Epiphany

EP:5

Chapter 5

Tiana's Perspective

"The best gift you are ever going to give someone is the permission to feel safe in their own skin. To feel worthy. To feel like they are enough."-Hanna Brencher

•••••

    THE soreness from the worn-out bench wouldn't go away and neither would the freezing atmosphere. Time continued to pass as the sun shined from the window at a distance. I had been at the police station for over twelve hours now with still no way to get to Savannah. I was going crazy and my thoughts had become belligerent.

    Even if I did make it to Savannah I had no reliable transportation at the moment. Without a car, I couldn't find a job which meant being broke. I couldn't survive in a foreign town without money. Angie's scolding played in the back of my mind, maybe I was being careless and stupid leaving Oregon. A negative mindset was not going to get the best of me, I was going to find a solution.

All I could register were my things sitting side the road again, the irony of it all. The sheriff from the previous night came up to me at the bench with a graceful smile.

"Did you get any rest last night Ms. Woods?" The sheriff asked handing me a cup of hot tea.

"Barely I just kept thinking about my car."

He shook his head taking a seat beside me.

"So, what's next?"

"I don't even know sir."

"Please, you can call me Scott." He said placing a hand over his heart.

"Scott," I replied with a smile.

"Well you're a sweet young lady and I'm not busy at the moment I can take you anywhere you wanna go. If that's back home or to a relative's house."

"No that won't be necessary I don't know anyone around here. I was just passing through."

"Where you headed? I could take you, really I don't mind."

I could tell he pitied me one of the many things I disliked, but this was a difficult circumstance.

I really was in a pickle.

"Savannah"

"That's a drive right there, nearly two hours away."

"Yeah," I said putting my head down. No one in their right mind would help out a stranger to that caliber.

"C'mon we gotta get goin' if we wanna make it there before traffic gets hectic."

He shocked me hopping up off the bench taking personal keys from his pocket.

"Scott that's too much really it's okay I'll figure something else out."

"Don't you worry about that little ladybug I insist."

"Thank you so much."

    I had no idea what had come over me, but I pulled the short old man into a hug. Maybe I was relieved or I had finally felt sane again. Either way, this was a moment of progress.