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"Thank you so much. You are a lifesaver," I said, sliding into the passenger seat.
"Well, I am a cop, so," he said, smiling.
"You know what I mean," I chuckled.
"Where to? Back to the motel?" He asked, putting the car into gear.
"No," I groaned. "To their other garage. It's called Ravens Repo or some shit like that," I answered.
"Ah, why?" He asked, gripping the steering wheel tighter.
"They moved my car there for some reason," I answered. He nodded. It took about 20 minutes to get to the other side of town, where the garage was. The rest of the ride was an awkward silence, except for the radio with dispatch coming through with calls from other people.
We pulled up to the garage. It was still the same two years ago; literally, nothing had changed. I turned towards Officer Swan.
"Thank you again. " I smiled and smiled and nodded.
"No problem, Del. Let me know how everything goes," he said. I nodded and got out. I walked up to the office and opened the door. It still has that old screeching creak. I heard someone shout from the back. The voice was familiar.
"Just a minute, please!" I heard papers rustling and falling. "Son of a bitch," the voice groaned. I heard footsteps. A figure came out of the back room. Aunt Doll. I gasped in shock. I smiled with tears gathering as she smiled back. "Oh my god," she gasped as she trotted over to me, wrapping me into a tight hug. "I missed you so much," she whispered into my ear. We stood there hugging for a minute; I missed her, too. We grew close in those few months we knew each other. She pulled away from the hug with a tear falling. Is Aunt Doll crying? Woah…
"I missed you," I said with a hoarse voice. She grabbed my face.
"You are still so beautiful," she smiled. I grabbed her arms and looked at her.
"I'm sorry… I had… I had to leave," I whispered. Her face grew slightly sad.
"Oh honey, do not apologize for doing something you needed to improve yourself. You did what you needed to do. Do not apologize," she said, still holding my face. "You sent me a card letting me know you were safe, and that's all I needed. I knew you needed time. Even if you didn't come back, I knew and understood," she smiled. I couldn't hold back my tears anymore. They flowed, and my sniffles grew louder.
"Thank you" was all I could get out. She pulled me into another hug. I collected myself after a few minutes.
"So, what brings you here? Other than coming to say hi to the best aunt ever," she joked as she pulled out of the hug.
"Ugh, they moved here my car, I guess, and I needed to grab some things," I said, sniffling.
"Oh! Was it a white Honda?" She asked, walking around the counter.
"Yes, ma'am," I smiled. She started throwing things around the desk.
"The keys are here somewhere," she groaned. "I take two days off, and these boys turn this place upside down," she sighed. "Ah hah!" she yelled, yanking the keys out from under a stack of papers. "Here we go," she said, handing me my keys. "Come on," she said while waving her arm to follow her. I smiled and trotted up behind her.
We walked through a gate into another garage in the back lot. She brought me over to my car. I unlocked it. "So, how are things?" She asked, leaning onto her left hip.
I dug through my glove box and answered. "Honestly? Shitty"
"Why?" she asked. I stood up from grabbing my cards.
"I didn't plan on stopping," I said, standing up straight, squinting because of the sun.
"I figured," she nodded her head. "What did you do?" She asked. I tilted my head and sighed.
"Well, first, I went to therapy, ya know? Trauma and shit," I laughed. "Then I did some shows with my horse for a few months. Then my mom got sick and passed unexpectedly."
"God, I'm so sorry," she said, grabbing my shoulder. I flinched. "Shit, I'm sorry again."
"It's okay, don't worry about it," I smiled. "So anyway, my dad went downhill. He just lost himself, ya know? He lost his life partner. I was still there helping him, but she was everything to him. Anyway, he stopped everything he was doing, and we started losing money fast. So, I applied and applied and applied for jobs. Nothing. Then a new club opened, and I applied to be a bartender originally, but then the manager thought I would be better as a dancer," I said, rolling my eyes, shutting my car door, and leaning on it. Aunt Doll listened on. "So, I started making money and tried paying the bills, the hay, and feed for the animals. But it just wasn't enough. We moved the horses and a few things into my aunt's place; she said we could move in with her. Her kids are all grown, and she wanted to help care for her brother. So, we sold the house, and I continued as a dancer and made some money to save. I bought a car, got tattooed," I said, stretching out my sleeved arms and moving them up and down my body.
"Had to cover the bad memories'' I smiled. "Then my cousin got a hold of me a few weeks ago. She lived in Loveland and invited me to drive cross-country with her. I told her I didn't have any savings anymore because I spent money on my car and shit and then helping my aunt, so it made me live paycheck to paycheck, but she didn't care. So, I quit my job and headed out her way when I hit some shit on the road, and now that brings me here. What about you?" I said, taking a deep breath. She looked at me with her eyebrows raised and her mouth cracked.
