I picked out some fresh clothes and then walked back inside to shower. Then I would say my final goodbye to Julie and be on my way.
My locket wasn’t helping. At. All.
I’d been driving for five hours in a random direction hoping to either see the light grow brighter or dimmer. It hadn’t changed. Which meant I wasn’t driving in the right or wrong direction. I sat in my van outside a diner, contemplating which way to go now. I wanted to drive for a few more hours before resting for the night. The diner had been perfect for filling up my stomach and fueling my mood, but now I needed to move on. Making a decision was proving to be harder than I thought it would be, though.
Closing my eyes I tried to envision where to go. Holding the locket tight I tried to somehow let it guide me. I looked into the soft glow, feeling myself relax further into my car seat aaaaaandnothing. Nada. I got zero from it. Shaking my head I started to drive further north, hoping it would be the right direction. Setting my phone alarm for one hour, I would then check to see if the locket had changed. I wouldn’t let this ruin my mood.
I was coming for them.
One hour later, the glow changed. “Yes!” I exclaimed, looking at the slightly brighter glow, hoping I wasn’t imagining things. I could very well be seeing things. A nice old lady had been selling baked goods outside her house as I drove through a small town. I was ninety-five percent sure they had weed in them. That or the chocolate was justthatgood. To be fair, chocolate had a way of making everyone feel better. Especially me.
Feeling like I finally had a true destination, I called up Julie, letting myself relax and enjoy the journey ahead. She picked up on the third ring. “Did you find them?” She seemed so eager and invested. I smiled, grateful she was my friend.
“Not yet,” I replied. Looking outside for a rest stop. I had a full bladder all of a sudden and I needed relief. “I know the direction at least, just not how far yet,” I explained, loving I could share that much.
“Hmm, at least you know you’re heading the right way.” I could hear the smile in her voice. “I just hope you take a second to enjoy the scenery, too.” I had to admit that I hadn’t really done that, too focused on who my soulmatch was and if we’d ever met before. They would be five years younger than me, having just been shunned ontheir eighteenth birthday. If they, like me, had been shunned the day after, I knew their birthday. I quickly grabbed my journal and with one hand on the wheel, I wrote the date down for the future.
“I’ll try to enjoy it more,” I replied, satisfied with myself now that I knew their birthday. I couldn’t wait to learn more about them.
“You do that. Drive safely!”
“I will!” I said, then hung up.
I could enjoy the view,afterI’d relieved my bladder.
Chapter 5
Niam
It was my first official day working at the gas station. Jerry had been a saint yesterday and gotten me a mattress and some pillows and a duvet. I would need to insulate the van next, but right now the temperature outside was warm enough that I wasn’t freezing. My only concern had been bears. I feared they could easily break open my new home and have me as a tasty snack. Jerry had laughed at that, shaking his head as he helped me get the mattress in. He wouldn’t have laughed if he found me dead this morning, but I didn’t say that. I wouldn’t want to jinx myself.
I’d started my morning with some coffee from a can. It was lukewarm, but I needed the caffeine kick to get moving so early. Jerry had knocked on the van when he arrived, bringing breakfast with him. After we’d eaten, he told me he had an employee-only bathroom that was not available to customers. To my delight it had a small shower inside, allowing me to shower before or after work as I pleased. Working here was proving to be perfect for all my needs so far.
I stood behind the counter now and waited for customers to come in. Jerry had said we got around five a day although sometimes none at all, so I knew it would be slow work, but I appreciated that. The store had a layout that worked for easy access. People could get in and immediately grab whatever they came for, bright lights overhead showing everything off. We had a section for coffee that Jerry had a special fondness for. Most of the customers needed a bathroom break and then they’d come in for coffee. He said that was one of the most sold items we carried. Other than gas and water, of course. It wasn’t the biggest store, but seeing how far out in the countryside we were, it didn’t seem to matter much. We sold the most essential things andthen some other fun stuff people didn’t know they needed until they entered the store.
Betty came in each morning with food for the counter. Some sandwiches, skewers of meat, and according to Jerry, sometimes she baked stuff, too, that they would sell.
Because I didn’t have a phone, Jerry had quickly shown me how his work phone worked, giving me both his and Betty’s numbers if anything were to happen while I was here on my own. It was an older phone and was easy enough to use. He’d told me he had it lying around the shop for emergencies and work-related calls.
Jerry came in from the back, wiping his hands on an oil-stained rag. “Did the shower work okay?” I knew he was fixing up another car for Betty, but from the curses and slamming of things from the garage just minutes ago, I didn’t think it was going too well for him.
“It was great,” I replied with a grateful smile. “But why have a shower here?” It was something I’d thought about while showering. It looked so clean that I thought he very rarely used it, if ever.Not that I was complaining. Getting a shower this morning had been the ultimate luxury. I hadn’t thought about how cleansing it could be for the soul. With each drop of water that cascaded down my body,more of my old world disappeared. I had now rinsed away the last remnants of my old home, and that was a huge comfort.
Jerry scratched his beard. “You know we have that restroom that’s accessible from outside?”
I nodded, “yes?”
He sighed, then said, “well, people are some nasty fuckers, okay, and after having dealt with their literal shit on the walls, I decided that I needed a place to shower if it ever happened again.” My face must’ve shown how truly disgusted and horrified I was. “I know!” he exclaimed, his hands in the air. “On the fucking walls, can you believe it?!” I shook my head, still horrified. “I still think about it sometimes, like, were they aiming for them? Or did they fall and point by accident?” I hoped he wasn’t waiting for me to answer him. I really didn’t want to talk about how people projectile shat on walls.
I was saved by the first customer of the day, a man coming inside to pay for his gas. I had Jerry help me with the customer and hoped the shit talk was over.
Around lunch time, Betty came by again. She had borrowed Jerry’s car and had driven him to work this morning, before he’d knocked on my van. When she came in with the food for the counter,she’d been in and out quickly, but now she seemed to have enough time to eat with us.
“What do you need the space for?” I asked, eating one of the chicken sandwiches she’d brought for Jerry and me. We were discussing the car Jerry was working on for her. She mentioned she’d been worried it wouldn’t have enough space.
“I own a flower shop in town,” she replied, taking a bite of her own food. “I need to drive them out for delivery and a van seems perfect for that.”
“Your new car will do just fine,” Jerry said kindly, clearly feeling somewhat guilty over not being able to fix the van he’d given her.
