Part
2
Alex came to, feeling shaky and disoriented. She clutched at
her head it was throbbing insistently. She felt for bumps and felt a slight
swelling at the back of her head. She groaned, she hoped it wasn’t serious. She
tilted her head sideways and found that she was alone. How long had she been
out? Better question: where was he? Was he waiting for her to wake up?
She got up unsteadily and instantly felt a rush of pain hit
her whole body. She stilled, trying to evade the pain and gradually it lulled
to a dull throb. She carefully made her way to her door and quietly inched it
open. She peeked out into the hall, and when she saw that it was clear she
tiptoed out. She crept down to her father’s room.
The door was open.
She walked in and her eyes rested on the slumped figure on
the floor. She heard his even breathing and knew he was sleeping. She looked on
disgusted as she noticed the empty bottle tucked under his arm. This was the
pattern. He would get angry, hit her, and then drink himself into oblivion.
Alex suddenly felt very tired and weary. If she hadn’t
realized that she needed to get out of this place immediately she knew
now. Alex gave her father one last glance and crept back to her room. She
quickly grabbed her backpack and began stuffing it with clothes, toiletries,
her journal and a few other things.
She reached under her bed and dragged out her guitar. She
looked down at it tenderly. It had been her mother’s. She had taught Alex how
to play for three years before she had died of cancer. Alex felt tears dampen
her skin as her fingertips brushed over the smooth but slightly weather beaten
wood. She loved this guitar. It was the only tie that she had left with her
mother and the only thing that had given her any kind of pleasure in the last
ten years.
She frowned. She was wasting time. She quickly brushed the
tears off her cheeks. Getting her guitar case, she placed her guitar and the
few sheets of music she had in it clasped it firmly shut. She glanced around
her room, giving it one last look. She was surprised that she felt no sadness
at the prospect of leaving it. She actually felt happy…a little scared but
happy.
She grabbed a baseball cap crammed it on her head, and then
slung the guitar and backpack over her back. She was getting ready to leave
when a thought hit her. Money. She didn’t have any. She banged her hand on the
door in frustration. Shit! How was she supposed to get to Kat’s place without
money?
The money in the envelope! Where was it? She looked around
her room frantically. Ten minutes later, she knew it wasn’t there. He
had to have it. As swiftly and as quietly as she could she made her way to her
father’s bedroom once more. She searched the room but couldn’t find it.
Damn it! What had he done with it?
She left the room for the last time. She headed downstairs
her mind racing. What was she going to do? She had ten dollars to her name.
Then she realized that there was something she could do and although she hated
to do it, she had no other choice. She had to call Becca. Becca would help her.
Becca had to help her.
Now knowing what she was going to do, she made her way out
of the house. When she got out onto the street she looked back at the house
that she had lived in for nineteen years. There was nothing left for her there
and with that acknowledgement she walked away and didn’t look back.
---
Fifteen minutes later she reached a payphone. Sticking a
quarter into the slot, she punched the number to her best friends place. The
phone rang three times before Becca picked up.
“Hello!” A chirpy voice answered.
“Becca, it’s me.”
“Al? Where are you calling from?” Becca asked, sounding
confused.
“A payphone a few streets away from my house. I left.”
“So, I guess Kat sent you the money,” Becca stated, knowing
everything that was going on.
“Actually…” Alex went on to tell her what had happened,
keeping the gory details of the fight out.
“Are you serious? What are you going to do?” Becca asked
concerned.
“I’m not sure yet. Can I come over?”
“Of course you can. We need to figure this out. Do you want
me to come pick you up?”
“No that’s ok. I don’t want to stay here. It’s way too close
to the house. I’ll grab the bus and be there in twenty.”
“All right. I’ll see you soon.” With that said they both
hung up. Alex made her way to the nearest bus station and waited for the bus to
arrive.
---
Alex and Becca sat on Becca’s bed discussing what Alex
should do. Becca lived alone in an apartment off her school campus. While Alex
had been unable to go to school, Becca had been studying Marketing and enjoying
college life.
“Well I have sixty dollars left from my pay check that you
can have. I know it isn’t much, but things are kind of tight,” Becca said
getting up.
“No Becca. You need it,” Alex said adamantly.
Becca gave her friend a hard look. “Alex I live in an apartment
building with nice neighbours and my family lives across town. You on the other
hand are trying to go on a trip alone with no funds. I think you need it more
than I do. I just wish I could give you more.” She turned her back to Alex,
signalling that the conversation was over.
“You know what I was thinking,” she continued, grabbing the
money from her bag and then turning back to Alex. “I don’t think it’s safe for
you to be travelling all over the country by yourself.”
“Becca, I’ll be fine,” Alex said, brushing aside her
friend’s worry.
“Alex, I’m serious. You’re young and pretty and there are
many who prey on girls like you.”
Alex rolled her eyes. She wasn’t that pretty and firmly said
so.
Becca glared at her. “You are, you dumb ass. You have that
beautiful black hair and you’re eyes are this amazing blue. And you have that
fabulous body. What the hell is wrong with you?"
Alex laughed. Becca was so funny when she was angry.
“Whatever you say Becca,” she said.
Becca shook her head and handed her friend the money. “You
still need a hundred dollars. What are you going to do?”
Alex got off the bed and started pacing. “Well I’ve thought
about it and I’ve decided that my only solution is to take the bus as far as I
can and then get a small job and work long enough to get to Kat’s.”
Becca looked at her friend askance. “Are you friggin’ crazy?
That isn’t safe or smart.”
“I know, but it’s less safe back home.”
Becca paused. Alex had hit a mark. But there must be
something… “Why don’t you stay here with me?”
“Yeah right! This would be the first place my father would
look and I can’t risk it. I want to be miles away from that man.”
Alex was adamant and Becca knew that when Alex was like this
it was almost impossible to talk her out of anything.
“Ok Alex, but we have to do something so you won’t get
harassed by lechers.”
“Lechers?” Alex laughed. “What are you eighty? Who uses that
word?”
Becca stuck out her tongue. “I do and don’t try to change
the subject. What can we do?” Becca looked her friend over. Her eyes wandering
over Alex’s face and suddenly an idea struck her.
“How fond are you of your hair?” she asked.
Alex looked at her in bewilderment. “Umm, well I was
thinking of cutting it.” Alex touched her long black hair.
“That’s just what I wanted to hear. What about baggy
clothes? You don’t mind wearing them, right?”
Alex looked down at her bulky sweater and baggy jeans. She
was not what you would call a girly girl. “What do you think, Becca?” She said
giving her friend a hard look.
Becca ignored the look and continued. “And can you lower
your voice in a way that you find comfortable?”
What in the world was Becca babbling about? First questions
about her hair, then about baggy clothing, now if she could lower her voice…
Suddenly comprehension hit Alex. “No …you couldn’t possibly
be thinking …”
Becca grinned.
Alex thought for a minute, then her eyes lit up. It was a
brilliant idea, in more ways than one. She would be able to stay away from
“lechers” as Becca put it, but most importantly hide her from her father or
anyone else who would recognize her and tell her father.
And all she would have to do was pretend to be a boy. It was
perfect.
Absolutely perfect.