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“Every night is different.”
I nod my head in understanding even though it brings a pit to my stomach just to think about.
“I didn’t know Asher had a sister.”
“She’s older than us. Almost 30. Acts more like his mom than his sister, honestly.” He chuckles as we pull into a brick building with boarded up doors and windows.
Outside the door is Tattoo Face and he and Eli knock knuckles. “Kate, you remember Lucky.”
I smile at him, appreciative to finally know his name.
Inside we find Red sitting at the counter and he nods to us as he buzzes the door to let us through to another room. My heart sinks. Dozens of cots line a big room, all of them filled with women. Many of them have a bag with them while others seem to have nothing. In the corner is a small toy area and rug, where a blonde woman is laughing and playing with two little kids.
“You okay?” Eli asks.
I nod my head. “It’s just…”
“Hard. Yeah.”
He shows me where extra clothing, blankets, and pillows are kept along with cleaning supplies and nonperishable foods and snacks. An older woman approaches us with a bruise on the side of her face. Her clothing is torn and she stumbles on her words as she nervously glances at Eli.
“Can I get you some clothes?” I offer, pulling her attention.
“Please.”
I lead her away from Eli, helping her find some comfortable clothing and grabbing her some muffins and juice.
“Do you have blankets and pillows?”
“I’m fine—”
“No, no. Here let me grab them.”
I grab some for her and bring them over to where her cot is and she sits with her food in her hands. She trembles and I resist the urge to hug her, knowing how I react to others touching me and unsure if she may feel the same.
“Can I sit with you?”
She nods and smiles softly to me.
“I feel so stupid,” she finally whispers.
“You aren’t stupid.”
“Twenty-two years,” she whispers, eyeing me as she brushes a tear from her face. “I’ve given him twenty-two years to change. I should have left the first time… but…”
“But you left now. That’s all that’s important. It's not too late to start a new life. A safe one.”
“What am I supposed to do? I’m almost fifty. I’ve never even worked. I have nothing.”
“Have you applied for any state aid?”
She flushes and shakes her head. “I’m not very good with computers…” she admits with embarrassment.
“Me either,” I admit. “Let’s figure it out together.”
I pull out my phone and log in to the state assistance website. We figure out how to apply for benefits and I get her information as I type it in for her. After about twenty minutes, she’s applied for food benefits along with housing assistance and a state funded cell phone.
“I gave the phone number for here so they should be calling you tomorrow to verify information since it’s considered an emergency.”
