Ch. 7

CHAPTER SEVEN:

~Avery:

My first night here and while I felt safe, I was restless. I had fallen asleep earlier but had woken up a few times. Now at 4am, I wasn’t going to fight it any longer. I crept out of the sleeping bag on the floor, and picked up a pillow. Setting it on the floor next to one of the big windows I made myself a temporary chair. I looked out at the woods, pulled my legs under my arms and sighed. The sun would start rising soon. It was very cold out there, although you couldn’t tell just by looking.

A breeze came through the trees, rusting the pine needles on the trees close by. I spotted the slight movement of an owl in a tree. We stared at each other for some time. I rolled my neck and looked into the moon, searching it for strength. The moon had helped me regain control of myself when I had nearly lost it. It would maybe be too much to ask for it to help me again?

There was knocking on the door.

“Amy? Sorry! Are you up?” Beth called from behind the door.

I must have fallen asleep again by the window.

“One second!” I called back, my voice cracking.

I stretched and stood up, walking a few steps to the door. I opened it to find Beth there in footie pajamas and a robe. She was holding a tray with pancakes, scrambled eggs, strawberries, and what smelled like a cup of coffee.

“Beth! Wow - thank you,” I said, touched by her kindness.

“Well I didn’t want you to go hungry, I know you haven’t been able to go shopping yet. Here,” she passed the tray to me.

“Thank you, really,” I said again.

“Sure thing, us girls need to look out for each other,” she said grinning, “Okay I’m going to give you your privacy! No rush on getting any of that back to me. I know where you live,” she laughed.

I smiled at her child-like joke. She really radiated warmth.

I waved at her as she turned back up the path to her place and carried the tray inside, setting it on the floor by my pillow-chair.

I looked out again at the backyard and ate my first meal in this new place while watching the squirrels and blue jays get their fill of the snacks Beth put out in those feeders.

Maybe the moon would pull through for me again after all.

I spent the day out at a local second-hand furniture place. I was able to pick out a twin size bed frame, a two-seater couch, and a little dining table with two chairs. I was going to just get one chair but decided to get both. Maybe I would have Beth over one day to share a dinner with or something. In a while though. I can’t get too close. I don’t know what’s going on in her life or what could set me off again.

I hit the grocery store and got a few staples along with some chicken, ground beef, a few spices, and various vegetables. I saw some pots and pans in the kitchen already, so this should be enough to get started. I cooked a light lunch for myself and had the furniture delivered. The place was coming along. I just needed to buy a new mattress. Something to do tomorrow. I made a stir fry for dinner and ate it at my little table against a window. I watched the animals disappear for the night and thanked the moon again for a good day, asking for help for tomorrow.

A week later I was settled in and working a new job doing data entry and email correspondence for a small insurance company. I had done work like this in the past and it was easy to slip back into old skills.

“Amy?!” Beth called from outside then knocked on the door.

“Hey, Beth, what’s up?” I asked her while opening the door.

We had been friendly but distant the last few days. She had seemed to want to talk more but I was trying to put up some barriers before getting in over my head.

She looked like she had been crying. Crap.

“Oh,” she sniffled, “I’m sorry, I should have guessed you would be busy with lunch. I’m sorry.” She started to walk off.

I knew I should leave it. The objective person in my head told me so. Warned me about what could happen if she told me something that ticked me off. I closed the door and leaned against it. But I glanced at the plate and tray still on my counter that I hadn’t returned yet, and I knew I couldn’t do that. I followed her to her place to help.

We were pulling up to a bar. I always avoided these places. But Beth really had insisted she needed to get out. And I couldn’t let her go alone. She was going to drink, and I agreed to be her designated driver. She got out of the car quickly after checking her makeup. And I, well I took a deep breath and began praying furiously at the moon. Bars were very dangerous for me. I couldn’t imagine very many more dangerous places. A prison maybe? But here, there were all kinds of seedy people here looking for easy targets. Sure, there were people here like Beth. But bars were breeding grounds for shady desires and actions.

Please, moon, please let this be different, I sent out my final wish as we entered the place.

I was skeptical though. I mean, a bar called ‘Promises, Promises’?