“She left me there in that tacky motel room. Vickie didn’t even bother to say goodbye. I woke up that morning, a bus ticket inside an envelope with a note on her pillow. Plus, she’d stolen money out of my wallet.” Amber sipped her wine. “I was lucky she didn’t find the rest of the money I’d hidden in my bag. I’m not sure how I got the courage to get on that bus, but something inside told me to do it, to take a chance.”
Amber’s voice cracked as she spoke, and I wondered if I had scared her? I never wanted her to be afraid of me.
Everybody else, yes. Amber, never.
I nodded my head for her to continue.
“I knew Vickie less than twenty-four hours. She was a homeless druggie in the park, and just to put your mind at ease, she told me she’s been clean for years. I’d just been thrown out of my
