Page 113 of The Sun Sister
‘And you,’ Lizzie said as she headed down the steps.
‘Maybe I could come again?’ I said, as Manuel locked up the house and we walked to his jeep, which was parked next to Lizzie’s car.
‘Of course, I am always here at weekends.’
‘Okay, do you have a cell phone number?’
‘Just ask Hank, he will have it.Hasta luego, Electra, Lizzie.’
We followed Manuel’s jeep back into the city, and I watched as the desert sky around me began to turn different shades of magenta and purple as the sun prepared to retire for the night.
‘I think I need one of those cars,’ I said as Manuel put a hand out of his window and waved as he turned right and we carried straight on.
‘What for?’ Lizzie asked me.
‘For driving in and out of the city, of course. When I get back to The Ranch, I need to call my business manager.’
‘Why?’
I turned to her and smiled.
‘Because I’m going to buy that house.’
As it was a Saturday, there were no therapists on duty, and there was another group outing to the local cinema, so The Ranch was blissfully quiet. So far, I’d liked it best at weekends because there were no therapy sessions, but tonight I found myself wanting to tell Fi, or at least someone, about my amazing day. After dinner in the almost deserted canteen, I went back to my dorm, thinking I needed to finish my apology letters and have them mailed. I’d decided there was also one to write to Susie, my agent, and another to dear, sweet Mariam.
Vanessa was lying on her bed with her headphones on, staring at the ceiling as usual. I’d seen her with Miles, sitting in the Serenity Garden after I’d had a tearful goodbye with Lizzie and was walking back inside. I sat down in the chair and pulled paper, pen and envelopes out of the desk drawer.
‘Where’d you go today?’ Vanessa asked, startling me because she spoke so rarely.
‘I went out riding.’
‘They let you outta here? Alone?’
‘Yeah, but I was with Lizzie. We’re not prisoners in here, you know,’ I reminded her. ‘We can walk out of the door anytime we want.’
‘Yeah, I so would, but I ain’t got no place to go.’
‘You’re homeless?’
‘No, but I can’t go back there no more. He’d kill me.’
‘Who’s he?’
‘My boy, Tyler. He ain’t good news. You ever had a guy rough you up?’
‘No, I haven’t.’
‘Then you lucky, girl.’
‘So what will you do?’
Vanessa shrugged. ‘Miles said he’d help me find a place in the city, and a job. But I never finished high school and I’m never gonna get my diploma.’
‘Miles?’
‘Yeah, he’s the one who picked me up off the streets and brought me with him to this place. He’s payin’ for everythin’, but that don’t make him Jesus Christ my Saviour,’ she muttered.
‘Right,’ I replied neutrally. I was out of my depth with this girl and I knew it. ‘You doing all right now with the detox?’
