Page 5 of The Road to You
After we paid her, she grabbed some of the dishes off the table and wished us a good night. Once again, I watched her until she was out of sight. “Damn, Bro. Let me find out that you got a lil crush,” Aaron jested.
“Shit, I might think I do. Miss Bruqlyn is beautiful,” I said as we all stood to leave. I had a feeling I would be here a little more often than normal.
We all walked out together. My brother was in the middle of telling me something about his book cafe he recently opened. Aaron was a book head and loved to read. When he got his degree in literature, everyone was shocked because of his street essence. He was the type to pop a nigga, then throw out some Horatio quote over the dead body.
“Wait! I know this bum bitch doesn’t live in her car! Wow!” Cece’s loud outburst drew our attention like I was sure she wanted it to.
In the parking lot toward the back of the restaurant, there was a nice van with the side door open. There was lighting in the van, so you could see inside where Bruqlyn sat at a small table. She glared at Cece. “I don’t live in my car. I live in my van, dummy.” She rolled her eyes, then asked, “Is there something I can do for you, goofy?”
She wasn’t ashamed of her living situation. Something about that made me want to get to know her even more. From the look of the inside of the van, she had a nice setup. My eyes drifted to the top of her van.Wait, are those…
Chapter 2
Bruqlyn
Sometimes, I wanted the Lord to wipe stupid bitches off the face of the earth. I knew that was an irrational request because, without the stupid bitches, how would we know what a thorough bitch was? All I could do was thank the Lord that my unbothered spirit was strong. Don’t be confused. Jesus shook tables, while I would flip them over if necessary.
Over six years ago, my mother had a conversation with me that changed my life. She gave me an escape plan that she wanted me to use when I was ready. I never thought I would be ready until she died less than a month later in a car accident. I was devastated, angry, and more confused. Carter respected my mother’s wish to be cremated. I wore some of her ashes in a heart necklace that I always kept on. I also kept a very small urn with more ashes, and the rest were spread over her rose garden.
Carter stayed in a bubble for a few weeks, which made me think he really loved my mother. I knew better though. She was a possession that he’d lost. When he got out of his bubble, he turned his abuse on me. After he broke my arm, I knew it was time to put that escape plan into play.
Per my mother’s instruction, I was to use a fake ID that she secured for me to take a train from Mississippi to Charlotte,North Carolina. She was from Richmond, Virginia, but she couldn’t send me there, because she knew that it was the first place that Carter would look. She had an old friend in Charlotte, North Carolina, who opened a safety deposit box for her and placed things that she sent to her into it.
Her friend Milo met me at the train station and took me immediately to the box to retrieve the contents. She also booked me a room in an extended stay for a month so that I could get myself together. When I asked her how she knew my mother, she said they were associates in college, and my mother had helped her during a very trying time in her life.
Milo died weeks after I met her from cancer. With the money that my mother left me in the safety deposit box, as well as a small life insurance policy, I went back and forth about how I would use it most efficiently. I knew I would have to stay off the grid to a certain degree. My biggest fear was that Carter would find me.
On TikTok one day, I saw a girl who outfitted her van to live in, and that was when it hit me. Most might find it foolish, but I felt it was the best decision that I’d ever made. I purchased a brand-new transit passenger van XLT, then hired someone to help me outfit it for what I needed. I stayed in a hotel until it was finished.
“Yo, are those solar panels on top of your van?” the chocolate, handsome man asked with his finger pointed at them. He wore an intriguing smile that accompanied his curious stare.Damn, this man is fine.
I smiled. “Yes, they are. Nice, huh?” I responded.
He took a step closer while everyone else in his group looked on. The other men held an expression of indifference, and the stupid bitches looked aggie. I wasn’t sure if the other two females were stupid per se, but stupid people tended to hang together to avoid brain hurt.
“Yeah, that shit is real nice.” He took another step and poked his head into my van without my consent. “This shit is nice. Damn, you got a sink and cabinets. How do you cook, or you eat out a lot?”
I appreciated his questions because they didn’t come across as condescending. He was really interested. I placed my book down in front of me, then reached over to open the cabinet under my sink. “No, I cook with these.”
Under my cabinet, I had a small air fryer, a mini waffle maker, and a hot plate, along with everything that I needed to prepare food and eat. The love for my mobile home was enormous. I spent a lot of time procuring the things I needed to make it a home.
“Damn, that shit is dope,” one of the other men said. “Did you do all the artwork? How do you stop those plants on that shelf up there from falling when the van moves?”
The girl who talked the most shit sucked her teeth. “Are we really here talking about how a bum bitch lives in her little ass van? This shit is wild.”
See, bitches loved to wake the beast.The chocolate-skinned man moved to the side with a faint smile of amusement playing across his lips when I climbed out of my van. I stepped into the stupid bitch’s face. “I’m not sure if you recognize a threat when you see one. Just in case you don’t, let me warn you that your dumb ass is in danger. See, I don’t fuck with those who don’t fuck with me. When I am fucked with, I tend to think that the person fucking with me wishes to tempt death.
“Now, what you see as a van, is my solace. I will end the world behind it.” I stepped back to my van, leaning into it to reach for what I needed. When I turned around, I garnished my babyfucks given.When I cocked the hammer back, the three men drew their firearms and held them by their sides. I gave thema nod to let them know it wasn’t for them. The stupid bitches gasped.
“Would you all like to see if you can evade death, or would you rather go on about your night? I’m sure y’all will keep your little pussies warm to be fucked on when these gentlemen get to you.” I stood, ready to do whatever.
When living like I did, one had to be prepared to protect oneself at all costs. I made sure I took concealed carry and self-defense classes. I had never been a punk, even when I was in my unfortunate situation with Carter. Life had made me harder than I wanted to be, if I were honest, but it was what it was.
“Oh, hell no! I’m not about to get in some shit because you want to talk shit you can’t back up,” one of the other females said. “Aaron, call me when you’re ready to come over.”
See, like I said, they’d keep those pussies warm. Without another word, they walked off hastily. I walked back to my home to place my firearm back where it belonged before I pivoted to face the men. “Now, to answer your questions. Yes, I did the artwork. I clearly have a thing for dreamcatchers,” I said with a grin.
The inside of my mobile home had oakwood flooring and side paneling. The base where my plush mattress sat was also oak, as well as a small part of the back ceiling. All the windows were slightly tinted, but there were still curtains to cover them. Above the wood panel, I painted it teal with gold dreamcatchers and plant vines. It really was my best work. Since I could remember, I’d always painted. My mother was an art major and passed her passion down to me.
