Monday, June 18, 2018

Memories

Adra leaned over the table, setting both plates down. One of the guys ordered a prime rib, and the other ordered a double-bacon burger. Both of those disgusted her- she has seen the amount of grease that accumulates on the grills in the back, and she would rather eat a ghost chili than one of those burgers. 

It was her second night on the job, and she had Alek in the back of the restaurant. She couldn't leave him alone whilst she went to work, so she, painfully, left him in a small room in the back, with a coloring book and the cable TV on. It terrified her, but she didn't have any choice.

"Can I get you gentlemen anything else?" She asked, smiling kindly. 

"No, ma'am. Thanks." 

She nodded, and turned around to go serve her other tables. As she did, though, she felt a sharp smack on her backside, to which she jumped, and covered herself instinctually.

One of the guys was snickering, and remarked to his friend "That's how she gets all of the good tips."

"Excuse me! Don't touch me!" She tried to say- but she felt so violated, and her voice wavered nervously.

He took her hand, and placed in it what she would later find was a wad of five singles. "Just appreciate my money, sweetheart. Run along, now."

Humiliated, Adra had no other choice but to just move away. She was embarrassed- though blind, she felt the gazes of many nearby tables, and flushed as tears welled up. She asked the hostess to switch the table to one of the waiters, so she didn't have to deal with the guys anymore.

The hostess replied with, "don't take it too hard, you'll get used to it."

Adra, shaken, avoided that side of the room until they left, to which the man who groped her called her an "ugly cunt" and a "bitch" and "whore", loud enough, before leaving. 

She took her break in the back room not eating, just holding her child and crying against him. 
-

Adra woke up when there was a cry from beside her. Her baby boy was screaming in his sleep, as if someone was torturing him. He sounded so pained, she was afraid he was physically hurt.

She swooped over and cradled him as he thrashed violently- more so than is possible for an infant. It was terrifying- this is the fifth time that this has happened this week, but she doesn't stop getting scared for her little son.

She tried to coo gently, to relax him, to soothe him, but he would not stop screaming until the morning, where he would awaken naturally, as if nothing happened. 
-
She stood on the corner, trying to sell her papers. She was beginning to get thin- all of the jeers and taunts were beginning to get to her, and they hurt her. Today, she was by no means dressed provocatively. She had on a pretty long dress with quarter sleeves, and a sweater. She was trying to get people to ignore her. There were some who denied her outright- others ignored her, some screamed at her, and some looked scary enough that she didn't ask. 

Adra was standing beside a bus bench, trying to catch people who were coming off of their commute. As she waited for the next bus to arrive, an older man in his 50s sat right behind where she stood. She uncomfortably moved, but he reached forward and grabbed her, drawing her into his lap.

"Tell Santa what the little girl would like for Christmas." He said, bouncing his knee a little. She felt trapped- she is childishly small, and he was so much larger than her, and she was frozen in her spot.

She managed to wiggle free and run, terrified that he would follow her.
-
Adra laid in the shabby motel bed. It was by no means nice. She went for their bi-weekly groceries, spending most of her money on food for Alek, with about 40$ going to him, and 5$ to her. The things were in the counter- the fruits and veggies were all chopped up for the baby's purée, and in containers to be heated up.

As she sat, idly watching the news about the war on the TV, a series of gunshots rang out outside her window- one even breaking the corner of her window.

She screamed, grabbed Alek, and hid beneath the bed. The shots continued, and she knew it was from the nearby warring gang, yet she still couldn't help but feel terrified. 

Alek clutches to her as she shielded him from the sounds and the raining glass. She could have called the cops, but she knew they wouldn't come.

She ended up spending the night with her little son in the closet, hiding from the sounds.

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