Street 237

Chapter 33: The Drive

     The evening crept up and Mystery Guy arrived home around 7ish. He hung his coat on the coat rack and gave me a warm smile.
"Have a good day?" He asked as he removed his scarf and hung it on the same hook as his coat. I leaned against the back of the couch and nodded, "Yep! Just watched television all day."
"That's good." He walked into the living room and sat down and glanced at the TV.
"News huh?"
I nodded again and plopped down, "Yep. Gotta stay up to date."
"Got that right, especially in today's society."

     We waited a couple of minutes and then he asked me if I was ready to go. I stood to my feet, "Yeah!"
He stood as well and we headed down to the car. For once we left Gabe in the apartment, which was slightly odd.
    Once we got to the car he opened the door for me and I climbed in. Once he shut it, he entered in on the drivers side.
"So, where are we going?"
"We are going to go more into the city." He smiled with excitement. I hadn't been deeper into the city. I heard it was full of those really tall buildings and people playing music on the street. They said that it was best that street rats stay out of there due to the fact it was even harder to survive there. So we stayed more on the outskirts.

I pulled my seatbelt over my shoulder with pure excitement. Minutes later we were on the highway headed intercity. Just the evening lights made my face light up with joy. It was nice to see so much light, considering over half my life had been spent in darkness and shadows.
"Up here on the left there should be some Christmas lights." He said as her made a left and continued straight. I frantically looked around as if I were a little kid until my eyes finally laid on the beautiful white lights of the Christmas lights.
"There they are!" I said as I pointed. I felt like a little kid. I hadn't seen Christmas lights like those since I was like 5.
"They're Pretty Huh?" He raised an eyebrow. He obviously wasn't amused. I supposed it was because he saw them every year.
"Yeah! Don't you like them?"
"They aren't anything special—just wait until you see the ones I'm talking about."
Whatever lights he was referring to must have been something if he was so hung up on them.
I sat back in my seat and waited patiently. The white Christmas lights soon was mixed with several colors, mainly blue.
I couldn't help but smile as the lights attempted to blind me.
"Wow." I sighed with content.
"Up here," he said as he pointed, "these are the lights I was talking about!" His voice was filled with excitement, it was like he couldn't contain it. The uptight man was childish and gleaming with smiles.
I looked as we entered into the city's square. The entire place was lit up! Colors gleamed everywhere! Lit up reindeers were placed across the grass and the lampposts were wrapped with multi-colored light strings. Plastic candy canes were all around the walk ways, and children ran around with smiles.
He placed the vehicle in park once he parallel parked.
"This is—ama"
"Amazing? Yes, yes it is!" He quickly got out of the vehicle and opened my door. I climbed out and beheld the brightness. It was like a fairytale, perhaps a story or a Hallmark movie.

It felt like hours, though I had only zoned out for a minute or so. I felt a hand on my shoulder, it was his.
"You happy?" He smiled a smile I had never seen.
"Very!"
I looked and saw a clock with a countdown. I totally forgot it was New Years Eve. I looked at Mystery Guy and gave him a warm smile.
"We have three hours before the clock strikes midnight." He said as he looked at the clock.

"Crazy huh?"
"Yeah...Can you believe it's already been a year?"
"Almost a year, and no I can't believe it."
     He stared off in space for the longest time before he turned to me.
"Lane..."
"Huh? What?"
"My name is Lane."
    I felt a sense of shock come over me. I finally knew his name. After almost an entire year of living with the man, I finally know him.
"Lane? That's a nice name." I smiled and shuffled my feet slightly. I wasn't sure whether I should tell him my name or even if he wanted to know my name.
    He looked down and then back at me. His eyes glistened.
"What's yours Street Chick?"

    It was the moment of truth. I questioned whether I should actually tell him what it was. I had my guard up for so long it was hard to let it down one last time.
    I took a deep breath and looked up at the barely visible stars.
"London."  It rolled off my tongue like silk. I hadn't said my own name in quite some time.
     I heard him snicker slightly and it made me look at him.
"Thats a pretty name. Never would have guessed it." He paused a moment, "London, tell me. Tell me about your old life."

    It was odd talking hearing it as my "old life." All my life I had referred to it as "my life," but since Mystery Guy—Lane—came into the scene, he changed it all. For the better.
  
     I sighed and looked down.
"What do you want to know?"
"What it was like living on the streets."
"Well," I wasn't sure where to begin. But I knew how to describe it.
"It's like you're all alone. Nobody has your back, it's a free for all match. Nobody cares about you except your fellow —your fellow street rats," he was silent.
"It's cold, wet and dark. You have to make a makeshift shelter if you were even fortunate to find materials —a box—maybe even a piece of metal. Metal is like gold on the streets."
 
    "I had no idea," he finally spoke.
"It's a scary place, Lane. People don't realize that many end up there not because they're lazy, but because there's some sort of situation behind it." I folded my arms.
"People don't get it."