Whatever."
"Milo." She picked the name as if she was claiming that as the name she'd call me. "Maya."
She put her hand out and I took it, pumping it gently. "It was nice to meet you, Maya."
"Same, Milo. I hope to see you again. Here, at the center for a meeting," she hurriedly corrected.
"Maybe." I started to leave, but stopped and looked over at her. "And if I had one of those chips, it would say one year, ten months, and twenty-one days on it. Not quite two years, but it's longer than I thought I'd ever get," I mused. That just didn't seem real. If she could only have seen me back then.
"That's amazing," she said in surprise.
I smirked. "What?"
"Nothing. I assumed you were a newbie, one of those one-weekers or something. Most people who don't come to meetings have a really hard time staying clean."
"Never said it wasn't hard."
"But," she continued as if I hadn’t interrupted, "that's what I get for assuming, right?"
"No, tell me what you get."
She laughed, which had been my intention. Man, she sounded angelic like that. "I'll let you figure it out."
"Maybe I will, next week."
I was being stupid. I should never come back here. This girl was going to get me into a different kind of trouble that I wasn't sure I was ready for. But I needed to come…well, I kind of promised Joe I would.
"I'll be here," she said easily, shrugging one shoulder, and smiling before moving past me to stand at the back of the group. That thought made me feel somewhat easier about this whole group thing.
I walked past the body shop to my apartment. I liked walking and running. It not only kept me in shape and busy, but it kept my limp from being so noticeable. It never bothered me too much. And when I ran, I didn't notice it at all, but when I walked, especially at the end of the day, you could tell sometimes.
My apartment was the next block over from the shop, above a little Chinese restaurant that made their own fortune cookies. It actually wasn't a bad place to live, smelling cookies baking all day. My apartment was small, and the dark brick walls made it seem even smaller. It was a studio apartment, so the bedroom and living room had no real walls to separate them. I didn't have much.
But it was mine. I paid the rent, the lights, bought my own food. The fact that I paid those bills with the new last name I had to change to Sawyer to make sure that nobody ever came looking for me didn't matter.
I took a quick, hot shower and then laid on the couch and watched hot rod rebuild shows as I ate a sandwich. I texted Joey and told her I went to a meeting. She told me she got settled into her new place and started the new job on Monday.
This was my life and I wouldn't wish this nonexistent life on anyone.
But I thanked God for that nonexistence every…
Single.
Day.
Maya
I stared at the coin that displayed for all to see that the user had made it two years without a drink or smoke or pill. I slipped it into my purse for safekeeping. I didn't know if that guy was going to come back, but if he did, I'd have a coin for him in a few weeks when he reached his two year mark. To the day.
It had been three days and I still found my mind drifting to him sometimes. He was so different from other guys. Getting clean without doing meetings was pretty impressive. Or dumb, depending on how you looked at it.
Probably a little of both.
But I knew one thing he was for certain, brave. And scarred. That's two things, but generally I've come to realize those things come hand-in-hand. My cell rang and I glanced over at it to see HOME displayed on the screen. My heart beat so hard as I grabbed it quickly and said a prayer in my head as my mouth said, "Will?"
"It's okay. Geez, you know I can call just to call and it doesn't mean I'm about to keel over."
He was irritated. I rolled my eyes. It wasn't my fault I panicked every time he called. "What's up?"
"Will you bring home some dinner? Real dinner. I'm
"Milo." She picked the name as if she was claiming that as the name she'd call me. "Maya."
She put her hand out and I took it, pumping it gently. "It was nice to meet you, Maya."
"Same, Milo. I hope to see you again. Here, at the center for a meeting," she hurriedly corrected.
"Maybe." I started to leave, but stopped and looked over at her. "And if I had one of those chips, it would say one year, ten months, and twenty-one days on it. Not quite two years, but it's longer than I thought I'd ever get," I mused. That just didn't seem real. If she could only have seen me back then.
"That's amazing," she said in surprise.
I smirked. "What?"
"Nothing. I assumed you were a newbie, one of those one-weekers or something. Most people who don't come to meetings have a really hard time staying clean."
"Never said it wasn't hard."
"But," she continued as if I hadn’t interrupted, "that's what I get for assuming, right?"
"No, tell me what you get."
She laughed, which had been my intention. Man, she sounded angelic like that. "I'll let you figure it out."
"Maybe I will, next week."
I was being stupid. I should never come back here. This girl was going to get me into a different kind of trouble that I wasn't sure I was ready for. But I needed to come…well, I kind of promised Joe I would.
"I'll be here," she said easily, shrugging one shoulder, and smiling before moving past me to stand at the back of the group. That thought made me feel somewhat easier about this whole group thing.
I walked past the body shop to my apartment. I liked walking and running. It not only kept me in shape and busy, but it kept my limp from being so noticeable. It never bothered me too much. And when I ran, I didn't notice it at all, but when I walked, especially at the end of the day, you could tell sometimes.
My apartment was the next block over from the shop, above a little Chinese restaurant that made their own fortune cookies. It actually wasn't a bad place to live, smelling cookies baking all day. My apartment was small, and the dark brick walls made it seem even smaller. It was a studio apartment, so the bedroom and living room had no real walls to separate them. I didn't have much.
But it was mine. I paid the rent, the lights, bought my own food. The fact that I paid those bills with the new last name I had to change to Sawyer to make sure that nobody ever came looking for me didn't matter.
I took a quick, hot shower and then laid on the couch and watched hot rod rebuild shows as I ate a sandwich. I texted Joey and told her I went to a meeting. She told me she got settled into her new place and started the new job on Monday.
This was my life and I wouldn't wish this nonexistent life on anyone.
But I thanked God for that nonexistence every…
Single.
Day.
Maya
I stared at the coin that displayed for all to see that the user had made it two years without a drink or smoke or pill. I slipped it into my purse for safekeeping. I didn't know if that guy was going to come back, but if he did, I'd have a coin for him in a few weeks when he reached his two year mark. To the day.
It had been three days and I still found my mind drifting to him sometimes. He was so different from other guys. Getting clean without doing meetings was pretty impressive. Or dumb, depending on how you looked at it.
Probably a little of both.
But I knew one thing he was for certain, brave. And scarred. That's two things, but generally I've come to realize those things come hand-in-hand. My cell rang and I glanced over at it to see HOME displayed on the screen. My heart beat so hard as I grabbed it quickly and said a prayer in my head as my mouth said, "Will?"
"It's okay. Geez, you know I can call just to call and it doesn't mean I'm about to keel over."
He was irritated. I rolled my eyes. It wasn't my fault I panicked every time he called. "What's up?"
"Will you bring home some dinner? Real dinner. I'm
Similar Books
London Belles
Annie Groves
Meet Me Under the Mistletoe
Abby Clements
Irresistible Forces
Brenda Jackson
The Jezebel Remedy
Martin Clark
The Proposition
Judith Ivory
Heaven's Promise
Paolo Hewitt
The 13th Target
Mark de Castrique
Abandon
Jerusha Moors