One week went by, I was still living on the streets. Not my mother or any of the town folks had tried seeing how I was doing this week. My mother probably told them about what I did, so it would be too embarrassing for them to try to take me in.

Tonight wasn’t any different. Except that this week was when I came face to face with my freedom.

I grimaced when I heard the loud sound of a motorcycle approaching me. When it stopped, an older man who looked to be in his late fifties stepped out and strode up to me. The man looked a tab bit over weight, his leather vest hardly fit over the beer belly that hung low, and he had a long grey-white beard.

By that point I thought was going to reach my fate. Dying young didn’t seem that bad, what was the point if I had nothing to do but lay at the side of the road.

“What’s up with you?” He gruffly asked. Then a low chuckle escaped his throat. “Hey, you’re that marina girl ain’t ya?”

My eyes took a quiet eye at him, up and down before I nodded. “Mhm.”

The ghost of a smile appeared on him, although I couldn’t tell because the mustache was in the way. But at the same time, it startled me.

“Yeah . . . I wouldn’t mind taking a bite of that. No wonda’ your mama kicked you out. I bet I’ll them boys were all over you.” I didn’t respond to that. “Ahaha. Hop into my motorcycle lemme show you somethin’. You look like you need food.”

From that day on, I was a part of him and his gang. They offered me food and not shelter because people are only held back by the walls that surround them. That meant literal walls too. So that I could finally be free and not have to worry about having to go hungry nights anymore. All in exchange for me to take care of their needs along the road. Other than that, I wouldn’t have to work a day in my life.

Months went by with the same routine. But I was free.

So it was hard the way my heat leaped in my chest when I saw my mother coming to the road she left me at. I was only sixteen and needed my mother to help.

“Someone at the shopping center told me she saw you getting into some man’s car and makin’ love to him. Then he gave you food.”

I never once thought my mother would come here and sound mad. I thought she’d try to help. Instead she came closer, her face turning the most angriest it ever been. She smacked me right across the face. “You stupid fucking slut” she yelled” “Is that what you decided to turn too? Selling your goddamn body for food and clothes? No daughter of mine would ever do that.”

“If you would have just let me back into the house, this wouldn’t have been a problem!” I finally talked back.

Her face distorted from anger to frustration when she pulled me by my ear. “How dare you.” The words even louder as she directly said them in my ear.

“Wait no mommy, please!” I dropped to my knees, hugging her leg tightly so she wouldn’t leave again, but she shook me off.

It was only then when I realized she wasn’t who I needed anymore. I was sixteen, I could on my own, right? What I needed was the freedom she gave me when she left. And now I had it.