Don't Be in the Bath When Opportunity Knocks
Lonely Nights
"Hey, get outta here!" a female voice shrieked. "I ain't hurtin' anything. So get out!"
"Hey," Tre said scrambling to his feet. "I'm sorry. I didn't know you were there! I-I-."
"Just beat it!" the person attached to the voice stood up from the bench. Tre couldn't see her face, just her outline against the sky.
"I'm sorry," he said quietly. "I didn't mean to disturb you. I just needed to rest for a while. I'm sorry. I'll keep going. I'm sorry."
"Nah," the voice said. "I guess you ain't disturbin' me. As long as you don't plan stayin' long."
"No," Tre said, fear creeping into his voice. "I just need to rest for a moment and I'll be gone. I promise."
"Good."
A car drove by and the headlights flashed into the bus stop, lighting up the voice's face. She couldn't have been more than 16, with long matted black hair, deep brown eyes and a grubby face. She shielded the light from her eyes. Tre saw that she had a large knapsack and holey flannel blanket wrapped around her shoulders.
"What's your name, boss?" the girl asked when the car was out of sight.
"Tre," he replied quietly. 'What's your's?"
"I ain't tellin'. Why do you care?"
"Sorry," he was taken by surprise. "It's just that you asked me so I asked-"
"Yeah, well, I didn't ask you to ask me."
"Sorry."
They were quiet for a while.
"What were you thinkin' stumblin' in on my crash site?"
"I really didn't mean to. I just needed to rest," Tre apologized for the umpteenth time.
"Where you runnin'?" the girl asked.
"My friend and I had a fight, and now I have to walk home. But I don't really know where I am," Tre said shaking his head.
"Where you headed?"
Tre put his head into his hands. "I don't know. I don't know."
"Well. The bus comes at eight. And it goes downtown."
"Really?" Tre asked.
"I won't mind if you crash. Just as long as you don't talk too much. You seem like a pretty okay dude."
"Really? Jesus, thank you."
"Hey boss," she chuckled in a husky voice. "I ain't Jesus."
Tre woke up to being shaken.
"Hey boss," the dirty girl said, smacking his cheek. "Boss, the bus is here."
"Huh?" Tre said groggily.
"Bus, boss. You have to go home, remember?"
"Uh, yeah," he sat up, rubbing his eyes. He ached all over from sleeping on a metal bench.
"You got money?" she said.
"Uh, no," he shook his head sleepily.
"Here, boss," she said placing some wrinkled bills in his hand. "Better hurry. Bus'll be leaving soon."
"I can't take your money, uh, sorry I don't remember you're name," he stammered.
"I didn't tell you. And yeah, boss, you can."
In the light, Tre looked at the girl hard for a good while. If she had been well groomed, she would have been breathtaking. She had golden skin that, though dirty, was flawless.
"Get goin'," she said pushing him toward the bus door.
"Thank you so much, uh," he wanted to thank her, but without using her name, he felt it was insincere.
"No need to thank me," she gave a crooked grin. "Maybe someday you'll help me."
"Hey," Tre said scrambling to his feet. "I'm sorry. I didn't know you were there! I-I-."
"Just beat it!" the person attached to the voice stood up from the bench. Tre couldn't see her face, just her outline against the sky.
"I'm sorry," he said quietly. "I didn't mean to disturb you. I just needed to rest for a while. I'm sorry. I'll keep going. I'm sorry."
"Nah," the voice said. "I guess you ain't disturbin' me. As long as you don't plan stayin' long."
"No," Tre said, fear creeping into his voice. "I just need to rest for a moment and I'll be gone. I promise."
"Good."
A car drove by and the headlights flashed into the bus stop, lighting up the voice's face. She couldn't have been more than 16, with long matted black hair, deep brown eyes and a grubby face. She shielded the light from her eyes. Tre saw that she had a large knapsack and holey flannel blanket wrapped around her shoulders.
"What's your name, boss?" the girl asked when the car was out of sight.
"Tre," he replied quietly. 'What's your's?"
"I ain't tellin'. Why do you care?"
"Sorry," he was taken by surprise. "It's just that you asked me so I asked-"
"Yeah, well, I didn't ask you to ask me."
"Sorry."
They were quiet for a while.
"What were you thinkin' stumblin' in on my crash site?"
"I really didn't mean to. I just needed to rest," Tre apologized for the umpteenth time.
"Where you runnin'?" the girl asked.
"My friend and I had a fight, and now I have to walk home. But I don't really know where I am," Tre said shaking his head.
"Where you headed?"
Tre put his head into his hands. "I don't know. I don't know."
"Well. The bus comes at eight. And it goes downtown."
"Really?" Tre asked.
"I won't mind if you crash. Just as long as you don't talk too much. You seem like a pretty okay dude."
"Really? Jesus, thank you."
"Hey boss," she chuckled in a husky voice. "I ain't Jesus."
Tre woke up to being shaken.
"Hey boss," the dirty girl said, smacking his cheek. "Boss, the bus is here."
"Huh?" Tre said groggily.
"Bus, boss. You have to go home, remember?"
"Uh, yeah," he sat up, rubbing his eyes. He ached all over from sleeping on a metal bench.
"You got money?" she said.
"Uh, no," he shook his head sleepily.
"Here, boss," she said placing some wrinkled bills in his hand. "Better hurry. Bus'll be leaving soon."
"I can't take your money, uh, sorry I don't remember you're name," he stammered.
"I didn't tell you. And yeah, boss, you can."
In the light, Tre looked at the girl hard for a good while. If she had been well groomed, she would have been breathtaking. She had golden skin that, though dirty, was flawless.
"Get goin'," she said pushing him toward the bus door.
"Thank you so much, uh," he wanted to thank her, but without using her name, he felt it was insincere.
"No need to thank me," she gave a crooked grin. "Maybe someday you'll help me."