On My Knees

Chapter 2: The Shelter

"So...I spoke with everyone about...well about what happened earlier and um there's no easy way for me to tell you this. But I'm going to have to let you go Kaila."

In that moment the small girl felt like she had just been slapped across the face. All her hard work. All of her sacrifices. Gone.

Throwing her door wide open, Kaila put her hands together as she begged the woman. "Please no I'm sorry! I'll work harder! I'll...I'll even work on my off days but please don't fire me! I need this job!"

"I know you mean well Kaila, but this is just business. I can't have what happened earlier become a normal occurrence around here. I can't put everyone else here at risk because of that. That type of crowd will scare my business away. I'm sorry."

"Please I'll make the money in full from now on. I'll work nonstop all month! I'll do every overtime I can! I'll...I'll find shifts I can take. Please anything but this!"

"I'm sorry. I've done everything I can for you but I have to let you go now."

Crying just as hard as before Kaila was in shambles as the woman standing in front of her just rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly.

"Does this mean I have to move out too?" She asked in defeat.

"It does." The news only broke the girls heart more as she collapsed down to her knees. "I'm sorry but having you around, even to just sleep, is still putting more liabilities on my shoulders. It's just easier if we part ways."

"Where am I suppose to go?" She began shaking her head as she cried.

"I know of a women's shelter you can stay at. If you'd like I can help you pack up and drive you there." While it wasn't ideal Kaila wasn't going to turn down the offer. At least she had something to go off of.

It felt like her entire world was crumbling beneath her feet. And to make matters worst this wasn't the first time she felt a storm, as dark as this one, blowing her way. The all too familiar feeling made the hairs on her skin stand up as a deathly cool chill crawled up her back.

She hoped she never had to feel this way again, and yet here she was. Down on her knees. Out of luck. She never did seem to catch a break.

Luckily all her belongings still fit into the same backpack that she had used to move in with—it even had extra space left over.

"Can I ask you something?" Kaila said softly as she was just about ready to leave with her bag over her shoulders and bear in hand.

"Of course you can."

"I wasn't hearing things earlier, right? I thought I heard them say I still owed them four thousand for this month. Not five?" Her glossy brown eyes met the woman's. "Did you have something to do with that?"

"Look I may not be able to let you stay here any longer, but it doesn't mean I don't care about you. I pitched in what I could." The news was shocking. Nobody had ever cared for her that much, at least after the incident that is.

"You did that for me?" She gasped as she covered her open mouth letting silent tears fall down her red stained cheeks. "Thank you."

Seeing how Kaila slowly started breaking down again made her newly found ex boss at a loss for words. It was hard enough having to let the poor thing go, but this just made her job a thousand times harder.

"Don't mention it. Now come on. It'll be dark soon." She said as softly as she could to the distressed girl standing in the open and empty space.

Guiding Kaila down and out of her cafe, the two of them made their way into the woman's car. With her backpack placed in the seat behind her and her bear in her lap, Kaila held on as tightly as she could to her best friend as they drove away from the place she called home for the past few months.