Traveling Vivian

Chapter One - The Move

Traveling Vivian

Part 1

A welcoming warm sun shined over my head as loud noises behind me awaken me. I looked back at our old house and cried at the sight of the three big men throwing furnitures and appliances out the door. The apartment was made of cold stone mason as I peeked out of my mother’s arms and stared into the lifeless apartment window. All the memories were there. Of course, all the memories weren’t great. I meant I remembered my first birthday there and the times mom would beg for money or continued her dirty work with men inside the apartment. She was a single mom trying to find ways to survive with a daughter. Maybe one day, maybe, I will come back.

My mom shouted at the landlord as she pleaded for more time to pay the rent. “Mr. Pickens, please! I need more time. I will get all of it, please!” she pleaded.

Mr. Pickens stiffened and snorted, “No, Marabelle. I asked for three months rent. You owe me nine hundred and three dollars. I said the deadline was today. You only paid me two hundred." He shouted as he pulled out the two big green bills from his pocket. He shook his head and muttered, "Get your shit and leave.”

My mom’s cheek was flooded with tears as her eyes and nose was red from the crying. I couldn’t do anything. I was just an exquisite three year old. I looked at mom as she took a plastic black bag and threw my clothes and hers into it. “Mr. Pickens, let RENT-A-CENTER know they can have their stuff back. I owe them a fortune too.” She yelled as she took her valuables and stuffed them into another plastic bag. I looked up at Mr. Pickens with my sad eyes. I needed some comfort. I didn’t want to cry. It would piss mom off more. Mr. Pickens just stared at me with no mercy. He went out of the apartment as he told his security guards to watch us.

Finally, mom got us out with the three plastic bags. She threw them in the back of a taxi and threw me in. I was so afraid. I didn’t know where she was taking us. “Take us to Lubbock, Texas.” Mom said as she held me close.

"That'll be a lot of money, my dear. Are you sure you have enough after being tossed out of your apartment?" The old taxi driver snickered.

I looked up from the seat when he turned around. He was around his fifties and his whiskers were gray as the hair on his head. He had a cigarette burning in one of his hands. His clothes were muddy as he pointed his finger, indirectly, at me. "Yeah I will. I can pay you by other means," mom whispered.

The man laughed and turned his head back towards the road. "This is going to be a long ride. It is six hours that is equivalent to close to thousands of dollars."

"It doesn't matter. I will pay you, I promise." Mom said as she placed me back down on the seat. She pressed her body towards the back of the driver's seat and whispered something to the man's ear.

The guy huffed and turned the engine on. "We'll stop every two hours."

"Fine with me." Mom laughed.

The ride to Lubbock was long and tiring. We were from Dallas and living in the city and transitioning to a quiet town was different. Really different. I watched from the window as the dusty trails of the road passed me. I whined when my butt was warming up or if I was uncomfortable. The sun looked like it was setting and I knew I was getting tired and hungry, preferably tired. After the events of today, I just wanted to know if I was going to be okay. I crawled closer to my mother's thigh and rested my head on it. Mom kissed me and rocked me until I fell asleep.

~

I woke up when it was nightfall. When did we get here? I looked around. All I saw darkness. I wondered where mommy was. I cried and then I felt a body next to my feet when i kicked it. I looked down and saw mom on her knees in the back of the taxi cab... With the driver of the cab seated next to me. I kicked him as he screamed, “Argh fuck! Your babe kicked me! Calm her down!”