Sweet Dreams

"Mom! This is so beatiful! I LOVE it!"
"Well sweetie you deserve nothing less. Goodness, I can't believe you are sixteen! It was just yesterday when you were running around the house naked, singing barney songs." She began to tear up. "Before I know it you'll be walking down the aisle, getting married."
Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Mandi rolled over in her twin bed, eyes closed, gliding her hand accross the bedside table to put the beeping off for another 10 minutes. She tried so hard to return to her dream, but couldn't.
Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! This time Mandi slowly sat up and quited the beeping for good. She fumbled in the dark to find her red button-up diner shirt and black pants. The lack of lighting in the appartment was really getting old for Mandi. "Ugh," she exlaimed as she tilted over, one leg stuck in those stiff pants. Mandi then walked over to the mirror leaning against the wall, sqautted down, and checked her face for bruises; making sure there wasn't any need to pile on extra make up to hide her dad's marks. But today the mark was barely present, nothing big enough for her to worry about. She glanced back at her alarm clock as she left her room. 8:09. Just enough time to run to the grocery store before work. Today was a late work day, she didn't hav to be there until nine.
Mandi pulled her hood up over her head as the exited Washington Heights. It was only drizzling, but she preffered not to spend the rest of her work day soggy. She walked quickly down Baker Street.
"Hey Maggy," she said as she walked past the little food stand.
"Hey there darlin'," she winked back.
Mandi continued on to Manny's and hurried in to grab enough food for two more days; a box of cereal, a half gallon of milk, 2 frozen fish falet dinners (for her dad), a loaf of bread and jar of peanut butter.
"Alrighty, that'll be nineteen-oh-seven." The cashier said.
Mandi handid him nineteen ones from her tip money, "Hold on I have seven pennies," she told him.

After Mandi put the nineteen dollars worth of groceries up, she poured herself a bowl of cereal to eat before she headed off for work. Crunch. Crunch. She stood over the counter, shovelling the cheerios into her mouth with a glance at her watch. 8:47. The uneven footsteps from the other room startled her. Thump. Thump thump. She threw her dished in the sink, grabbed her bag and headed out the door. Every time she could avoid her dad it was worth it.

31 hamburgers, 56 wet customers, 9 screaming children, 1 wrong order, and fourteen hours later, Mandi walked the 30 second stretch back down Bucher Drive to Washington Heights. As she turned the corner she collided with a lady and dropped her grilled ham and cheese sandwhich to-go box.
"Oh, sorry Elizabeth! My bad. How are you?" Mandi said as she knelt down to pick up her box.
"Oh... um... no worries." Elizabeth responded abnormally as continued walking quickly, looking around as if she was being chased.
'Hm... that was odd,' Mandi thought as she continued up to her appartment.
She opened the door to room 704. Nothing new. Her dad was lounged out on the recliner, a spilt beer on the floor, TV flickering. As she walked by she grabbed the remote from the side of the recliner to turn off the TV, and as she did so, notice three yellow feathers hanging on his black shirt. Mandi tucked herself in for the night, hoping to return to sweet dreams of her and her mother.