Chapter 4
CHAPTER FOUR
Nadia sipped on her diet Coke as she watched Mitch stride out of the bar.
He’d remained standing where they’d had their brief conversation for a while.
He’d been oblivious to all that was going on around him.
Had he been having another attack? But as she watched, she’d been able to see that he hadn’t had the vacant look on his face like he’d had when she walked up to him at the community celebration.
“So you like Mitchell Alexander, huh?” Cerise asked as she jabbed her lightly in the side.
Nadia winced. “Who?”
Cerise canted her head toward the door Mitch had just exited. “Mitchell, the guy who just left. The one who stopped you in your tracks when you walked in tonight. You know the guy you had a conversation with.”
“Oh, him.” Mitch was the last person she wanted to talk about. “When will trivia start?”
“Soon. But you won’t distract me.” Cerise picked up the plastic bag Nadia put on the ground. “I’m taking your leftovers hostage until you dish the dirt on the conversation you had with Mitchell.”
“There was nothing to it, he stopped to say hello because we had a brief chat at the barbeque back in April. That’s all there was.
” Nadia wasn’t one to pray, but she said a silent prayer to God to forgive her for her little white lie.
She didn’t think the big guy would mind, considering she was protecting Mitch and what he’d gone through.
Another loud clap of thunder reverberated around the room and the sound of big fat raindrops pinged against the metal roof. “Whoa, I guess you were right, Cerise, we are in for a big storm. Should we think about leaving?”
“I’m often right,” she said with a laugh. “Don’t worry, it’ll pass in about five minutes. A little thunder and rain aren’t a reason for you to get out of taking part in trivia night.”
“Fine.” Nadia grumbled, but a sense of unease prickled over her skin.
Boston used to have bad thunderstorms and it never bothered her.
If she’d thought the air was oppressive as they’d left the hospital, prior to them stepping into the bar it had felt like the sky was about to collapse.
The clouds were a dark gray and rolled around the sky in a way she’d never witnessed before.
Cerise had assured her that everything would be fine, but now, Nadia was wishing she’d foregone having the best mac ‘n’ cheese she’d ever had in her life and stayed home where she’d be feeling safe from the rain.
Over the next twenty minutes, the rain eased off but the thunder still rumbled and the lightning flashed almost non-stop.
They’d gone through three rounds of trivia and Nadia had surprised herself by answering quite a few questions and getting them right. Cerise fist bumped her many times and the other guys on the team had given her a high five.
“Okay for all the football fans out there, here’s a question just for you.” John, the trivia master addressed the crowd.
“Better be a Cowboys one.” Someone in the back yelled.
“Boo Cowboys. Go Texans.” Another person responded.
Nadia clamped her lips shut. She may have only been in Texas for a short while but she was well aware of the state’s love for football and the two teams that were based in the Lone Star State.
Being born and bred in Boston, Nadia was a firm New England Patriots fan, a fact that probably wouldn’t win her too many friends.
But she loved football. Loved to study the statistics of her favorite players.
It was the one thing she had in common with her dad and on Sundays when they watched their beloved Pats, they would discuss the tactics and the players performance.
“Quiet down you lot. Here’s question seven in this round of ten. In the 2000 combine these stats belong to which well-known quarterback: 5.24 seconds for the 40 yard dash, 24 ⒈／⒉ inch vertical jump, weighed 211 pounds and is 6ft 4 3/8 inches tall?”
Nadia bit back a smile, she’d recognize those stats anywhere. Around the table a few of the guys groaned in dismay.
“I have no fucking idea,” commented Brad, she thought his name was.
“Don’t look at me,” said Cerise. “Football is not my friend.”
“Let’s put down Peyton Manning.” Someone else said.
“Doofus, he was already playing then. What about Michael Vick, wasn’t he drafted in 2000?” Brad replied.
No way was Nadia going to let them put down a wrong question. She leaned forward and said quietly. “It’s Tom Brady.”
“Oh man, not that guy. No way would John put in a question involving the New England Patriots. The player has to be a Cowboy or a Texan.” The guy who suggested Peyton Manning responded.
Nadia withheld the urge to roll her eyes. As she suspected the hate was real, but she would defend her favorite team until her dying day. “Trust me, those stats belong to the greatest quarterback of all time.”
“Oh please,” groaned Brad. “Let’s not start that argument. The guy’s a lucky bastard. The only reason he’s got as many rings is because of luck and not talent.”
“Eli Manning is the lucky bastard,” Nadia grumbled under her breath before raising her voice.
“You keep on believing that. Guys, I’m from Boston.
I love football and, please don’t hold this against me, but I love the New England Patriots.
I’ve seen him play. Not only does he work harder than most guys on the team, he’s insanely talented. Those stats belong to Tom Brady.”
Everyone around the table went quiet. At present they were losing to another group by two points.
Nadia drove home her point. “If everyone around here feels the same as you, they’re going to think it’s a person who plays or played for a Texas team.
If you put Tom Brady down, I guarantee you, you won’t regret it. ”
“Fine,” Brad said. “But if it’s wrong you have to buy a round of drinks for everyone.”
Nadia sat back, and crossed her arms over her chest. “You’re on and if I’m right, you all have to yell out Tom Brady’s the GOAT when the answer to that question is announced.”
Cerise looked at her and quirked her eyebrow as the other guys mumbled their agreement. Nadia smiled, she couldn’t wait for the whole table to yell out and how the other patrons were going to respond. It was going to be epic and she planned to have her phone ready.
Five minutes later Nadia sat on the edge of her seat, phone in hand as John prepared to announce the answer to question seven.
They were tied with the other team that was beating them.
A correct answer would put them ahead. The final three answers for the round were so easy that it was guaranteed their closest competitors would get them right.
“Okay,” John started and Nadia pressed the record button on her phone. “The answer to question seven. The quarterback from the 2000 combine, who those stats belonged to is”—he paused and Nadia made sure she had the whole table on the screen so she could video their reactions— “Tom Brady.”
Her fellow teammates looked at her, mouths hanging open, when they heard the groan coming from the other patrons.
“Yes,” she raised her hand in the air. “Come on everyone, I believe you’re required to do something?”
They rolled their eyes but a collective Tom Brady’s the GOAT resounded around the room. “And don’t you forget it. Go Pats!” Nadia yelled.
As expected the others in the bar started some good-natured cat calling and trash talking.
“Six rings, baby. Six rings.” Nadia wiggled her fingers, suddenly feeling extremely happy that Cerise had convinced her to come to the event.
“All right everyone, settle down, I’ve still got some answers to give out, the night is not over yet, but the band of Tom Brady fans are in front.”
Brad looked at her. “I’m never going to live this down, you know.” He tempered his words with a smile and a wink.
Nadia laughed. “You’ll live.”
Before John could say anything more, sirens sounded and a loud roaring from outside filled the room. Nadia had never heard anything like it. Looking around she could see confusion on most of the people’s faces.
“What is that?” she asked Cerise.
“Holy shit, that’s a tornado. Take cover.” Someone at the back yelled.
Living in Boston Nadia had never had to worry about tornados. She’d seen the aftermath of plenty on the news. She had no idea what to do. The room erupted in activity around her. People began scrambling to get away from the windows at the front of the pub.
“Quick, come with me.” Cerise grabbed her hand and together they ran toward the restrooms, like just about everyone in the bar. “Shit. This isn’t going to work.”
Cerise dragged her back to the room they’d just been in, aiming for the door to the right of the long bar. Pushing it open Nadia could see it was the kitchen. She wasn’t sure that would be a safe place considering one of the main utensils of a kitchen was knives.
“Over here.” A male voice called and they headed that way. Buck, held open the door to a large walk-in pantry. There were two other people in the small space but she and Cerise squeezed into a corner.
“Thanks Buck,” Nadia breathed out, her voice shaking. Cerise gripped her hand tightly and she was glad that her friend was right next to her.
It could’ve only been about a minute since the sirens sounded, but the roaring of the tornado was almost deafening.
“Fuck, it’s gonna come right over us,” Cerise cried.
“Everyone crouch down as much as you can and put your hands over your head to protect it. I don’t have time to empty out everything on the shelves,” Buck instructed.
Nadia squatted down, dropping her head on her knees and putting her arms over her head. She didn’t look to see if Cerise was doing the same, but she suspected her friend was.
The building creaked and shook with the force of the winds beating at it. Through the door she could make out the sound of glasses crashing to the ground. The loud thump of pots hitting the walls as they were, no doubt, tossed around like a pizza crust.
“Oh my God, I’m so scared,” Cerise cried and Nadia wished she could reach out and grab her friend’s hand, but she was too frightened to do anything but to protect her head as much as possible.
A non-human groan echoed around the space and Nadia fully expected the roof to be ripped off the building and all of them to be sucked up into the vortex of the tornado.
Nadia’s thoughts went to the other people who’d been at their table and prayed that they’d found a safe place to hide. She also thought of Mitch and hoped that he was far, far away from the town and wherever he lived or was at that moment, that he was safe or taking shelter at least.
The building shook again, but this time the walls surrounding them caved in.
Boxes and cans rained down and Nadia grunted in pain when one caught the side of her head.
Next to her Cerise cried out. Forgetting about her resolve to protect herself, Nadia reached out and grabbed Cerise’s arm, hooking them together.
If anything was going to happen, at least they’d be together.
Nadia sent up a silent prayer to her family, whispering into the massive storm that she loved them, even though sometimes she hated them.
If she got out of this alive, she made a vow to try and contact them more often.
To share her news and her triumphs in the ER so that they could see that she’d made the right choice for herself.
The floor beneath them seemed to lift a fraction before slamming down again, causing more things to fall on them. With only one arm covering her head, Nadia had no protection for when another can tumbled off the shelf and crashed down on her head and she cried out in pain.
Her vision blurred, a trickle of moisture slid down her cheek. Her last thought before the blackness consumed her was, at least she wouldn’t be awake when she died.