Chastity Hall ran barefooted through the high grass along the shore of Lake Maryland barely dressed in a yellow flowing mini dress and panties. Eighteen and fresh out of high school, the tall blonde laughed as she darted in and out of the tiny grassy paths that led back in to the lake’s secured sections.
Short distance behind her was the neighbor’s youngest son Mitch Pernell who was only older than Chastity only by two weeks and who was dressed in blue jeans and an opened blue and red plaid shirt. He too was barefooted. Mitch laughed as he chased after her.
“Boy, Chas, you sure are fast!” Mitch hollered.
“Which is why you can’t catch me, buddy.” Chastity laughed.
“Wanna bet?” Mitch joked.
“On you? No way.” Chastity laughed.
Chastity continued running. Mitch picked up speed and was soon directly behind her.
“Gotcha!” Mitch laughed.
Mitch grabbed Chastity by the stomach and pulled her in behind a thick bush. Chastity let out a playful battle cry as she wrestled him to the ground.
—
Chastity and Papa walked out to the graveled driveway to Papa’s blue Xian pickup.
BoBo was sitting on the hood with his back against the windshield and his arms folded across his chest and a smug look on his face.
“So, baby girl, you’re actually gonna go through with this escapade of yours?” BoBo questioned. “You do not stand a chance in hell of EVER becoming a movie star.”
“Why not?” Papa asked.
“She’s too freaking ugly.” BoBo coldly snarled.
Chastity ignored BoBo’s remark.
“Get off my pickup, boy.” Papa demanded.
BoBo jumped off the pickup and walked around to the passenger side door.
“Just where do you think you’re going?” Papa questioned.
“I’m going with you.” BoBo said, opening the passenger side door.
“Like hell you are!” Chastity yelled.
BoBo got into the pickup.
“Get out!” Papa demanded. “You’re not going anywhere.”
BoBo refused to get out of the pickup.
“I said get out!” Papa demanded. Then in his stern fatherly tone, a tone that had always made BoBo sit up and take notice, Papa added, “I’m not gonna keep telling you, boy! Get out!”
BoBo got out of the pickup, let out an irritated sigh and stormed to the house.
Chastity and Papa got into the pickup and closed the doors.
Papa started the pickup, shifted gears and backed out of the driveway.
BoBo darted to his green Xian pickup, got into it and started it. He backed out of the driveway onto the gravelled country road and stepped on the gas.
Papa drove along the graveled country road that led to the highway that goes into Maryland about four miles away.
Along the way, Chastity looked in the rearview mirror and saw BoBo following them.
“He doesn’t give up, does he?” Chastity asked.
“Afraid not,” Papa admitted.
“Can you ditch him?”
“I can.”
“Do it please.” Chastity suggested. “I don’t want him anywhere near us while we’re at the bank or anywhere we go for that matter.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Papa answered.
Papa stepped on the gas a bit and soon rounded a long, sharp curve. He came upon a grassy road that ran directly through a huge cornfield and pulled off onto it.
He slowed down as he drove along the grassy road to the pickup entrance he had made a few months earlier and entered the pickup entrance. He hid his pickup in behind a row of tall corn stalks and parked.
Chastity and Papa sat there for nearly twenty minutes.
Papa eased out of the pickup entrance and slowly made the way their way out of the cornfield back onto the grassy road and returned to the highway.
Papa turned right onto the highway and continued on to Maryland.
Chastity kept an eye out for BoBo’s pickup. She was thankful she did not see it in the rearview mirror.
True, she loved her brother, but dog gone it, Chastity hated it when he followed her around town especially when she went to the bank and when she was shopping.
Papa eased into Maryland and soon pulled into the bank drive through, eased into one lane. Papa eased through the drive through lane to the second conveyor machine and stopped.
Chastity retrieved her paycheck and a deposit slip, turned the check over, retrieved a pen from her purse, signed the check, filled out the deposit slip for five hundred dollars and signed it.
Papa retrieved the canister, stuck the check and deposit slip inside it, closed the canister, stuck it back into the conveyor machine and sent it through.
The Bank Teller retrieved the canister, opened it, removed the check and deposit slip, put the canister on the counter, made Chastity’s deposit, retrieved money from the cash register, stuck it in a money envelope, put it in the canister along with a printed deposit receipt and closed the canister. The Bank Teller stuck the canister back into the conveyor machine and sent it through.
Papa retrieved the canister, opened it, retrieved the money envelope and the deposit receipt, handed them to Chastity, stuck the canister back into the conveyor machine and pulled out of the drive through lane.
Chastity put the deposit slip and the money envelope into her purse.
“Where to now, honey?” Papa asked.
Papa turned right onto Mason Street.
“Leshire Avenue Shopping Center.” Chastity answered.
“Any store in specific?”
“Lovekamp Fashions.”
“On our way.”
Papa eased through the intersection of Leshire Avenue and Mason Street, turned left onto Leshire Avenue and headed for the Leshire Avenue Shopping Center.
There, Papa pulled into the shopping center, drove to the Lovekamp Fashions and parked in front of the elegant store front.
Chastity was about to get out when she saw BoBo park a few parking space down from them.
“On second thought, let’s go to the West Centre Street Thrift Store. I’ll just get my stuff there.” Chastity said, closing the door.
“Okay.” Papa said.
Papa started the pickup, backed out of the parking space and returned to the Leshire Avenue entrance.
He turned left onto Leshire Avenue and headed for West Centre Street.
In the rearview mirror, Chastity saw BoBo following them again.
Papa caught his daughter’s sigh.
“Relax, honey, BoBo doesn’t like thrift stores.” Papa told her.
“Thank Heavens.” Chastity sighed.
Papa eased through another intersection and pulled off onto West Centre Street.
Chastity looked in the rearview mirror and saw BoBo was still following them. She shook her head in frustration.
Soon thereafter, Papa pulled into the West Centre Street Thrift Store parking lot and parked near the entrance.
Chastity looked for BoBo’s pickup and soon spotted it parking nearby. She let out an irritated sigh, got out of the pickup and entered the thrift store.
Inside the thrift store, Chastity searched for the suitcases and found them. Although a few of the suitcases were in pretty good shape, there was one suitcase that looked like it was ready for the trash.
“Perfect.” Chastity laughed.
Chastity picked up the old worn out suitcase and shopped for clothes. She picked out three pairs of blue jeans, three light colored blouses, three pairs of panties and matching bras. Then she found a long red dress that could easily be mistaken for an evening gown.
Chastity took everything to the checkout and purchased the items. Instead of bagging them, Chastity opened the suitcase, folded the clothes and put them in the suitcase. She stuck the receipt in her purse, picked up the suitcase and left the thrift store.
“You have got to be kidding me!” BoBo chuckled loud enough for Chastity to hear him.
Chastity smiled as she got back into the pickup and closed the door. She put the suitcase on the floor as Papa started the pickup. Chastity fastened her seatbelt as Papa backed out of the parking space and left the West Centre Street Thrift Store.
“Do you have everything you need now?” Papa asked.
“Yep.” Chastity confirmed.
“Bus station?”
“Yep.”
Papa pulled off onto Leshire Avenue and headed out of town.
Chastity checked the rearview mirror. Sure enough BoBo was again following them.
Minutes later, Papa pulled off onto the gravelled road and headed for the Maryland Bus Station.
Upon arrival, Chastity undid her seatbelt, leaned over and hugged her father.
“I love you, Papa.” Chastity smiled.
“I love you too, honey.” Papa smiled back.
Chastity straightened up, picked up her old, worn out suitcase and got out of the pickup. She entered the bus station, purchased a one way bus ticket to Los Angeles, California, got her suitcase weighed and tagged; and then, waited for the bus.
Meanwhile, Papa made a U-Turn and left the bus station.
Back inside, the bus to Los Angeles bus had just arrived and the passengers were deboarding it.
Short time later, Chastity heard a man announcing, “Los Angeles bus is now loading at door three.”
Chastity picked up her suitcase and got in line at door three.
Minutes later, Chastity stepped out into the bus loading dock, handed her luggage to the man loading the luggages and got in line. She made it to the front of the line, handed the handsome African bus driver her bus ticket.
The bus driver punched it, tore off a section of the ticket and handed it to Chastity.
Chastity boarded the bus, found a good center seat and sat down in the seat next to the window. She put her purse in her lap and watched as the rest of the passengers board the bus.
Several minutes later, the bus left the bus station and headed for the highway.
There, the driver turned right onto the highway and headed for the interstate highway.
Short time later, the LA bus was on its way to Los Angeles, California.
Chastity was finally on her way to the infamous City of Angels.
Judy Kaye 2 