Meeting Kate

I didn't get much sleep right before I left Albany; I was too keyed up and my thoughts raced all night. Have you ever had one of those times where no matter what direction you went, it wasn't right? Yeah, that's where I was all night. No matter how many times I rolled over or swapped pillows, trying to get the cool side, I'd lay there and think of what's happened.

I know I said I don't do outcomes, but the past few days have made me mental. No way out.

Finally, after getting something to eat at the pinnacle of breakfast cuisine, Burger King, I looked again at the map and made up my mind to go south; get out of the northeast and get some miles between me and; and what? I didn't know. I just had to do something; to move; to look like I was doing something constructive.

There was no more news about Varden, so I didn't have any idea whether my name was attached to the case or not, but after my telephone call... I just didn't know where I stood.

I've always been able to think better when I'm driving long distances, although I have auto-hypochondria; that's when you are in a car for a long time and you rub your neck and think you've found a lump; it's gotta be cancer!

Anyway. I was able to get past Washington, D.C. before my eyes burned and the car kept going towards the edge of the road. The sound of the tires hitting the edge, where there are some speed strips to warn you, popped me back to consciousness. Most of the motels along I-95 were not what I wanted; they asked for too much information and usually wanted the car's license tag. So, I took an exit near Richmond and drove towards town to find a little hole-in-the-wall Mom-and-Pop motel; the ones left over from pre-interstate.

Finally found a place some people would call "quaint", but I call old and never re-decorated. Smelled that way, too; camphor smell from the moth repellent. Too tired to care, I grabbed a small bag out of the car and undressed to my boxers; fell into bed and my eyes closed immediately. Immediately, that is, until I heard an argument and noise from the next room.

Besides the loud screaming, someone was throwing things at the wall separating me from my sleep. While I couldn't quite make out everything being said, it was loud enough to keep me from sleeping, even with the pillow over my ears.

The minutes dragged on until my neighbors decided to take their discussion outside, in front of my door. Enough! I opened the door and saw some scrawny guy throw his fist at a woman and hit her in the face. The next time he drew his hand back to hit her again, I stepped between them.

We just stared at each other for a few seconds until he said, "Fuck it! You can have her," and got in his car and left. I looked behind me and the woman looked terrible; black-eye, bloody noise, running mascara; and bruises.

I grabbed her arm and took her inside my room; no resistance at all.

"Sit down," I said and pushed her towards the foot of the bed.

I soaked a washcloth, stood in front of her, grabbed her chin and wiped her face. Tears started dropping from her eyes.

"What's going on?" I asked. She said nothing.

"You have somewhere to go?" Nothing. She just sat there.

"You can have that bed," I said pointing to one still untouched. "I'm going back to bed."

That was somewhere around 0-dark-thirty. I never saw the time. When I awoke, light was trying to creep around the curtains and Miss Messy-Face still sat at the end of the bed, The tears had stopped.

"Thank you," she said.

"What now?"

"I dunno. That was my husband last night and we're done. I have nowhere to go."

"We'll talk more after breakfast," I said. "Why don't you wash up."

An hour later, I was showered and at a Denny's with a little fresher companion. The waitress made some comment about her leaving me after she saw the bruises and black eye.

"You can call me Mack."

"I'm Kate."

"Okay, Kate. What now? Can I drop you some place? You have someone to stay with?"

"Not anymore. We were just moving to Richmond when he told me he had someone else. She's here, somewhere in Virginia, and that's that."

"Where you from?"

"Wisconsin. Milwaukee, Wisconsin. No one there either."

"I'll give you some money for bus fare. Where do you want to go?"

Kat looked straight at me, then down and the tears started flowing again.

"Okay, okay. You can ride with me a while until we get this figured out."

We ate breakfast and decided we go south together until she thought of somewhere she'd rather be. On the way back to I-95, we stopped at a Wal-Mart so Kate could get a few clothes and personal items. She changed when we got gas and, once on the road, fell sound asleep.

Two wanderers on the road. If this were still college, it would be an adventure. Now, it's still an adventure; a different kind. In college you didn't worry about the future; you felt safe no matter what. That's different now.