Chapter 11 Oddly
T he ping of my phone was accompanied by a knock from the front door. Folding the corner of the page to mark our place, I stood to go meet the delivery driver. Without much thought, I had considered getting the bags and bringing them back to Lauren, but after hearing me read the accounts of a troublesome life, she insisted on not being left alone in the secluded aisles.
With the key drawn from my pocket, I gave a slight laugh at her apprehension, which earned me a slug to the arm. I stood there, questioning her for a moment, not offering any thoughts, until she realized that I was enquiring if she was comfortable being seen locked in together.
“I’ll be in the back...” she said, her voice drawing out the words as if to downplay the awkwardness of two disheveled bookworms being discovered locked inside a bookstore for the night.
I nodded, watched until she disappeared, then unlocked the front door. To my surprise, on the other side stood a young girl under the stoop, whom I recognized as a loyal shopper. She greeted me with a smile, anticipating my reaction.
“Hi, Joshua. You sure are working late tonight,” she said with condolence in her voice.
“Hey. Yeah, with Ms. Debbie’s passing, I had to close the shop for the week and try and sort out all the paperwork. It’s been more like a two-person job around here ever since.” The reference had not been meant for Lauren, but on second thought, I smiled at the fortuity, which I followed with a sigh.
“I understand, and I’m so sorry to hear about Ms. Debbie. I wanted to come by the funeral home, but I was working my day job.” Her explanation came as no means of collecting sympathy but only to express her remorse for being unable to attend. “She was always so nice to me. But then again, I always cry at funerals, which makes it harder.”
“Harder?” I asked.
“Yeah. To me, it’s better to remember them alive and all the fun times we had, or, with Ms. Debbie, all the great books we talked about.”
“I guess that’s true...” I said, allowing the conversation to halt long enough to veer from the initial subject. “It’s Macie, right?”
“Yes, it is. I’m honestly surprised you remembered. I always thought of Ms. Debbie as the face of the store, always present at the front desk—no offense,” she concluded bashfully.
“None taken. I just mean... There was something I was hoping you might have discussed with her.” I waited a second before conveying my curiosity, then formed the question to keep her concerns at bay. “Did Ms. Debbie ever mention writing a book?” A perplexed look formed as Macie tried to recall their many conversations, but a clash of thunder caused her thoughts to break. “Sorry, do you care to come in?” I offered, realizing the awning was the only protection against the storm.
“I actually have another delivery to make, but to answer your question, I don’t recall her saying she wrote a book. However, she always said how much she liked to write. It was therapeutic.”
“I see. Well, I appreciate you dropping this by,” I said, reaching for my wallet.
“Why do you ask?” Macie continued.
“I was just curious. She never talked much about her life, and I thought, as much as she read, I might find a diary or book lying around that would bring closure.”
“Kind of like reliving their life, only enjoying the good parts?” she offered.
“Something like that. Here,” I said, fishing a twenty from my billfold.
“That’s awfully nice of you, but I can’t accept. It’s too much, and the store is closed this week.”
“I insist. Bringing the food was a big favor in itself, and this storm...” I said, turning my attention briefly to the pounding rain.
I could spot her hesitancy, but on second thought, she reached for the bill. “I’ll be sure to save it for next week. I already know the book I want when it releases.”
“Would that be How Many Lies ?” I suggested with a laugh.
“Of course!” she admitted with her fangirl smile.
“I’ll be sure to set a copy aside for you then.”
“That would be great!”
“Thanks again, Macie,” I concluded, lifting the bags as a gesture to wave good-bye.
“Anytime,” she said, pulling her hood back over her head. As she turned to run back into the rain, however, she stopped as we both noticed a set of dim lights softly illuminating the road. “Is that your car?”
“No, but I think I know whose it is,” I huffed, realizing I had forgotten to turn off Lauren’s headlights.
“Oh good. I’ll see you next week!” Macie called, waving as she ran off through the storm toward her own car.
Hurrying back inside, I set the bags along the counter before stepping into the backroom, where I found Lauren kneeling beside one of the boxes. Noticing me, she looked up while placing the papers back inside.
“I figured I would look some more, but nothing to report.” Her disheartened smile faded as I stood frustrated against the door jamb. “What’s wrong?”
“Your car...” I huffed. “I forgot to turn the headlights off.”
“Oh, they go off automatically—” she began, but quickly realized I must have switched them to the “On” position out of habit. Without finishing, Lauren stood from the floor to go find the keys in her purse. Taking only a few seconds to rummage through the bag, she then headed in the direction of the door.
“Stay here,” I directed, clutching her by the shoulder. As she spun around, I felt a similar pulse as before traverse our bodies. The words were meant to protect her but felt more like my insistency for her to never leave. “I left them on, so I’ll go turn them off.”
Pleased or relieved, Lauren pointed toward the door. “Take my umbrella, then.”
“I’m afraid it’s too windy, and the lightning...”
Lauren did not refute my reasoning, as a sudden flash flickered outside. With the buzz of electricity still in the air, I placed a kiss on her cheek. Not allowing my lips to linger, I quickly turned, leaving her alone, and met the door mid-stride.
As I pressed the key fob, I realized the battery was well past its ability to function. I fumbled with the keys before settling on one that fit the manual lock. By this time, I felt the soaking rain against my back. Hurriedly, I jumped inside and flipped off the lights. Then, embracing what hope I had, I placed the key in the ignition and turned the switch—nothing.
I banged my hand on the wheel at my stupidity, but in pure mockery, the horn failed to sound. With the key in hand, I reached for the door and stepped back out into the night air. Defeated, I met the brisk wind and rain that seemed to slam the door behind me.
As I began to walk toward the store, I took a final look at the car to confirm that the lights were indeed off. A pseudo-glow seemed to resonate from the bulbs. However, as my eyes adjusted to the backdrop of the night sky, there was a flash of lightning, and I saw or, rather, thought I saw something. Parked along an unlit strip of road appeared a black SUV. Between the flashes of lightning, one moment it was there, and another, it was gone.
Unsure and unwilling to wait for a closer strike to flash, I turned toward the door, this time running back to the shelter. When I breached the clearing, Lauren awaited, holding a towel.
“You’re soaked,” she said with a playful laugh. “Here, let me,” she offered, wrapping the towel over my shoulders.
“Your battery is dead, and I don’t see there being any way to get one until tomorrow.” Lauren started to say something, but I quickly assured her that I would pay for a new one. “After we eat, I’d be more than happy to walk you home—” I said, my words drowned out by the sound of more thunder.
“Can’t I stay here?” A hint of reluctance could be heard as she spoke, as she seemed to fear that I might say no or be unsure if that was even a good idea.
“Of course. There’s a leather couch in the breakroom. I may have taken a nap there from time to time when things were slow. It’s fairly comfortable.”
“And what about you?”
“Me?”
“Yeah. Where are you going to sleep?”
I shrugged my shoulders, having not considered staying the night myself. “Honestly, I haven’t thought about it, but I can sleep out here. That way, you’ll have your privacy and a lockable door to ease your mind.”
“Ha. Is there a reason for me to be worried?”
“No, but I figured that would rest your mind enough to get some sleep anyway.”
Without a reply, she pointed to the takeout bag, suggesting we should eat before dinner got cold. Ready for a meal myself, I lifted the containers from the counter and walked to the breakroom.
As I peeled back the lid, an aromatic blast of steamed meats and spices spread throughout the air. Delighted with our choice, I motioned for Lauren to take the first pick, but it was then we noticed none of the tacos were labeled.
“How do you suppose we’re going to decide who gets what?” I joked.
“We could sample them all, and then if one of us likes a particular taco, we keep it.”
“That’s not a bad idea. I like it. Alright, here,” I said, handing her one. “You go first and let me know what it is.”
“Oh, no. I’m not going to be the guinea pig for all of these,” she poked in return. “Here, you try this one.”
Unwrapping the foil around each pick, we bit into the hard shells at the same time. With a questionable expression, Lauren pulled the taco away from her mouth while swiping a lingering piece of lettuce from her lips.
“That bad, huh?” I choked as the heat of the sauce began to burn my tongue.
“You don’t seem very pleased yourself.”
“That’s because I don’t like fiery hot peppers. Medium is great, but this is a little overpowering,” I said while standing to retrieve two bottles of water from the refrigerator. “Here,” I said, breaking the seal on a bottle and handing it to Lauren. Keeping the other for myself, I gulped down two hard sips while attempting to quench the burn in my mouth. “Ahh, much better,” I continued. “And what’s wrong with yours?”
“This one has fish. They are my least favorite.”
“Seriously? I love those. Would you prefer the hot one instead?”
“Actually yeah.”
“Here,” I said, stretching my arm out for her to take a bite. In a like manner, Lauren offered me the fish taco, allowing our arms to cross.
“Umm . . . That is spicy but good!”
“Then let’s switch,” I gestured, reaching out my free hand.
The passing of tacos continued through the meal until the last dropped crumbs had been gathered from the foil. Only then did I realize the need to change clothes, as the towel had only been of so much use. The only problem was that I had failed to bring anything for after the funeral. With the shirt now suctioned to my skin, the fabric lay rather uncomfortably against my body.
“I’ve got to get out of these clothes,” I finally blurted, tugging at my collar.
“Don’t you think that’s a little presumptuous?” Lauren laughed, more amused by her joke than by my discomfort.
“You know what I mean,” I said, meeting the jest in her eyes with the rolling of mine.
“Do you have anything else to wear?”
“Unfortunately, no. I didn’t plan that far ahead.”
“Do you want me to say it’s okay for you to be naked?” she mused.
“No. I’m just thinking out loud, I guess.”
Watching me squirm, Lauren sat back in her chair before finally offering to actually be helpful. “I may have something in my trunk you could wear.”
My thoughts refocused on how I might dry my clothes using a fan from the storage closet to what Lauren now proposed. At first, the idea seemed simple enough, but then it hit me. Why would she have anything my size just lying around in her car?
“Like some of your clothes?” I postulated with confusion.
“No, silly, like regular clothes that would fit you. Although I would love to see you in a pair of my shorts. That would be hilarious.”
“Well, I’m going to pass on the booty shorts, but what about the other option?”
“There’re some gym pants and shirts that would probably fit you. They might be a little big, but better than mine.”
Daring as it seemed, I had to ask why. Yet, the fact that she had offered, moved me to believe that perhaps she was not hiding anything. Instead, she had been doing something explainable, like helping her dad clean out his closet.
“And these clothes are in your car because...?”
“They’re donations,” she said plainly, as if there was no other rational explanation.
“I guess they won’t mind if they get used one more time then,” I laughed.
“Yeah, I think we’re safe there. Would you like for me to fetch them?”
“There’s no need for you to get wet, too. I’m already soaked.”
Despite my reasoning, Lauren’s eyes grew wide with concern as she recalled her worries about me seeing her backseat. “No, I’ll get them. I’d like to get something that I could wear instead of this skirt anyway.”
Smooth , I thought.
Walking with her to the front, I propped the door open, but before she made the trek outside, Lauren slid the heels from her feet and handed them to me. Then, sheepishly, she tested the rain with her foot before traipsing out into the storm.
I laughed to myself as she fumbled with the key fob just as I had. However, the humor in her struggle soon faded with a single flash of lightning. Down the road, I could see what I only hoped I had not noticed before. The black SUV was not only visible but also too close. At a run, I dropped the shoes and jutted into the rain toward Lauren. There would be no way of knowing if they were the same vehicle, but my gut told me something was not right.
When I reached the rear of the car, I turned the corner of the open trunk, where Lauren stood with her hair dripping, seeking shelter under the lid. Upon seeing me, she did not jump or get startled; instead, her eyes widened with worry. Without attempting to give an explanation, I took hold of the bag of clothes she was rummaging through and tossed it over my shoulder. The large bag was heavier than it appeared, and I feared it might rip. Hurriedly, I adjusted the load, then placed my hand on top of the trunk. At that moment, a few other items caught my eye. Beneath the bag of clothes sat a few toys, and to the side there was what appeared to be a car seat.
The trunk slammed under the weight of my free hand, and I motioned for Lauren to run back toward the store. As I glanced behind me, the SUV was nowhere to be seen in the surrounding darkness, but I no longer doubted that I had seen the car twice.
Feeling the bag starting to give, I took off after Lauren. I watched as her legs skimmed across the sidewalk and her delicate toes pranced gingerly over the hard surface. As much as I wanted to lag behind and watch her body dance through the rain, I told myself to keep moving.
Making two steps to her one, I soon caught up to Lauren, and as I did, my free hand secured the side of her waist and pulled her closer. Unsure of what happened next, I felt Lauren’s body tumble forward as if she had lost her balance in a slippery puddle. Instinctively, I let go of the bag and secured both my arms around her.
A shriek echoed from her mouth, but the distress could barely be heard over the storm. Without giving her the chance to regain her footing, I squatted to collect Lauren, placing her stomach over my shoulder. Then, with my free hand, I grabbed the bag once again and headed toward the store.
Upon reaching the overhang, I slid Lauren to the ground. She said nothing as I opened the door, and we went inside. As I stood dripping on the welcoming mat, I undid the bag to see what was salvageable. To my surprise, some of the clothes had remained dry, particularly the ones in the middle. Tossing the wet top layer aside, I pulled out a pair of gym shorts and an oversized tee and handed them to Lauren. Returning to the bag, I rummaged deeper, only to find the bottom layer soaked from the puddle it had landed in. As it appeared, the only remaining articles that felt dry were a shirt and sweatpants.
“I’ll take these if you are fine with the shorts.”
Lauren simply nodded and stood awaiting further directions. Her puppy-like appearance, set with damp hair and heavy eyes, had me questioning why I had let her out in the rain. I stroked my hand along her shoulder, feeling the softness of her skin beneath the wet shirt. “Take the towel and dry off, then go change in the breakroom. When you’ve finished, we can hang our clothes up to dry.”
Lauren hesitantly turned and walked away, as if not wanting to be alone. Even the way she shut the door suggested she was waiting for me to come running after her again. However, I never budged. Instead, once I was alone, I quickly pulled the shirt over my head and dropped my pants and boxers to the floor upon realizing the rain had soaked all the way through. Considering how this might look if Lauren returned before I dressed, I forwent drying off with the towel and threaded my legs through the sweatpants before tying them off.
After rolling the tee over my head, I looked down at the outfit, considering how much I appeared as one of the narcissistic gym rats that I disliked. With nothing more to wear, though, I was glad to get into warm clothes, especially considering that I would be spending the night at the store.
With that thought, I gathered my wet clothes from the floor and walked to a nearby reading table. Placing them on the back of a chair, I went to my desk and found some string that had been used to hang lanterns for the Chinese New Year a few weeks before. Twine in hand, I turned two chairs facing away from each other and fastened a makeshift clothesline between them. The fixture would work fine, but there was just one problem.
By this time, I noticed Lauren standing at the door, watching me. My mouth inadvertently dropped upon noticing how well she wore the shorts rolled at the waist and the shirt tied along the stomach.
“Whatcha doing?” she said playfully.
“Making a place to hang our clothes. I just need some books to weigh down the chairs.”
“Is there anything I can do?”
“You can lay your clothes on top of mine.”
A few minutes later, I returned with a stack of heavy dictionaries that we had moved to storage years ago after realizing they would never sell. Placing a few on each chair, I went to work, separating each garment so they could begin to air dry. With no further thought to what I was doing, I picked up Lauren’s top and skirt, only to find a pair of panties and a bra hidden within. My eyes widened, then I teasingly moved from the underwear to Lauren, who was now blushing.
“I didn’t know what else to do,” she offered with a shrug. “They were wet, too.”
“No, I should have considered that. Mine were also drenched.” The words were meant more for comfort, but from the smile on Lauren’s face, the admittance of our shared nakedness came across as suggestive. “Would you rather do the honors of hanging them up?” I asked, trying to dispel the idea from my own head.
“Perhaps I’ll just leave those beside my purse,” she suggested, playfully snatching them from me.
“That’s probably a good idea,” I joked.
A silence followed our laughter but was soon interrupted as Lauren called out from behind me. “Joshua.”
“Yeah,” I answered without turning my full attention away from hanging the clothes on the line.
“Why did you decide to run out and help me? I mean, I said I could handle it.” Her voice had a sharp tinge, making her sound almost agitated.
At first, I considered telling her about the car I had seen, but the thought of worrying Lauren felt wrong. After all, I might only be causing her to fret over nothing. Then again, we had already discussed how we felt about honesty.
“Well, I thought I saw something, or someone...” I said, looking around to gauge her reaction. With her expression of concern, I quickly continued. “But I’m sure it was nothing. It’s pretty dark outside and hard to see, but I was just worried.”
“You were?”
“Of course I was. Plus, you looked pretty helpless trying to run,” I added.
“Gee, thanks,” she huffed.
A slump in Lauren’s shoulders suggested I had somehow hit a sensitive subject. Unsure of what to do, I gave her a slight tap on the arm to assure her I was joking. Despite my lightness, her countenance failed to improve and rather regressed. Something else was bothering her, but I could not place my hand on what it was.
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah,” she said, attempting to smile. However, I was not a fool when it came to seeing that particular expression. Girls were naturals at faking happiness. The only thing I was unsure of was if I should continue to pry or let it go. As I had learned with Brooke, sometimes it was better to say nothing than anything at all.
“Should we get back to reading then?” I proposed.
“Um-hum.”
For what felt like hours, I read the possible accounts of Minnie’s life. Each encounter appeared to harbor threats and attempts by her husband to take her life. No longer scared by the words written in the book, Lauren became more and more interested and settled her head along my lap with her body flat against the floor and her gaze on the ceiling. When her eyes tilted from their trance above, they landed on me as I attempted to stifle a yawn.
“Why do you suppose she stayed with him so long?” she asked.
“Maybe fear? There’s nothing else mentioned about kids, and heck, she probably loved him.”
“Do you think she was afraid she couldn’t make it on her own or that she would never find ‘love’ anywhere else?” she asked with air quotes.
“Both are possibilities.”
Raising herself up, Lauren looked hard into my eyes, as if she wanted to share something. I began to question what was on her mind, but before I could, the notion was interrupted by a large boom of thunder and lightning.
“Ah!” she screeched, falling back against me. Positioning my arms and legs around her, I let her settle her head on my chest. Her desire to seek protection seemed to only be satisfied when she flattened the blanket over us.
“I’ve got you, Lauren,” I whispered.
With my arm already draped around her, I anchored the book along Lauren’s stomach. My voice began to convey the words once again against the backdrop of the rain beating upon the windowsill. Each word passed smoothly from my mouth, becoming softer and softer until the lure of sleep consumed us both.