WAITING FOR A HERO :: Beatings

        She's sitting on the curb, in the parking lot, running through her options. She's been sitting on the curb for forty-five minutes. She's been sitting alone for twenty. Everyone went home.
        If she goes back home... But she can't go back home. Not after what she said to her family.
        If she goes home... But she can't go home. Not after what she said to him.
        If she goes... Where else can she go? Her bank account is empty. She won't get paid for another eight days. She could go to a shelter. But there aren't any homeless shelters here.
        There's another type of shelter, though. But she can't go there.
        Maybe sneak back onto the site and just sleep in one of the buildings. No one would know. The security guard doesn't know all the sites secrets.
        Then again, neither does she.
        It's getting dark out. The warmth of the day is beginning to drift away. A cool wind whips her hair around her face. She pulls her forehead from her knees and stares out into the barren parking lot, her chin resting on her knees, now.
        She can't even leave the parking lot. She's got eighty three cents in her pocket. Two quarters, a dime, two nickels, and thirteen pennies.
        Her stomach rumbles and twists. Her ribs are aching from the lack of food. She hasn't eaten in days.
        That's not entirely true. She's eaten. She just hasn't been able to keep anything down. And every time she's sick, her ribs voice their rage against the rest of her body.
        The sky is growing dark, rather quickly. It won't be long before it starts to rain.
        She presses her forehead to her knees again, and holds her legs against her chest. Her ribs are sore, sitting like this, but it relieves the pressure on her back and neck.
        Two options. Both unacceptable. Both impossible. No options, then.
        She smells the rain before she feels it. The thick scent of wet pine invades her senses. And then she feels the cold droplets slowly begin to tap at her skin. Before long, she feels the onslaught of the summer tears.
        He'll be furious when she calls him. When he has to drive all the way out here to get her. She won't hear the end of. She won't remember it either, though. A blessing in disguise.
        But what if she didn't call him? Would he really care that she wasn't home? Would he get worried? Would he come looking for her?
        Her family thinks she's with him. They don't care though. She went back to him. After they told her it was them or him. She chose him. And they haven't looked at her since.
        The rain falling over her hair slips along the edges of her face, pulling the makeup from her face. Clear water becomes thick with coverup and stage powder.
        The sound of splashing draws her head from her knees. She looks into the parking lot, wiping the falling rain from her eyes, feeling small drops slipping from the tip of her nose.
        Two lights bounce off the wet pavement. She tilts her head to the side a little. Someone for the restaurant, maybe. Though they're closed tonight, maybe someone forgot a purse or a bag.
        The car splashes through the puddles, the windshield wipers moving back and forth at the fastest setting. The vehicle pulls up beside her. The passenger window slides down, the falling rain soaking the woman inside.
        She smiles softly and sadly at her friend, standing in the rain and shivering. "Get in, hun."
        She shakes her head in the rain, sending drops of water to the left and right. "I'm fine. Just waiting for a ride."
        The woman in the driver's seat leans over and looks out the passenger window, "Get in the fucking car! I'm taking you back to my place. Now get the fuck in!!"
        Again, standing in the downpour, she shakes her head no.
        The passenger steps into the rain, slips to the rear door, and opens it. She pulls a blanket out and wraps her soaked friend in it. "Please," she says softly, guiding but still pushing the young woman into the backseat.
        The passenger slips into the seat behind the driver. The latter immediately locks the doors once both women are safely seated inside. The heat flares. The windows are rolled up.
        They drive off into the pumelling rain, in complete silence.