Chapter 6

“I worked in a center for at-risk youth in Kansas City. I loved it and would have stayed there, but my boyfriend at the time decided that sleeping with one of the center’s residents—against his will—was a good thing.”

“What the fuck?” I exclaimed. “How could he…” What a total cretin.

“Yeah, that was my response, too. Needless to say, I broke up with him, but it also put me in a bad position at my job, and I decided it would be better to just go.” He yawned and rubbed his eyes. “A move was in order, and since I had some money saved, I mapped out a plan of places to visit with potential for me to stay.”

“You’re braver than I am,” I said. “I’ve never lived anywhere else. My dad, he’s on wife number four and lives an hour away from here. I moved out of that madness when I graduated high school. We text each other from time to time, but I only visit once a year at Christmas. It’s usually chaos, what with all my half-brothers and sisters, plus the ex-wives.”