Chapter 4. Homeless

A few weeks later, Blair left the small town where she and her mother had lived all this time. She could take nothing with her besides the clothes attached to her body and the baby in her womb.

It was nearing the end of autumn. Blair traveled from one city and town to another. She would only stay in one place for no more than three days.

She completely stayed away from the town where her mother and friends lived. She didn't want to be recognized by anyone.

"I'm now officially homeless and a pregnant teenager," Blair muttered as she snuggled against one of the closed storefronts.

She didn't know where she was at the moment. She had just crossed a state where there were still a lot of forests there. She took a truck transporting staples until she arrived at the rest area.

After thanking the truck driver, Blair pretended to enter a supermarket not far from the gas station. Blair bought mineral water and some snacks for a low price. She had to save her meager savings.

Since becoming homeless, Blair has learned quickly how to earn money from the people she meets without needing to beg or steal. She has a good voice. Sometimes Blair would sing in the city streets, and people would donate a little money to Blair's voice.

From the self-service window, Blair kept an eye on the truck she'd just been in. She really had to wait for the car to leave before Blair could get out. Blair couldn't have stayed in the car, or the driver would have suspected her. She is most afraid of being reported to police officers or social workers. She didn't want to be caught and taken to a shelter like before.

Blair had stopped at the shelter several times but didn't feel comfortable there. Shelters are mostly made up of homeless men.

They always looked at Blair with wild eyes like hungry wolves. Although Blair repeatedly told them she was pregnant, no one believed her. Blair shivers when she remembers how in a shelter, she was tried by some homeless who wanted to rape her.

After the truck left, Blair immediately went to the cashier and paid the bill with her change. She grabbed a plastic bag filled with mineral water and some bread and walked out of the supermarket. Someone accidentally bumped into her at that moment, and Blair fell down.

A tall man in a black jacket looked very in a hurry. Blair couldn't see the man's face because his head was covered by the hoodie.

The man immediately turned and knelt before her when he saw Blair fall.

"I'm sorry, Miss. I was totally unintentional and in a bit of a rush. I must have hurt you," the man said politely and gently as he reached out to help Blair.

Just then, their eyes met. Blair was slightly stunned. It turned out that the face of the man who bumped into her was very handsome. He was a grown man with sapphire blue eyes and dark hair.

"Miss? Are you okay?" repeated the man, examining Blair's knees.

Blair was frightened and immediately swatted away the man's hand.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to be rude to you. I'm a doctor. I was just checking if you got any cuts or maybe sprains? Because it looks like I hit you pretty hard."

Hearing the doctor's words, Blair immediately lowered her face. She didn't want anyone to know that she was currently pregnant. Blair immediately stood up and refused the man's help.

"I'm fine. I am alright. Nobody got hurt by me, sir," Blair said nervously.

The man took something out of his wallet. A white business card with a line of writing on it. He handed it to Blair.

"If you feel hurt or harmed by my carelessness, you can call me and ask for an account from me at that number. I will definitely respond to you very well. I hope we can meet again someday under better circumstances," the man said.

Blair accepted the business card and skimmed it. "Axel Barney?"

"Yes, that's my name."

"You are a doctor in a large city in a state quite far from here. Then why did you…?"

"I came here to attend a conference invitation. Yes, it has to do with health. I am also a volunteer for the safety of wild animals."

The man picked up Blair's rolling bottle of mineral water and handed it back. Equally nervous, Blair accepted and quickly left the man.

"Oh, damn it! What do I think?" Blair thought to herself as she ran away from the supermarket. "He is a doctor. What if he finds out I'm pregnant just by touching my feet? That's a foolish thought. But I was so scared. I don't want other people to know about my pregnancy; maybe they will do something dangerous to the baby and my body."

That night, Blair just wanted to rest. Blair found used cardboard in the trash can behind the rest area and started laying it on one of the closed storefronts. She also took an old cotton blanket from the bag. She got the blanket from the shelter and a few pieces of clothing. Blair uses her backpack filled with clothes as a pillow.

"Perhaps this storefront was the last comfortable bed I came across before walking miles to get to the next town. Or maybe tomorrow I'll find another ride to get to the next town."

The first three months of pregnancy are very tough. Blair never knew that fact and never got any teaching from her mother about pregnancy, not even at school. For the past few weeks, she has

continued to experience severe nausea and vomiting. Blair even had trouble swallowing food. But she still struggles to keep her life.

She often sleeps on a park bench at night, only on cardboard, and covers her body with an old blanket. Blair didn't know how she was going to face the winter.

"I didn't think my life would end here in just weeks. I should be sleeping in my room next to mom. Tomorrow morning I should wake up, as usual, to have breakfast and go to school. There are many things I have to do with the band I just formed at school. But look at me now."

Blair felt her still flat stomach. "This stomach will get bigger and swollen in a few months. I can no longer hide it from people. I have to be prepared for any eventuality."

Blair's tears suddenly dripped from her clenched lids. She held back the shivers and, at the same time, endured nausea that got worse when her body got tired at night.

"Some people I met suggested that I should just have an abortion. They thought I was too young and the world was so cruel. But not. This baby is innocent. How can I rob other beings of life? This all happened because of my own stupidity. I have to take responsibility for the mistakes I've made."

Once again, Blair felt and squeezed her stomach gently. "We'll make it through, honey. We have to endure all of this alone. I will definitely defend you forever."

In some of the small towns Blair had visited, she had managed to earn money in unexpected ways. Sometimes, she shows her ability to sing and play music on the city streets. She puts an empty soda can in front of her, and people who like or pity her will give her a few dollars.

"There's nothing I can do at my very young age. Without an identity, I can't find a part-time job. By singing, I can earn money to eat and comfort myself, who is suffering so much."

That night, to comfort her poverty, Blair hummed as she rubbed her belly under the blanket. The night is getting cold. In a few weeks, it might actually snow, and she would have to find shelter so she wouldn't freeze to death outside.

When the girl was almost asleep, and there was no more humming from her lips, suddenly she heard footsteps and the screams of someone not far from where she was. Blair immediately shuffled around and wrapped her arms around her. She hides under the blanket and doesn't move at all. She didn't want other people to know her whereabouts. Whether it was a drunkard, an ad**ct, or whoever they were could be mean to her.

Blair heard smacking sounds and someone groaning in pain. She was indeed more than two people there. The girl felt her place was no longer safe. Blair quietly got up, folded the blankets, and stuffed them into the bag. Blair tried to get out of there and stay away from the commotion.

However, Blair took the wrong step. Not that she avoided the commotion, but she saw everything with her own eyes. Two men holding a man. One of the two men had a dagger in his hand. He stabbed the dagger right into the neck of the man they were holding.

Blair shrieked in surprise. She immediately hid behind a pile of used boxes behind the closed shop.

"Bastard, someone saw what we did!" said one of the men as he looked for Blair.