Ravage Me (On Hold-Permanently)(DO NOT READ!)

Chapter 2

The next morning, I got up earlier than usual and made a quick, easy breakfast of scrambled eggs for the kids. I sparingly used salt and pepper to season it, though we didn't have a lot. I set the table, my blood still racing from my encounter with the mysterious dream man.

I made my way home the previous night in a daze, with my face red and hot, and I couldn't tell if I was dreaming or if it was real. I never saw him before last night, and seeing someone in the woods like that was amazing. It was so remote, no one ever went to that area, or so I thought.

I lied awake that night, no matter how hard I tried to sleep, and thought about him. It felt too real to be a dream. Every detail of his body was etched in my memory, and I couldn't blot it out. I was overcome with a desire to see him again, and I couldn't fall asleep until I assured myself I would try again tonight. I wanted to see him again.

Every time I thought of him, heat flooded my face embarrassingly, and I couldn't find a way to cool down. I'd held frozen chicken nuggets in a bag to my face, and the only thing that happened was being caught in an embarrasing position with nuggets pressed to my face, and minor chill bumps on my arms. But I couldn't tell if that was from the cold, or from the hazy memory of him.

I forced the intriguing thoughts to the back of my mind, knowing that I couldn't spend time on him. I needed to find a job today, it was absolutely critical. I woke up the kids, one by one, and I couldn't help but grin as I watched them moan and groan and rub the sleep from their innocent eyes. A sense of motherly pride came over me, followed by a longing that only my own mother could fill. If I had things my way, she would be well enough to care for her kids. If I had my way, she wouldn't have cancer. If I had my way, my siblings would have a choice of what they wanted for dinner.

But alas, I was not God, nor Allah, nor Mother Nature, or any other diety who could have possibly changed the circumstances. I was just an innocent nineteen year old girl caring for her family in Phoenix, Arizona. I had wants and needs like any other teen girl, but I never got what I thought might be nice to have. I never put myself first, and I was okay with that.

***

Once the kids were gone off to school, I checked in on my mother, and, after seeing she was alright, I left. I wandered into the city, going into any building offering a job. I found a classy restaurant, knowing that it was expensive dining, and applied for a job in person. The lady at the front desk I was forced to talk to was chewing gum like a damn cow chews grain. Sloppy, open mouthed, and smacking her lips together, she looked at me with a bored expression behind thin wired glasses connected to glass beads that hung around her neck. Her gray, curly hair framed her wrinkled face. Although I didn't have anything against old ladies with glasses, I couldn't understand why she would be chewing gum. Didn't the elderly try to avoid that? To avoid teeth problems? Although, perhaps she didn't have dentures, I couldn't help but think that it brought down the image of the restaurant with such sloppy employees.

I looked down to her uniform, seeing that it was stained, and I realized that the entire restaurant was empty, and the floor needed a good sweep. Dust bunnies littered the floor, hiding underneath chairs and dining tables, and I forced myself to bite my tongue instead of asking where the broom closet was. Hell, I'd sweep for free, seeing how much of a dump this place was.

"Hello," I smiled kindly. "I am here to apply for the job." I tried my best ot be polite, standing straight for posture, hoping to appear older and more mature. I would work in a dump like this for my family, if it meant it would pay the bills.

The elderly woman scoffed, and I immediately thought to ask why she wasn't in her retirement yet. "We aren't hiring," she snapped, not offering an explanation.