A New Best Friend
Elizabeth's POV
The discussion made by some group of people woke me up.
I did not open my eyes yet; I just listened to their conversation.
Who is she?" A male voice asked.
Another male boy asked, "Is she one of us?"
"She's sleeping in the trash, so yes. " The first male voice replied.
"I think she's new; I haven't seen her before." Someone else said.
The first boy scornfully replied, "Well, if she is new, she must understand the game's rules. If she wants to sleep here, she has to be subject to us. We own this spot."
"But she's a little girl," the other answered.
"Box head, she's sleeping on your space. Wake her up now."
I felt their shadows coming close, so I opened my eyes immediately.
"What are you doing here, young lady!" The first boy asked in annoyance.
"I'm sorry, I was cold, and I wanted to sleep," I innocently replied.
"Are you new to the game? This site is for us only; we own this spot. If you want to sleep on that bag again, you must obey us and do what we say. Now get out of here!" The first boy demanded.
I was scared, so I ran away. They looked dangerous, and I did not want them to beat me.
No one seemed to care about me; people just walked away like it was normal.
I passed many streets, many neighborhoods - but none seemed to care. I begged for food in every house I could find: but it was tough.
I checked all the trash cans but could hardly find anything edible.
I walked for hours and could not even locate where I was again. I had gotten lost, walking into many streets in search of food.
They would all say the same thing,
"Leave this place immediately! Street children like you always bring problems wherever you go"
"Please, I need to eat. Anything would do," I would always reply.
"I know your kind. You try to soothe us with your words and then steal from us. Now get out!"
It was as if they planned the same thing.
It was almost evening; I hadn't eaten anything day.
I was starving, and my stomach was grumbling.
I passed by a small restaurant with huge glass windows. The restaurant had gibberish writing; I could not make out the name. I saw people munching their food peacefully.
I stood at the window, drooling at their food.
I wanted someone to retain bits of their food so that I could finish it for them.
But time passed, and people did not seem to care again.
Some who looked at me just turned their eyes and continued eating. A part of me wanted to run inside, grab someone's food and run away.
But I could not do that; I was too tired to steal.
I decided to keep walking to explore other places. I was already feeling dizzy, and I could fall at any time.
I decided to keep on moving and pray a miracle would happen to me.
"Little girl, please wait!"
...
Narrator's POV
After waiting effortlessly for someone to give her food, she decided to keep going, but she got stopped by a young lady.
"Little girl, what is your name?" The young woman asked, stopping Elizabeth before she could reach a far distance.
Elizabeth turned and looked at the young girl; she wore an apron. Elizabeth knew she was a waitress. She used to see them in her picture books back at her house.
"Elizabeth, ma'am."
"Listen, dear, I want to help you but promise you will not steal from me, okay." The woman said.
"I can't do that, ma'am. My papa used to tell me that if it's not mine, then it will never be, except I've been given."
"That's correct. How old are you?"
"I'm three years old. I'm starving, ma'am; I haven't eaten since yesterday."
"I understand; I saw how you stared at the people eating. I brought spaghetti for you. But first, where are your parents?"
"Papa went to heaven."
The young lady sighed; she felt pity for Elizabeth.
"What of your mum?"
"I don't have one," Elizabeth sadly replied.
"Don't you have relatives, siblings, anyone?"
"They are all mean. They put me in a sack and brought me here yesterday. I don't ever want to see them again."
"So you are new, right?"
"Yes, ma'am "
"Listen, I have an offer for you. My boss needs a helper to wash the dishes and clean the floor every morning and evening, but she does not trust the street children. In exchange, you would be given money in the morning and a portion of food at night. All you have to do is to wash up and wear clean clothes by tomorrow morning.
She has a soft spot for children like you and would hire you. As long as you work hard and never steal. "
"Thank you so much, ma'am; you're a gift from heaven."
"Now go away and eat that spaghetti in a safe place, okay."
"Thanks, ma'am "
Elizabeth ran away almost immediately, with her spaghetti in a polythene bag. She was so happy because she would have enough food every day if everything went well. All she needed was a place to stay.
Some street boys who had been watching Elizabeth came to bully her almost immediately.
"Stop there, little devil! You just arrived, and you are already scoring points here? Now give us your food!" One of the boys said while the others formed a circle around her.
"Please, have mercy on me. I haven't eaten since yesterday," pleaded Elizabeth.
"Well, I also haven't eaten. So give us your food right now!"
Elizabeth began to cry; all her excitements were now over. If they took her food, she would have to spend the night hungry again.
She cried for her papa to help her, and like a miracle, someone came to her aid.
"Chalas! Gonchar! What's going on here?" A girl shouted from afar while walking to their location.
Some of the boys became scared.
"Uh o, it's Rosalie!" They all chorused.
"Don't you have any shame? This poor girl is almost half your age, and you have the nerves to want to take her food away? Do you want me to roast you guys again?" Rosalie threatened.
"No, please don't!"
"Now, get out of this place immediately!"
The boys all ran away; they were scared off.
The girl then looked at Elizabeth and then took her hands.
The young girl beckoned. "Follow me"
Then together, they went ahead.
Soon after, they entered under the bridge but in a more secluded area.
The place was made with sticks, a small bed, some blankets, and a lantern. There were also books there.
The young girl sat Elizabeth down and let her eat her food peacefully. But since the spaghetti was too much for her to eat alone, Elizabeth gave her a piece too. She saved her, after all.
After eating, the girl took out a big water bottle and gave it to Elizabeth. Now she had eaten, and she was delighted.
"Are you new here? I haven't seen you before," The girl asked.
"Yes, ma'am." Elizabeth quickly replied.
"You don't have to call me that; I'm just 7."
"But all the other kids are scared of you."
"It's the respect they have for me. We all know each other here, and everyone has what they do. But sometimes, they may try to overstep their boundaries, so I created this shocker I carry everywhere. Once I turn it on, the batteries would shock you so hard. But enough of that, tell me about yourself."
"Well, my papa said he found me in a river and saved me. I live in a small village, but no one likes me there. They all call me a witch because I was found in the lake. My papa went to heaven, and they did not let me go with him. They tied me up and brought me here yesterday. "
The girl was sad, but then she asked Elizabeth.
"Are you a Witch?"
" No. Witches see wicked. Papa told me he was going to heaven, and I told everyone there. Then when papa fell into a deep sleep, they all looked at me with anger. But I am not a witch, I promise."
"I believe you. You can call me Rosalie. My father died after I was born, and my mother died when I was your age. I was taken to my aunty's house; she was evil to me as she would beat me everyday and make me do everything in the house, plus all their needs.
I ran away and came here. I slowly got used to street life, and one day, tired of sleeping in different places, I decided to create a safe house for myself. I found this location, then pieces of wood, some nails, and some stones. After building my own house, I started to sell cigarettes in the morning and help the market women in the evenings for some money. The money I earn daily is for my feeding and school."
Elizabeth raised her eyebrows and exclaimed, "Wow! You go to school?"
"Yes. Few people do, but I don't plan to live here for a while. I want to be a lawyer when I grow up."
"What's a lawyer?" Asked Elizabeth.
"Someone who defends the weak, who helps those who don't know their rights. A lawyer is like a hero who would do anything to save the weak from unjust treatment."
"Wow! I want to be a lawyer too."
"Great choice "
Elizabeth was happy and chose who she wanted to be. But she had nothing to sell and nowhere to sleep.
"Rosalie, can I stay with you?"
"Of course. I have been alone for many years, so having a little sister and a new friend would be nice. I have to figure out how you will earn money too."
Elizabeth suddenly remembered, "The lady at the gibberish restaurant said I should come and meet the restaurant owner tomorrow morning. I am to tell her that I am willing to help clean the floor in the morning and also clean the place in the evenings just for a plate of food and a few pesos."
"Oh, that's excellent news. If you have a job, then you can be able to fend for yourself. I did not want you to sell cigarettes with me; you are too young to go to those dangerous places... It's called a Chinese restaurant by the way.
Let's make a deal; you will be my little sister from now on. The key is to look cute when you go to that restaurant, cry a few drops, and tell your story. Don't look dirty but keep your hair messed up. They would indeed pity you that way. "
"Deal"
And with that, they started to plan our lives.
That night, Elizabeth heard her father's voice but did not see him. All she heard was, "you're going to do great, my Queen... You're going to do great!"
Elizabeth got the job; she did not have to cry or beg, though - it seemed the lady had already told the restaurant owner about her. As soon as she came, she was given what to do and how she would be fed.
She would be given money in the morning and some food in the evenings.
She washed the dishes in the morning and cleaned the dirty tables and chairs in the evenings.
Her food was mainly leftovers from people's plates. So they combined different foodstuffs.
Rosalie was happy she got the job, so they started working together. Rosalie no longer got worried about how she would eat in the evenings because Elizabeth was to bring the food.
In the mornings, Rosalie would wake up very early to bathe and prepare for the day.
Not in the main bridge like the rest of the people but in an isolated stream far away. Rosalie said that it wasn't good for girls to bathe openly.
Elizabeth followed her and learned a lot from her.
From the stream, they would go back to their house. Rosalie would pick up her packet of cigarettes to sell, and Elizabeth would work in the restaurant. Since Elizabeth did not have a school, she would stay back and read some picture books.
Later on, when Elizabeth returned from school, they would rush to the marketplace and help the older women to hawk some of their items.
Elizabeth would later run to the restaurant to do her evening work, and by 8 pm, they would both meet in the house to eat and prepare for the next day. But Rosalie never slept early because she chose to read her books till about 10 pm when she would go to sleep.
Both used Rosalie's cigarette earnings to get a morning meal. A shop usually prepares breakfast for people; if you had enough money, you would be served.
Elizabeth was made to save the money she earned so she could start schooling the following week. The remaining money Rosalie would make in the market would also be saved in a bamboo stick which Rosalie made by herself.
She made one for Elizabeth too, but they only used it after Elizabeth had enrolled in the same school as Rosalie. It was a government school, so the fees were relatively cheap. It was equal to Elizabeth's one day of earnings, except for other things like the school books, bags, etc., Rosalie and Elizabeth had enough to save up.
Rosalie always urged Elizabeth to keep moving, and she did. They had their lives set up and planned.
Their daily routine continued for two months until they met Esther.