I got to the bus station and It felt so strange. I had only ever been to the bus station once and that had been to escort Agilisi.
Coming here all alone was scary and frightening.
I swallowed and then I paid for my ticket.
"There you go ma'am." The man handling tickets said to me as he gave me my ticket. "Do have a nice trip ma'am."
"Thanks." I said as I swallowed heavily and turned on my way.
I waited for the bus along with the few other people.
I didn't have much load. I barely had any clothes in fact. It was just in a small bag, then the unending fire was in a sage box and then I had Une in his cage.
When the bus came around, I got in and took a seat at the far back and breathed a heavy sigh of relief.
Everything still seemed unreal. Only a few days ago, I was with Agilisi in our village making local pies and now here I was. On my way to a place I had never been to. To a family that I never knew existed and who didn't even know I existed.
A family that might not even accept me.
"Ma'am." My thoughts were interrupted and I looked up and saw the bus conductor.
"Do you intend on carrying that cage on the trip?" He asked me hastily.
"Uhmmm... errr... I-
"Because if you do," He carried on without even bothering to hear what I had to say. "Then you would have to pay for the next seat beside you."
My mouth dropped. I was not sure I even had enough money for that. I had assumed that incase something did go wrong, I would probably stay in a motel with the remaining money I had left.
The little box that kept the holy fire was on my lap and Une was in a cage. I had to be gentle with the box because if something went wrong, it would go off.
"If you can not pay for the seat then just leave the bus! There are other people waiting to get inside." He said to me sharply, already beginning to raise his voice.
My face became red in embarrassment and just as I was about to say something, I heard a voice quickly say.
"Oh don't worry, I'm taking this seat beside her."
I looked up and saw a young girl probably in her early twenties say.
"You will take the seat with all this luggage?" He asked her.
"Of course." The girl said. "She is my friend and we came together."
The man looked at me from the girl and the girl from me.
"Your Ticket?" He asked her.
She gave it to him and he snatched it from her before he scoffed and turned on his way.
"Thank you." I told her as she sat down beside me.
"Of course." She smiled at me.
Then she adjusted and we were able to set Une's cage on the floor in between our legs.
"I'm Lucy." She said to me.
"Snow." I told her.
"So you're going to Tulsa?" She asked me.
I laughed awkwardly. "Yeah I am."
"You have family there?" She asked me.
"Kinda." I said and then I was not sure if to really talk about myself to a girl I barely knew.
Then I weighed my options. This was someone I had just met and had been nice to me and also helped to prevent me getting kicked off the bus. Plus I was going to a city I have never been to before, maybe she could be of more help to me.
"You've lived in Tulsa?" I asked her with uncertainty.
"Yeah I have." She admitted. "I work here and there, nothing stable but then yeah."
"Oh okay." I nodded.
She looked at me for a while. "You've never been to Tulsa before."
It was not a question.
"Is it that obvious?" I asked.
She smiled and winked at me. "Kinda, but don't worry there is a first time for everything."
So let me explain Lucy to you. Lucy had pink strips of hair in her black hair, she had a ring that bulls only had on their noses. She had a lot of piercings on her ear and her lips were painted black.
I felt I was sort of scared of her, but then I felt that I liked her and she was probably a genuine person. And yes, I thought she was pretty.
"Thanks." I said, then I put my hand inside my bag and brought out the address. "This is where I'm supposed to go."
She looked at it and then she smiled. "The area of the rich. You've got some rich folks up there don't you? Cause Only the really really rich live up there."
"Oh." I mumbled. I had no idea that my family was rich. I had never even thought about it. Maybe they were just basic rich then.
Then it occurred to me. Here I was, on a road to place I had never been to, to meet people who did not know if I even existed. What if I got lost? What was I going to do? What was going to happen to me?
As if Lucy could sense my anxiety, she smiled at me and said. "Don't worry. I'm here."
And I actually did feel a lot calmer.
"So what's in the cage?" She asked me looking down at Une.
"Oh Une." I answered. "He is my owl. He belonged to my mother."
I had no idea why I had just spilled that piece of information and then I closed my mouth.
"He's really handsome." Lucy smiled. "Where is she? Your mum that is."
I turned to look at the window.
"She past away." I said quietly.
"I'm sorry." Lucy apologised.
I nodded quietly and said nothing.
"You see I also have a pet myself." She smiled at me.
I turned to look at her and she whistled.
A green lizard came out of her bag and climbed her shoulder.
My eyes widened.
"This is Oscar." Lucy introduced. "He is a rare lizard and he has been with my family for years and now he is mine."
The lizard pulled his tongue at me and for a moment it seemed like he smiled.
"So you're not the only one with special pets." She winked at me.