On the streets

“What about you? Good Christmas?”

“Mhmm,” Jess mumbled , “Really lovely, a lot of family over today, mom’s new partner too, everything’s really great.”

“Look, I’ve got to get going at the moment but I can call you back a bit later if you’re still awake. Was there something you wanted to talk about?

“Oh that’s okay, I’ll let you go, I know you’re busy. I did have something to say but it’s nothing important… I’ll talk to you after your trip.”

“Okay, sure. Merry Christmas Jess.”

“Merry Christmas Mark.”

She put down her phone, her hand shaking. Quickly she started to leak a few tears from her green eyes. With what was happening in her life right now, Jess didn’t know who to call but she needed someone to speak to. She needed to get out of Ohio as soon as possible.

Jess wore a fluffy dark jacket and a warm blue beanie, she was resting her body up against the town hall in her city of Cincinnati. In front of her were too large bright pink suitcases that possessed all her belongings inside.

Suddenly her phone began to ring and it was the last person she wanted to hear from, her mother.

Seeing the word ‘Mom’ appear on her screen, Jess wanted to press the red cancel button but for whatever reason, she accepted the call.

“I’m not coming home,” she said immediately after putting it to her ear.

Her mother’s voice spoke soon after, “Jessica… please. Why don’t you come back and we can talk.”

“Is that jerk still there?”

Jess’s mom couldn’t answer right away, knowing the truth was only going to upset her daughter more. She stuttered and Jess cut her off immediately, knowing the answer.

“I told you. It was me or him and if you want that fucked up junkie to live here, then I’m out,” Jess told her firmly, speaking about her new boyfriend.

“Jessica… don’t do this.”

“Sorry mom but you made your bed, now lie in it.”

Before her mother could say another word, Jess hung up the phone and grabbed her pink suitcases in front of her and began to walk to the front of the pavement, right next to the busy main road.

The brunette never had the easiest life, her father abandoned her and her mother when she was only young. Jess had never had a positive male role model in her life and her mother’s boyfriends had come and gone. This however was the worse of the lot.

She had only known him for a couple of weeks after she got back from college for the holidays and it was enough to know she didn’t want to be there. The boyfriend was a **** addict and made no attempts to hide the needles around their apartment.

After giving her mother an ultimatum, Jess felt like she had no other choice but to leave immediately. She stood at the edge of the road, waving her hand at a taxi that pulled up into the gutter.

The window slid down and a old Chinese man smiled.

“How much for a trip to the airport?” Jess asked.