Delayed

by Daniela Reyes

  He turned but Rita walked away, and he had no choice but to follow her outside.

  “Rita wait. What’s wrong?” She kept walking. Nick stepped in front of her way. “Wait. Why are you running off?”

  She rolled her eyes. “Because I feel like the piece of the puzzle that doesn’t belong. Your family barely talks to me.”

  “My family loves you. You’re the one who doesn’t like coming over to our dinners,” he said.

  “Because I feel like an alien. Like today,” she said pointing to the gifts in his hands. “I don’t understand why they would give you all that, when all you’ve done is graduate. Your GPA was barely above a 3.0.”

  “They were just being nice,” he defended. “It’s what families do.”

  Rita shook her head. “No it’s what your family does. My family barely gave me a pat on the back for being Valedictorian. My mom even said I had sped through my speech. She said I should have practiced more.”

  “Your parents are just more demanding,” Nick said.

  “No. They just don’t coddle me. They don’t want me to be mediocre.”

  He paused. When she said the last word, Rita looked right him.

  “You’re saying I’m mediocre?”

  She nodded, without any hesitation. “I used to think you were different Nick. I liked you because even though you had stage fright you joined the debate team. And you spent hours studying to get your SATs scores up. You never seemed to settle. But this year, you showed me I was wrong.”

  “How?”

  “You settled for Glensford College instead of NYU. You quit the debate team. You didn’t care about looking for more scholarships or internships.”

  He tilted his head. “I didn’t settle. Glensford College is a great school.”

  “Of course it is,” Rita scoffed.

  For the first time, Nick didn’t let her have the upper hand. “Maybe if you weren’t so pretentious you would see that.”

  Her eyes widened. “What did you call me?”

  He bit his lip. “I’m sorry. It came out wrong…”

  She shook her head. “No. You said what you’ve been thinking all this time. I’m actually glad you didn’t follow me to New York. Then I wouldn’t have been able to say what I needed to.”

  “And what is that?”

  Rita shrugged. “We’re done Nick. I need a fresh start and you’re in my way. Maybe in a few months, we can be friends again. I don’t know. But right now, I just need space.”

  He found himself nodding at her request. “Okay.”

  That made it worse. “Okay? Does our relationship mean that little to you?” Her voice rose.

  “You know I love you,” Nick said softly. “But I won’t hold on to someone who doesn’t want to be with me.”

  She shook her head, water welling up in her eyes. “I did want to be with you Nick. You’re the one who didn’t want to be with me.”

  Then with that she turned and ran to her car. Nick remained standing, letting the gusts of salted air fill his nose. For the first time in a year and half, he felt at peace. And it pained him, but a part of him knew Rita had been right. He still kept the palm tree in his nightstand, for whenever the day might come. Olivia wouldn’t walk away this time. He would tell her what the kiss had meant.

  14

  June 18, 2008

  Olivia had almost hoped that her flight would be delayed. It was the first time she was returning to Shepton in over a year. Her flight had arrived on time, no repairs, or loss of fuel. It had gone too smoothly, and so it came as no surprise, that a thunderstorm was a part of her welcome to the town.

  The clouds were thick and puffed together in dark clumps. They waited, blocking the usual summer sun, ready to unleash their mightiest forces. She hadn’t even brought an umbrella.

  Olivia had come on short notice. Her mom had planned on making the trip down to Florida with her, but the growing magazine she ran demanded her attention. The two were going to go through the last boxes that remained in storage, mostly Olivia’s things. After that, they were going to vacation in Orlando for the week.

  “I really wanted to go,” her mom had said after graduation. “This was supposed to be my graduation present for you. The two of us, for one last hurrah.”

  She didn’t want her mom to feel guilty. The plane tickets were already purchased though, so Olivia decided to use hers. It would be a quick trip, less than two days. She planned on going through all the boxes in storage, cleaning them out, ending the rental contract, and returning to Glensford.

  “What name is the rental under?” the man behind the rental counter asked her. It was one of the many counters in the Shepton Airport’s pick up terminal.

  “Olivia Hayes,” she said. The man typed away on his computer, before finally looking up at her.

  “Ah yes. Well you made a very last minute reservation. Most of our fleet is gone, but we do have a few, older models.”

  She nodded, but became suspicious of his tone. “Sure. Whatever you have is fine.”

  He nodded. “There will be an extra insurance charge since you are only eighteen.”

  “I know,” she said. Boy did she ever. It would have been cheaper to lease a new car. Maybe not, but her mom was paying for the rental, so she didn’t mind.

  The man typed away for the next few minutes. He had her sign a few agreements and papers, and then he handed her the keys. Olivia thanked him and ran out to take the shuttle to the actual rental lot. The bus was full of eager tourists. She squeezed her way through and took a seat next to an elderly woman.

  The ride was smooth, and picking up the car, which turned out to be a rusting white Toyota, went even smoother. She stuffed her small suitcase into the trunk and mapped the route to her hotel out. It would take her fifteen minutes to get there and she was already starving.

  Olivia decided to make a detour at the little gasoline station that had once been right across her mom’s apartment. She drove in silence. Her mind was filled thoughts of her graduation. And of Simon. He had taken her to his prom, and they’d gone on a few dates, but nothing was official. He wasn’t the type of guy who liked titles, and it was killing her. They hadn’t talked in a week. He was probably busy with his summer classes. She’d be joining him in the fall.

  Then there was the strange situation that had played out at her graduation. Olivia’s parents hadn’t seen each other, at least not face to face, in over two years, so she hadn’t known what to expect. Would her mom start crying? Would her dad start yelling about the whole custody dispute? Not that it mattered since she was already eighteen.

  But they hadn’t fought. Olivia had watched her mom greet her ex-husband in a perfectly civil manner. They weren’t friendly, but they weren’t angry either. They even managed a bit of conversation at the graduation dinner afterward. The weirdest part of the night though, had come when her mom congratulated her dad on his recent nuptials. He and Jocelyn had tied the knot in a small ceremony that Olivia hadn’t attended. Why would she?

  Watching her parents interact so normally, it completely shook her sense of loyalties. How could she excuse her anger at her dad, when her mom wasn’t even mad at him anymore? How could she forgive a man who had cheated on her for so long?

  The smell of smoke began to fill the air. Olivia looked around the highway; there were barely any other cars around her. She took a whiff of air again. It held the scent of burning rubber. She looked down at the dashboard, realizing now her car was the source of the smells. A red warning light was on. She considered pulling over, but reconsidered when the rain began to pour.

  Olivia decided to risk it. She forced the burning car to drive for another four minutes, chugging it along to the gasoline station. Surely, they would have some sort of repair service.

  She climbed out, turning the engine off. The front of the car wasn’t smoking, but the smell was penetratingly strong. The rain soaked her clothes as she ran inside the convenience store. They’d expanded, and had added on a small car was
h to the side of the building, along with a smoothie shop.

  For some reason she expected to see the same teen who worked the counter, but in his place was a new employee, younger, but just as bored.

  Olivia wiped rainwater off her eyelashes and cheeks. She would get something to eat first, and then decide what to do about the malfunctioning rental. Insurance would have to cover the repair. She had literally been driving it for less than a half hour.

  She walked through the maze of junk food filled aisles, picking out a few snacks at a time. Then she stopped by the coffee area and wiped herself dry with napkins.

  “Are you sure the credit card’s not working?” a voice asked. It was deeper than it had once been, but just as soft and familiar.

  Olivia froze in place. She squatted down behind an aisle, and began to inch her way forward, hoping to confirm her suspicions.

  The clerk said something and tried to slide a credit card again.

  “It’s not your card,” he said. “The storm’s knocked our internet out.”

  “I really need gas, though,” the familiar voice said.

  Olivia held her breath and leaned forward, finally getting a look of the man’s face.

  Nick stood in front of the counter, hands in pockets, tall as ever and tanner.

  Seeing him again, after two years, it felt surreal. Like she had found a missing person off of a milk carton.

  One of the snacks fell out of her hand, the bottle of tea. It bounced against the tiled floors, catching the attention of both the cashier and Nick.

  “Olivia?” Nick asked. He scanned her, as if she were a strange sort of sculpture.

  She wanted to hide back in the aisle. But it was too late. Olivia reached for the bottle but he had already lunged for it. She took a step back. The two of them stood up together.

  “Hey,” she managed. “Long time no see, huh?”

  The shock wore off his face, and then a smile.” Two years,” he said. “Two long years.”

  His emphasis on the words, made her pulse speed a bit.

  The two of them stared at one another, the cashier waiting in the background. Finally, without warning, Nick reached out to hug her. It was a quick embrace, one of new friends, not as engulfing as the one on the plane.

  The cashier was still watching them. “Sir, how do you plan on paying for your gasoline?”

  Nick still had her pushed close to him; he took a step back, turning to face the boy.

  “Are you sure there’s no way you can accept credit cards? Is there an ATM I can use?”

  “We don’t have an ATM. It’s cash or nothing.” The cashier’s voice was flat, dry as the Shepton beaches.

  Olivia reached into her pocket, pulling a wad of bills. It was a combination of emergency money her mom had given her and various graduation presents.

  “I can pay for it. I owe you like four years of birthday presents,” she said. Not that she even really knew when his birthday was.

  Nick shook his head. “You don’t have to. I can call…”

  She placed a twenty-dollar bill in his hand, “Don’t worry about it.”

  He didn’t argue this time. “Thanks. I’ll pay you back. If we ever see each other again.”

  “Don’t worry about it,” Olivia said, remembering now that she had a half dead rental car parked outside.

  The cashier took the cash from Nick. He scanned all the snacks she’d purchased. She didn’t say anything when Nick used part of the cash to pay for the junk food.

  “Do you know where the closest repair shop is?” she asked him. “I need to take my rental car there.”

  Nick followed her finger out to the parking lot. He squinted his eyes toward the battered vehicle. “Do you need a ride somewhere?”

  “No. I think it can make it to a repair shop. My GPS died so I can’t find a place to take it to.”

  The cashier handed Nick the bag of snacks. “I can take a look at it if you want,” Nick said.

  Olivia stared outside, the rain was only pouring down with a greater force. Her options were limited, and she was no in place to reject the help. Besides, a part of her, didn’t want to part ways with him just yet.

  “You can try,” she said, realizing it sounded almost like a challenge.

  The two of them ran outside, neither one in possession of an umbrella.

  Nick followed her to the rental. She let him take a spot in the driver’s seat, while she jumped in the passenger side. They shut the doors. Rain beat against the windshield.

  “What’s wrong with it?” he asked.

  Olivia turned the engine on, hopeful the car wouldn’t explode on them. All the warning rights flashed on.

  “The engine is overheating, and your battery is low” he said. He leaned his head toward the dashboard, surveying the damage. Then he looked back up at her. “To be honest, I know nothing about cars.”

  She scanned the lights, three more had turned on. “You know more than me. I thought that light meant I needed to change my oil.”

  “The light for that just flashed on,” Nick said. He remained calm, but whatever comfort had possessed him to hug her was vanishing.

  Olivia sighed. “I’ll just have to take it to the nearest mechanic.”

  He shook his head. “You can’t drive it like this. Besides, most mechanics in Shepton close down when the weather’s this bad.”

  Thunder crackled in the background, as if to support Nick’s statement.

  “Then what do I do?” Olivia asked.

  “Well I could give you a ride to wherever you need to go. When the storm passes call the rental company and they should send out a tow truck.”

  She stared at him, his black hair stuck to his forehead, coated with fresh rainwater. She knew she could call a cab, but there were probably no drivers who were as handsome as Nick. She struck the thought away. And she found that she was staring at his lips. They were thin, barely a line, but red.

  “Olivia?”

  “Huh?”

  “I can give you a ride. I don’t mind.”

  Olivia forced her gaze away from his lips. The kiss hadn’t meant anything back then. So why was it all she could think about now? She gave in.

  “Do you know where Green Cove Storage is?” she asked.

  Nick nodded. He turned the engine off, handing her back the keys. “Yeah. It shouldn’t take more than ten minutes.”

  Olivia nodded, accepting the ride. Yet, a part of her found that ten minutes might not suffice.

  15

  June 18, 2008

  Nick had lied for the sake of getting a few more minutes with her. The choice had been desperate and out of character, but it was not something that he could ever regret.

  “That’s it,” Olivia said. She had a finger pressed to the fogged window. The sign for Green Cove Storage became visible.

  Nick pulled the car into the parking lot. There were a few cars parked outside, scattered in different spots. The place looked lifeless.

  Olivia unclasped her seatbelt. She looked eager to go. He didn’t blame her. The entire situation was unexpected. He knew his first strike had been to hug her, his second had been lying about the closed mechanic shops, and the third, well that one was pending.

  “I can go in with you if you want,” he said.

  She shook her head, turning back to face him. “You’ve done plenty. I’ve got it from here. Thanks for the ride. It was nice seeing you again,” she said.

  He nodded. It was all Nick could bring himself to do. They hadn’t even talked on the car ride over. This encounter felt forced and every part of him tensed whenever he thought he would have to continue a conversation.

  “I’ll wait out here, just in case,” he said.

  Olivia paused, as if she were going to reject the offer, but merely shrugged. “Okay.”

  She leaned over and gave him a half hug. “Like I said. It was good seeing you again, Nick.”

  He felt himself crumble at the sound of his name. The way she spoke it was airy and wh
ispered, as if it were some secret meant only for his ears.

  She took her bag and suitcase out of the backseat. The sound of rain filled the car until the door shut again. He saw her run toward the small offset building, probably the main office. She disappeared behind a wall of storage sheds.

  Nick turned up the radio. His fingers felt numb against the tiny dial. His shirt still hadn’t dried off. The fabric clung to his skin, making him shiver.

  He waited. Five minutes passed by. Then ten. Olivia had probably found her way to whatever business she needed to tend to. He hesitated, but pulled the car out of park. He leaned his head over, taking a mental image of the sky. It was no longer gray, but a lurid combination of whites and blacks.

  He didn’t want to go. Nick knew that once he left, the chances he would see her again, were slim. It had taken two years. Grant it, he had been dating Rita for most of that time, but even then, Olivia had always found a place in the back of his mind. The fact he still kept the keychain in his pocket made forgetting her that more difficult of a task.

  What if it took another four years before he ever saw her again? Ten? Twenty? Or what if she never crossed his path again. The universe was probably growing tired of intertwining their paths together.

  Maybe there was no universal involvement, and it really was a coincidence. Nick pulled the brake down. He sighed. Five minutes. He should give her five more minutes. No. Maybe. No.

  He took one last look in the rearview mirror. Droplets of rain blocked his view. He pulled the palm tree key chain out of his pocket, placing the car in park one last time. The metal felt slippery in his hand. This would be the last time he would carry it with him. It was a dramatic step, but seeing Olivia one last time, it was his chance to return it to its rightful owner. Thunder struck, closer than it should have. Nick jumped. The palm tree slipped from his grasp.

  He began to rummage through the floor of his car. A knock came from the passenger side door. He sat up.

  Olivia waved from the other side of the fogged glass. Her brown hair framed the heart shape of her face. She pushed back a wet strand, revealing a smile. Nick unlocked the door. She pulled it open barely escaping another strike of lightning.