The Fallen Girls 💍

Chapter Eight: House Guest

After Izzy had thoroughly convinced herself she was safe and was able to step outside of the privacy of her sleeping quarters again, a new independence set in. The next few days passed by quickly. Living on the train was exhilarating.

For the very first time in her life, she was able to go wherever she wanted. No one was there to monitor or question her. At the second train stop, she bought a new suitcase and a few outfits at a large department store, two colorful cotton dresses and a low necked cotton blouse with a pencil skirt, a purchase that would have thrown her mother into a tizzy if she'd been there to see it. Something about that elated her.

As the train pulled close to Los Angeles' Union Station, she felt as if she'd travelled to a different world. So many people lined the sidewalks and the streets. She'd never seen so many cars, one after another—mostly new, fancy cars.

There were so many tall buildings and palm trees—she'd only seen pictures of palm trees in books. The only thing disrupting the beauty was the thick smog that hovered above it all, but no one seemed to mind it at all. The train pulled into the station, exhaling to a stop. With a thrill of excitement that spread through her veins, Izzy grabbed her purse and her suitcase.

"This is it," she whispered to herself, struck with the feeling that her life was about to change completely.

She held her head high as she stepped off the train onto the platform. She was wearing the low cut blouse with the pencil skirt, her hair curled and pinned up in an elegant style. She'd spent quite a bit of time on her makeup, bringing out her eyes like the woman she'd met in Chicago. As she walked down the platform to the station, she finally felt like a woman instead of a girl. Her confidence was further boosted by the heads that turned to stare as she went.

She walked through the crowded station and onto the street. It was around five o'clock in the evening. The sidewalks were filled with people bustling around, some headed home from work with briefcases in tow, others dressed up, headed for a night out on the town. In front of her, a young boy stood on a crate in the middle of it all, the latest news waving in his hand.

She planned to visit Rita first, hoping things would fall into place from there. Perhaps Rita would know a safe place for her to stay, or better yet, let her stay with her.

Her mother's voice chided in the back of her mind, "a respectable young lady never invites herself to a friend's house." Once again, her mother would be very disappointed in her.

She'd never hailed a taxi cab before, but she'd seen it done in the movies. Squeezing through the crowd, she stood near the curb and raised her hand at the first yellow cab to roll down the street. She was thrilled when he pulled over to the curb in front of her.

Feeling accomplished, she told the cab driver the address that Rita had written in her letter. With sharp, dark eyes, he looked her over as he hoisted her suitcase into the cab's trunk. "Is this your first time visiting? You sure chose the right place to stay. The hills are a real classy part of town. Everyone dreams about living there."

Settled into the back seat, Izzy thought about his words as the taxi navigated through the crowded streets, anxiety setting in. She didn't know anything about Rita's life outside of Saint Mary's Home for Unwed Mothers. In all other areas of Rita's life, Izzy was a complete stranger. Was she invading her private life? After all, she herself wouldn't have come if she hadn't decided on a whim—using it as an excuse to run away.

Her palms started to sweat. She clamped her hands together as they drove out from under the tall buildings and up a long hill on a newly paved highway surrounded by luscious palm trees and other plants and flowers she'd never seen before.