Nameless: On the Run

“Here you go.” Josh said to the girl as he held the plate of food above her. The smell seemed inviting, a number of different spices all put into one dish that made the girl want to devour the dish all in one go.

“Thank you.” She replied, taking the plate from Josh's hands and placing it on her lap. She started to eat, tasting a bit at first, then eating hungrily as she decided the food was lovely. Josh looked at those lips, he wanted to kiss those lips, but once again he knew that she was too young for him. He picked up his fork and pushed his food around the plate occasionally looking at the girl who seemed oblivious to his longing for her.

“How do you like it?” Josh asked as the girl finished the last morsel of food on the plate. She looked at Josh and smiled.

“It was wonderful thanks.” She replied. Josh took the plate from her and walked back into the kitchen. He put his unwanted food on a separate plate in the fridge and proceeded to wash the two plates they had used.

There was a noise at the door, it made the young girl more aware of their surroundings. A key had gone into the lock, the door opened. Josh came out of the kitchen and back into the living room.

“Don't worry, it's only my mum” He said to the girl. She relaxed slightly at that thought. At least it wasn't a girlfriend, then she knew she would be in trouble. An elder woman walked into the living room looking sour. She looked at the girl and then at her son.

“Another whore you've picked up I see.” The woman said as she walked and placed her bags of shopping on the counter. The young girl wasn't hurt by the comment, she was stunned.

“Mum, this is…”

“I don't care who this is.” She replied cutting off her son in mid-sentence. “All I care about is what she's doing in my house.” The girl looked at Josh, this time she could see anger in his eyes, obviously life was also strained for him as well as her.

“She needs a place to stay for tonight. Her mother…was taken ill suddenly.” The woman looked at her son and then the young girl. She walked over, took the girls hand and shook it.

“Hello, I am Miss Rita Wight, and you are?” Rita said to the girl. Just as she was about to answer Rita's phone rang and she walked off leaving the girl and Josh bewildered.

“Don't mind her. She's like this with everybody.” Josh said as he sat down next to the girl. She looked at him, thinking how she wanted to touch those lips with her own. She believed he wasn't interested in her though, all they had in common was his late fiancé's depression and her mothers depression. Nothing else linked them.

“Ah hello Mary-Anne.” Rita said in the other room, the young girl looked up startled. That was the name of her mother.

“Josh, I think she's speaking to my mother.” Josh looked over at the girl, he neglected to mention Rita was the girls mothers psychiatrist. They had known each other for many years. “I need to leave Josh. She'll know who I am.” The girl said. Josh nodded his head. He knew that his mother would turn her in if she had the chance. He picked up the girls holdall and walked to the door. The girl followed, Josh wrote a note for his mother and they quietly slipped out the door away from prying eyes.

They wandered the streets, looking for places to stay, people to see. The girl now didn't know if she could trust Josh, he must have known that their mothers had know each other socially. They wandered for what seemed like hours until they found a quiet little bed and breakfast on the outskirts of the city. They only brought one room as that is all they could afford. One they'd got to the room they realised that there was only a double bed.

“I hope you don't mind sharing.” Josh said to the girl. She turned pink at the suggestion and looked away from Josh. Attempting to hide her obvious embarrassment. `I need her.' Josh said to himself. He took the girl by the shoulders, whirled her around and kissed her passionately on the lips. He was surprised when she kissed back deeper and full of lust. `This is wrong.' Was the last thing Josh thought before his heart started speaking for him and took over.

“I'm so sorry, I didn't know who to turn to.” Mary-Anne said as she walked into the door of the Wight residents. Rita guided her through to the living room and sat her down on the sofa. “I need to find my daughter.” She said to Rita.

“What's your daughters name?” Rita asked, Mary-Anne looked at her puzzled. That information couldn't help find her missing child.

“Why do you need her name? Shouldn't you know what she looks like first?” Rita nodded her head, admitting defeat/ She should know the looks of the child before the name.

“Go ahead.” Rita said. Mary-Anne got up and paced around the room looking lost.

“She's about 5ft 5 inches, long blonde hair, blue eyes, she had…”

“A distinctive birthmark on her eyebrow?” Rita butted in. Mary-Anne looked at her friend perplexed as to how she knew that vital piece of information. Rita looked at her depressed friend and gestured for her to sit down. “I didn't realise but your daughter was here tonight. I thought Josh left in a hurry.”

“Do you know where she went?” Mary-Anne asked not caring about the tears that were starting to well up in her eyes. Rita looked at her friend, not wanting to make any contact by hugging her. Instead she just sat looking at her, waiting for her to stop crying.

“What is your daughters name?” Rita asked. Mary-Anne looked at her and shook her head, she looked back at the floor not wanting to make eye contact when she said her next sentence.

“I…can't remember.”

Josh broke away from the girl and looked into her sad eyes, he sighed and sat down on the bed. She walked over to him and joined him. He looked up at her, tears in his eyes. `It's too soon', he thought to himself. His fiancé had been dead for around 4 years, but still he couldn't stop thinking about her. He wanted to share his joy at passing his university course with her, he wanted to share his life with her, but she selfishly took it all away. She took her life, and part of his with it. Josh could never forget her, and he realised that as he sat with the girl.

“I'm sorry, I just can't.” Josh said, the girl looked at the floor. She knew that it wasn't possible he liked her. She was nothing to him, just another poor girl he could empathise with. “I do like you, I really do it's just…” The girl stopped listening `like hell he does,' she thought to herself. She got off the bed and walked over to the window, Josh followed. Not wanting to let her go, he liked her so much. But his fiancé still had a hold over him.

“I like you Josh.” The girl said, she turned to look at Josh, still he had tears in his eyes. Josh looked away from her, not wanting to see her beauty. She made him feel weak, he wanted to just take her there and then. But he knew he daren't, the age difference was too great. He would be arrested for statutory rape, he just couldn't.

“I…like you to, but it's just…” Josh finished his sentence, he walked over to the bed and sat back now. All the time keeping his eyes to the floor so he didn't have to look at the girl, so he didn't have to acknowledge she was there. He wanted her, craved her, but the thought of his dead fiancé just prevented him from doing anything. The young girl reminded him so much of her, they looked similar, in build and in looks. He wasn't sure if it was the girl he liked, or the thought of her looking like his dead fiancé. Becoming angry the young girl picked up Josh's jacket, not asking if she could borrow it, and walked out of the hotel room, leaving Josh sitting alone.