Goodbye City Life!

 Aaliyah reassured her driver that she didn't need any help packing. To be honest it was embarrassing to let anyone see how she had been living. She had sold almost everything she owned to be able to stay in her apartment. She had no tv, not even a table and chairs. She only had a bed and her couch, both of which she had bought used. In fact she was grateful that she had them. She had thought she was going to have to sell her bed and sleep on the couch. She thought, "This is only going to take about fifteen minutes at the most." She had an old cardboard box and started putting things in it that she wanted to take with her. She packed her few clothes, some dishes, pots and pans, and a few towels. She packed her backpack with her toiletries and some things she might need on the road then she was done. Then she saw it; the picture of her mama sitting sadly by her almost dead plant. "Oh Mama, what did you do? Why all the secrecy? Well, you are going with me, that's for sure. In you go!"  She taped the box shut and didn't even look back except to take a peek in the spider's corner. She was even gone. "Good for you, Miss Spider and good luck to you."

She easily carried the box out to the car, her backpack on her back and her dreams in her heart. She was ready for an adventure.

She had dragged an old stuffed unicorn that her mama had given her years ago out of her closet and held him closely to her heart. "Well, Stuffy, what do you think? Am I crazy or one of the luckiest girls ever?" She got no answer, but as usual he listened to her with no words of wisdom or advice, but with the ease of an old and dear friend. She settled him on her lap for a minute and they were on their way.

The driver took her directly to the storage unit and helped her get her things situated in the camper. She quickly grabbed her unicorn, propped him in the passenger seat, fastened his seat belt and they were almost ready to go.  The driver winked at her and gave her a friendly wave goodbye. She was on her own, only this time she had wheels and a portable home that no one could take away from her.

Aaliyah thought about money, but decided that there was enough food in the cooler and she had a full tank of gas. There had been some cash in the envelope with the debit card so she was more than ready to make her way to Texas. As she drove out of town she looked in the rearview mirror. She was leaving the city life which was her mother's way of life. She was heading towards parts unknown to a ranch of all places. She grinned and said, "So let's do this!"

Stuffy as always never said a word. He was busy holding on to her new smart phone. She had the GPS set for her new home in Texas. She didn't notice the young man in the alley watching her leave.

It was getting late and she was getting tired. She had had a late start so she started looking for a campground which was absolutely new to her. At last she saw a sign that said that there was just a campground just a few miles ahead. When she pulled into the park the attendant booth was empty so she pulled through to find herself an empty spot.

The park looked pretty full. "Boy look at all those fancy campers. Our little old camper looks like a bug next to those big things.  I hope we find a spot where I can just pull through. I'm not used to this, Stuffy. Oh man the only empty one is on the very edge of the campground. Okay, here goes nothing. I hope I can get this thing parked so we can get some food out of the cooler. I am too tired to cook. I just want to have a sandwich and get a good night's sleep. We can start early in the morning on our new adventure, but after we eat a good breakfast."

The sweat was running down the side of her face, she was getting exhausted. Her arms were so tired she could hardly feel them. The camper just would not go the way she wanted it to go. It would go left when she wanted it to go right. She pulled the camper forwards, then backwards. Maybe this wasn't a good idea, Stuffy. Oh no! I am sideways and can't get out of this place. There is a tree in front of me and one in back of me. What are we going to do now? I have been trying to get this thing parked for forty-five minutes. I guess there's nothing to do but curl up in the passenger seat until someone is willing to help us get out of here. I just can't do anymore. Come here, old friend, it's just you and me like it's been for years. I'll lock the doors and try to get some sleep. Man even the pillows and blanket is in the back of that old camper. Good thing it it isn't too cold yet. Night, buddy." Aaliyah squirmed and wrestled her little friend to her chest repeatedly until from sheer exhaustion she fell asleep with her head resting on the hard metal of the door. She had completely forgotten that the key to the camper side door was on the keyring in the ignition.

Some strangers had been watching Aaliyah with a great deal of interest from some distance away.