On The Run

She felt sick as she made the drive into work.  She was crying as she did every night before she went in to the place.  How long have I been doing this now?  She wondered. ” Too long,” she answered herself aloud without noticing.  It was fun at first made her feel good about herself even.  But all the crap you put up with.  It became real old real fast.  Turning her blinker on to make the exit from Hwy 75 to the Atlanta bypass 285 East.  She began to take deep breaths as she turned into the parking lot.  She parked the car and cut the engine off in doing so she cut the engine off.  When she did she turned off her emotions and made her way into the dressing room of the strip bar getting into costume.  She was now Bailey Belle.

The phone woke her up early.  “Who the hell is calling so early,”  she wondered.  She rolled over to answer noticing she was alone in her bedroom. “How many nights did this make, Caitlin wondered quietly.  “Caitlin are you awake,” her mom asked on the other line.    “I am now,”  she answered sleepily somewhat aggravated at the question.  “Caitlin, your Aunt Linda has tried to get in touch with you,” her mom said.  “The day you left town with that imbecile your granny had a stroke,” her mother continued.  “What,”  Caitlin screamed into the phone while sitting straight up in the bed.  “Mama,” she said her voice shaking as she cried.  “Mama is she…..?”   At the same time her mom was saying– “Caitlin , she is ok.”   Her mom continued,  “The Dr.  says that she will get better but there’s a problem.”  “What is it mama,” she asked.  Still crying a pang of guilt hit her.  “Well, Dr. Benjamin said with rehab she would be ok but she would have to go home for 2 weeks and be readmitted for insurance reasons.  Jimmie pitched a fit so your dad put her in a nursing home in Cullman, her mom finished.   “What,”  Caitlin stood up angry now.  “That bitch,”  Caitlin said.  She couldn’t stand her step monster.  “Caitlin, Linda talked to Dr. Benjamin and he says she will go down fast that far away from home, family, and friends”  Caitlins whole body stiffened as she heard Jake come in the back door. ” Mom, I gotta go.”   “Caitlin,”  her mom was saying but Caitlin hung up the phone.

Jake walked into the bedroom talking to himself.  “Up all night again I see,”  Caitlin said sickened by the sight of him.  When Jake wasn’t on crank he was very good looking.  Right now his head was the biggest part of his body.  He had not eaten in days.  He was delusional.  “I suppose you’re not going to look for a job today,” Caitlin asked him.   “No,”  he said.  “I watched them watch me all night,:” Jake told her.  “Jake, they don’t even know where you’re at,”  Caitlin said.  Jake was on the run from the law for a felony DUI.  The day he left town she decided at last-minute to go with him and now look what happened.  She thought to herself.  That was a month ago. “Jake when we left Brownsboro you promised I wouldn’t have to strip for long,” Caitlin said quietly.  “I thought you liked it,”  he said sounding almost condescending like as he peeped out their bedroom window blinds.  “Jake have you looked at yourself in the mirror lately,” Caitlin asked him.  “You look like shit your eyes are sunk into your head.  Your heads the biggest part of your body.  Your killing yourself Why don’t you just turn yourself in Please Jake,” she begged.  Jake walked over to the bed and to lay down.  “Good,” she thought to herself maybe he will go to sleep.  “I’m not going back to jail,”  he said as he finally got still.  Caitlin said nothing hoping he would finally sleep   But 5 minutes later someone banged on the front door.  Jake jumped straight up out of  the bed pulling up his jeans to go to the door.  Suddenly, he stopped.  He looked over at Caitlin hoping she hadn’t noticed but she did.  They were her jeans he had put on.  She was a size one.

Caitlin lay quietly in the bed crying.  It was Marty at the door.  Well she thought to herself, he will be up another 7 days.  Yet, she felt sorry for him.  She felt guilty about her grandmother.  She was sickened by the fact she was stripping in a bar.  Just what I always wanted to be when I grew up, she thought to herself.

Caitlin didn’t lay there long she got up and put her clothes on walking into the living room.  Marty and Jake were about to snort mile long lines.  Caitlin picked up her purse.  “Where are you going,”  Jake asked.  “I like my job so well I think I will work a double,” she responded.  With that she walked out the door.

She arrived at Cullman Healthcare Center 3 hours later in Cullman, Alabama.

 

To be continued…….