Chapter 2

I’ve been driving for ages now. Two days to be exact, stopping only to bye some gas and food. Although food isn’t something I’m very friendly with right now. Plain crackers and water seems to be the only thing I can stomach now, thanks to the morning sickness that chose to stick with me throughout the whole day. And since my life savings are not that impressive, I decided to not spend money on hotels – sleeping in my car isn’t that bad, I’d rather spend more time running as far as I can from the hell that used to be my home. That life was over. There’s nothing left for me to do, everyone hates me, because apparently I was a sinner and went against god. And even more – I dared to accuse the son of the towns mayor and 2 of his buddies in something horrible. The sweet and wonderful Joshua Lee was not capable of rape, so there’s no need to check if I might be right. Yep, no rape kits were used on me, because I’m a liar. And my injuries? That surely was a wild animal attack. As if bears know how to use knifes. I guess living in such a small town as mine makes people scared to shit of the authorities and can easily cloud their judgement.

Honestly? I don’t give two shits any more. I have hit the dead end and I have no family and friends left, they chose him. So now I’ll have to start from scratch.

“I’ll be ok. I’ll be ok. I’ll be ok”, I hum on repeat.

How did I end up like this? I thought I was a good person – being 22 and ready to become a vet in a couple of months, all the exams were passed, I was a straight A student, all that was left was some paperwork. I already had a job in a vet clinic, but as soon as a graduated I would become a real doc. I was kind, humble, bubbly, I had a lot of friends, even some boys found me attractive, but since I was a good Christian girl, I was waiting for the one. I was supposed to wait until marriage, then have a couple of children and get old with my husband and maybe a couple of dogs, raising grand kids and taking them to church every Sunday. Now I’m far from being pure, not as beautiful, limping and pregnant. No degree as well, and we all know what a pregnant and uneducated woman can achieve nowadays. I guess I’ll be working in a diner or something. Well, as long as I don’t have to see that shitface and his friends every day (more like “pleasegodnever”), provide food and decent clothing to my child and a roof over our heads, I can learn to be happy.

The radio was playing some country tune, the day was slowly dying, according to the map I bought at some gas station, the nearest town was just a few miles away, I decided I have earned the right for a decent warm meal. I could only hope that my stomach could handle it. And also I was becoming tired of driving. Two straight days almost non-stop on the road can drive you insane. My back was killing me, my eyes were red and puffy with bags under them, my lips were dry, hands were shaking. I was exhausted and on the edge. And I was still wearing the same clothes from when I left. I desperately needed to shower and change. I guess it’s a good thing that I haven’t seen myself in a full length mirror, because I could imagine how I looked like – probably like a hobo, but what did you expect? Two days in a car driving and crying won’t do any good to anyone. Some fifteen minutes later I entered the town. It was almost dark, but I could still admire the beauty of it – it looked as if time froze some 20 years ago – small and cozy buildings, a lot of flowers, grass and trees, people slowly going home, teens drinking shakes on the benches and laughing, it looked peaceful. I kinda feel ashamed now to intrude their perfect life’s with my drama, I would definitely stand out and draw attention. But I decided to put that aside. I needed rest. I needed a reboot. I needed a distraction. 

Soon enough I have spotted a diner. It looked old, as everything in this town, but clean and cozy, also not very crowded, which suits me good. I parked right in front of the entrance, grabbed my backpack, threw in a tooth brush, a comb, my wallet and a map and went in.

I guess “don’t draw attention” plan didn’t really work out very well, because as soon as I entered the diner, everything went quiet. I can imagine why though – a pale girl with a cane, probably stinking and with greasy hair… I took a deep breath and limped to the nearest booth. The sound of my cane hitting the tiled floor and my shallow nervous breathing was the only two things heard in the diner. I dropped my backpack on the floor, leaned my cane to the table and placed my hands on the clean surface patiently waiting for the waitress to approach me. Soon enough the chatter around me resumed and a woman in her mid forties decided to talk to me.

“Hello, honey, what can I get you?”, she said in a warm voice.

“Some water, please, and the menu would be nice.”, my voice was quiet and raspy. She threw a quick glance at me, her eyes held curiosity, but as soon as they landed on my cane I spotted a hint of sadness.

“Sure thing, sweetie. And if you need to use the bathroom – it’s just behind the bar. Take your time, your water and the menu will be waiting for you when you come back”, her voice was soft and low, her tone wasn’t hostile, it made my nerves calm down a little.

“Thank you”, I said just as quiet as before, grabbed my backpack and my cane and limped away.

As soon as the toilet door closed behind me, I took a deep breath, gathered my inner strength together and looked in the mirror. Shit, I looked like shit. Messy and dirty dark brown hair, that went to my shoulders, pale skin, dried tears in the corners of my almond shaped brown eyes. And an ugly red 5 cm long scar over my right brow. I guess if you lie about being raped, doctors don’t do a very good job in stitching you up. My once pink lips were almost blue. I needed to get myself together. I quickly brushed my teeth, splashed some cold water on my face, pulled my hair in a messy pony tail and pinched my cheeks to bring back a bit of color to my face. I also changed my t-shirt, because the one I had on looked very bad. Now I had a white v-neck with short sleeves with a pug print on my stomach.

Deep breath. Go.

I slowly returned to my booth, dropped my backpack on the seat near me, the cane on the previous spot. Just as the woman said, a menu and a glass of water flavored with some lemon and peppermint was waiting on the table. I gulped the water hungrily and tried to choose something to eat.

“You look better, sweetheart. What can I get you to eat?”, the woman came back. Wow, if everyone was so sweet in this town as her, I could consider staying.

“Thank you”, the water made my throat less sore, so my voice wasn’t as harsh as before. “Maybe some chicken soup would be nice?”

“Sure thing, honey! I’ll be back with your food soon.”

While I was waiting for my soup, I decided to take a good look around the diner. Maybe I could work here? The design of the place was pretty decent – white tiled floor, creamy walls with pictures of smiling customers in simple wooden frames, a clean bar with 10 dark red leather bar stools, some tables covered with white linen and artificial flowers in small vases, big windows and several booths, also with dark red leather couches. Pretty small, nothing fancy but a very homey diner. It wasn’t too crowded – a couple of old guys at the bar drinking beer and sneaking glances my way, some teens in the booth in the far corner of the diner, and they seemed pretty interested in who I was, but didn’t dare staring, so again – sneaking glances. I’ve spotted only one waitress, the one that served me and a chef. The radio was playing some old Dixie, the music seemed soothing and I found myself feeling relaxed for the first time in last two months. The place was nothing like home and that’s a good thing. I leaned my head on the back of my seat and closed my eyes. I allowed myself to dream a bit about how my life would be if I stayed here. Maybe they have a decent school here? The town looked suitable for raising a child, a lot of fresh air, life seemed calm here, maybe that was what I needed to forget?

A sudden voice near me made me jump on my seat a bit, but I soon realized that was just a waitress putting my soup on the table. Took me a moment to stable my breathing, but I quickly reminded myself, that I was far from home.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you, dear. Here’s your soup and some bread.”, said the waitress.

“It’s ok, thanks”, I answered. The smell of hot soup was mouthwatering, I wasted no time and started eating as fast as I could, I was extremely hungry. After all, I have spent two days solely on crackers.

“Wow, slow down there, or you’re going to choke!” Said the woman with an amused laugh. I felt my face heating up.

“Yeah… Just hungry…” I replied shyly.

“I can see that” she laughed.

I threw her a small smile and continued devouring my soup. I was so consumed with eating, that haven’t even noticed, that she decided to join me and sat right across from me.

“So, what’s your name, sweetheart?”, she asked after my eating pace slowed down.

“Uhm… Evelyn.”, I answered. It was weird, that a waitress was being so up front with a customer, but I guess living in such a small town means that you know everyone and the common rules of client service don’t really apply in this case.

“Such a beautiful name! I’m Riley!”, she beamed.

“Uhm, thanks, I guess… Nice to meet you.” I continued eating. The soup was almost gone, but I was still hungry. Riley seemed to be a mind reader, because she grabbed my bowl and soon returned with a refill.

“You look like you needed another one.”, she shrugged.

“Thanks…”, I nodded gratefully and started on my second bowl, but this time slower.

“So, what brings you to Peters Hill?”, she asked.

“Peters Hill?”, I asked confused.

“Why yes, that’s the name of our town.”, she said.

“Oh… Just passing through, I guess.” I shrugged.

“Oh, I see. So, where are you heading to?”, she seemed very interested in my business, but I didn’t mind. She gave me this feeling, as if suddenly someone cared, and I don’t know, I seemed to enjoy it. After all, I don’t have people who care any more. I’m a sinner and a liar, that’s what my family thinks.

“Honestly I have no idea”, I said with a laugh. The thought of me driving to god knows where suddenly seemed so funny, that I started chuckling and couldn’t find it in me to stop.

“Sorry, you must think that I’m crazy or something…”, I mumbled still chuckling.

“No, dear, I don’t.” She said with a gentle smile. “You look like you’ve been driving for days. When did you have a good night sleep last time? Or even shower?”

I suddenly fest very aware of my appearance and felt a bit ashamed.

“What, do I stink?…” I said staring at the table surface. But the woman, Riley, started laughing.

“Don’t worry, you don’t! You just look like you could use some rest.”, she said in a motherly scolding tone.

“And this kind of life style isn’t good for the baby as well, you know”

The spoon with the soup froze mid way to my mouth. How the hell did she know I was pregnant?!

I guess my eyes grew ten time bigger and my mouth was open for way longer than it should, because she started laughing!

“Sweetie, you keep touching your stomach and this appetite of yours is saying something as well, after all, it is a very big bowl of soup for a tiny thing like yourself.” She placed one hand over mine and squeezed it a bit in a reassuring manner.

“Oh…”, I just said and put the spoon back in a bowl.

“How far along are you?”, she asked.

“2 months”, a whispered.

“Oooh, morning sickness should be killing you now, you poor thing!”, she exclaimed.

“You don’t say…”, I mumbled, still looking at my soup.

“Eat up, dear, you need a proper meal”, she squeezed my hand again and soon enough I finished my second bowl.

“You know, there’s a pretty nice B&B on the outskirts of the town, you could stay there for the night”, she suggested.

“I would like that, thank you”, I said.

“No problem, dear, and come back for breakfast, I’m sure I still have some tricks up my sleeve to make a pregnant girl eat in the first trimester!”, she beamed. Wow, she was so nice, it was good to experience something like this for once.

“Thank you, I will.” I smiled at here.

She gave me the address of the B&B and I decided, that I might spend some money this time, after all I did stink and my back was sore and my leg was killing me as well. Pain killers were out of the question, since they don’t do well with the pregnancy.

It took me only ten minutes to reach the B&B, it was a small 2 story wooden house near the woods, a soft light on the porch illuminated the drive way. As soon as I stopped my car, another middle aged women stepped out of the house and greeted me with a warm smile.

“You must be Evelyn, right? Riley called me and warned of your arrival! Come I have a perfect room for you on the first floor!”, she reminded me of a mother hen, but not in an irritating way. I guess Riley also told her about my troubled leg, but I didn’t mind. I wouldn’t want to climb to the second floor, at this point my leg was throbbing and making me flinch with every step I took.

“Thank you so much, I appreciate it.”, no problems, dear! I went to get my duffel bag from the back seat, but she was way faster than me.

“No, no, dear, let me take this! You don’t need to carry heavy stuff in your condition!”, she blurted out.

I guess Riley also told her about the baby…

“It’s not a problem, really, the bag isn’t heavy.”, I tried arguing.

“Nonsense!”, she threw her hands in the air and gave me a look that clearly said – “don’t mess with me, I know better”… Ok…

“Thank you again.”, I said. Well, this town is very interesting.

She then guided me through the house, and it looked very homey on the inside – everything wooden, with this rustic touch, dried flowers in clay vases, oil paintings of woods on the walls, leather couch and two armchairs, a small hardwood coffee table, a book shelf stuffed with books, obviously, cure curtains on windows and a sleeping place for a dog in the corner.

“You have a dog here?”, I asked curiously.

“Yes, his name is Jax, he’s pretty old but extremely lovable! He’s out on a walk with my husband now. Are you allergic?”, the sound of her chatter was soothing, she was a very nice woman, I thought.

“No, I actually love animals.”, I reassured.

“Good! This town sometimes reminds me of a zoo!”, she laughed.

“How come?”, I asked.

“Oh, well…”, she paused for a tiny bit. “The woods here are fool of foxes, deer’s, even wolfs. Mother nature did bless us with inhabitants.”

“That’s very nice. It means that the ecology here is good.”, I tried to maintain the conversation, but I guess my brain was slowly shutting down, because clearly I sounded like a very bad mock of a discovery channel’s show, which obviously amused the woman, because she started laughing so hard and contagious, that I joined her.

“Sorry, I’m just a bit off my game!”, I apologized

“No worries, dear, no worries! And you most certainly are right, the air, the water, everything in this region is good! And by the way, my name is Dianna!” She finally decided to introduce herself.

“It’s a beautiful name, Dianna, and it’s very nice meeting you.”, it was nice indeed, it seems that everyone I meet in this town is nice so far.

“Thank you, dear! Now let’s get you settled p, so that you could get some good night sleep and get rid of those horrible bags under your eyes!”.

Dianna guided me to my room, and thankfully she wasn’t walking fast, because with each minute my pace seemed to slow down. I guess all the stress was finally getting to me. We soon stopped near a big wooden door, that apparently led to my room for tonight. The room was decorated in the same manner as the living room – wooden floors and walls, a vintage chandelier shed some warm yellow light, a massive bed in the middle of the room, a small carpet in front of it, a cupboard with a mirror right across from the bed and a small bench under the window.

“So, this is your room, I hope you like it!”, Dianna continued her chatter.

“The bathroom is on the right through this door, the shower is also there, all the doors have locks, if you feel like you need privacy, but I assure you, that no one is going to barge in at night”, she laughed.

“Thank you once more, this is wonderful”, I said with a grateful smile. “At what time do i need to check out?”, I asked.

“Oh, don’t worry about that! We don’t have any strong policy on this one, and you are our only visitor this week, so no worries. You just get your needed rest, wake up when you wake up, and we’ll deal with everything later!”, she said in her sunny bright voice.

“Thank you again. Good night!”, I gave her a small wave.

“Sleep tight, dear!”, she suddenly hugged me. Her embrace was warm and reassuring. It’s been long since someone hugged me like that. The moment I opened my mouth about what happened to me at home, my parents distanced themselves from me. And the moment they found out I was pregnant, well, yeah. I guess I don’t have parents anymore. So this hug was very needed, even if it came from a total stranger.

“Thank you”, I whispered in her hair and allowed myself to relax and embrace her warmth for a minute.

“See you tomorrow.”, she threw me one more warm look and closed the door behind her.

There I stood in an unfamiliar room, in an unfamiliar town in the middle of nowhere, all alone and confused. Then it suddenly hit me – I have no idea what to do next with my life.