City Girl

Chapter One

Cars were zooming
by, most of them probably over the speed limit. Sitting on the sidewalk, waiting for her cab was, Tracey. Tracey was a "city gal" if that's what you call it these days.. She knew all the right short cuts and all the right people; all the right food restaurants and all the right streets. Tracey usually uses buses to get to her destination, but she needed to visit somewhere, someone specific today. So she needed a taxi. She was going to her best friend's house. They couldn't meet up somewhere because her friend had a family. Her friend's name was Alisha and both Tracey and Alisha are 22. Alisha has a husband, Niko, and a 18 month old baby named Christian. Tracey visits all the time. Sometimes, she feeling envy rising when she visited, because she as well wanted a family of her own. But in reality, she was single, not even a boyfriend. She had a crappy job at the convince store $10 an hour but that was it.

Tracey's long ginger hair went all up in her face as the breeze went by. Coming near she saw a speeding taxi come along the road. It stopped.

"Welcome ta Tom's Taxis, get in."

Tracey said nothing and went on the taxi.
"Where to, woman?"
Tracey sighed at her new nickname, "27 Mediocre Avenue, Albany."
"That'll be a 35 dollars."
"You're kidding."
"Hell naw! We're in Suffern New York. You wanna go to a different town, so be 35 money."

Tracey dug through
her wallet to find 35 dollars. Shit! she thought. There was no cash in her wallet.
"Could I pay after?" Tracey asked innocently.
"Yup." The man answered carelessly.

Before Tracey
knew it, she was at Alisha's house.
"$35, woman." The man ordered.
Tracey said nothing and went out of the taxi without paying. That was the plan. I ain't paying that douse bag 35 dollars any day she thought savagely. Tracey had a house key to the house so she welcomed herself in. She heard the baby crying in a carridge at the living room. There was no sign of Alisha. Tracey picked up the baby and rocked it as she went up the stairs. She looked in the bathroom. No one. She looked in the master bedroom. There was Alisha, napping. The baby had stopped crying and Tracey went down stairs with Christian in her arms. She lay him back down in the crib and he fell right asleep. Tracey plot herself on the couch and flipped through all the channels on the TV. Nothing interesting. There was a creak from upstairs which Tracey assumed was Alisha getting up.
"O.M.G, Tracey, hi and sorry," Alisha laughed as she put her long light brown hair in a ponytail,"It's been hectic around here! I've just been so tired with taking care of the baby and Niko getting deported to Ira-"
"Niko got deported to Iraq?!"
"Mhm," Alisha went into the kitchen and turned on the stove," I miss him a lot too, and it's getting harder to take care of Christian, I just don't know what he wants, you know? So I guess I just fell asleep after putting my clothes in the dresser. Sorry."
"It's fine. It's fine. I can stay for a while if you want, you know, to help out?"
"Really? That would be great. Thank you so much."
"No problem."