“You okay to drive?” my grandfather asked, buckling in.
“Yeah, if you’re okay with it.”
He smiled. “Take us home.”
I snaked my way through the packed parking lot. It felt like it took forever, and I silently cheered when I was up to make my turn out of there.
“This guy will let you in,” Grandpa John said, pointing.
I edged forward cautiously and slid into the heavy traffic leaving the stadium. Police were out, stopping, starting and waving at people.
“You okay?” my grandpa asked, patting my shoulder.
“Not really!”
“You’re doing just fine. I told you this town goes tennis nuts.”
“What about you, Ruby?” I asked, taking a quick peek in the rearview mirror.
She let out a burst of laughter. “I’m from Brooklyn. In New York we don’t drive. We walk and take buses and the subway.”
I scanned the bumper-to-bumper traffic and didn’t relax my shoulders until we turned onto a side street.
My grandfather said, “This is a little shortcut I know.”
The road had a lot less traffic, and I even felt comfortable enough to take a hand off the steering wheel to turn on some music. In the rearview mirror I spotted a car driving very close behind me. He flashed his lights a couple of times, but it wasn’t until he honked his horn that my grandfather noticed.
“Just ignore him,” he said.
Ruby added, “You’re doing the speed limit, so that’s his problem.”
“I am. Should I pull over?”
“There’s only one lane. Just stay where you are,” Grandpa John said.
I turned the radio off and gripped the steering wheel tightly. The car continued to stay snugly behind me until it finally found a break in the opposing traffic to shoot around me.
“No offense, Ruby, but American drivers are scary.”
“Don’t think it’s American. I think it’s just called being a jerk. And jerks are everywhere.”
I laughed. Then a set of double red lights flashed in front of me. I pressed down hard on the brake and saw the car in front of me starting to fishtail.
“Look out!” Grandpa John yelled.
My eyes widened. My right leg was fully extended, the brake pedal pushed all the way to the floor. I didn’t think I was going to be able to stop in time.
Screech!
I looked to swerve left, but there was an oncoming car blocking me. So I jerked the steering wheel full right, hoping to jump the curb and miss any trees, hydrants or other obstacles. It was too late. “I can’t stop!”
Brace…
The front of my grandfather’s car slammed into the back of the car in front of me. The cars connected with brute force.
Silence.
Chapter Three
My neck jolted forward as the seat belt locked. I looked up slowly, squinting over the steering wheel. Our two cars were joined as one.
My grandfather’s voice broke the sudden silence. “Everyone all right?”
Until he spoke, I’d almost forgotten I wasn’t alone in the car. I did a quick scan and discovered two things. First, Ruby and my grandfather both seemed okay. Second, I could move my back and neck, and that meant I was okay too.
I opened my door and stepped out. We quickly confirmed that we were each all in one piece, but I couldn’t stop my hands from shaking.
The man in the other vehicle approached us. He was unshaven, in jeans, a T-shirt and baseball hat. He didn’t look older than twenty-something. “That guy in front of me was a total jerk. He just stopped out of nowhere and then took off. Is everyone okay?”
My grandfather said, “We think so.”
“Good.” He looked back at his car before returning his focus to us. “Now, I admit that I was driving a little too fast behind you, but—” The man moved to the passenger seat of his car, opened the door and leaned in.
I whispered to my grandfather, “It’s his fault, right?”
“Well, if he was cut off…”
I was already feeling like a total loser, a complete screwup, when he helped a woman out of the car—a clearly pregnant one. My hands rushed to cover my face. I was praying, cursing and muttering to myself. I felt a hand on my shoulder, but it did very little to help.
They approached.
My grandfather spoke for me. “Are you okay, miss?”
She said, “I think so” with one hand on her belly and the other on her back. “It’s my fault he was speeding. I wasn’t feeling well, and he was rushing to get me home.”
Oh my god, I kept thinking, over and over. The flashing lights of a tow truck appeared. It pulled in front of us. A driver stepped out. “Everything all right here, folks?”
“Not sure,” my grandfather responded.
The man turned to the pregnant woman. “Let me call 9-1-1.”
“No, I’m okay.”
“But I think you should go to the hospital to be safe.”
She looked at us. “This is our first. He’s just nervous. I really am okay.”
“So what should we do?” the man in the other car asked. “Exchange information?”
My grandfather nodded. “Good idea.”
They exchanged insurance and phone numbers.
The guy asked, “You a new driver?”
I nodded.
“That sucks.” He offered a small smile. “I’m sorry.”
The woman placed her hand on her hip. “I just want to go home and lie down.”
I hit a car that had a pregnant lady inside! “I’m so sorry about this. How far along are you?”
“Just a few months. Second trimester.”
My grandfather returned with his insurance details plus a pen and piece of paper. “Are you sure you don’t want to get your wife to a hospital?”
She held her hand up. “I’m okay.”
“My name’s Dale,” the man said. “I noticed your plate isn’t from around here.”
“Canada. We’re down for the winter,” my grandfather explained.
The tow-truck driver lifted his baseball hat and scratched his head. “I’ve heard a lot of hellish insurance stories.”
Dale said, “Yeah, but the damage doesn’t seem to be too bad. The cars look drivable.”
“Not yours,” the tow-truck driver said. “Your back fender is pushing in against the wheel.”
“It gets worse if we get the police involved. I’m just saying, and only if you want to, what about settling it here?” He smiled. “Then we can all go home.”
The woman held her belly and announced her discomfort again.
She went to sit on the curb, and my grandfather gave her a hand. “I’m not against settling this, but promise you’ll get her to a doctor.”
Dale nodded. “Absolutely.” He looked at the tow-truck driver. “My dad gave me this car, and this’ll just get him mad. Plus, I have a friend who can help fix it.” He turned to my grandfather. “Do you have anything on you? Cash?”
My grandfather didn’t have to check his wallet. “I only have a couple hundred on me.”
The tow-truck driver said, “Look, there’s some serious bumper damage, and it could be a lot worse underneath. It might not drive the same after this.”
Dale looked anxious. “Let’s call it a thousand dollars, and I’ll walk away and take my chances.”
My grandfather scratched his head. “I don’t know. That’s pretty steep. Plus, I really am worried about you getting her to a hospital first.”
Dale said, “Okay, I guess we run it through insurance then.” He looked at the woman and asked, “What do you think?”
She shrugged. “I’m fine. Just settle with them so I can get home.”
Dale took her hand and then turned to my grandfather. “What about seven-fifty?” he asked. “There’s a gas station about a block from here. They might have a bank machine.”
“Okay,” said my grandfather. He turned to me. “Then it’s over. No awkward questions from the in
surance company.”
I looked at the cars and the poor pregnant woman and was way too confused to know the right thing to do. I tossed the car keys to my grandfather.
“Maya, you should drive.”
“No way!”
“You have to get back behind the wheel.”
“Let me think about it,” I said—and then sneaked into the backseat. “I’ll have lots of time to drive again when I’m home.”
My grandfather reluctantly got in to the driver’s seat, and we drove to the gas station. He stepped out to get the cash.
In the backseat, I turned to Ruby, who was looking at photos of the accident on her phone. “What are you doing?”
“Sorry,” she said and put it away.
“I hope that lady is going to be okay.”
“I’m sure she will, Maya.”
“How did this go from the best night ever to the worst?”
Ruby placed her hand on mine. “This is just a random incident in the vast universe.”
My grandfather came out of the gas station with a white envelope, and we drove back to the scene. The tow truck had hoisted the car up by its front wheels, and I could see the woman sitting in the front seat. My grandfather got out of the car, walked over to Dale and handed him the envelope, then returned to our car. We drove away.
That was it? Done?
Ruby, her hand still on mine, said, “It’s all over now.”
We drove off in my grandfather’s damaged car. All I wanted to do was close my eyes and pretend this was just a nightmare.
I awoke with a headache. Then I remembered. The night before, the car, the crash. I tried to go back to sleep, but it didn’t work. At the side of the curtain where it met the edge of the window I could see sunlight. It was another perfect day in desert paradise for everyone else. I crept around the corner to the breakfast nook, a little embarrassed about seeing my grandfather.
“Good morning,” my grandmother called out.
I sat down at the table with her even though I wasn’t hungry. “Grandpa still asleep?” I poured a glass of orange juice and spilled it in my absentmindedness.
“Oh no. He was out quite early.”
I dabbed at the kitchen table, soaking up orange juice with paper towel. “Where is he?”
“He’s taken the car to a repair shop to get a quote on the damages.”
I nodded. Great, I’ve ruined his vacation too.
My grandmother scooped up some granola with a spoon. “Please don’t feel bad about last night. It can happen to anyone. The important thing is that you’re okay. The car is replaceable.”
I nodded. I wished I felt that way.
“Here’s the important thing. You’re on vacation, so your only question should be, what do you want to do today?”
“I’m not sure. I think the only thing I feel like doing is burying my head under my pillow.”
“Nonsense. Go have fun.”
I stood with no direction or desire. I didn’t want to play tennis, because it would only remind me of the previous night.
“At some point, maybe tonight, you should call home and let them know what happened. There are a lot of people here from Vancouver, and word gets around, especially in a condo community like this. Your mom and dad might find out, so it’s a whole lot better if it comes from you first.”
I nodded.
“But that’s tonight. You’ve got a whole wonderful day ahead of you. Go play tennis, or go to the pool and read, and I’ll let you know when he comes home.”
Lounging next to the pool, I couldn’t calm my mind. The night before, I’d watched some of the best tennis I had ever seen in my life. But now that was overshadowed by what had happened after. Embarrassment didn’t even begin to describe how I was feeling. How could I have been so stupid? The pool in front of me and its clear blue water did nothing to improve my mood. The bright yellow sun and its blue background were also wasted on me.
I adjusted my lounger to the lowest notch. Lying back, I closed my eyes. The skidding brakes, my hands strangling the steering wheel and that crunch on impact filled the darkness.
I turned onto my side, as if that would just flick away my thoughts. Flipping over to the other side didn’t work either. On my stomach, face squished against the hashed fabric, I focused on my breathing. I loaded up my lungs with a deep breath and let it out slowly through my mouth. A dozen or so times more, and I felt myself drift into a deeper darkness. Finally some quiet.
“Maya.”
My eyes popped open. If I’d been asleep, I didn’t feel rested. I turned my head and looked up. Blocking the sun was Ruby.
“You okay?”
I turned to a sitting position, feeling hot and dry.
“You’re a little burnt.” She pointed to my shoulder, then sat down next to me. “I’m guessing you’re not in the mood for some tennis.”
I shook my head. “Not in the mood for anything.”
Chapter Four
“Where are you taking me?”
Ruby looked at me and then back at the road, steering her grandparents’ black SUV. She smiled at me. “If I told you, you wouldn’t come.”
“Did my grandparents put you up to this?”
“Oh no. They would be very upset if they knew.”
Ruby steered us toward an outdoor mall set against the mountains.
“I’m not in the mood for shopping.”
“We’re not.”
We parked, and I followed her past a large fountain and up a canopied escalator to the second floor. Ruby finally stopped, leaning against a wall. “Okay, here’s the deal. Being worried about the damage to the car is one thing, but that pregnant lady is a whole other thing. You’re just like me, Maya. You’re not going to stop worrying about her.”
“And?”
Ruby held out her phone. “Right after the accident, I took photos. You know, just in case.” She flicked past pictures of me from that night, stopping at one of the pregnant woman. She then pinched in closer, past the woman’s face to her shirt. “Look.”
I read an out-of-focus name tag. “Plus and—” It was cut off. Below that were the letters L-A-U-R—also cut off.
“I did a quick search for stores with that name and…” Ruby pointed. Across from us was a women’s clothing store called Plus and Minus.
“She got hurt. Why would she be working today?”
“Let’s ask for her phone number. Then you’ll know.”
I nodded, and a small smile escaped my lips.
Ruby smiled. “The only way I’m going to get to play tennis before I have to go home is if you start feeling better.” The clothing store had red-brick wallpaper covered in graffiti. On the back wall was a mural of a NYC bridge that made Ruby feel right at home. We circled the inside until a woman asked us if we needed help.
Ruby started with, “Are you the manager?”
The woman nodded, a little perplexed.
“We are looking for someone who works here. I think her name is Lau…” Ruby let the word linger, hoping the woman would fill in the rest.
“Girls, if you’re not here to shop, then I have to ask you to leave.”
“Maybe Lauren?”
Another worker popped up from behind a rack of fashionable hats. “I think they’re looking for Laurie.”
“Can we have her number?” I asked.
“I can’t give out that information. I’m sorry. Please leave.”
“It’s okay,” I said. “Ruby, let’s go.”
The hat lady said, “Isn’t she working today at two?”
The manager barked back, “Don’t you have boxes to unpack?”
We both thanked the lady and left before she called security.
After a couple of window-shopping laps around the mall, I sat down with Ruby, keeping one eye on the store and the other on my iced tea.
“What if she doesn’t show?” I asked.
“Yeah, she might not. On the bright side,” Ruby said, “we are surrounded by palm trees an
d blue skies.”
I nodded, sipping my drink through a purple straw. “If we do find her, what do you think I should say to her? I mean, other than sorry.”
“Ask her how she’s feeling. And tell her you’re glad she is able to return to work. That must mean the baby and her are doing okay.”
“Look at the girl from Brooklyn, always with the positive spin.”
“You betcha. There’s no other way to live. Oh, look!”
I turned to see the woman from the crash crossing the plaza, heading toward the clothing store.
“Do you see what I’m seeing?” Ruby asked.
“She’s walking fine. Doesn’t seem to be in any pain.”
“Yes. But look closer.”
I didn’t understand. The woman wore skinny jeans and a tight white blouse. Then I saw it—she didn’t have a round belly. “She’s not pregnant?”
Ruby’s phone was out, and she was shooting video. “Doesn’t add up.”
I got to my feet.
“Where are you going?” Ruby asked.
“I haven’t slept because of her. I need to talk to her, find out what’s going on. Maybe she needs to apologize to me.”
“No. We can’t just accuse her.”
“Why not?” I asked. “I want my grandfather’s money back. Then I’m calling the police!”
“Because she’ll just deny it. Come up with some story.”
“So we just let her go?”
“No,” Ruby said, “we just have to figure out a plan. We know where she works. Let’s come back prepared.”
With my head in a book and my body stretched out on a lounge chair in front of the pool, I looked like I was on vacation. Too bad I didn’t feel like it.
Ruby climbed out of the pool and toweled off. “It’s so hot. How can you just lie there?”
“Too tired to move,” I muttered, putting my book down.
“You didn’t sleep any better last night?”
I shook my head. “I close my eyes and the next thing I know, I’m in the accident. Behind the wheel. I see brake lights, but I can’t stop. I’m helpless as the car drifts forward.” I paused, pushing back a tear. “Then smash, and I’m awake.”
Desert Slam Page 2