I should have been feeling sick into what he wanted, but yet Ifelt a calmness at the same time like he was meant to be there.
I tried looking away as I was taught you don’t give eye contact as that gives the ok to be a perpetrater. He stayed in the car for a while and I was hoping he would just drive away. He did the opposite in getting out of the car and coming over and sitting on the opposite side of the bench.
He again asked “How are you doing”? I said I was doing ok. He again spoke and asked “I noticed that you have an accent, can I ask what country you hail from”? I have never been rude to any one but I said” I hail from Minnesota”. He apologized then I told him that the accent is also from Kentuckian. Then he said he could take me to the police station where I would be safe and maybe they could help me get out of California.
I offered my thanks and said that I didn’t think anything would happen while I was on this bench. He nodded then asked if I wanted to go get a coffee. Went over to his car and opened up the passenger door and said, “I won’t let anything happen to you”.
I knew what could happen, I knew the dangers and as he picked up my bag, I walked over and got in the car. He put my bag in the trunk. Would it be the last time I see that bag. Would I be just another statistic.
He got in on the drivers side got in and said to relax, that we were just going to go get some coffee.
It seemed like we drove for quite a distance, until piers were in sight and people still walking on them. I asked where we were and he said we were at Newport Beach. Once he pulled into a little parking lot that was accross from a coffee shop, I could see the white waves as they crashed into the shore. The sound of those waves were hypnotizing as the guy was trying to speak over their roars. He took my elbow and we walked to the coffee shop where I changed my coffee into a hot cocoa.
We left the coffee shop and walked back close to the car and just talked, he never asked me why I had come to California, he just talked philosophy. I listened though and I walked over by the entry onto the beach and then I noticed people sleeping in old tattered blankets near the entry way and under the lights that lined the wall. I looked at the guy who I was with and he said “this can be you”. I said it wasn’t me as Iam going home back to Minnesota, some how I was going to get back home.
We walked the beach for a bit and he asked ” I have been so busy talking that I forgot to ask you what your name was, so what is your name?”
I answered “Its Heather, and what would yours be then? ” He said it was Alan, I looked up at him as I think he stood to be around six feet tall, with a very thin build and brown hair which was styled back and he was only in a blue t-shirt and blue jeans. He was nicely shaved with a little stubble on his chin below the bottom lip.
“Why are you looking at me like that, I assure you that I won’t harm you.” “I didn’t answer back only looked down at the waves. I grew tired within a short time, maybe from the sea air or from the sound of the roaring waves. He walked me back to the car and opened the door for me and as I got in the car he gave me a big smile and then said” I am going to take you to the Anneheim police station where I know you will be safe”.
I finally gave in and said “fine”. He climbed in on the drivers side, got in and continued talking about philosophy. Again the drive was a lengthy one, I opened my eyes and we were parking into a parking spot in front of a large building, which would be the police station with the numerous police cars in front of it. He turned off the car and told me to go through that front door as the others would be locked, He gave me directions on where the front desk would be. Alan said to tell them of what happened and they should be able to help me. I looked over at Alan and he said he would wait here for a while before leaving to go home, to make sure that they don’t send me on my way.
I told him thank you for the hot cocoa and walk and the ride and then Igot out of the car, started to walk towards the front door , turned around a couple times to see if was watching me, in which he was.
I followed his directions and the police chief said that they couldn’t help me as someone would have ticket for me at the the Greyhound bus station in the morning. Then said that they would see if the homeless shelter would have an extra bed for me. In which finding out that there wasn’t any available, he had officeres drive me back to the Greyhound bus station.
Here I sat for a while and watched this giant slug cross the side walk and I had fallen asleep sitting up and when I couldn’t handle that position any longer,I used my bag as pillow and slept til someone was tapping my leg.
Cooking Adventures 