Travesty

by Carrie Thomas

  “Hey,” I whispered, shaking her a little bit. She’d fallen asleep and I didn’t bother her, knowing for a fact that any rest she had gotten while in that basement had been with one eye open.

  “Huh?” She whined.

  I couldn’t help but smile. She stretched and yawned, looking like an innocent little girl being awoken from a dreamy sleep.

  “Where are we?”

  “It’s a small town called Anton. We’re in Texas already. I was hungry, so I stopped. Do you want some breakfast?”

  “Please. My stomach’s growling,” she said, laughing.

  “You don’t have any shoes. People will be suspicious and there’s a sign on the door about having shoes.” I looked around, trying to figure something out. “I’m sure you don’t want to do this, but you may have to wear a pair of my tennis shoes for now. We’ll find a store after breakfast, okay?”

  She shrugged her shoulders and said, “Okay.”

  I was surprised at how well she was doing. She’d been reserved with her questions so far, and taken my answers with little to no emotion in her face. I watched her closely, waiting for her to forget the game and start firing off things she wanted to know, but she didn’t. She could still be in shock for all I knew. The mere thought of it had my blood pressure spiking. If I stopped moving long enough to actually think about what’d just happened to her, to us, I’d probably completely shut down. Her strength inspired me.

  I grabbed my bag out of the extended part of the cab and gave her some socks and shoes. I was glad I’d packed these now. I walked around to her side of the truck and stood between her and the opened door. She turned to face me and pulled her legs up one at a time and slowly put the socks and shoes on. Both swallowed her. The socks, she rolled down two times because they’d gone dang near to her thighs. The shoes were an accident waiting to happen.

  I decided to give her a hand with tying them. Maybe if I could get them tight enough, she wouldn’t trip over them. I grabbed her feet and pulled them up carefully, sitting each one on my thigh. She glanced up, the tips of her fingers rubbing back and forth over her chapped lips, watching me as I worked. I was measured with my movements. I wanted her to know I was going to take care of her.

  Another beat passed as I carefully sat each of her feet back down on the floorboard. It felt like an important moment, like I should’ve said something huge, something to let her know we were going to be fine; everything was going to work out. But I honestly didn’t know if that was the truth, so I went with the obvious. “Let’s go eat, I’m starving.”

  “Me too.”

  My eyebrows pulled together, not liking the feeling in the pit of my stomach. “That’s not funny,” I said, pulling her out of the truck. I wasn’t sure why I’d said it, I guess I was still pissed about the whole situation, and she was trying to joke about it.

  She stilled, taking a moment to look up at me. It was the first time since I’d found her that I wasn’t able to read her expression. We stood there in silence, as I felt like a jerk. I should’ve been comforting her, not chastising her.

  “Abe,” she said, reaching out to touch my arm.

  “Yeah?”

  “I’m okay now.” She smiled.

  I shook my head at how well she was adapting. After all she had been through—she was telling me it was all going to be okay. “You look ridiculous in my shoes,” I joked, opening the door for her.

  “I know. Hopefully my pants cover enough so that people won’t notice,” she said sheepishly ducking her head under my arm to walk in.

  “Sorry, but people are gonna notice the clown shoes.” I winked at her.

  She giggled as we walked over to a booth and sat down. It was the first time I’d ever heard it. It was musical, almost like a little kid’s laugh. The kind that made you smile no matter who you were. It had me wishing she’d do it again. But I wasn’t sure how much we would have to laugh about in the near future.

  The place had definitely been built before I was born, but it was clean. It reminded me of a soda shop from the fifties. The cash register on the counter was ancient. It didn’t even tell you how much change to give back to the customer. The nostalgia alone surrounding this place was amazing—full of locals and memories. The fountain bar was full of grown men and the booths were occupied with kids and families.

  We found a booth and opened menus. “Everything looks amazing,” she gushed.

  Her eyes were beautiful, sparkly even. The blue in them mesmerizing. I wanted to look away, but I couldn’t. It was so weird how she didn’t have a clue. This girl had just been to hell and back and she looked like an angel.

  I looked away, trying to redirect my thoughts. “I know. I think I’m going to get this huge platter,” I said, pointing to the picture on the menu.

  “Me too.”

  “Hey, guys. What can I get you two today?” A petite, older woman asked. She was wearing a standard issue brown and yellow waitress uniform. Her gray hair was pulled back into a bun and her nametag read Kitty.

  I ordered for both of us and handed her our menus. After she walked off, I noticed my traveling partner staring into space. “What are you thinking about?” I almost didn’t want to know, but I felt like I had to ask.

  “I’m just trying to remember.” Her brow furrowed and I could see the frustration.

  “I’m sorry about all of this.” I realized I wasn’t the one who took her in the first place, but I couldn’t help but feel tied to it in some way because she’d ended up in the place I called home.

  “It’s not your fault,” she sighed and changed the direction of the conversation. “I’m kind of curious as to why anyone hasn’t reported me missing. I know I couldn’t have lived on my own.”

  “I’m sure you didn’t.” Pat’s words replayed in my head. She doesn’t have anyone, and she’s young. “I guess we’ll find a hotel for a couple of days and hopefully I can find a job soon.” I reached out and squeezed her small hand perched on top of the table. It wasn’t like she’d given me a silent invitation to do it, but I almost felt like I had to. It was just as comforting to me as I hoped it was for her.

  It was odd how touching her wasn’t weird. She had no idea who I was, but I could see she was starting to trust me. I had issues with hygiene and I knew for a fact that she hadn’t been able to shower for days, but it didn’t bother me. I wanted to touch her.

  “Here you go, kids. Enjoy.” Kitty walked up and sat our plates down.

  “Ms. Kitty?” I said, looking at her name tag. “You wouldn’t happen to know of anyone hiring would you?”

  “Actually, I would,” she said, turning toward a group of men drinking coffee at the soda bar. “Follow me.” She didn’t wait, just started walking off toward the counter.

  I stood, walking behind her nervously. I didn’t even know what kind of job she would happen to know about, but whatever it was, we needed it. It was strange thinking about taking care of another person. I had always been alone.

  “Cal, this boy here is looking for a job,” Kitty stated as she walked around the counter, leaving me standing in front of the group of men.

  “Oh yeah? What’s your name, son?” A younger man wearing a red and blue flannel shirt turned toward me. He looked like a redneck, with his hair curling over the bottom of his ball cap. My eyes focused on the camouflage strap that hung from his neck, his sunglasses hanging at his chest.

  “Abram Scott, sir,” I said, shaking his hand, making sure to make eye contact.

  “Abram, do you know anything about working on a ranch?”

  I didn’t want to lie, so I decided to be honest. “No sir, but I learn fast. I’ve been an iron worker for the last year.”

  “Where are you from?”

  “Oklahoma.” I’d learned over the years that sticking as close to the truth as possible meant you’d screw up the lies less. Plus it was less I had to remember.

  “Abe?” I heard her voice calling for me. The fear laced with anxiety smothered me.

&nbs
p; I stuck my hand out, as if to call her to me, then pulled it back. Sticking my hands in my pockets, I hoped the bizarre encounter didn’t look as strange to these people as I thought it did. Something had spooked her. She walked over to me slower than normal because my shoes were so big on her.

  “Sorry, I was just talking to this gentleman about a job,” I said, trying to comfort her.

  “Who is this pretty lady?” Cal asked.

  I glanced down at her, “This is my sister.” I couldn’t see her face, as she had partially tucked her head into my back, but I was hopeful that she wasn’t as surprised at my announcement as I was.

  “Nice to meet you, little lady. I’m Cal Brooks.” He stuck his hand out around me. I watched her carefully, wondering if she’d be comfortable touching him. We’d not had contact with anyone since we’d ran away.

  “The pleasure is mine,” she said softly.

  I didn’t reach for her, but I wanted to. I wanted her to not only feel at ease, but to be the reason she felt secure. She barely reached around me to shake his hand. Hopefully, the men weren’t noticing the fact she was trembling. It stuck something in me so primitive; I had a hard time placing it. I wanted to protect her at all costs. Hell, I found myself almost growling at the poor man and he was only being polite. He had no way of knowing what we’d just been through, but I wanted him to not make her uncomfortable.

  “When can you start?”

  “Tomorrow,” I answered, confidently.

  “Sounds good. Here’s my card with the address. We have a couple of ranch hands who will meet you at the gates.”

  “I’ll be there. Thanks.”

  “Take care, see you at five sharp.”

  After Cal offered me the job, I felt ten pounds lighter. Since everything happened so fast, the only thinking time I’d had was the drive to Texas. Unfortunately, that time did nothing but stress me out more. Considering we hadn’t been in town half an hour and I’d already landed a job, I was feeling positive. I placed Cal’s card in my wallet and sat down.

  She was smiling, but it wasn’t reaching her eyes.

  “What had you spooked?”

  “I don’t know. I just wanted to be with you.” She hid her eyes like she was embarrassed to admit the truth.

  “Are you sure? You looked scared.”

  “I saw that couple over there come in,” she paused, chewing on the inside of her jaw. “I just feel better when I’m with you,” she said, nodding at a couple of homely-looking people.

  “I’m not going to leave you. We’re gonna figure it out together, okay?”

  “I trust you.” She smiled before taking a drink of her soda.

  I don’t know why her confession scared the hell out of me. I guess it was because I wanted her to trust me, but I didn’t know what I was doing. I was supposed to be on my own and now I was responsible for another life. My plan was just to get by, doing whatever I had to. I had never had much, so living on little didn’t bother me. I wanted different things for her though.

  After we had finished our meal, we went to a local store just past the diner. It had everything we would need as far as toiletries and clothes for her. “I’m sorry these aren’t fashionable, but once we get settled, I can get you some better stuff,” I said, walking through the women’s department.

  I wasn’t sure what fashionable consisted of, but I was pretty sure girls didn’t usually shop for clothes at a place where you could get condoms in the next aisle. I didn’t know why I’d wanted to impress her. She hadn’t seemed the type to care much about material things, but then again, she’d been through so much, I doubted expensive jeans were high on her current list of priorities.

  “It’s fine, but I’m not sure what size I wear,” she said, looking embarrassed that I’d have to help her.

  “You look small to me. Go into the dressing room and see what size your pants and shirt are.”

  I led her back to the dressing rooms and the middle-aged woman guarding the doors gave me a side-eye.

  “Boys aren’t allowed back here, young man,” she snapped.

  I quickly covered my annoyance, not wanting to draw any attention. “Sorry, I’ll just wait out here.”

  Once she came out with her sizes, we grabbed a couple pair of jeans, night clothes, socks, shirts, and shoes. I felt like shit when we got to the shoe department. I wore a size twelve and once we put her foot up to the size chart, we realized she needed a seven.

  “Do you want some flip-flops too?” I wasn’t the shopping type, but there were like four hundred pair on a side wall, so I figured they must be popular.

  “How much are they?”

  “Don’t worry about the price. Get some. I want you to be comfortable.”

  “Okay, thank you.” She took her time and decided on some sandals, after turning them all over to look at the prices, settling on a cheap pair. She clearly felt uncomfortable spending my money. “Umm, Abe?”

  “Yeah?”

  “I need a new bra. Mine broke in the fight. And panties too.”

  “Oh, uh, sure. They are over here.” What a freaking idiot. I never even considered she’d need underwear. In fact, I tried hard to keep my mind off anything in the realm of underwear where she was concerned.

  “Thanks.” She smiled sheepishly.

  Inappropriate. It was inappropriate. I felt like a first-class dick. Even though I’d told myself ten times since we’d left for Texas not to think of her in any manor other than helping her get home, my mind didn’t listen. Now I was going to know what she was wearing underneath her clothes. I couldn’t imagine that being a good idea.

  “These will work,” she said, picking up the smallest pair of underwear I think I’d ever seen.

  I held my groan inside. This was going to be hard.

  She glanced up at me, as if asking my opinion.

  What do I say? “Er, I don’t know how we’re gonna do laundry yet. You may want to get more than one pair.”

  She nodded, grabbing one in each color.

  After we had everything we needed, including Peroxide, Band-Aids, and healing cream, we walked over to the grocery part of the store and grabbed some snacks and water. I didn’t know how long we were going to be in the hotel before we would be able to find a place to rent. She was a little timid in picking out the food, until she saw how much junk food I was piling into the cart. As she reached for some brownies, I held my smile back so I wouldn’t embarrass her.

  I pulled my wallet out to pay and her eyes grew large at the total on the screen. “It’s okay,” I assured her. “This will last us for a while.”

  “I just feel bad. Most of this is for me.” She pointed to the bags.

  “No. Don’t do that. I told you I’d take care of you. I want to.” I’d whispered the last part because the woman at the register stared at us. I didn’t want an audience.

  “Thanks. I’ll pay you back somehow.”

  “You’re welcome.” I wasn’t going to argue with the cashier watching our every move. But she wasn’t going to pay me back. I’d never allow it.

  We found a hotel ten minutes from the store and pulled into the parking lot off the highway. It looked like slim pickings around here, since we hadn’t seen anything prior. Honestly, the room ended up being a little more than I’d wanted to pay, and if I hadn’t had her with me, I would’ve just chanced it and kept driving.

  I got our bags out of the truck and walked into the front lobby. The parking lot was crowded, so I carefully led her around the vehicles parked under the canopy and to the door. I hoped they had a vacancy.

  “Hi, I need to get a room for the night,” I said to the young girl behind the desk.

  “No problem, I just need your ID.”

  I took out the fake ID and handed it to her. I wasn’t even nervous about it anymore. I had been using it for so long.

  “Preferences?”

  “Two beds, no smoking.” I hadn’t even thought about what kind of room we’d need.

  “Sorry, we’ve only
got a king size left, but it’s non-smoking.”

  I turned around to make sure she was okay with it. She didn’t seem to be freaked out, so I told the girl that would be fine.

  “Are you two together—together?” She smiled.

  I knew that smile. I’d seen it a hundred times. I guess me asking if the king-size bed was okay gave her enough confidence to ask. I chuckled nervously, due to her being with me. “Uh, no. She’s my sister,” I lied.

  “In that case, I get off at ten.” She winked.

  I turned around and noticed my traveling buddy had a scowl on her face, making me think she was jealous. It was probably the cutest thing I’d ever seen. I looked back at the girl behind the counter. “Sorry, we’ve got to head out early,” I said, taking the room key.

  I turned and led us down the hallway to the elevator. “Sorry about that, she was a little abrasive.”

  “Abrasive? She was undressing you with her beady, skank eyes.”

  I choked out a laugh. “You surprised me by saying that.”

  “Why?”

  “I don’t know, you look all innocent and then you spit that out.”

  “It’s the truth. She was gross.”

  “She was, wasn’t she?” I agreed, walking into the elevator.

  Neither of us said anything on the ride up. We hadn’t know each other for more than a day, and now she was going to have to sleep in the same room with me. I had trouble catching my breath as we exited the elevator, approaching our room. The last thing I wanted was to make her uneasy after everything she’d been through.

  As we entered the room, I watched her intently. I couldn’t tell what she was thinking, but if she was nervous, I wanted to put her mind at ease. “I’ll sleep on the floor.”

  “It’s okay.”

  “No, I’m fine. I’ve slept on much worse.” I was sure she didn’t doubt me, seeing as we’d both just ran away from where I’d grown up.

  “I think I want to take a shower,” she admitted. “I feel grungy and I can’t remember when I last took one.”