“Oh hello their Candace just sign your name on the sheet and I believe Mrs. Mahoney is in the bingo room”,  I overheard Susan our cheery receptionist tells Candace.  Hello there sweetheart it's been a while. Candace is 16 years old, tall and skinny, with blond hair and blue eyes, a real diamond. She's outspoken and independent but has a kind heart. She visits me often here at the Saint Alyssa's nursing home. She's like a granddaughter to me.

"Hi Mrs. Mahoney, how have you been? I hate my parents; they decided we had to move. I wont be able to visit you as often. I might as well just run away.” I’m in good hands here and as much as I will miss you you don’t want to run away from a loving and caring family. Sit here and let me tell you a story about an old friend of mine.

She was just about your age maybe a year older. Her name was Lux she lived in Franston MA, which is a very small town. Lux had an older brother and sister but they died in a car accident when she was very young so she never really knew them. Her parents were paranoid ever since.  She was homeschooled and didn’t have much opportunity for mingling with her parent’s obsession with being overprotective. She wasn’t even allowed to take her dogs for a walk without her mom tagging along. Lux was a dreamer, ambitious and independent much like you. She couldn’t stand her parents constantly breathing down her neck. One day Lux decided to bring up her future with college. Her mother said that wouldn’t be necessary because she wont be going to college because she will be running the family business. This was the last straw for Lux so she packed a suitcase and all the money she had saved up which was about a thousand dollars. That was a lot of money to her before she knew how much everything in the real world cost. Lux took the keys to her dad’s car and fled. One of her favorite books was about New York City so she grabbed a map and headed to the city that never sleeps. Lux arrived and was in awe of all the people and dancing lights, like stars shinning against a black backdrop.

Lux parked her car on the street and went inside the coffee shop to get something to eat after a tedious five-hour ride. The line was long but she had her heart set on a blueberry muffin. Lux ate her muffin then went for a walk. It was amazing how little she's lived and how amazing her new life was going to be. Lux returned to the coffee shop but couldn't find her car, she located the parking spot but her car was no longer in it. When she finally digested the thought that her car had been stolen. Everything became a little bit realer to her. Luckily she kept her money on her. She was strong and wasn't ready to give up yet. It was going to take a lot more than someone stealing her car for her to go home. Home is supposed to be a place where you feel happy and her home felt like jail. She wasn't able to get a hotel because she wasn't over the age of 18. Although she was rattled she promised herself she wasn't going to call home that home was in her past. Lux still felt a huge amount of hostility towards her parents, which didn't mix well with her pride. She had high hopes but things quickly went south for her once she got to New York. That night all she could do was walk around the city and appreciate her freedom. The next night she had to get some sleep so she sat down on the street side corner and slept. After a few days she became scared of what lurked in the night.

She wasn't the only one sleeping under the bridge one night and wasn't the only one becoming restless. She knew the dozen of other people under the bridge with her had been sleeping outside a lot longer than her. She could see them eyeing her not yet torn clothing, and the small lump in her pocket, which was the last bit of her money. Later that night she was woken up by rustling. When she opened her eyes she realized she was being surrounded. The desperate robbers moved in to assault her.  They were able to grab her coat so she unzipped it and ran off. They now had possession of her coat, money and a key chain with he initials L.M. on it, which she was one of her prized objects. She was mad at herself for keeping it in a place that could be stolen so easily but she is till ignorant and learning.

One night she came across a tall, strong man in an alley dressed in all black.  He said "you looking for a job, well this is the best offer a street rat is going to get". A little bit of joy began to emerge inside her. The delivery could have been better but she was going to get back on her feet. Lux took the man's card and walked away. The next day she met with him at the address from the card. He made her sign a contract, which pretty much bound her to him, but at the time she was so hungry and cold she didn’t care what she had to do to get some money. He gave her a key for an apartment that she was going to stay in that was supplied for her. She was thrilled and began to wonder what type of wonderful job she must have to supply her with her own apartment. There were strict rules, she wasn't allowed to go places unless he knew or approved of it.

As you can imagine this job was not what she was hoping for.  She was an innocent naive girl and was not going to do the things the man was asking of her. Knowing the contract she signed would not allow her to quit she knew she had to run away yet again.  One night when her boss had gone to bed she climbed out the window and down the fire escape ladder and just as she was going to jump down she saw one of the man’s watchdogs on the ground waiting for intruders.  She started to run and then she crawled under a small hole in a green fence that only she could fit through.
A woman saw her running and guided her into her small coffee shop, which looked very familiar to her. She remembered that it was the first shop visited when she started her adventure. Lux was able to have a delicious blueberry muffin. The woman offered her a hot drink and gave her a card of someplace that was willing to help her.  It was Berkeley’s homeless shelter. She had never really considered herself homeless because she was raised in a nice house and as far as she was concerned she was going to get back on her feet eventually. Seeing, as she didn't have any money and no longer had a job she walked to the address. At the homeless shelter they were kind and there were many people there. They welcomed her and said "Hello dear. The kitchen is this way “.  Lux was angry when they asked the worse question “What happened to your parents?” She told them they were still living in her small town. She explained the reason she ran away and they said she is welcome to stay under one condition… she calls her parents. They gave her a quarter and showed her to the phone. Considering her situation and what she’s been through she knew she had it pretty good. After comparing her pride to her current state she made her decision. "Honey we've been worried sick."  She heard on the line.

As mad as you may be now Candace, it will get better and you don’t want to sacrifice what you have like Lux did. Candace looked like she was thinking about something. Do you have a question? I asked her.“ Didn’t you say Lux’s initials were L.M.? Was Lux you?”, asked Candace. I guess you could say I have a personal connection with her.