I burst into laughter. Holding my belly because if Tonya would have heard her daughter cussing, she’d be livid. Just then she enters the living room. “It smells amazing in here. I can’t wait to eat whatever Mom is cooking up.” She looks between me and her husband, noticing the laughs I’m trying to contain, and Reaf’s deer in the headlight’s expression. “What’s going on?”
“Nothing,” we say in unison. A giggle escapes me, and her brows pinch in frustration.
We’re saved from her questioning because right at that moment Lucia yells, “Food’s ready. Come eat.” And if I know anything about my cousin it’s that she lives for her mom’s cooking.
Throwing the blanket off of me, I stand, feeling lighter. Like a boulder has been lifted off my shoulder. Reaf should definitely switch majors. He’s missing his true calling.
Four
Randall
“Stupid, piece of shit car.”I kick the tire, wincing at the pain now shooting through my foot. This is just what I need. Another thing to add onto a day that has gone horribly wrong already. It’s not even nine and I can count on one hand all the things that have put me in a foul mood.
When I got home from work last night, Dad was already stumbling around in a drunken stupor. I could see his silhouette through the window, and went in the back door so I wouldn’t have to deal with him. What is the point of getting so wasted that you can’t even walk? Even when I partied with my friends, before they turned into lovesick fools, I never allowed myself to get that out of control. It’s one thing I’ll never understand about my father. He needs help, and I hope one day he realizes that before it’s too late.
On top of wondering if he was going to come into my room to shout at me for something I didn’t do, yet again, my alarm didn’t go off. Either that, or I slept straight through it and it gave up on trying to wake me. I didn’t even shower before I left for work. There wasn’t time for all that. A quick rinse and brushing my teeth is all I managed before running out the door. And I forgot my lunch.
And now, I’m sitting in the parking lot of the deli and my car won’t start. I should have left the car running after it gave me trouble this morning, but I didn’t want to waste the gas. The stop was supposed to be quick. Grab something for me to eat for lunch and haul ass to work.
The clouds darken and a few tiny drops begin falling from the sky. Another spring storm is here to grace me with it’s presence. My day is beginning to feel like that book we read in elementary school about that kid that had a horrible day. Bad things just kept piling up on him, and I’ve never felt more like him than I do now.
Lifting my foot up, I start to kick the tire again. It’s not going to do any good. All that’s going to happen is I’m going to bruise my foot. Instead, I open the door and reach below the panel to release the hood. It could be anything, the starter, alternator, or battery. Whatever it is, I’m hoping it’s a cheap fix. The funds aren’t there for yet another repair on this car. It’s been good to me, getting me from point a to b. But, it’s old, and starting to show its age with each passing day.
The rain is coming down a little harder as I lift the hood and look underneath, trying to find the source of my problem. One glance at my battery, tells me all I need to know. It’s corroded with gunk all over the terminals. Batteries are expensive. At least it’s a quick fix. All I need is a jump to get me to work and I can grab one as soon as I’m off.
“Is everything okay?” Her voice floats through the air. Jumping I hit my head on the hood, and curse. Amelia’s voice shouldn’t be recognizable to me. I’d be lying if I said I haven’t thought about her since I saw her at work that day.
“Um, yeah. Just a little car trouble,” I point toward the car with the hand that’s not rubbing the bump that’s already starting to form. That’s going to hurt like a bitch later.
She’s standing underneath an umbrella, prepared for the impending storm, smiling at me as if she doesn’t have a care in the world. It’s a far cry from last week. A huge weight has definitely been lifted from her shoulders, but she’s still guarded. I can see in the way she eyes me. Cautious and curiously, as if she doesn’t know whether she should be talking to me.
Finally, she speaks. “Is there anything I can do to help? I’m not great with car issues, Maybe I can give you a ride somewhere?”
Hopefully this isn’t something she normally does, picking up strangers to cart them off to wherever they need to go. But, I don’t need a ride. I only need this car to start to get me to work before I’m later than I already am. “Actually, is there any chance you have a set of jumper cables?”
Cocking her head to the side, she runs a hand through her hair. She looks like a confused puppy, and it’s more adorable than it should be. Stop it brain. Don’t go there. She’s off limits. Hell, everyone is off limits until I can get out of this town. “Maybe? I’m sure Uncle Jason has something in the car.” She lifts the palm of her free hand. “Hold on a second, let me pull his car around, and we can see what he has in the trunk.”
As if I could go anywhere unless it was my own two feet taking me. “Okay. I’ll sit in the car so I don’t get any wetter.”
She hurries off toward the back of the lot. There’s plenty of parking close to the store fronts, I’m not sure why she’d choose to park further from the door. Sliding into my car, I shut the door. It’s not pouring yet, but it will be soon. Searching in the backseat of my car, I hope to find a towel, or dry shirt, anything to make myself somewhat presentable when I get to work.
It’s not long before a car door closes next to me and Amelia is knocking on my window. The rain is coming down harder, and she’s shivering. We aren’t into the summer months yet, and even though we live in Texas, it’s still on the cooler side.
She backs up as I reach for the door handle, giving me space to get out of the car. “I didn’t see any cables in the front. I figured I’d look just in case.” She presses a button on the key fob to make the trunk open. “I’m sure he has an emergency car kit in here somewhere, though. He’s insanely serious about having things to help in situations like these.”
I pull up the hatch that hides the spare tire except don’t see a kit anywhere. Pulling my phone from my back pocket, I turn the flashlight on. There, in the very back of the trunk up against the backseats, a silver reflection is apparent when the light hits it. Thank you, Mr. Burgess for always being prepared. Amelia angles the umbrella to cover the both of us as I reach in to grab the bag. Cold drops of water hit my ankles as my jeans rise up since I’m halfway in the truck. For such a small car, I didn’t think there’d be so much space.
Coming back out, bag in hand, I turn toward my car. Amelia grabs the bag out of my hand and points toward her car. “Let’s get in and look at it. It’s warm, and there’s no sense in standing in the rain searching for the cables.”
She walks around me toward the back door, leaving no room for argument. I could stay out here and continue to get wet while she looks for what I need. Or, I can get in the car. Realistically I know I should keep my distance, but I also don’t want to offend her. She looks like she’s in a good place right now, and I don’t want to be the person to ruin it.
As soon as she sees me at the window, she opens the door and scoots back over. “Took you long enough. I don’t bite, at least not anymore. Promise.”
The door closes with a dull thud. The grin on my face is surprising. I remember what she’s talking about. Though it was so long ago, I don’t know how she remembered. We were playing at Tonya’s house and I took her doll away from her. Maybe I’ve always been a bit of jerk, even before my mom split. She bit me when I wouldn’t give it back. We had to have been five or six years old. “I’m surprised you remember that.”
“It’s hard to forget when someone takes your favorite doll,” she shrugs. “You picked on us girls a lot when we were younger.”
I wince. Yep, I was definitely a little shit as a kid. Maybe Mom was right to bail on me, I couldn’t have been easy to raise. “Sorry about that.”