I Got You. |A Norminah fic|

Chapter 3

~DINAH JANE~
I zipped my hoodie up to maintain some warmth since it was an early in Feburary so it was still fairly chilly in the morning. I didn't know the time yet but based on the sun just barely peeking over the horizon I could assume maybe 6 a.m. I took in my surroundings as I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes yup still here. I let out a harsh sigh before grabbing my bag and slinging it over my shoulder. Standing up fully I noticed the people on the street but they definitely didn't notice me. They carried on about their early morning activities never even glancing in the alley in which I had made a home for myself in.

Well a fairly recent new home since my last alley I was too afraid to go back to after the altercation. I went back to the cafe once to see if I could catch a glance of the stunning chocolate woman but she seemed to be there by chance the first time . I didn't believe that she would be back anytime soon but something still persuaded me to walk by the cafe every day since then around the same time I found her or rather she found me.

I couldn't stay in that alley at night though because if there's one thing that being homeless has taught me it's that if you have an altercation in one area you don't go back. Like would you go back to spot where you were mugged, at night? No you wouldn't it's a stupid situation to put yourself in.

As I made my way out the alley to begin my very uneventful day. My day consists of waking up at the ass crack of dawn to be the first person at the gas stations and corner stores so I can maintain some sourt of hygiene. Being hygienic while living on the streets isn't the easiest thing but it's definitely not impossible. It takes some sacrifices like missing a meal just so you can get a bar of soap or toothpaste, don't even get me started on periods.

Soon as I stepped foot onto the busying street I kept my head down to attempt to blend in with the other citizens on the street as it filled with people. I made my way to the nearest gas station in a timely fashion as to not draw any further attention to myself.

I walked up the bathroom of a 7/11 thankfully with an outdoor entrance so I didn't have to walk through the front door and possibly be tasked with buying something before I could use their facilities. I knocked on the door to see if anyone was accompanying it. I always like to make sure it's empty because not only is it embarrassing to have someone watch you wash up at a sink in a gas station bathroom but it also isn't that safe.

After receiving no response for at least 2 minutes I proceeded into the tiny bathroom with only two stalls. I double checked under the stall doors to be sure that there was no one in here with me before locking the main door. I clean up pretty quickly since I didn't want to risk someone getting the cashier to come unlock the door in the middle of my washing up because they needed to release their bladder.

I pulled out a rag and a tiny sample bottle of soap I found in the back alley near the dumpsters of Walgreens. Dumpster diving has become a part of every day life for me since I can rarely afford things such as feminine and hygienic products. I've learned over the past three years that businesses often throw out perfectly good items because the shipment was wrong or there was a slight defect. The same applies with food if one food in the shipment has gone to rot then they'll often throw out the rest of the batch. I never physically get food out the garbage only if it's on the curb or near the dumpster but still in the package since I can't afford any health issues. Health care in this country is absolute shit.

I stripped off one piece of clothing at a time and washed that area before putting that item of clothing back on since it's never a good idea to be fully naked in a public area locked door or not. Once I was satisfied with the way I smelled I began to fix my hair slightly pushing a few strands into place. Normally I would put my cap on but I lost it a few days ago which is very unlike me since I never loose things out here unless they are stolen. I would've put my hair into a ponytail but I popped my rubber band yesterday trying to tame my hair. I pushed my clothes down into my pack smelling them before deciding that I needed to either clean them or replace them very soon.