“Y’all up from Wilmington?” Her gravelly voice made me want to shudder. Lifetime chain-smoker for sure. I fervently hoped the rooms were smoke-free and clean. Do aliens check for bedbugs?
“Yes, ma’am. We were headed out of town, but it’s so late . . . don’t you think we’re far enough?” I offered her one of my best smiles so she’d hopefully peel her eyes off of Sal, who—as usual—was studying his surroundings as if they were an acquisition to his kingdom. “What are the latest coordinates?”
“She’s churnin’ thirty miles east ah Snow’s Cut. Still a low three’n not too big, thank th’Lord, Jesus Chris’.” She paused as if waiting for me to add an “Amen!” but I caught on a second too late. “Water’s too cool ta feed’er, but they don’ know if she’ll bounce back out, ‘er shimmy up the coas’.”
“Well, we’re just grateful if you have vacancies . . . ?”
“I s’ppose y’all need two rooms?”
Her “y’all” was inclusive of all things inappropriate in a Bible Belt town, and I blushed profusely. “Yes, thank you. A single for my nephew, and a double for my daughter and me. And our cat.” I gestured to the carrier at Eileen’s feet.
“Anythin’ you say, darlin’. I’ve got joinin’ doubles. Pet deposit’s ‘nother twenty.”
I filled out the registration slip as quickly as possible, but when I bent to pick up our bags, Eileen slapped Sal’s arm. “Didn’t Aunt Sally teach you any manners? Get those for my mom.” And miracle-of-miracles, he did it. He even flashed a convincingly contrite smile, and our little family left the clerk flustering with her own blushes.
By another stroke of luck, the motel was roughly H-shaped, with the exterior stairwell set into the middle by the office, so we didn’t get soaked again. Not that it really mattered to me at this point. My hoodie and sweatpants were like a spongy wetsuit; but I was worried about Eileen. I vaguely remembered telling her to put on her rain jacket before we left; but, apparently, she hadn’t, and I was just now noticing her bare arms sticking out from her sodden t-shirt.
We found our adjoining rooms easily enough. The first room’s wine-red carpet and nubby, mauve drapes were well-worn, and the burgundy paisley bedspread clashed just enough to make me feel queasy, but dated decor was survivable. I sniffed, but the air was fresh, and a few quick checks in the bathroom and at the linens convinced me everything was clean. Thank you, Smoker Lady.
“Leeni, sweetheart, I’m going to fix you a snack, but I want you to change clothes and dry your hair as best you can, ‘kay?” She nodded, and I motioned Sal into the next room to give her privacy.
His room was a mirror image of ours, except with a feast of yellow squash and pumpkin-colored accents to go with the carpet. Bet that’s memorable with über-vision. As soon as the door closed behind us, I took charge.
“Okay. I have mom-duties now, but then you and I are going to talk.”
“Lila . . . ”
“No more bullshit. You and I are gonna have a chat. Got it?”
“How long will you be?”
“Just ten . . . maybe fifteen minutes.”
“I will wait.”
So he was leaving. To do what? My molars went to work on the inside of my cheek again. The pulpy flesh was becoming as desensitized as my conscience. As long as I stayed focused on Eileen and our tiny segment of the world, I was fine. But beyond my selfish concerns . . .
Cara. The baby. Adam.
I let Pebbles out of her carrier, and she jumped up on one of the beds and started grooming. Maybe normal cats hated to travel, but, clearly, as long as there was an alien for company, it wasn’t a big deal to her.
Sal stepped in my line of sight again. “Lila . . . ?”
I dug into my bag and pulled out a spare toothbrush and a tube of toothpaste. “Here. I don’t know if aliens have to brush or whatever, but you don’t have anything with you . . . ” I tossed them, knowing he’d catch, and reached back in to yank out my fluffy bathrobe. “And I know this is silly, but I didn’t have anything else that’d fit. I figured you could at least put it on while your clothes dry out . . . ” I held it out, but he was still looking at the toothbrush and toothpaste. “ . . . if there’s enough time?”
He slowly took the robe from my outstretched hand.
“I’ll take that as a yes. And see if you can talk Pebbles into using the toilet instead of the closet. I’d like my twenty bucks back.”
As soon as I shut the door between our rooms, I leaned against it and closed my eyes. I could hear the muffled, rushing whir of a hairdryer in the bathroom, and was glad the room was more equipped than I’d expected. I didn’t want Eileen catching a cold—not that she’d had one in years—but now wasn’t the time. Whatever this was, we were in the middle of it and needed to be ready.
I pried myself off the door and shifted into a lower gear. Dig in. Find traction. I turned down one of the beds—no way was I letting her out of arms’ reach—and set out a meal bar and a bottle of water before I changed into dry clothes. By the time Eileen came out of the bathroom, I felt a little more centered and prepared to deal with her questions.
Surprisingly, she just wolfed down her snack and climbed into bed with only a couple of comments about the storm and the room; but as I leaned over to hug her goodnight, she pulled at a lock of my
