I am writing a series of short stories that will eventually intertwine. Here is the beginning to the first story in the series. Now this is my second draft and I am working on a third now. I have a problem with present and past tenses, ha-ha. But this story is about 13 pages long. This is just the beginning 2 or 3 pages. Please enjoy and any comments are much appreciated…
Her cigarette burns as the sun set behind the Tower Bridge. The cool air blows through her curly chestnut hair, hinting that fall was coming. She took another drag as it became darker and the last bit of sun glistened on the bright golden bridge. She flicks the rest. They always leave a bad taste in her mouth towards the end, almost as if it’s a reminder that she shouldn’t be smoking anyway. She decided to head through the cobble-stone streets of Old Sacramento towards a destination not thought of yet. All she knew was that she didn’t want to be stagnant any loner, so she walked. She hugged her jacket a little closer as the wind began to pick up. It was always colder by the river. She hurried through the smell of fudge being made fresh at the chocolate store towards the beginning of the mall that isn’t anymore. She decided to take J street, where you could see the new Kings arena being built into the non-existent downtown mall.
She walked with a blank expression on her face, carrying no glimpse of what was going on in her head. There were people on the street but she didn’t notice them. They seemed like blurs of existence in her life. Just blurring past her in an endless continuous motion, one that could only manifest downtown amongst the suits and state-workers. She decided to get a coke icee, those were always a good choice, even in the cold. She decided to head towards the Seven Eleven on J street. A gust of air blew the scent of the urine filled alleyways into her nostril forcing the first expression onto her face all day. One of anticipated disgust. She lit another smoke as she trudged on blankly.
“Can you spare another?” asked a homeless man that was sitting on the sidewalk a couple blocks away from the 7/11.
“Sure.” she said as she hands him her last cigarette.
“Oh that’s okay if it’s your last.” he said.
She wasn’t sure what to make of the homeless man, who has nothing and who was willing on giving up possibly his only chance at a smoke that night. She stared at him blankly for a moment as her cigarette burned slowly. She flicked her smoke and took a drag as he said, “It’s okay girl.”
“Please, you have nothing.” she said rather quickly.
“That’s it though. I have nothing and I know that. You have something and having nothing when you have something is worse than my situation.” he replied.
As he said this his eyes pierced through her. She shivered at his piercing glare. He must have seen the loss in her eyes. Not the physical loss of someone but the loss of self. The loss of everything you knew and the look of having no one to lean on. She still couldn’t grasp what he was saying. Instead she smiled at him and wished him a good night. She knew she was going to buy more smokes with her icee but didn’t argue. As she walked on she heard him shiver as the wind blew passed them. She made it to 7/11 and bought her icee, pack of smokes, and a hot dog and hot coco for the kind homeless man. He gave her something she didn’t have earlier, or maybe never had, he had given her comfort.
She walked back in the direction of the man but when she reached the area he was at he was gone. She looked around but saw no trace of the man. She looked at the area he was at and sat down. The wind picked up for a bit and she began to regret her icee choice. She sat there in the mans spot drinking the hot coco and eating the hot dog. She didn’t have as bad as this guy did. She started to think of her life and how she got here. She didn’t like her past. It hurt too much.
When she was four years old she remembers her mother kissing her on the forehead and crying through her deep blue eye shadow, “Good-Bye Kit, I love you,” she said. The blue eye shadow she only wore on one eye. She told Kit and her brother, Shane it was because she was pirate. But her mothers face was always a blur, except her eye shadow.
After Shane turned 9, their father began beating him. At first for small things like entertaining her or leaving toys out. Eventually their father drank so much he would beat Shane because he was bored. He would kick her around too every once and awhile but usually she hid in the back of the closet reading books by flashlight. Shane kept her father at bay and took a lot of beatings to the point he started standing up for himself, which only made things worse. This is where she usually stops. She never goes further.
She packs her smokes and lights another one. Her mouth is dry but all she has is icee. She drinks it up and smokes her cig. The smell of rain begins to slowly fill the air. It will rain tonight. She smiles and feels warm as if she can hear Sacramento and feel her land embracing the upcoming water. California has been thirsty for awhile now and this little bit of rain means hope to her inhabitants. Kit is too cold now and she has work in the morning so she begins the trek home. She just hopes her power is still on.