Colorado - Escape

"Get out, bum!" Winter was drawing near, a warm place to sleep was a critical search. Backs of cars, an abandoned gas station and, that night, an apartment stairwell. I resented her kicking me out, I wasn't hurting anyone, and thought about it all the way to my spot. By that time her words had worked their way so deeply into my fevered thoughts all I could think of was, "Get out". I had to leave, find somewhere warm, somewhere to start over, it was the first rational thought in months but I had no idea what to do with it. I couldn't walk anywhere warm enough before it started snowing and I wasn't going to hitch, the last time had been too scary. There were people that would just as soon get rid of me than look at me and when my ride kept fingering his gun I decided that was it. I didn't know any place in town to go, I had no more friends and the only area where they took in bums was over run with army, I'd heard stories of what some of them did to people like me. My thoughts got stuck on those stories and I'd forgotten about getting out until I looked up and saw an army recruiting poster. I stared trying to figure out why a poster was reading my thoughts then, like a faint whisper, I remembered, "Get out". It rang in my head as I stood up and followed me into the recruiting station, it echoed back in his eyes.

His look awoke an awareness and I looked at myself, I almost left but other forgotten things were waking, too, "I can take a test." He shoved pen and paper at me and stared at the door, bored, but when he graded it he was all smiles and pamphlets. It was almost done but then I started thinking about the hospital, after all it was military, maybe they'd find out, "I've taken acid." I said. He didn't seem to care, I explained, "They had to put me in an Air Force hospital." "You'll need two letters of recommendation.", it wasn't a problem to him but it was a huge one to me.

I went back to the spot and tried to figure who in that town would give me a letter, the darkness was returning to my mind when one name shone out. The only teacher in that town I'd liked, the only one that got my interest and showed me any respect, my creative writing teacher. She never judged my topics, only how I presented them, she laughed at my How to Shoplift paper and my critique of a weed growing book was one of the best she'd seen. She questioned my choice of words, not me. I looked up and started to think that maybe there was a way out when a car stopped in front me. "Get in.", I heard and was about to run when something made me peek inside. He could be a hard-ass when he wanted to but he was my favorite uncle, I got in. He looked mad but I saw the worry in his eyes, "What the hell's wrong with you?" I didn't know, "What do you mean?" "You look like shit and you smell worse." he said, "Your mom called, they got a letter from the bank that your car was repoed. They're pretty worried." I didn't know what to say, "They want you to stay with them for awhile." he explained. I looked back at the army poster, "Ok.", I felt like I'd escaped more than the winter.