The Price of Love

Trinity pressed her back against the cold wall of her bedroom, watching the calendar she'd hidden behind her dresser. August 15th. Exactly one month until her eighteenth birthday—one month until freedom. She had saved every dollar she could find, hidden in a small tin box beneath a loose floorboard. Three hundred and forty-seven dollars. It wasn't much, but it would get her on a bus to somewhere far from this house, far from the bruises that painted her arms in shades of purple and yellow, far from the cruel words that had become her daily soundtrack. The house was quiet tonight. Her father was passed out on the couch downstairs, and her stepmother, Maria, was probably counting the day's earnings from whatever scheme she was running this week. Trinity had learned to cherish these moments of silence—they were the only peace she knew. She pulled out a worn notebook from under her mattress, filled with her escape plans. Bus routes, cheap motels, places that might hire someone without experience. She had it all mapped out. Just thirty more days. A soft thud at her window made her freeze. She crept over and peered through the curtains to see a small brown paper bag on the fire escape, just like the ones that had appeared throughout her childhood. Her heart skipped—she hadn't seen one in over a year. Inside the bag was a sandwich, an apple, and a twenty-dollar bill. No note, just like always. But this time, there was something else: a small origami crane made from notebook paper. She unfolded it carefully and found two words written in familiar handwriting: "Stay strong." Trinity had never known who left these gifts, but they had gotten her through some of the darkest nights of her childhood. Whoever it was had seen her, had cared when no one else did. The gifts had stopped when she started high school, and she'd assumed her mysterious guardian angel had moved on or forgotten about her. She ate the sandwich slowly, savoring each bite, and added the twenty to her tin box. Three hundred and sixty-seven dollars now. Every bit helped.