Everyday Life

All Roads Lead To Home

Malissa continued her walk that day until she couldn't no more. She just about collapsed on the ground again until a car pulled up beside her. "Excuse me," The driver said. She was a young looking lady. "Do you need a ride?"

"Y-yes. That would be wonderful. Thank you." Malissa climes into the passenger seat of the car. Once she was in the seat she relaxed. She was so glad to rest. She had been walking all day and her whole body ached.

"Where are you headed to?"

"Tulsa."

"Tulsa?" The women was caught off guard. "Tulsa, Oklahoma? Why that's a long ways a way, sweetheart. At least 4 hours. You're in Missouri right now." Missouri! She made it all the way to Missouri? She was 4 hours away from home! She had no clue she had came so far.

"O-Oh. I didn't know I was this far away." The lady then started to move to the car from its spot. It made Malissa a little nauseous. She felt sick, tired, and achey. "How far are you going to take me?" She had a feeling this lady wouldn't take her all the way to Tulsa. A place 4 hours away.

"Probably to the nearest bus stop. Do you have any money?" Malissa shook her head. "I'll give you some in a minute, okay?" Malissa nodded. She felt bad taking someone else's money. Being a charity case. But what other choice did she have? She felt close to death at this point, and all she wants is to get home. And she couldn't do that without a little money.

When that made it to the stop, the lady pulled out 5 dollars from her purse. "Here, this should be enough." She placed the money in her hands and then closed them. Still having her hands placed on Malissa's, she said, "Please be careful. I don't want you to get hurt. Do you need anything else. I'm sorry I can't help you anymore."

"It's fine, ma'am. And I'm fine." Truth was, Malissa was starving and dying for something to drink. But she didn't want to burden the nice lady anymore then she already has. So she just got out of the car and sat down on a bench.

The lady had drove off as she sat there waiting. Malissa wanted to close her eyes, but she knew that wasn't an option. If she did she would fall asleep and be even more behind.

Finally the bus came. She got on and gave the driver his money. "Um...how far does this bus route go?" He told how far the route goes. It didn't go far enough, but Malissa would ride it until the end. She did that for a few times on a few buses, falling asleep on each one. Since it was getting dark, and since no bus would drive to from Missouri to Oklahoma, she had to walk.

She walked until she finally reached the sign that said she was coming into Oklahoma. She had 2 hours left to Tulsa if she could catch a bus. By walking it would be a lot longer. She sighed and began her walk. She was thankful for those little naps on the buses, although they wouldn't help much.

Suddenly, a car pulled up. A man asked her where she was going. She told him and he offered her a ride. She knew not to ride with strangers, but she had no other choice. She already did it once today, and she really didn't care. Malissa did stay awake though, not fully trusting this man. The man drove for about an hour before stopping, saying it was as far as he could bring her. She thanked him before getting out.

She was getting closer. She walked for over an hour—a long, horrible hour filled with pain—before reaching a sign that said Tulsa. She smiled. She was in her home town. She was so close now. She just had to get through the west side undetected. People were driving on the streets but no one seemed to notice her. Someone did, however, roll down their window and whistle at her. She just ignored it and kept walking.

She finally made it to the east side. She continued to walk for a bit more, each step took a lot out of her. Finally the Curtis house was in sight. With every ounce of energy she could muster, she took off running. Once she burst through the door all she heard was her name being called before she passed out.

A/N I'm sorry if some of the information doesn't add up. Like the hours and the fact that she goes through the west side. I looked up the hours and that's what it told me, and I wanted to make the walk home as long as possible. In a way I feel like it's a little rushed but I do like this chapter! The next one will be better (hopefully)! I hope you enjoy it though!