Chapter 36. Jenny
JENNY
The bell above the door jingled as Jenny let herself into the small front office.
It was empty. Was the place closed? But when she reached the counter, an older blond woman with a tight perm and a crocheted flower vest appeared from around the corner.
Jenny could hear the happy sounds of a game show on TV coming from there.
The woman smiled. “What can I get you?”
“We’d like to rent a room, please.” She adjusted the backpack on her shoulder, hoping that it made her look more like a real traveler.
“Who’s ‘we’? I only see one of you.”
“Oh, sorry.” What should she say? Maybe she shouldn’t call Simon her boyfriend. “I’m traveling with my aunt and my cousin. They’re getting our things from our car.”
The woman looked past her and out the dark window, her eyes narrowed, and her lips pursed. She reminded Jenny of the librarian at her school, who was always peering over her glasses at them to make sure no one talked or folded pages in the books.
“Where did you park? Don’t see a car.”
“It broke down. They sent me ahead.” Jenny pulled bills out of her pocket. “I can pay in cash.”
“It’s ten a night.”
Jenny set down a ten-dollar bill. “Can we get one in a quiet area?”
“They’re all quiet. We don’t have many guests tonight.” The woman turned, grabbed a key from a hook on the wall, and slid it across the counter. The orange plastic tag was in the shape of an arrow with the name of the motel on it. Their teepee was number 4.
“It’s a blue one. There’s only two beds. Extra blankets in the closet.”
Jenny nodded. “Thank you.”
“Have a nice stay.” The woman was already disappearing around the corner, back to her TV. Jenny breathed a small sigh of relief. She wouldn’t see them walking to their teepee with their pillowcase bags. Hopefully the woman didn’t watch the late-night news.
Jenny headed out into the dark to find Simon.
Moths floated around the light over the door to their teepee as Simon fit the key into the lock.
Alice waited across from Jenny, on the other side of Simon.
Before they’d left the train tracks, Simon had untied Alice’s wrists.
Now that she was in the light, Jenny could see that Alice’s chin was scraped and bleeding. Her knees looked puffy and bruised.
Alice frowned at her. Jenny wanted to frown back, but she turned her head.
There were only a couple of other vehicles in the parking lot.
A bronze-colored car was in front of a pink teepee on the other side, and at the end of the row, a little red Toyota truck was parked in front of a yellow teepee.
The truck was pulling a wood-paneled trailer that looked homemade.
Lawn chairs and a red cooler were strapped to the roof.
There were ten teepees in total. Five on each side, with a paved lane running up the center, and parking spots in front of each teepee.
The teepees were made from a hard material like cement, and sculpted around the door to look like the flaps were rolled back.
Jenny thought the pastel shades were pretty.
They reminded her of marshmallow ice-cream cone candies.
Simon held the door and motioned Alice inside, then Jenny, who dropped her backpack on one of the beds and looked around. She’d never stayed in a motel before. From the outside the teepees were round, but inside the walls were angled to make flat sections and corners.
The air was thankfully cooler, with an air-conditioning unit under the window. The carpet was orange, matching the plaid coverlets, and the headboards were in the shape of wagon wheels. Each bed had a night table and lamp. They were separated by the door to the bathroom.
Jenny peeked inside. It was narrow, with the bathtub and shower on one side, the sink in the middle, and the toilet at the other end. But it looked clean and there were towels.
The TV was on a rolling cart, beside a chair and desk with a phone, telephone book, plastic ice bucket, and water glasses. A book of matches with the motel name was in the ashtray.
Alice sat on the other bed with slumped shoulders. She was watching Simon, who was moving around the room and checking things out.
“You could call the police now and tell them there are people in the basement,” Alice said. “We’re a few towns away.”
“I want more distance first.” Simon yanked the phone cord out of the wall and turned to show Alice that the end had broken off.
Alice crossed her arms over her chest. Simon was rummaging in one of the pillowcase bags.
He pulled out a chocolate bar for Jenny.
He tossed one to Alice too, but she didn’t catch it, and it bounced onto the mattress by her leg.
He took out the saltine crackers and cheese, and using the phone book as a cutting board, he sliced the cheese with the hunting knife.
“I need to use the bathroom,” Alice said.
“Go for it.” He stabbed a piece of cheese with the knife and brought it to his mouth. Alice walked past him and closed the door. Soon there was the sound of water running.
Simon made a pile of cheese and crackers and brought them over to Jenny. She was so hungry that it didn’t matter that it was her third meal of crackers that day.
After a few moments, Alice emerged from the bathroom. Her cheeks were pink, and her hair damp, like she had splashed water on her face. They hadn’t brought any of Alice’s things. No toothbrush or hairbrush. No clean clothes. She must have been so uncomfortable.
Simon was sitting at the desk, eating his own stack of crackers and cheese. Jenny looked at him. He met her gaze, made a frustrated sound, and took the rest over to Alice.
Jenny took the glasses and got them water from the bathroom.
She wished they had ice. The food hadn’t been enough, but it would hold them until morning, when Jenny hoped they could buy a real meal somewhere.
She took a shower, happy to be washing off the dirt and sweat, while feeling guilty that Alice couldn’t do the same.
Jenny changed into her sleep clothes—pink satin shorts and a faded Snoopy T-shirt—before she left the bathroom.
Simon was still at the desk. The package of crackers was mostly gone. He pulled out a pack of cigarettes and lit one. Smoke quickly filled the motel room. Alice coughed.
“Your cigarette stinks.”
“Stop complaining.”
“It does smell,” Jenny said. “It makes my eyes sting.”
Simon looked back and forth between them with an annoyed curl of his lip. Jenny wanted to shrink back on the bed. She’d never seen that look on his face before. Not toward her. Simon must have realized that he’d scared her because his expression softened.
“Sorry, babe. I’ll open a window.”
He moved to the side of the teepee and slid the window open, standing near it while he finished his cigarette. She leaned back on the bed and rested her hands on her belly. She was so tired, but her mind raced. To the house, to the motel, to the truck on the side of the road.
When Simon was finished, he closed the window and turned toward Jenny.
“I’ll have to steal another car.”
“How?”
“I’ve got ideas. We can talk about it tomorrow.”
He carried the desk chair over to Alice’s bed, pulled her arm straight, and tied her wrist to a rod on the chair’s back.
Alice wasn’t resisting. She had her eyes closed, but Jenny knew she wasn’t sleeping. She was probably worrying about Tom. She would worry about Ruth and William too. She was like that. Did she worry about Jenny ever? Jenny liked the idea, but she knew it wasn’t true.
When Simon was finished, he took his backpack into the bathroom and left the door open while he had a shower. Steam billowed out. Alice was quiet on the other bed, until Jenny heard a rustling sound and looked over. She was eating the chocolate bar.
Simon came out in clean shorts and shirt and dropped his dirty clothes onto the floor. The bandage was gone from his arm, exposing his open wound.
“I brought the gauze pads,” Jenny said. “I can put a fresh one on.”
“Okay, cool.” He looked relieved and Jenny was happy she had thought to put the items into her pocket.
After Jenny was finished rebandaging Simon’s arm, she looked over at Alice. “Do you want ointment?”
Alice was quiet for a long moment and Jenny thought she was maybe going to ignore her, but then she said, “Yes. Thank you.”
Jenny brought over a tin of ointment. Alice used her free hand to scoop out a dollop with her finger and applied it to her chin, knees, and palm.
She realized that Alice might have a hard time getting under the blankets. “Do you need help? You know, with the blankets.” She gestured at the bed.
Alice nodded. Jenny pulled a blanket to the bottom of the bed, dragging it out from under Alice, then lifted the blanket up over her.
“Thanks,” Alice said, but her tone was grudging.
“Turn off her lamp, babe,” Simon said from the other bed.
Jenny did as he’d asked, then went back to their bed. The mattress sagged and squeaked when she climbed in. Simon turned off their lamp and plunged them into darkness.
“Jesus, I’m tired.” He linked his fingers with hers. “Get some rest.”
Jenny closed her eyes, but she couldn’t get comfortable.
The sheets were rough and itchy against her bare legs.
Her lower back and feet hurt from walking.
The cigarette smell lingered and mixed with all the other stale motel scents.
When Simon was snoring, she slid her fingers free from his.
She could make out Alice’s shape in the dim light that leaked through the curtains.
“He’s never going to let me go,” Alice whispered.
Jenny startled—and quickly looked at Simon beside her. He was still snoring.
“He will,” Jenny whispered. “He has to.”
“No. He’ll kill me.”
“He won’t.”
“You don’t see him the same.”
“He’s protective and scared, but he doesn’t like hurting people.”
“Do you really believe that?”