**Blue **
The sound of banging on metal has me jolting awake and looking around through blurry eyes. It takes me a second to remember where I fell asleep last night.
“Little Blue you gotta wake up!” A muffled voice calls from the other side of the wall next to me.
It takes another few seconds to pinpoint the voice as Bucky, my neighbor. If you can call him that. He lives in a tent a few feet away from the train car I’m currently in.
“Come on girl, the patrol will be here in less than an hour!” He calls out.
That has me moving like my ass is on fire. I can’t get caught by the security patrol again. Last time I couldn’t go back to my favorite place for at least a month. It’s not that I have many belongings but it’s a hassle carrying the small things I do have everywhere. I don’t bother with shopping carts since I don’t stick around in one place long enough to collect a large amount of stuff. A backpack and a small duffle bag are all I allow myself to keep.
I quickly roll up the sleeping bag I sleep on most nights and stuff it into the duffle bag. The pillow I use is an inflatable neck pillow, so I deflate that and slide it in with the sleeping bag. I turn off the small light I keep on while I sleep and put that in my backpack. Once my little camp sight is packed up I grab the worn-out blue converse that I got at a second-hand store and slip them on. They are holding up okay but I’m going to need some new ones in about a month from the looks of the soles.
When I’m finally put together I grab the handle for the train car door and grunt when I pull it open. It’s heavy and I have noodles for arms. Not much time for exercising when I’m on the move so much. If anything my legs are the strongest part of my body thanks to all the walking I do. I guess I could splurge on a bus pass but I try to keep my spending to the minimum. I never know when I’ll need to spend money on something a little out of my budget. Like shoes and clothes.
Bucky is standing outside the door with a small cup in his hand. I smile down at my friend and jump down to greet him. When my feet hit the ground I stand and lift my arm and place two fingers on my forehead.
“Good morning Sir!” I say before saluting him.
He had served in the military for ten years and came home without any support and ended up on the streets for his trouble.
He rolls his eyes. “You’re funny. Here take this and warm up.”
I accept the cup and take a long sip of the warm liquid inside.
“You don’t have to bring me coffee every day Bucky. Especially on Wednesday since I play at Monica’s!” I tell him once again.
This isn’t the first time we’ve had this conversation.
“It's not like 3 small coffees will break me Little Blue. Now hurry up and get a move on." He turns and finishes loading his cart. "I'm stashing this at the alley on Main. Where are you headed?"
"I have a morning performance at Monica's, so I'll head there now. Where's Maria-Ann?" She was the other squatter here.
She was an interesting character with a bad attitude that took some getting used to but is also a kind person in her own way. She's emotionally stunted but she cares and has helped me find all the best places to find cheap liquor stores in the area. I've only been here for a few weeks, so it was a huge help. I haven't always been this lucky. Not all homeless communities are as welcoming.
They can also be dangerous for someone like me. I make money by playing my guitar wherever possible which makes me a steady income. Not enough to settle down anywhere but enough to keep me alive. That's more than most and they will come for me if I'm not careful. Thankfully when I arrived in Seattle I met Bucky and he told me I could camp out with him by the abandoned railroad switch point.
There was only one train car still intact and he told me I was welcome to use it. At first, I refused because I didn't want to take it from him or Maria-Ann but he assured me they never used it. I knew that was bull, but he wouldn't let me bring it up again. Since I'll only be here for a couple more weeks they won't have to give it up for long.
"Well, get on with it and I'll see you tonight." He pats me awkwardly on the shoulder and walks off.
A quick glance around tells me Maria-Ann had already left for the day so I don't bother waiting around. I pull the cheap little pay-as-you-go phone out of my pocket and check the time. There is still about an hour until I need to be at Monica's at seven, so I can walk in the park and enjoy my coffee.
The park is about a twenty-minute walk from the train depot and a ten-minute walk to Monica's Cafe. It's the perfect place to hang out and people-watch. It is also my second job. I play near the huge water fountain and I have an in with the park patrol so they leave me alone when I'm here.
I enter the park and see a few people running along the paths. There is an empty bench only a few feet away so I head in that direction. When I see a small sign on it I stop to read it.
"In memory of Cecilia Rhodes. Loving mother and wife."
Rhodes?
It's a name I've seen on one of the buildings downtown but I'm not sure what the family is known for. I don't bother keeping up with the lives of socialites. What's the point? I never understood why people were so interested in the lives of the rich and famous. Don't they have enough going on in their own lives? Or maybe I just never thought about it because I could never afford a gossip magazine.
When you have a strict budget or a foster parent who barely feeds you let alone pay for something like that, it doesn't seem very important.
Anyway, I give a moment of silence to the woman whose memory inspired this sign and take a seat. It's getting colder out so I have to pull my jean jacket tighter around me. Another super find in a second-hand store, but it's one of those that has holes in it because that's in style now. I was able to patch a few of the holes but it doesn't help keep out the cold much.
I'm happy now that Bucky got me this coffee because it's working to warm me up a little. When I take another sip I sigh in contentment and settle back in my seat. A pair of women jog by in their designer workout clothes and hundred-dollar sneakers. They glance my way and say something to each other as they pass, but I don't dare try to listen. It's not like I haven't heard people talk about me when they see me, but I also don't want to go out of the way and listen for horrible words.
It's not like I look dirty or anything, but it's clear that I'm not very well off. My clothes are old and well-worn. That's enough proof that I'm lacking in my life. At least in everyone else's eyes.
Truthfully I enjoy my life most of the time. It's better than foster care for sure, and I get to see so many new places. Not many people have the freedom to pick up and leave at any time. They are busy in their lives with nine-to-five jobs and bills. Me? I'm free of all that.
Don't get me wrong, if life offered me a steady job and a place to live I wouldn't snub the chance but it's never happened. It's best not to hope for things that are impossible.
So I have accepted this life and tried to live with a smile on my face. Bucky told me that if you smile through the rough times it makes it easier to survive. So far he hasn't been wrong.
I finish off my coffee and throw it away in the closest trash can. It's time to head for Monica's Cafe, so I turn down the opposite path and start walking that way. It's getting busier on the street and I'm too busy looking around at the chaos to notice someone coming my way. I run into a hard chest and whoever I bumped into drops their phone.
"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry!" I bend down and pick it up.
It doesn't look damaged but I brush it off and look up at the person. When he sees me he looks surprised.
"Here you go. It looks okay." I hold the phone out to him but he doesn't move to take it. "Okay..."
I reach for his hand and set the phone in it.
"I'm expected somewhere, so I have to go. Sorry again." I move around him and quickly walk away.
When I glance over m shoulder he's watching me walk away with that odd look on his face.
Okay, that's a little weird.