The woman didn't say much to me. However, she did indicate that she worked at a shelter for abused women. I didn't know what that entailed, but a facility with only women sounded like the perfect solution for what I needed. After what had just happened with Nolan, I was hesitant to follow another stranger somewhere. The woman spent a few more minutes explaining where we were going, and I felt okay. I probably shouldn't have based all my decisions on a good feeling, but I was also desperate. I needed to stay somewhere. I needed clothes. I needed food. The woman promised me I could find all these things at the shelter.
After driving her vehicle for a few minutes, she said, "I am Harriet. Harriet Williams. What's your name?" I responded without thinking..."Ana.. I mean Olivia Smith.' I had almost forgotten that I wasn't Ana. After I had used my previous memories to summon the courage to fight back, I was still in the mindset of my life as Ana. But now I must return to Olivia. Arriving at the shelter, things moved quickly. They needed my identification. I fished it out of my purse. I was grateful I had managed to grab my purse as I ran out of Nolan's. They "scanned it," and after a few minutes, I was assigned a room, given a key, and Harriet was about to leave. I didn't know what to say, but I managed to say, "Thanks," before she left.
The room was even smaller than the one I had been in previously. There was no bathroom or kitchen either. I shrugged my shoulders. I didn't need any of that. I just wanted to sleep. I was in the middle of crawling into bed when there was a light knock at my door. I had no idea who could be at my door, but I got up after a second quiet knock. I opened it and saw Harriet standing there. She had a plastic bag. She nervously pushed the bag towards me. She said, "I figured you didn't want to sleep in those clothes. I am hoping that you are not as tiny as you currently look and that it is just that you seem tiny in comparison to the clothes you are currently wearing." She smiled for a second at her mumble-monologue. She then shakily said, "I am a bit of a rambler. I will go now. But I work here tomorrow, so I will see you in a few hours. Get some sleep, if you can. I know it's probably not as comfortable as you want, but I guarantee it's safe." She nods and closes the door. I hear her footsteps walking away. I look into the bag and see pajamas, underwear, and clothes for the next few days. My heart feels warm for the first time since I arrived in Los Angeles. This is the nicest thing that has happened to me.
Harriet did return the next day. As promised. She didn't do much, but she did give me a wave and ask if I had eaten anything yet. I asked her if there was a kitchen somewhere. Harriet then gave me a tour. She showed me where the showers were, where the washing machines were to clean my clothes, and where the kitchen was. She told me what times I could expect food. She asked if I had a phone, but I wasn't sure. But she then pulled out her phone and plugged it into a charging station. I gasped. I suddenly realized what those devices were for. Communication. I pulled my rectangle out. It was completely dead. But when we put it on the charging station, it lit up again. Harriet smiled. She couldn't stay much longer, because she was part of the meal prep team. She had to get the food ready for lunch. I nodded and said goodbye.
The next day, I saw Harriet again. This time we talked about food. I may not know how to cook, but I enjoy a good meal. I gave her my feedback on the meals from the previous day. She smiled, and we continued to discuss the types of things that people want to eat when they are in the shelter. I asked her how long she had been working here, and she said for 3 years. She told me how she got this job after she went to college. I asked about what she studied in college. She told me about her time at UCLA. I didn't know half of the things she talked about, but I didn't care. I was so grateful to have someone to talk to.
On the third day, she didn't come to the shelter. I was alone the whole day. It was horrible. But on the fourth day, she returned. She asked about my family, if I could call them, and live with them. I told her the truth. I was not from here. I had lost my job, and my housing, and I was on my own. She looked sad for a minute. Then she said, "I want you to have my number. Just in case you need something like a ride to get groceries." I smiled, "Okay." She then pulled out my phone, had me unlock the screen with my fingerprint, and then put her number in my phone. She even showed me how I could find it. I was grateful. After a few minutes of silence, she said, "Are you okay?" I knew that she meant it when she asked me that. I decided to tell her something that I was not sure would get me into trouble. I said, "I have a memory problem. Do you think you could explain things to me when I don't understand?" My answer made her laugh hard. It was not what she meant when she asked if I was okay, but if I am going to stay in Los Angeles, I need to learn more about this world.
Over the next week, I had almost daily lessons from Harriet. She would answer any questions I had without asking why I didn't know these things. She helped me get access to more information about Olivia Smith. It was super helpful. After a few days, Harriet showed me how I could use Olivia's phone to log into her bank account. It was a big deal because there was some money left inside it. Harriet explained that it was enough for maybe two months of rent in Los Angeles. But she told me I needed to get a new job if I wanted to move out of the shelter. She told me that I wouldn't be able to rent anywhere without having at least a part-time job. She also showed me how to log into my email account. She thought it was important for me to know how to do it, but I still don't know what I need it for. She explained that most places send information to the email account and not in a physical letter.
She also gave me rides in her "car" and told me about how much she paid to go to an expensive college to get a degree that she still hasn't used. She had lots of opinions on the leaders of the country. I found out that Los Angeles is part of a larger place called California, which is part of a country called the United States of America. She told me that the president was elected to the leadership position. I could never imagine becoming a leader through the vote of the people. I also heard all about how women and minorities (people who looked like Harriet) were treated differently from others. I took in every lesson that Harriet shared with me. After about three weeks, she managed to help me find a job. She told me that I was going to work in a food place. Since I had so many opinions about food, she got me a job as a waitress. Basically, a servant at the restaurant who doesn't make the food, but delivers it to the customers. It sounded like the type of job I could do with little training.