Relentless Hope (Resilient Hearts) by Ashley Cassidy Read Free Book Online

sleep without nightmares.
     
     
    The surge of hope I felt in my heart by calling David quickly faded away as seconds turned into minutes and minutes to hours. It’s been over a day since I called him, and I haven’t heard anything back.
    As I look at my phone for the hundredth time, desperation fills me. Panic takes hold. And anxiety settles at the pit of my stomach. I look at the time and I am filled with dread, recognizing I am quickly running out of time, and running out of all options.
    I am beyond desperate. I have about seventy dollars left to my name, barely enough to pay for one more night at the motel and some food. Starting tomorrow, I will have no roof over my head. No money. No job. No friends to turn to and no family. And I feel abandoned . As if no one, not even God cares about me anymore.
    The thought that I may become homeless in less than twenty-four hours scares me so much, it makes my stomach roil violently, forcing me to run to the bathroom to dry heave. After nothing comes out of my empty stomach, I make my way back to the bed on unsteady legs and collapse on the bed. I close my eyes and try to think of any other options I might have, anything I haven’t tried, and for some reason my mind keeps going back to David.
    No matter how much I try to think of other options, my train of thought returns to his old endearing face. I remember all of a sudden, that he mentioned something about going for walks at the park every afternoon, when I was saying goodbye.
    A thought crosses my mind. It is crazy and very risky, but it may be my one and only chance. It is possible that David doesn’t check his voicemail, or that he doesn’t remember me, but if he sees me again in person, surely he would remember me. If I actually see him, I would also have a chance to explain my circumstances to him in person and maybe, just maybe, he will be compelled to help me if we are face to face. But the only way for me to get to that side of town is to take a cab. There are no bus stops around here and even if there was one, I wouldn’t dare venture far off of the motel after what happened yesterday to get to it. I also can’t ask Mia for a ride, since Shane is still on her case, and I don’t want to get her in trouble. But the cost of taking a cab there would probably take way most of my remaining money. If I do that and fail to secure help, I will be homeless tonight .
    I contemplate my options again. Even though the risk of going there is enormous, my heart tells me David is my last chance, so I decide to go with it.
    The ride to Palos Verdes is quiet. I try not to think about my circumstances, instead focusing on the cars I see on the freeway. When the taxi pulls up to the park, a sense of relief washes over me. I give the cap driver the last of my money and get out of the car, praying hard that I won’t regret this decision. I slowly make my way to the same spot I was in last week and again, the beauty and the serenity of the area overwhelm me.
    I look around to see if I can spot anybody. When I don’t see anyone, I start walking up the pathway along the edge of the cliffs that border the ocean. I slowly walk to the end of the pathway and then make my way back up, but I see no sign of David. I continue walking around the park in hopes of coming across David somewhere. Once I circle the pathway twice, I start walking up and down the neighboring streets.
    The mansions that line up these streets blow my mind. I have never before paid too much attention to the extremes of wealth and poverty surrounding our lives. I didn’t have a reason to. My family was not super rich. We were middle class, but I never lacked any basic necessities. Now that I find myself with no money and no roof over my head, the reality that a few people are living so luxuriously in these enormous mansions while I may have to brave the cold and dangers of the streets tonight is heartbreaking.
    I am not looking for a handout. I’m willing to work hard.