"My name's Chaney and this is my mom Laura," She states, smiling revealing a set of colorful metal braces.
"Hi," I reach out my hand and shake theirs.
"So what brings you here?" Laura asks, nonchalantly.
My face flushes and it's not from the heat. I'm not sure what to tell them. After dealing with the authorities and getting nowhere, I don't know who I can trust. What I do know is they're nice or at least pretending to be. "Um...I needed a change from my life in the city." I shrug my shoulders and start eating my food. There is a hint of truth to my words. I'm not ready to share the whole truth.
"Well that's a cryptic answer, don't you think?" Chaney says.
"Chaney, don't be rude. She has a right to her privacy."
"You're right. I'm sorry." She turns to me and grins. "I can be pretty rude sometimes."
"No worries," I mumble between bites, without making eye contact. I'm starving and eager to get out of here before more people approach me and start asking questions. Happy stares at me when she's done eating. She and I are on the same page. Her eyes darting anxiously around the group of people tells me she's ready to leave too. I get ready to stand and Laura stops me.
"Stay for a little bit Tibby. We're not going to bite you."
I nod and relax a little. I didn't want to eat and run anyways. They really are nice and I might have to come back here in case Happy and I need something, like food or clothes. "Do you have a place to stay?" Laura asks, taking a bite of a hamburger.
"Yeah," I say, a little too quickly. "I mean, there's no showers, but yeah we do have a place to stay. Thanks for asking."
She raises her eyebrows like she doesn't believe me, nevertheless, she doesn't question it. "Well, okay then.Tell us more about yourself."
My eyes shift between her and Chaney. "What do you want to know?" I ask, reluctantly.
"How old are you?"
"Twenty two."
"How old is Happy?"
"I'm not sure. We met recently in the desert. She follows me everywhere."
"Is that where you're staying?"
"Yeah, we live in a house in the desert." It's not a complete lie. The building we're staying in has a roof and four walls. I guess you could call the shed a house. It has a roof and four walls also.
"Really?" Chaney Frowns. She doesn't believe me either. I nod and smile, hoping they change the subject.
"Enough about me. Let's talk about you guys." I interject. "Chaney, how old are you?"
"Sixteen." That's close to my sister's age when she went missing. I stare at Chaney a little longer than I should. Chaney and Laura smile, waiting for me to say something else.
"Sorry, you remind me of my sister Solia," I state, shaking my head. I'm going to have to keep my eyes on Chaney to ensure her safety.
"What's her name?" Chaney asks, clearly disinterested.
"Solia," I mutter quietly.
I glance at Chaney to see her response. She's staring at a cute boy about her age talking with a group of men. I remember when I liked boys at that age. Nowadays, I could care less. They wouldn't find me attractive anyways. Being around all these women with long hair contributes to my insecurities from having shaved my head.
I take that as my cue to leave and stand. "Well, thank you ladies for the food and clothes. I must be on my way." I turn and leave abruptly before Laura asks me to stay. I'm tired of socializing and quicken my pace to get back. Happy matches my pace and we head back to our building in silence.
This trip to the RV park wasn't the experience I expected. My expectations were exceeded. Laura and Chaney were really polite and welcoming. They also were the only two people that talked to me. Out of the entire RV park. When I first became homeless, I came here to shower; however, it was a fast one because I was being heckled by some of the younger men that reside here. That was also before my lice infestation.
As I pass by the side with mostly men, they snicker and laugh. Happy rubs her face against my hand, sensing my embarrassment. I spoke too soon about this trip exceeding my expectations. Some things will never change, like people being mean to those who look different. One of the older guys asks a younger guy if i'm a girl or a boy and the younger one shrugs his shoulders, but doesn't say anything. I guess I'm a target for unwanted attention whether I have hair or not.
I'm almost out of the park when Chaney calls my name. I turn my head a fraction of a second and then keep walking. "Tibby, wait!" She shouts.
"Yeah," I stop and wait for her to reach me.
She's out of breath and laughs. "You walk fast. I had to jog to keep up."
"What's up?" I question, faking a smile.
"Here." She hands me a black canvas bag with grocery items inside.
"What's in it?"
"Just some things you need. My mom and I wanted you to have it."
"Thank you,"
This time my smile is genuine. She hugs me and says, "Well, we hope you come back to visit us. My mom and I love company. Maybe you and Happy could stay with us for a while."
"I'll be seeing ya."
She waves goodbye, while Happy and I exit the RV park and enter the desert once again. "Back to hell," I say to myself. Every time I picture the shed in my head, my stomach is in knots. I'm not sure what will await Happy and I when we return. Will the blue truck be there? Will he be hiding and waiting to ambush me? Will there be more dead bodies?
I exhale and decide to relax for the few miles it takes to get back. "Should we check to see what's in the bag, Happy?" We both stop and examine the contents of the bag. Happy is just as curious as I am. Inside the bag is clothing, cans of food, a brush and a small box at the bottom of the bag. I start laughing. A brush? Really? I wonder who put that in there. I reach for the last item and open the small white box. It's perfume. Not just any perfume. The kind my sister wore.