It was a two day bus ride from Springfield to my dad’s. I originally booked the ticket for Tampa and I was going to stay with message for a few days but ultimately I decided that would be a bad idea for me in such a fragile state so I jumped off the bus in Daytona and my dad picked me up from there.
I lost my stinking glasses on that bus.
We smoked a few joints while we drove back to his place and we caught up on life since it had regrettably been a while since I had a conversation with my father.
We pull in and he escorts me to his music room which he had put a small blowup mattress in the corner for me. I had a TV and a somewhat decent bed to sleep on so I had no complaints.
I called Dakota once it became a reasonable time and I told him how much a wish I didn’t leave and how much I missed him. He was having a hard time with me gone and being alone in his Grandmother’s house.
I got a job the very first week I got there at the Wendy’s there in town. I was so proud of myself. The plan was that I would get a job and I would save up money for a car and then my dad would help me pay for a small camper that I could tow with my car.
The plan seemed full proof, or at least I thought it did. My dad also had some land not too far away from his house that he was letting some convict felon tweaker and his girl stay at in exchange for security. He said he could give them the boot and I’d be allowed to move onto that land.
It seemed like all my ducks were in a row. I worked, I slept, I hung out with my sister and nephew and the rest of my family and things were good. I was sober, too!
I called Dakota most every day and made sure to not go a day with at least a text to him to remind him that he’s always on my mind. But, like I said he was having a hard time with being alone at Grandma’s and with me being gone his energy levels were depleting, he lost his motivation and he was sleeping a lot so it wasn’t uncommon for me to not hear from him all day.
After being at my dad’s for a whole 3 weeks Dakota and I decided to get back together. I was to send him my paycheck from work and he would use it for the gas it took to drive to Florida and come get me.
And that’s exactly what he did.
It took him an entire day to drive to me but he was right there once I got out of work. Open armed and smiling I could feel his energy radiating towards mine.
After stopping at my dads to change and grab Chewie, we set off towards Jacksonville to where Dakota was thinking about enrolling in another sober living house for a few weeks or months while I continued to work and save when he got out.
So we set off for Jacksonville and we got a room at a shit motel and we partied and made love all night. The next day we were out of drugs so we set off in an adventure looking for some.
He found a trans girl willing to sell to him off Grindr and we set off for his motel. There was this guy at the motel that needed a ride to a few places so Dakota volunteered and things got interesting…
I think he was hitting a foil of Fentanyl in the backseat, I don’t know because I was driving but he was definitely hitting that foil later on in the night. He sent us to an active wear store where he was going to steal a bunch of shit and we’d be the getaway drivers.
Despite him being in there for over an hour he came out with nothing and we left to go to his mom’s house so he could pick up a few of his belongings. His mom was livid. She hadn’t known where he was in some time and he apparently had her phone.
Anyways, we leave to go drop the kid back off at the trans girls hotel and picked up some more dope for later on in our night.
We got another motel and repeated the events of the previous night.
The next day we go see the Ocean. Something Dakota had never seen before.
My God if his face wasn’t something memorable. We parked the car and made our way to the sand and at that point you can already see the ocean. As he’s walking towards it he mentions how looking out into the great vast ocean, it made him incredibly dizzy.
He stood at the edge of the ocean and he looked into the deep sea blue green water and he had a smile that just warmed my little heart.
I guess because I grew up in Florida my whole life just minutes from the beach I took the ocean and its beauty for granted. Not everyone gets the opportunity to set their eyes on such an awe inspiring view.
We didn’t stay long, just enough to take it all in.
On our way back to my dad’s house we stopped at a Chinese buffet and I participated in my very first dine and dash. I’m not proud of myself but I won’t lie it felt exhilarating.
My dad must have said something of importance to Dakota while I was at work one day because the difference of a person he was and is now are two way different people. His grandma Doris noticed too because she’s made a few comments about it to me recently.
Whatever it is I’m happy with the version I have today.
Allie Willey 