Take My Hand

21 I Feel So Cold

These boots were not made for walking. After I left the bus station, with no bag or money except what was in my wallet shoved in my back pocket, I walked over to the welcome centre for tourists to pick up as much free stuff as I could.

Yeah, I was broke not dumb. I knew they had free maps and stuff there from when my parents went on vacation and brought back all the stupid junk. I walked out of there with at least an idea of where I was and an approximate direction to head in.

I had to head west about thirty blocks and then south another ten. I think. It was going to be a very long walk. I stuffed the map in my pocket and headed down the street. I was not happy, and people seemed to just part the sea for me.

Suited me just fine. I was annoyed by the first five blocks. I was irritated during the next five. Then my feet were actually starting to hurt. I cursed and took a seat in a nearby park, taking off a boot and rubbing my ankle.

Whose bright idea was it to run away in such big, heavy, awkward boots? Oh yeah, mine. I sighed. I pulled out my map and checked my location. I did a double-take. I counted the blocks on the map, and then I looked around at the landmarks.

Not good. Each map 'block' was about five real blocks. I did the math in my head and groaned out loud. I couldn't sit here any longer. It was going to take me hours to get to the Petrykin's house.

I hurried out of the park. Now with my boots tight on my feet it was a little easier on my ankles. I was really getting winded as I walked though. I had to stop a few times just to catch my breath and cursed.

I still needed to work on my cardio. Sasha would kick my butt if he saw me struggling like this. I checked the map periodically to make sure I was still heading in the right direction.

It wasn't very warm out, but that was fine since I was working up quite the sweat from walking so quickly. I stopped at a roadside hotdog stand to grab a lunch for three dollars. I was really thirsty and downed the bottle of soda that came with.

I couldn't afford to keep buying drinks though, not if I wanted to have enough for a dinner or even another breakfast. I kept the empty container and filled it from the tap at the next washroom that I stopped at.

I didn't love the taste of tap water from the city, but at least it was liquid. I gulped it down, refilled again and left. It was strange to think that some people actually did this as a regular life survival skill.

The sun was going down and I was not quite halfway there. I had been walking all afternoon. I was tired. I was uncomfortable. I was determined though. I had worn creases in the map in my pocket.

I probably knew it off by heart now. I had started repeating directions to myself and probably looked like a crazy person now. Just another loony homeless person on the streets. I laughed to myself.

It was getting cold here at night. I pulled my jacket tighter around my body, wrapping my arms against my torso to conserve heat. I wished I still had that hoodie to layer with my jacket.

Hell even another t-shirt would have helped some. Although I wasn't really planning on walking all the way to his parents' place from the bus stop. I had had the bus money to take me within three blocks.

I sighed and looked in surprise at the ghost of my breath that fanned out in front of me. Great. Just great. I powered on despite the feeling of the cold air against my face. My nose was starting to run and felt like it was frozen on my face.

I stopped at a bus shelter and rubbed my nose with my hands warmed from my pockets. My cheeks felt like they were stiff from the chill. I shivered a bit, then geared myself up to keep moving.

Just a few more blocks. Keep going a little longer. If you keep walking it will keep you warm. Soon it will be morning again and the sun will warm you up too. You can get a hot meal for breakfast.

I looked at my ragged map as I stood inside another bus shelter, rocking to warm myself. I traced a line with my finger, stopping over a small restaurant that was on the way. I tapped it.

"You can do this, Lukas." I mumbled to myself. I put away the map and rubbed my hands together. I was so tired. I hadn't slept in... what? Twenty-four hours or close to forty-eight? I sniffed.

"What does it matter how long it's been? Dumbass. Just focus. Keep going." I walked along the quiet streets. This part of the city was like a ghost town at night. The odd car passed by in the dark, but few to no people walked.

Except stupid me. I laughed to myself as I crossed the street and then yawned. My eyes were watering slightly as I stopped and I cursed to myself. It made me blink uncomfortably.

I made it to the restaurant before they were open. I stood staring dumbly at the closed sign and dark building. I looked inside to see if there was anyone there, but no movement or lights were seen.

I did see a clock on the wall. It said six o'clock and change in bright blue led lights. They weren't open until seven. I looked around and shrugged. I sat down next to the door and pulled my legs up tight to my body to stay warm.

Once I was braced, I felt my vision swim with how tired I was. I yawned again. My eyes blinked really slowly. I felt my head loll back. Just for a second. I will just close my eyes for a second.

"Hey kid. You alive." A voice above me had me jerking awake and smacking my dry lips.

"Yeah, yeah I'm alive." I said groggily. The old guy frowned down at me and pointed to the door.

"Then come on in and warm up or get the hell away from my door." He groused. I got to my feet unsteadily and followed him in. It was so warm inside that I almost wanted to purr in content.

"Oh damn that smells good." I mumbled as I sat at the counter. The waitress gave me a warm smile and poured a cup of hot coffee. I loaded it up with sugar and creamers to make it palatable, then downed it.

It hit my empty stomach and warmed it instantly. I ordered a discount meal from the menu and carefully counted out my change to make sure I could pay for it. She watched me sympathetically.

"Hard night kid?" She asked. I nodded. Not gonna lie, that was the hardest I'd ever had it.

"Order up." The old guy barked from the kitchen. I rubbed my hands together as the waitress grabbed my plate. I looked down and my brow creased.

"I... I uh, didn't order it loaded." I muttered quietly. I looked down at the meagre change I had left in worry.

"On the house. Eat." The old man said grumpily. I looked over at him in surprise, but he didn't look at me. I gulped in appreciation at the meal.

"Thank you. Thank you so much." I said with feeling. I didn't hesitate then. I grabbed my fork and wolfed down the scrambled eggs with peppers, sausage chunks and melted cheese with gusto. It was so freaking good I was drooling while I was eating.

"Wow, that's some appetite kid." The waitress laughed at me as she refilled my coffee. I nodded gratefully.

"It's so good. I gotta tell Sasha about this place." I murmured, loading the coffee up again.

"Petrykin? You know Sasha Petrykin?" The old man asked calmly. I nodded to him with a bright smile.

"Yep! He's great. I'm going to see him." I told him. The old man seemed to smile a little at that.

"Yes, Sasha is a good boy. Here. You take him something." The man was bustling behind the counter and I watched as I finished my coffee and toast. A bag was packed up and the waitress handed it to me.

"Won't it be cold?" I asked hesitantly. The waitress grinned.

"Not if you take the shortcut." She pulled out a piece of paper and drew a few lines on it, labelling them. My eyes widened in appreciation at the locals' knowledge of the area.

"Thank you. Thank you both so much!" I was grinning so wide. My belly was full of good food, my hands were full with local kindness, and my heart was full with hope as I set out once more.

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