We are now in Virginia, and I think I like it here. There are lush, rolling hills and pastures with grazing cows. There are quaint little neighborhoods, few and far between. Every so often, we'd reach a bigger city and stock up on supplies. By the end of the day we were in Alexandria. Savvy and I were tired and Ria was sick of being in a car seat, I don't blame her. There were no rest stops nearby, so Savannah and I decided to put the sleeping bag we had bought back in Marietta to use.
          We set up camp in one of those lush areas of grass. "Camp" wasn't really much. It was just a Prius parked nearby, a playpen for Ria to sleep in (are newborns supposed to be sleeping outside?), and a double sleeping bag next to Ria's playpen.
          I gave Ria a bottle and rocked her. Once she was asleep, I crawled into the sleeping bag where Savannah was waiting for me.
          "You're really good with Ria, y'know.", Savannah whispered to me. I raised my eyebrows.
           "Really?"
          "Yeah," she replies softly, "You're amazing."
          I couldn't help smiling. She was so pretty in the starlight and I could not resist. I scooted closer to her and kissed her. She kissed back. I don't know how long we kissed, but that doesn't matter. Time don't seem to pass. It seemed to stand still just to give Savannah and I a special moment. When we finally parted I found myself missing the warmth of her lips, but I held off.
We talked all night. About a multitude of things. NYC, the future, Ria's education, OUR education, and much more.
................................................................
I woke up to Ria's crying. Dawn was just breaking, and Savannah was still asleep. I was still wrapped in her arms. I reluctantly removed them and climbed out of the sleeping bag. I went to soothe Ria. She had had diarrhea in her pamper. Great. Nothing like the smell of shit in the morning!
One I got Ria all cleaned up I decide we should hit the road because according to my phone it is six thirty-seven and time is money.
I sit Ria in her playpen and walk over to Savannah. I kneel down and stroke her hair. She opens her eyes and smiles up at me.
"Good morning, beautiful.", I say to her.
"Why is the sun leaning above me calling me beautiful instead of rising on the horizon?", she asks.
"Because your just that important.", I reply. We smile at each other for a while. Just a moment where no words are said, but we know exactly what we would be saying if we were talking.
"Now let's go sleeping beauty. We're stopping in DC, but we have a few hours before we get there."
"Okay," she responds, "But first....." She pulls my face toward hers and kisses me. I pull away and smile.
I help Ria and Savvy into the car and then we are on our way. We decided to have breakfast in DC. I am starving, but I don't think I can take another McDonald's meal.
We drive and talk. The subjects are light until I finally have to ask something that has been bugging me ever since we left.
"Do your fosters know you left?"
Savannah's face hardens.
"Not like the give a damn anyway.", she replied without looking at me. Her tone was so bitter I almost ask if she had been eating grapefruit.
"That's not what I asked, Savannah.", I say more firmly than I wanted to.
"No," she replies, "They don't. But it doesn't matter anyway cause I'm eighteen now and I can do whatever the fuck I want." That is where the conversation ends.
We don't talk for the rest of the drive. Savannah stares out the window, and I stare straight ahead. Mentioning her fosters was a really stupid idea.
Savannah was eight when the fatal crash happened. She, her parents, and her little brother were all in the car. The light was green for Savannah's parents so her dad drove forward. But what he didn't see was that an SUV was running the light at top speed. The two cars collided in the middle of the intersection. The impact smashed up the car and sent it spiraling off of the road where it flipped over. The car was demolished. Savannah's mom, dad, and little brother died. Savannah survived, but her legs did not.
She was put into the system after that. Constantly being shipped from foster home to foster home all over America. She has lived in every state save Hawaii and Alaska. All of her foster families sucked except one in Colorado. But unfortunately the foster parents were in the business of selling methamphetamine so Savannah an her foster siblings were moved away.
Her "current" foster parents in Georgia were the worst yet. And now she had escaped them.
Savvy's childhood had been stolen from her at age eight. I wished for all the world that I could change that.