“I like the ground though, so I am not looking to be swept up into the clouds.”
The two girls hugged again and though she had been thinking the exact same thing, it was hard for Meeka to hear that she didn’t want to go on. Tenia couldn’t help but agree that maybe it would be best for their friendship if they parted ways right then. “Well chica, I think I am going to head out. I hate leaving you like this. Are you sure you are going to be okay?”
She nodded and waved her hand. “Girl you know me. I am going to be fine. I still have plenty of cash and this looks like as good a place as any to get lost for a while. Can you not tell my mom though, let her think I am with you for a while more. You know how she is.”
Tenia nodded and pushed a stray tear out of her eye. “I will see you when I see you.”
Chapter 3
Tenia was upset for the rest of the day and she thought twice of turning around to go back. In truth though, she was being pulled west and she was almost out of Florida by the end of the day. Stopping for the night at the border, there was a quietness that she just couldn’t shake. Never being one to get scared by herself it was different for her that time, being so far away from home. It was the first time in her life that Tenia felt alone and she wasn’t so sure she liked the feeling.
Trying to forget her uneasiness she got some sleep and then started out the next day before the sun could even come up. She drove for days until she started to see desert half way through Texas. She had stopped at many places along the way, places she had heard about from books and television. The pictures were never enough and as she finally made it into the desert part of the country, she was liking it even more. There were historical sites she was interested in and it wasn’t the first time she had thought of Meeka and how much she would have hated the itinerary. It was perfect for Tenia though and she couldn’t have been happier.
The night was spent camping out. She was sick of hotels and well, Tenia had never seen so many stars before in her life. The skies were so open and there was nothing for miles all around her. Pulling off to the side of the road in the National Park, she found her a spot and set up her small dome tent. She had brought it on a whim and when she was sitting next to a roaring fire, she was glad she did. The sound of the fire popping lulled her and she crawled into her tent to get some rest. The next day she planned to check out the ruins on the cliffs and she wanted to start off early before it got too hot.
There was a coyote that howled in the distance and then several more that answered. She felt surrounded and Tenia realized how thin the fabric of the tent was. There did not seem to be much between her and the animals outside. Hunkering down further into her sleeping bag, it was a while before she got to sleep. One of the mangy animals smelled at her tent, but got side tracked by howling in the distance. The animals left and she was able to finally get some sleep.
The next morning she was up early and Tenia changed before she got out of her small tent. She closed her eyes and reopened them, sure that she was not seeing clearly. Her R.V. was gone and everything in it as well. She looked around her, like it was hiding somewhere, but there was nothing for miles. The traffic was not very heavy on the state highway and the woman saw no one when she was packing up her tent.
She grimaced when she saw her half-full bottle of water and a granola bar that she hadn’t eaten the night before. Her money was with her, but there were no stores for miles and miles. Tenia’s only hope was to be lucky enough to have a passerby to help her. The passerby didn’t come and by mid-day, Tenia was quickly running out of steam.
There had been one car that passed down the desert road and she had been crouched beside a stand of cactuses, trying to get any shade that she could. Her water was long gone and it was starting to make her feel groggy. By the time she had gotten up from her sitting position, the car was long gone and her hope was fading fast.
After that loss of hope, she started to stray from the road, as it didn’t seem to be helping her. She had to find water and she was convinced that there was some in the bottom of a canyon. It didn’t look that far away, but it was dark before she got to the bottom of the long, winding canyon system. Exhausted and with a small mud puddle found, Tenia set her tent up right there and tried to forget about her growling stomach.
That night she was more afraid than the one before. She had plans to go back to the road after she filled her water bottle up, but the more water she drank, the less she wanted to leave the place. It was the desert and she knew that she may not be so lucky the next day. She laughed to herself at the idea of luck and tried to ignore the night sounds that still terrified her. She was too tired though and was out quickly after she lay down.