You Better Pray

Florence stuck right by Alice's side the whole way to the diner. She knew all too well about how cruel the streets could, and would, be to anyone who looked weak. And Alice looked weak. Young, foolish, scared, and weak. Florence refused to let Alice go through what she had endured. Florence silently vowed to save Alice before she even got caught up in this mess.

When the two girls finally reached the diner; Alice let Florence take the lead, and followed her through the door.

"Hey, Echo! What brings you here?" A curvacious African-American lady smiled from behind the counter. Alice pushed pass Florence and dropped her tired body into a booth, waiting for someone to take her order.

"Why to see my lovely ladies, of course!" Florence said as she walked up to the counter and began chatting with the waitress standing. They were laughing and making small talk when their expressions suddenly got serious. The waitress' eyes darted towards Alice, then back towards Florence.

"So, what are you going to do? I mean we usually send them to the runaway shelter... But since they've lost funding, they've all but closed their doors."

"I know, Roxy... But I'm not letting what happened to me, happen to her. I'm just not."

"Echo.. You can't save them all." Roxy said placing a gentle hand on Florence's shoulder.

"I can try." She replied with a small smile before bouncing over to where Alice was flipping through a menu.

"What are you going to get, sweetie?" Florence questioned with a smile as she sat on the bench opposite of Alice.

"Uhm, just some toast and an egg if it's not too much."

"Oh don't worry about that, I'm buying." Florence insisted, "Roxy! Get this girl a hearty omelette, toast, and orange juice, would ya?" She yelled across the diner.

"Oh, no... I couldn't accept that. Really."

"My treat. Out here, you will learn to never pass up a free meal. Meals come few and far between."

"Oh, thanks." Alice replied with an awkward smile.

"So, Ali... May I call you Ali?" Florence paused, to which Alice nodded. "Do you have anywhere to go?"

Alice dipped her head, "No I suppose that I don't. I was thinking maybe get a cheap hotel room until I got on my feet." Florence frowned a bit. "If you're going to tell me to go back, save it. They all want to see me fail and come crawling back to them; And I wont do it. I refuse to do that." Alice stated.

"I understand, I was the same way. But I have to at least say it, You should go home, so that it's an option. And I've said it... So, now that is out of the way; There is no way you'll be able to afford a hotel room until you get on your feet. Not even in the scummiest of them. Maybe a night or two. Now, I have an extra room... If you want it."

"Oh, Miss, I couldn't do that."

"Please, call me Florence.You can accept it, and you will. Want to know why?" Florence asked, as she dug a cigarette out of her bag. She lit the cigarette and continued, even though Alice hadn't replied. "When I first came here, I was fifteen. I had run away from home and landed here; I wanted so incredibly bad to be an actress. Still do, but I've got to survive. Anyway, that's not the point.

When I got here, I had nothing except a bag of clothes and a hundred bucks. I lived in a box under the bridge for two years. More days than not, I would go to sleep starving. Rats would crawl all over me in my sleep, homeless guys would either piss or puke on me. I had to do things that I'm not proud of to get on my feet." Florence finished.

"What's it to you if I struggle?" Alice questioned, skeptical of Florence's kindness.

"I don't want that life for you Ali. I see so much of me in you; I refuse to let you suffer like I did... Even if I have to turn you into the cops. I don't want to do that, but I will if it's my only choice." Florence bluntly stated; Alice's jaw dropped at the bluntness. "Either the cops or my apartment. Your choice. I'm not a creep, ask Roxy here." Florence said as Roxy brought a huge plate of food and large glass of orange juice to Alice.

"She's not, sweetheart. I swear on my life." Roxy said with a smile before turning away.

"Okay it's settled, my apartment! Dig in, enjoy!"

Alice slowly picked up her fork and her stomach rumbled. She cracked an embarrassed smile before she began quickly eating the food. It was delicious and she hadn't eaten since very early the morning before; it was already two am. Florence leaned back, taking a drag off her dwindling cigarette, trying to figure out how to convince Alice to return home.