Louisville Magazine is Louisville's city magazine, covering Louisville people, lifestyles, politics, sports, restaurants, entertainment and homes. Includes a monthly calendar of events.
Issue link: https://loumag.epubxp.com/i/421959
LOUISVILLE MAGAZINE 12.14 101 Cricket says. "What do you mean?" Julio asks. "Gov- ernment name? Last name?" "First," Cricket says. "And last." "What's your last name?" Chris asks. "Nope. I'll tell you the biological name I was given: Audriana," Cricket says. "Ten my stupid-ass foster parents decided to change it." "So what do you plan on changing it to?" Julio says. "Cause Audrey does go with you." "My name don't go with me," Ashley says. "Tat's why I go by KJ most of the time." "I got so many names, it's ridiculous," Julio says. "Loco. Hootz. Cheeks. Chi- co…" "I have so many nicknames if I named them all, you'd be here all night," Ashley says. "Juju . . . ," Julio continues. "KJ," Ashley says. "Lovebug. Mamacita. Lil Mama. Angel. Queen. . . ." Ashley throws a couple of dirty shirts into the fre. Tere's a whole mound of clothes to burn. Beside it, Te Perks of Being a Wallfower, coverless, soggy with rain, unread. hen Ashley returns to camp at dark one night, she pushes the bike she rode in from town on against a tree. Its squeaky thud quiets everyone. Ashley says she's done with this. Says her aunt had a heart attack and is in the ICU. Ashley barely knows the woman but has been at the hospital with her all day. "Before I went to the hospital, I turned the bottle up," she says. "We were at Bologna Alley. Drinking with the dude I hit in the mouth." Seeing her aunt in the hospital bed reminded Ashley of her mom, who died several years ago. Her aunt looked so wasted away. Because Ashley has been homeless on and of for fve years, she has deep street lineage. She has a street mom who helps her with food stamps; a street bro, Grifn, who helps mediate Ashley and Julio's rela- tionship troubles; and another street broth- er who just got shot in the hand. (Her real brothers are overseas in the military.) She even had a street daughter once — a 14-year-old runaway Ashley and Julio "ad- opted" for a couple weeks. (She told them she was 19.) Te girl didn't know anything about the streets. Ashley taught her what she could until the girl moved on. Ashley says she still thinks about her, wherever she is. Because she's family. In this world, family forms from necessity. Family comes. And family goes. W gocards.com