It's All About The Money

Chapter Four

CHAPTER FOUR

            The next morning Charla woke up early to get her kids ready to go outside. She had found no one to take her the night before so money was still very dry. Charla had been out until two in the morning before she gave up and decided to go home. She knew that by then no one was around and if they were, it wasn’t because they were horny.

            And since Charla wasn’t able to get any money, she wasn’t able to get any groceries.

            So, in the morning she got ready to take her kids to the shelter for food. Charla woke up early to brush her hair and get dressed. It was six o’clock in the morning and she was exhausted from only having four hours of sleep, but she knew it was better to get to the shelter early so that there wasn’t as big of a line-up. Plus, it would be a pretty long walk there and back. Charla expected that the kids would be up and awake in fifteen to thirty minutes. So, she got stuff ready for them. She got their coat and shoes out and their toothbrushes ready with toothpaste for them.

            Charla had taken the kids to a shelter on multiple occasions because money had run out. But, it was mostly before Charla had gotten a job. That was when she had to pick-pocket and prostitute for a living. That didn’t always make enough money when dealing with kids who needed expensive things such as diapers, bottles, cribs, and wipes. At least the expenses went down a little after Allie was toilet trained and could eat actual food. And Charla could easily reuse some of the old baby clothing that Conner used. Clothing was very expensive when you made very little money.

            After getting things ready, Charla laid out on the couch, relaxing until her kids woke up. Fifteen minutes. She almost fell like falling asleep again but she knew that if she did, she would not wake until hours later. So, she just relaxed, keeping her eyes open so that she wouldn’t tempt her body to fall into blackness. She didn’t know what to think about to pass the time. She knew television was useless since there was never anything on that she liked on and it was also a lot on the hydro bill. Half the time when money was getting low, Charla had the three of them live on candle light until it was their bedtime and she had to put in the light so that it helped the two to go to sleep.

            She didn’t know why Conner and Allie were afraid of the dark. Conner was never afraid of it until the two of them moved into the apartment. Conner would sleep beside Charla on a mattress and he was always comforted. Charla knew that living in an alleyway wasn’t the best, but at least it was a tent that was hidden from the opening of the alleyway. It was a large enough tent that could hold a lot of boxes that were filled with clothing of both of theirs, food, cutlery, plates, etc. It was good and Charla felt safe enough to live there with Conner. But another baby would be too much. Also, it was getting more dangerous around her alleyway. The gangs were moving and gaining more territory. Charla would be in the mix of that and she didn’t want to put Conner in danger. Her mind was made up when she learned that she was pregnant again. She went apartment hunting and found a good deal. She packed up the boxes and brought them to the apartment and threw the tent and mattress into the garbage.

            It was still a very big part of Charla’s life, the alleyway. She lived there before she was pregnant with Conner and she bought the tent during her pregnancy. She set it up and bought a mattress and to go with her bundle of blankets. She bought lanterns and boxes to hold her and her baby’s things before getting a small cooler to hold the things needed to stay cold and she always made sure it was in a spot that was shaded. She went around and found a small bon-fire bin and used it for heat but also as a way to cook meals after finding a thick metal sheet that went over the fire and could heat up a pot or pan that was on it. Charla functioned there and it was a home, even if it wasn’t near luxurious. Sure the winters were terribly cold and times were dangerous, but Charla managed.