Falling In Love With You

Chapter 20. Memory Box

Bex had rode through the night and most of the next day, wanting to get as far away from home as possible before sunrise. She was tired and hungry, scared and lonely.

When early evening fell, she stopped for gas, and saw a small truck stop across the street, bright with neon signs. Her stomach growled. She hadn't eaten since the cold pizza she'd gotten from the fridge, while her parents were at the hospital with Andi. She winced, thinking once again about Andi. There was a hole in her heart that ached every time she thought about her sweet baby. She stuffed the bad feelings deeper down inside of her, and headed into the diner.

It looked like every roadside greasy spoon she'd ever seen on TV and in movies. A checked tile floor, a counter with stools lined up in front of it, and a cook grilling on a flat top. She set her duffel bag down and slipped onto a stool, resting her elbows on the counter, massaging her temples with her fingertips.

"Can I get you something?"

Bex looked up. A waitress stood over her, holding an order pad. She eyed Bex curiously, a sad frown bringing out small wrinkles around her lips. "Huh?"

"Do you want to order something, honey?"

Bex reached for her wallet. "Yeah. I'll have a coffee and a cheeseburger. Please," she added, remembering to be polite, the way her mother had always drilled into her. Her eyes stung, thinking about her mom. She turned her head away quickly to hide her tears.

The waitress's frown deepened, as she gave Bex's order to the cook. "Are you alright, honey?" she asked, as she went back to filling salt and pepper shakers.

Bex nodded. "Yeah. I'm fine."

"You don't look fine," the older woman observed. "Where are you headed all alone?"

Bex shrugged. "Nowhere."

"How old are you?"

"Twenty," she lied, as the woman set her coffee in front of her.  She drew her shoulders in further, as if to build a shelter around herself.

"Twenty," the waitress nodded, as if she didn't really believe her. She took a slice of cherry pie from the dessert case. "Here. It's on the house."

"Thank you," Bex said, surprised. She dug in hungrily.

"You're welcome," the waitress said with a small smile. She sighed. "Maybe it's none of my business, but I have a daughter about your age. And if she were in your place right now, I'd hope someone would tell her to go home." Bex's order came up, and the woman set her plate in front of her. "Go home, honey."

"I can't," Bex choked in a soft whisper. She grabbed her things, leaving a few crumpled bills on the counter, and hurried away.

There was a payphone in the parking lot. She'd left her cell phone at home, so her parents couldn't get in touch with her. She went to the phone booth, taking a slip of paper out of her wallet, and put a quarter in the change slot. Then she punched in the number that was written on the paper in familiar handwriting, hoping someone would answer.

"Hello?" a voice said on the other end. The line was crackly with static, but the voice at the other end was comforting.

"Emily?" Bex said. "It's me. Bex."

"Bex?" her friend asked. "Are you okay? Why does your voice sound so weird?"

"I'm on a payphone," she told her, trying to keep the tears that were running down her cheeks out of her voice. "I'm a few miles away. I messed up, and I need a place to stay."