Chapter 4
4
Jewel
Driving north on I-5, Jewel marveled at how smoothly cutting her ties in San Jose had gone. It had been much less complicated than she’d expected. Selling her gallery to Jess was fairly simple. A down payment would give her an income up in Oregon. And although she didn’t have a ton of equity in her condo, it was satisfying to sell to Monica. All in all, things had wrapped up nicely. Very liberating. Like shedding a bulky winter coat and stepping out into a sweet summer day. For the first time in a long time, Jewel felt nearly happy. And when she’d packed her art supplies, which were safely tucked in the back of her SUV, she felt she finally had the right energy to get serious about painting again.
The only wrench in the works had been her daughter. Cooper seemed determined to thwart Jewel every step of the way. After several protest tantrums and attempts at sabotage, Cooper had totally disappeared about two weeks ago. But thanks to the tracking device on Cooper’s phone, Jewel quickly located her runaway. She’d moved into her friend Cassie’s house, thinking it could be a permanent setup. Although Cassie’s mom had been sympathetic, she had problems of her own and wasn’t eager to adopt another teenager.
After that, Cooper had doubled down with the silent treatment. Then she’d refused to pack up her room. It wasn’t until Jewel informed her daughter that the movers would deal with her things—in whatever way they felt was best—that Cooper cooperated.
Then about a week ago, Cooper attempted a dramatic phone call to her dad, using all her charm in an attempt to talk him into full-time custody. She begged him to take her in, even offering to change schools if necessary since Rodney lived on the other side of town. Jewel hated playing eavesdropper, but it was hard not to hear her daughter’s heart-tugging pleas.
Thanks to the newest wife’s pregnancy and Rodney’s plans to accept a job in San Diego in August, Cooper’s Oscar-worthy performance was futile. Jewel actually felt sorry for Cooper afterward and didn’t nag her about packing or mention Oregon for a couple days. She also didn’t mention how disturbing it was that Cooper’s final grades had been in the toilet. Although it did give Jewel additional incentive. A fresh start was in Cooper’s best interest too.
Finally, though, they were on their way to Oregon, trailing the moving van packed with all their earthly possessions. Jewel checked her rearview mirror, imagining Cooper’s Doc Marten heel marks leaving long black tracks on the freeway behind them. Of course, that was ridiculous, but the back seat had grown so quiet, she needed reassurance that Cooper was still in the SUV. When they’d first started out, the audio from Cooper’s video games had been obnoxious, but Jewel hadn’t bothered to ask her to turn it down or to use her headphones. Why poke a hornets’ nest?
Naturally, her stubborn daughter refused to sit up front like a civilized person. Instead, she camped in the back with her bedding and her phone and the junk food Jewel had allowed her to purchase when they got gas in San Jose. Cooper’s thumbs were furiously pounding out what Jewel supposed was a rant to her friends, who were most likely just crawling out of bed now. Jewel just hoped those misfits weren’t concocting some sort of roadside rescue mission at their next fuel stop.
Relatively assured they were out of harm’s way and that Cooper looked moderately comfortable, Jewel tried to relax. She usually enjoyed a long drive. And the farther north they went, the better the countryside looked. Oak trees were greened up, and recent rains made it look like the rolling fields were coming to life. It would only get better up in Oregon. Someday Cooper might thank her mother for doing this. Or not. It was hard to say. Maybe it didn’t matter. Some teens were determined to be miserable no matter what.
Jewel remembered how strong-willed and outspoken she’d been as a teen and yet somehow her parents endured her. But there had been two of them. And despite Jewel’s attempts to divide and conquer, for the most part, her parents presented a united front. Hopefully they’d partner with her for Cooper too. At least Mom anyway since she was familiar with young teens.
Jewel wasn’t sure how Dad would be. Although she felt his illness had softened him, she wasn’t too sure. And based on a few things Mom had shared about his recent feuds with their neighbor, Jewel realized Dad might be more of a challenge than she expected. But she wouldn’t let him bully her daughter. Not if she could help it.
It was around two when they finally crossed into Oregon. The fuel light came on, and Jewel knew it was time to find a station. The back seat was quiet again. Cooper was either asleep or faking it. Though if she really had been making an escape plan, which Jewel knew was ridiculous, she doubted her friends could’ve made it up to Grants Pass. All the same, the thought of Coop making a run for it was a little unnerving. And besides gas, Jewel needed a pit stop too. Just the same, she drove past the exit for a big truck stop. Despite its low prices and fast-food options, it looked like an opportune location for a teenage girl to pull a vanishing act.
“You hungry?” Jewel asked as she drove into a smaller gas station just off the freeway.
Cooper’s sleepy grunt, along with the crinkle of an empty Doritos bag and several candy wrappers, seemed to suggest she wasn’t interested in food. Fine.
Jewel noticed the Dr Pepper bottle. “Potty break?” she said cheerfully.
Cooper rolled her eyes, then opened a door and slowly emerged. Brushing chip crumbs off her tattered jeans, she tugged her long hair into a messy pony and headed toward the building.
Jewel hurriedly ran her card and got the gas pumping, then followed Cooper inside. She headed straight for the restroom and Jewel, feeling paranoid, tried to appear inconspicuous as she checked under an occupied stall to see her daughter’s scuffed-up Doc Martens.
They both finished at the same time, but no words were exchanged as they locked eyes in the mirror while washing their hands. Don’t rock the boat , Jewel reminded herself when she wanted to tell her daughter to open the door with her foot to avoid touching the germy surface. Then, instead of grabbing a snack like she wanted, she followed Cooper back to the SUV. Setting the gas nozzle in the pump, she was grateful for her half-full water bottle and baggie of trail mix ... and that her parents’ farm was only three more hours. Plus, they were expecting her. Mom was a good cook. Hopefully she’d have something tasty waiting for them.
As she started the ignition, she reminded herself to be grateful she hadn’t lost her daughter. Not yet, anyway. She shot her mom a quick ETA text, along with the warning she was transporting a hostile captive.
That’s what it felt like. As if she were relocating a prisoner. Maybe she should’ve brought along handcuffs and shackles. As she drove toward the freeway entrance, she made a feeble attempt at small talk, but the silent treatment from the back seat wasn’t encouraging, so she put a lid on it. Just get there. At the stoplight before the freeway, she texted her mom again, advising her that movers might arrive first and telling her to have them start unloading in the barn.
She hadn’t kept much more than their beds, several favorite pieces of furniture, and her art, as well as their personal belongings. Yet, she’d been surprised at how it nearly filled the small moving van. And although she’d been relieved that Monica had decided to purchase her larger pieces, saying goodbye to her home was harder than expected this morning. Buying and furnishing her condo had made her feel independent and mature, especially after she’d escaped her codependent role in a marriage where she was often treated like a child. The condo was where she was finally able to do some real adulting. Saying goodbye to their home hadn’t been as easy as she tried to make it appear—for Cooper’s sake. And maybe it was wrong to pretend. Maybe she should spill the beans and admit all this to Cooper and initiate some vulnerable conversation. Transparent, honest communication.
“You know, Coop,” she began carefully as she cruised down the center lane. “I’m feeling kinda blue about leaving San Jose too. Took me by surprise to feel that way.”
“Yeah, right.” Her daughter’s tone dripped with sarcasm. “Boohoo for you.”
She bristled but, determined to make a dent in her daughter’s prickly armor, continued. “I’m serious, Coop. I do feel sad. I worked hard to build us a life down there. It wasn’t easy after your dad and I split. I put a lot of energy into creating something I hoped would be good for both of us.”
“Yeah, sure. Then you just throw it all away? Seemed to come pretty easy to you. Never mind how I feel about it.”
“I’m sorry it’s been so hard on you, but it’ll get better. I promise you, it’ll get better. And eventually, you’re going to understand that my parents really need me right now. They need both of us.”
Cooper made a growling noise, which was followed by dense silence and the hollow sound of tires on the road.
Still, Jewel wasn’t ready to give up. “I hope you’ll come around. In time, I know you will.” She paused to change lanes and pass a semi. “Your grandparents are really looking forward to seeing you. Grandpa’s having a hard time with his illness, and Grandma is in over her head.” Jewel glanced at the rearview mirror to see Cooper hunched over, glued to her phone, headphones in place, totally oblivious. So much for conversation. Not for the first time, Jewel realized that single parenting teenagers was not for the meek of heart. She just hoped that burning her bridges in San Jose and moving back to her childhood home wasn’t about to make it much worse.