "look, I don't have any money."

"Oh, no sir! I-I was just wondering if you knew of any local shelters that my daughter and I could stay in for the night?"

"There's one five blocks down." His finger pointed ahead of us.

"Thank you." I nodded and headed down the dark path.

"Good luck to you!" He yelled after us. For some reason, that comforted me. Mia and I would be needing as much luck as possible. My hands were stiff from the cold, and Mia was becoming heavier by the minute. My mind wrestled with the thought of putting her down, but I stopped myself. She had been through enough already, the least I could do was let her get some rest.

The shelter was at the corner of the block. I jiggled the handle of the entrance only to find that it was locked. "No, no no..." I whispered and began knocking on the door incessantly. A middle-aged women in a black robe came and opened the door, she looked confused and angry. Her brown hair was pulled back into a loose ponytail.

"Can I help you?" She asked folding her arms across her chest.

"Hi, my name is Grace and I was wondering if you guys had any room left in your shelter?"

"I'm sorry, all of our rooms are full." She began to close her door.

"Please!" I held the door with my hand, "it's freezing outside and I need to get my daughter out of the cold. We'll take anything - the floor, the bathroom - please, we have no where else to go."

The women pondered a moment before answering me. "I'm not supposed to do this." She said, "but I can't stand to see you guys freeze any longer. Come in, I'll get you some blankets."

"Thank you so much!" I sighed in relief as I entered the building. The room was low-lit and there seemed to be sleeping bodies everywhere. Twin sized mattresses laid on every part of the floor. I wondered if Mia and I would find a spot to squeeze into.

The women grabbed two thick blankets from a nearby closet and handed it to me. "My name is Teresa. I have to warn you, there isn't much room out here, and I wouldn't want you guys to be uncomfortable. I can offer you my office if you'd like, it's a small one but at least you'll have your privacy."

"That sounds great, you are an angel." I praised. A quiet office sounded like a dream compared to the unpredictable city outside. Teresa led us down a dark hall, and began to jiggle a key into a door. Once the door was opened and the light was turned on, she moved some chairs and furniture around to give us more space. I placed Mia in a corner of the room and sat in one of the seats.

"Had I known you were coming, I would've cleaned up a bit. We get so many people in here everyday, and it can be hard to keep up with the paperwork sometimes. So, how did this happen to you?"

I was taken aback by the question. How did this happen to me? One moment, Mia and I had a home, had food, had clothing and the next minute we were...homeless? I shuddered at the word. "I..." Was the only thing I could mutter before the tears came back.

"Oh honey," Teresa sighed as she wrapped her arms around me. "It's going to be all right."

"How do you know that? I have no job, no food, no where to go! My daughter is sleeping on the floor of a homeless shelter. I've lost everything." I sobbed.

"Look at me." Teresa commanded, taking my face in her hands. "Things will get better, they always do. It might not seem like it right now, but it's going to get better."

"Do you really believe that?"

"I do. I've seen it happen many times, and I have a strong feeling that you're next in line for a blessing." She hugged me tight before leaving the room.

I spent the rest of the night tossing and turning. This state of the unknown was something that I was not used to. I felt like a failure, and didn't know any way out. The future seemed bleak. As I cradled a sleeping Mia, I promised myself that I would get her a better life. This would not become our normal; we were not just going to survive, we were going to live.

**

Hi guys! Here is the chapter that you guys have been waiting on. Grace's life might seem a little sad right now, but don't worry I have some ideas up my sleeve 😏. Please, let me know what you think!

Love you guys.

❤️