Stranded- Finding My Ways
These ideas are so much better Shared!!
Well, We Made It To Pinedale
I parked A’s truck in front of the Sublette County Jail, and we all went inside. They booked A for driving with a suspended license. They took K back and that was the last time I saw her. I knew that there could be very real consequences for transporting her out of state, but that was the risk we’d reckoned with. It was not a fast process.
They kept me in the lobby, as they made calls about K, and came back to ask me questions a number of times. They never mentioned anything about charging me. I didn’t ask.
I was now on my own though, with what little money we had left, and a vehicle I couldn’t drive that didn’t belong to me. Well done.
The officers asked about my religion, and I responded with Baptist, because that was the leaning of the church I’d been baptized in. I had a distinct impression that anything other than Christianity would not go over well here.
Again they left me there in the lobby. I was so tired. It was so uncomfortable.
Finally, the officer came back and said that a local pastor’s family would take me in for a bit. I was in no position to argue, and was grateful to have any plan.
There is still so much to be said for Humans Healing Humans
Rev. Way came to pick me up from the jail, and drove me to his house about 2 miles away. It was a pretty yellow manufactured home just outside of town. They had a long gravel driveway and several vehicles. They said I could sleep on the floor in their daughter’s room. She seemed to think this was normal.
She was pretty weird though with a Joan Cusack face and an overly invested personality. Her brother was cool, but I stayed clear of him because we would clearly get into trouble together.
While I was there, the brother rented Austin Powers, which I wasn’t real interested in watching, so I went to do the dishes to show my gratitude. I’m honestly not sure what scene they were watching when the Rev. and Mrs. Way walked in but they were NOT impressed. There was a lot of yelling, and scripture was cited.
tried to keep my head down, but somehow they still felt I should have stopped it. I should have had the good Christian judgement to stop the sinning.
It was clear from the very beginning that this needed to be temporary. I was masking as hard as I possibly could, but there were little things at every turn that were uncomfortable, untrue, unreal.
I went with them to church on Sunday, which was held in a little room in a strip mall. The service was about all of the demons kids are exposed to when they watch The Lion King. I wanted to turn over a new leaf, but not this leaf.
We went into town one day while the kids were in school and Mrs. Way had business to take care of at the strip mall, so I went with her. It was weird, because I was an adult now, and they weren’t my parents, but somehow they were still in “charge” of me and that wasn’t super cool. I couldn’t just take off to anywhere, and they were always very concerned about who I had been talking to.
There was a little coffee shop in the strip mall that was an approved stop, even though I wasn’t spending any money. I needed to find a JOB. The barista and Mrs. Way were friends, and I was allowed to talk to her. In the afternoon, she was relieved by young woman about my age, who was much more down to earth.
Talking to her was a breath of fresh air, and I was able to let my guard down a little. She thought it was very interesting that I was staying with the Ways, and she offered to let me stay with her.
Thank GOD!!!!
The next day I had her come pick me up while everyone was out of the house. I had a distinct feeling that there would be drama if I had to explain why I didn’t want to continue the path they were making for me.
We loaded my stuff into her car, and drove out of town to her folks’ place just outside of Daniel. She was the town slut, so naturally we got along. All of a sudden, I’m talking about clothes and boys and listening to Matchbox 20, and feeling kind of like a normal person my age.
She took me out driving on back roads, and showed me Fremont Lake, in its unspoilt perfection. Fremont Lake is still considered safe to drink from, and it’s absolutely breathtaking, connecting me with all of history to the point of human insignificance.
She introduced me to her friends, and we spent quite a bit of time meeting up with them, but it honestly felt like the whole time was being spent just finding people. It was a small town, and there wasn’t much to do if you weren’t old enough to go to the bar. I was happy to have a place I was allowed to be, and her friends were nice enough.
We went to hang out with one of her friends, and she introduced me to copper camels (butterscotch schnapps and Irish Cream). I learned that the better the shot tastes, the fewer of them you should have.
Her parents didn’t seem to mind me staying there, but it was awkward with them, and I got the distinct vibe that her father was not much different than my brother.
One day, she took me to hang with more people she knew. She was friends with the teenage girl there, but she was also clearly friendly with the dad. It was the Dad’s trailer after he had gotten divorced, and his daughters weren’t there all of the time, but they were that day.
They seemed nice enough, and while they hung out, I started talking to the dad. He was a good conversationalist and definitely had a better, calmer, gentler vibe than the patriarch of the house in which I was currently staying.
It was easy to sell him on the perks of letting me stay there for a bit, and my chances of finding a job were much better if I was actually living in town, within walking distances of businesses.
We moved my things in the next day. I’m glad I packed light. Well, that and most of my things were still being stored in the truck.
All of this took about 3 weeks, and I needed to start making money soon. A had been sentenced to 3o days in jail, and he was missing a hearing back in Jefferson County by being in jail. I had to figure out how to get him home, without having to go with him.
Operation **Reclaim** Loveland 
What do you think?