Listen Taylor

It turned out that Listen didn't have to face her mother. Or rather, her mother didn't give her time to. The second that Listen opened her front door Tonya was there shoving bags in her face. "Go!" she screamed. "Get out. You can't come back here. Not tonight. Come back tomorrow, and maybe we'll talk, but you get your ass out of this house tonight. You understand." Tonya slammed the door in Listen's stunned face.

After the shock wore off Listen stepped off the porch and around the side of the house. She opened her bag to see what Tonya had packed for her. She found pajamas, a change of underwear, and a summer dress. Not her first choice of clothing, but it would have to do in the situation. Tonya had probably opened her closet and grabbed the first piece of clothing she saw.

Listen looked to the woods. She supposed that she could sleep there for the night, as long as Tonya didn't find out. She wouldn't have food with her and she would take care not to harm anything. Listen walked around the side of the house and snuck into Tonya's storage shed. Once inside she searched until she had found the tent and a flashlight that actually worked. She grabbed the hiking bag that Tonya had never used and loaded it, hiding it just inside the woods. And then she snuck into the house.

Once inside she took care at every door and every turn, dreading the chance that Tonya would catch her inside the house. She got safely to her room and found the sleeping bag she had stashed away. It was a heavy duty one that would keep her warm no matter how cold it got. She grabbed her pillow and snuck back out. Tonya almost caught her once, but Listen managed.

Outside she snuck back to the edge of the woods and loaded the hiking bag. It wasn't a lot, but it would help her keep through the night. The only problem now was food. The only thing Listen had put into her stomach that whole day was a granola bar on the train ride here, and the coffee she had bought earlier. There was a burger joint in town, but at the moment the thought made her nauseous. She looked at her watch. It was six o'clock. Maybe... she thought. Maybe someone will let me bum a meal off them. It wouldn't be the first time for a lot of these people.

She walked in the direction of the nearest farm to her mother's house. Her chest was heavy with embarrassment, but the growling of her stomach pushed her forward. When she reached the home she knocked on the door. It wasn't long before someone answered it. It was the girl from the coffee shop. Listen's cheeks flamed as the girls face registered shock and surprise. "Uh... um... I... Never mind."

Listen turned to run but the girl called out. "Hey!" Listen turned back, regretting her decision. It was foolish. She wasn't a little girl anymore. "I overheard your conversation with Marla. You're Listen Taylor, right? The little girl from the woods?" Listen's blush deepened, but she nodded. "I remember you, a little bit. We were classmates. My name is AnneMarie Larsdon?"

Listen remembered AnneMarie. She was one of the few children who wasn't off put by Listen's connection to the woods. She had tried to be Listen's friend, but Tonya had quickly chased her away. Listen nodded. "I remember."

"Your Ma was always chasing you out of the house around supper time when you were little. I remember the townspeople talking about it. I knew it had to be true, 'cause she'd done the same thing to me. Nobody thought you were crazy, Listen. It was your Ma they all thought crazy, the way she treated you. We all knew that you needed some way to get away from Tonya."

Listen turned her face away. "That's a lie, AnneMarie. There were plenty that thought me crazy. They thought I got it from my mama, maybe, but they never doubted I had crazy in me. And even though I was still little, they had no problem letting me know they felt that way."

"Maybe, but me and mine never did. Did your ma chase you out again?" Listen was going to protest, but then her stomach growled rather loudly. AnneMarie smiled, turning her head inside the house. "Hey, Ma! The little Taylor girl's come back to town all grown up! Why don't I go get her and we make this a welcome home dinner?"

"Don't kid me girl! You found her hungry, didn't you? I wouldn't be surprised the way Tonya was grumbling about how her mother died and now she had to take back the child. Well, alright. Bring her in. We always did have a soft spot for that little girl."

AnneMarie smiled apologetically. "Sorry, Listen. I tried to fool her."

Listen sighed. "It's okay, AnneMarie. If I remember correctly it was always darn near impossible to fool your mother."

AnneMarie nodded. "You remember correctly. Come on in."

Listen walked in blushing. Mrs. Larsdon rounded the corned and looked Listen up and down. "Well, look at you Listen Taylor. The city did wonders for your skinny little frame. You were always skin and bones as a child. Come in, come in. Sit yourself down at the table, and we'll have supper so you can get yourself home as soon as possible." Listen sat awkwardly at the table, regretting her decision, yet also pleased with it. After all, she was getting food.

Dinner passed as awkwardly as the ordeal had began. Listen spent the whole meal staring at her plate, cheeks aflame, as the Larsdons deliberately avoided the subject of why she was there. She could tell they all wanted to know, but Listen didn't feel like divulging that information. She just sat there quietly, only speaking when conversation was unavoidably turned towards her.

Finally, plate clear, Listen was able to push herself away from the table. "Thank you for the meal, Mr. and Mrs. Larsdon. I really appreciate it. I... I'm sorry if I was a bother."

Mrs. Larsdon took up her napkin to wipe her face then got up from the table to hug Listen good-bye. "Nonsense, child. You're always welcome to supper her at the Larsdon home. Don't you forget it. Now run along. Don't make your Mom worry."

Listen smiled despite the deepening blush across her face. "Thank you, ma'am. I'll be leaving now. Bye AnneMarie."

AnneMarie looked up from the table and smiled at her. "See ya, Listen. You'll have to show me your woods one of these days. They're your ma's property, right?"

Listen shook her head. "They're mine. The land she's livin' on, too. My grandda left it all to me, but I can't have it until I turn eighteen, so it's my mom's until then."

AnneMarie whistled. "That's a big piece of land for one so young. What was he thinking? Not that I'd trust Tonya Taylor with that land. I reckon she would have sold it all if it were hers to sell. To some corporate bigwig, too, who would of run us all off our land and turned this place wrong, just to make some extra money."

"AnneMarie!" Mrs. Larsdon snapped at her daughter, just as Listen began to laugh. "You mind your manners now. You remember that that's Listen's mama your talking about."

Listen continued to laugh. "No, no it's okay. My ma told me she'd do that very thing, once, though she used nicer terms. Thanks again for dinner. I've got to go."

It was dark when she left their house, but that was okay. Listen was feeling better than she had in a while. So far the people she had met had only welcomed her with kindness. Well, apart from her mother. She walked the quiet road back home and snuck around the house to where she had hidden her bag. Then, a big smile on her face and more good feelings than she'd felt in a long time, Listen headed into her woods.