entered the Loftstel, they were hit by a blast of warm air, a sensation they both welcomed after the chilling cold outside, which was nearly unbearable. Alessa went through the formalities of checking them in. The woman at the reception desk told them they would be staying in Room 2B on the second floor.
The girls went up to their room, carrying the clothes they had brought with them. Once inside, they took in their new home. Bunk beds were fitted along three of the four walls. Two of the beds sat with bare mattresses, the sheets folded neatly and placed at the foot, ready for their occupants. Alessa chose the top bunk for herself and left the lower one for Lucy. Lucy argued that she wanted the top bunk, but Alessa refused, fearing she’d roll over and fall out during the night. Alessa compromised by promising Lucy she could share her top bunk with her for fifteen minutes every night before going to sleep.
Having settled in, the first thing they did was head for the common showers with the towels they had been handed and the shampoo and soap Alessa had bought from a five and dime store on the way to the hostel. After, Alessa dressed Lucy and herself in the cleanest clothing they had and headed down to the laundry to wash all the clothes they owned.
Feeling good to have a place to stay, the girls ventured down to the common kitchen area. They couldn’t believe their eyes when they saw how well-equipped it was. There was a stove, a refrigerator, and a microwave. The hostel provided all the facilities and the utensils to cook with. But the residents had to buy the food themselves. Alessa had enough money to buy food that would keep them going for a couple of weeks, but she would need to find work so she could pay the rent. The two of them made a list of the food items they would bring back to the hostel so they could cook meals together.
Right beyond the kitchen was a dining area where a group of older teens sat eating a meal. They greeted the girls and invited them to join them for lunch. Alessa explained they had just gotten there and hadn’t yet bought any groceries. The teens insisted they had more than enough for them. Alessa and Lucy noticed the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches they were making and joined them happily. They both ate like savages as the group watched them with curiosity.
Alessa looked up from her sandwich and noticed how they were all staring at them. She wiped her mouth with her napkin and put down the remaining morsel of her sandwich. “I’m sorry,” she admitted shamefully. “We’re eating like pigs. We’ve been traveling for a couple of days and haven’t eaten much on the way. We’re both starving.”
Lucy couldn’t care less what they thought. She finished the last remnants of her sandwich, licked her fingers clean, and asked, “Can I have another one?”
The teens laughed, telling the girls to prepare another sandwich for themselves.
After lunch, they thanked the group and found their way outside. As they strolled along the streets of Philadelphia, Alessa worried about her next step, listening half-heartedly to Lucy chattering away about how nice the people were at the hostel. Later that night, after the child was asleep, Alessa thought hard about her next decision. She knew she could dance at one of the go-go clubs in the city. That wouldn’t be an issue. She knew she was very good at it and remembered how much money it had made her at Doubles. She could work retail but realized she would only make enough money to get by. And that wouldn’t be enough. If she were to give Lucy and herself any kind of life, she needed to earn a substantial amount. It boiled down to two options—selling sex or dancing at a club. Alessa decided that without someone like Harlin involved, dancing would be very lucrative for her. She was convinced she didn’t want to work as a prostitute. She’d only done it the last four days to get them off the streets.
She decided to go back to dancing—this time on her terms. After she had saved enough money, she would look to buy her own house. Foremost in her mind was her desperation to keep Lucy off the streets. There was only one problem. She would have to leave her on her own when she went off to the club at night. She decided to talk to her roommates and try to persuade them to take turns keeping an eye on the child. She would say she was stocking shelves at a grocery store in the evenings. With her plan all chalked out, she told herself, Screw anybody that ain’t me! That would be her new attitude from now on. She was past being everyone else’s scapegoat. She would make things better for herself and Lucy and dared anyone to get in her way.
The next morning, Lucy and Alessa went to the pay phone in the hostel for their routine call to Ebby, which hadn’t been so routine in the previous weeks. Lucy dialed the number and excitedly told Ebby about all the new teenagers they had met the day before. Ebby listened carefully. She had long since concluded that Alessa had been keeping the truth from her. She suspected they were living on the streets. Months had passed, and she knew from experience that shelters for the homeless typically never allowed people to stay on for an indefinite period. One other thing disturbed her. Lucy never talked about her parents.
When Alessa got on the phone, Ebby said, “I haven’t heard from you in a while. What’s going on? Where are you? Alessa, I know you’re determined to take care of yourself without depending on others, but it’s time you stopped lying to me. I need to know the truth.”
Alessa caved in. She spared Ebby nothing, recounting the details of her life under the bridge, in the abandoned house, in the motel they had moved to after Lucy fell ill, and now at the hostel where they were staying. Ebby heaved a sigh of relief but scolded Alessa for lying to her. Alessa was apologetic but explained how she had been determined to figure out her situation on her own and resolve her issues by herself.
“Ebby, have you heard anything from the police about Harlin? I was too afraid to ask you about him all these months, but now I need to know.”
“I have,” Ebby replied. “Harlin was convicted of assault with a deadly weapon two months ago. He was sentenced to five years in prison and will be eligible for parole in three years.”
Alessa let out a quick shout of relief. “Thank you, God!”
Ebby laughed.
Alessa’s concern over Harlin had to do with her decision to dance again at a go-go club. She knew that he, along with his crew, frequented those clubs. And now that he was no longer welcome at Doubles, there was a very good chance of him prowling the other joints and finding her.
“So what will you do now to pay rent at the hostel?” Ebby asked.
“I managed to get a job stocking shelves at night at a grocery store,” Alessa promptly answered. “I’ll make enough to keep us here until I can save money and move on.”
“And what about Lucy?” Ebby persisted. “Where are her parents?”
Alessa’s response was abrupt. “She doesn’t have any, Ebby. She only has me. I am her only family now. She’s happy, and so am I. So don’t worry, okay?”
Ebby said she wouldn’t but couldn’t help cautioning her. “Alessa, you still need to be careful. Do you realize that you have no legal right to keep Lucy with you? I’ll work on some things from my end and see if we can get her into school.”
“Thanks, Ebby. That would be great. She’s really smart, and I think she would love going back to school. I’ll call you again tomorrow. Bye.”
Knowing that Alessa was talking about her, Lucy had perked up. “Am I going to school?” she asked. “I want to go to school, Alessa. Can I go, please? Please?”
Alessa smiled as she took the child in her arms. “Ebby is going to see if she can help us get you back into school,” she said. “We need to be careful, though. We have to make sure that no one separates us. We’re family, but other people might not see it that way. I’m sure Ebby can help, but we’ll have to be patient.”
