Welcome to Last Chance

by Cathleen Armstrong

  “Fayette will pass the word along. I really wasn’t all that anxious to talk to either Gran or Ray. Besides, my phone died as I was leaving the message at Fayette’s. Totally out of battery charge.”

  Lainie twisted so she could see into the backseat. “You did leave a message, though? They know where we are and that we might need someone to come get us?”

  “Yeah, yeah, we’re good.” He dropped the impatience from his tone and slipped the syrup back in. “So tell me, Lindsay, how do you two know each other?”

  Lainie’s stomach clenched and she stopped breathing. What had she been thinking, calling Lindsay, anyway? She’d spent the better part of a year pretending that part of her life had never existed, and now she had just invited it back in.

  She shot an anxious glance at Lindsay, silently imploring her to keep it short, but Lindsay seemed totally mesmerized by the purring voice at her shoulder. “Oh, we’ve been friends forever, since we were kids back in LA. I came out here about three years ago, and Lainie was on her way to stay with me when she fell off the face of the earth last summer.” She lightly shoved Lainie’s arm. “What happened to you anyway? You call to say you’re stuck in some crummy wide spot in the road and then nothing. I never even knew the name of the place where you were stuck, or even what state you were in.”

  Steven leaned back and laughed. “That would be Last Chance, New Mexico. And is that any way to talk about the place that opened its arms and took you in out of the cold, Lainie?”

  “Well, I was worried sick.” Lindsay picked up where she left off. “I wanted to call the police, but Nick said you were probably just still mad because of that fight you had and that you’d turn up when you were ready, so I didn’t.”

  “Nick said what?” Lainie swallowed to try to moisten her mouth. “When did you talk to Nick?”

  “Maybe a couple of months ago. He’s not in California anymore. I forget where he is. I’m not even sure he told me.”

  “What did you tell him?” Lainie fought the terror that threatened to choke her.

  “The truth. That I hadn’t heard a word from you.”

  “And if he calls back, that’s the story you’re sticking to, right?”

  “If you say so. But I wish you’d just talk to him.”

  “Who is this Nick anyway? Lainie seems to have forgotten to mention him.” Steven leaned forward again and rested his arm on the back of Lainie’s seat.

  “Oops! Did I open my big mouth when I should have kept it shut?” Lindsay’s eyes sparkled at Steven in the rearview mirror and she glanced at Lainie. “Nick is Lainie’s boyfriend, at least he thinks so, but if you guys . . .?” Her voice trailed to a question mark.

  “Nope, Lainie and I are just friends, aren’t we, Lainie?” He dropped his hand to Lainie’s shoulder. She shrugged it off in silence and looked out the side window. “Well, it’s sort of an on-again, off-again friendship, I guess, and right now it seems to be off. But this thing with Nick—pretty serious, was it?”

  Lainie glared over her shoulder at Steven, but Lindsay, intent on navigating traffic, didn’t catch the look. “Yeah, it was serious. How long were you two together, Lainie? Five years? I couldn’t believe it when you called to say you were leaving and coming to El Paso. I figured you’d tell me why when you got here, but you never showed up.”

  “Can we change the subject, please? My personal life really isn’t anyone’s business but mine.” She turned around to glare again at Steven. He wasn’t even trying to suppress his grin. “You really are enjoying this, aren’t you?”

  Steven laughed. “What can I say? I’ve been wondering about the mystery woman since I got home. Does Ray know about Nick, by the way?”

  Lainie turned back around and stared out the windshield. Nick was supposed to go from the hospital to jail. What had happened? Where was he? And why, why, why had she ever called Lindsay?

  Lindsay turned off the thoroughfare and Lainie watched a row of small, flat-roofed houses huddled in dusty yards behind barred windows slide past. The car stopped at the corner in front of a pair of two-story boxes facing each other across a small gravel strip.

  “Here we are.” Lindsay shut off the ignition and fitted a steel bar to her steering wheel to lock it. “I’m upstairs on the end in that building there.”

  Steven prowled the apartment, peeking into the single bedroom before he flopped down on the couch, spreading his arms along the back.

  “You guys hungry?” Lindsay opened her cupboard and scanned the few contents. “I’ve got some chips and some Mallomars, but that’s about it. I didn’t think to ask while we were out, but there’s a drive-through on the next block that should still be open.”

  “Why don’t we go out? It’s early yet.” Steven glanced at his watch and grinned. “Sort of.”

  Lainie glared at him, but Lindsay jumped at the idea. “Sure! Let me change real quick.” She closed her bedroom door behind her, then stuck her head out again. “You like to dance? There’s a couple of great clubs I know about.”

  “Sounds great.” Steven looked at Lainie, who hadn’t budged from the faded armchair she had sunk into. “You up for this?”

  “Nope. I’ve had enough fun for one day, thanks. Besides, I’m broke, remember? And so are you, unless you found your wallet.”

  Steven flashed his grin and gave her a wink. “Don’t worry, I’ll think of something.”

  Lindsay emerged from her room wearing a short skirt, high heels, and a clinging top that revealed more than it covered. She struck a pose. “Ready?”

  Steven practically leered. “For what?” He opened the door with a flourish, and as she passed through, he glanced over his shoulder at Lainie and raised an eyebrow. “Don’t wait up.”

  Lainie blessed the quiet that enveloped her with the closing of the door. Not even the sound of the television next door intruded on her solitude. For the time being, until Steven and Lindsay returned or until they heard from someone in Last Chance, no one wanted anything, not even a comment from her.

  Not until she heard the sound of Lindsay’s car starting up at the curb and driving away did she remember that Steven couldn’t have left Lindsay’s address or even her phone number in his message. And Steven’s phone had died. So much for not having to talk to anyone. She spotted a beige phone with a curled and twisted cord hanging on the kitchen wall and hauled herself out of her chair. It had no dial tone, not even when she clicked the button a few times. She pushed aside feelings of anxiety that threatened to turn to panic. Everything was all right. Fayette would tell Elizabeth where they were and that they were okay. No one was likely to come for them until tomorrow anyway, and by then Lindsay would be home with her cell phone. She grabbed a throw pillow, plumped it with a few punches, and curled up on the sofa. It couldn’t have been just that morning that Steven had picked her up at Elizabeth’s. It seemed like days.

  Gray light was filtering through the bent slats of the blinds when a fumbling at the door woke Lainie. She had only seconds to figure out where she was before Lindsay and Steven stumbled in, giggling and shushing each other. The only thing that seemed funnier to them than Steven tripping on the doorsill was the sight of Lainie sitting up on the sofa and glaring at them. Lindsay collapsed against Steven, but even though he held her around the waist, neither of them looked too steady.

  “Oops, did we wake you? Shhh. Go back to sleep. We’ll be quiet.” Lindsay made her way to the kitchen and swung open the cupboard doors again. “I’m starving. Anyone want a Mallomar?”

  For reasons that escaped Lainie, Steven found that hysterically funny. He fell into the armchair squeaking with laughter and wiping his eyes.

  Lindsay, holding a Mallomar in each hand, headed for the bedroom. “I’m going to bed now, Steven. You can sleep there.” She gestured toward the sofa where Lainie sat. “Oh, wait, you can’t sleep there. Lainie’s there and she looks really, really mad.”

  Lainie stood up. “The sofa’s yours. I think you could both use a couple hours of slee
p. But before you go, Lindsay, would you leave me your phone? I’d like to call home when it gets a little later.”

  Lindsay’s eyes widened and she patted her skirt, although the most casual observer could see there was nothing in there but Lindsay. “Oops, I left it somewhere. Probably Pedro’s.”

  Lainie began to feel cut off and panicky again. “Where does Pedro live?”

  “Pedro’s not a person.” Lindsay leaned against her doorjamb, giggling. “He’s a bar. And he’s closed. But don’t worry. I’ve left my phone there before. I’ll just go back and get it when they open. G’night.” She waved a Mallomar in Lainie’s direction.

  Steven had already crawled to the couch and was lying face down in the throw pillow. Muffled snoring told Lainie that air was actually reaching his face, but she yanked the pillow to turn his head. “It would serve you right if you smothered, you jerk.”

  When noon came without either Lindsay or Steven waking up, Lainie couldn’t wait any longer. She opened the front door and stepped into the quiet neighborhood. There weren’t many more signs of life at midday than there had been the night before. The harsh sunlight showed faded, peeling paint on the window frames and illuminated the battered cars crouching in the shadows of carports.

  Lainie set off down the street. She traveled three empty blocks and never saw another soul. She didn’t have any better luck when she did find a main thoroughfare. She spotted a phone booth outside a convenience store but found only a single wire protruding from the back wall when she got there. She went inside and tried to borrow the store phone, but the proprietor didn’t even look up from the magazine he had spread open on the counter. He just pointed to a sign taped to the front of the cash register that read “No restroom, no phone.”

  Defeated, Lainie retraced her steps back to Lindsay’s. The car was no longer parked at the curb, and a note on a scrap of yellow paper was taped to the locked door. “We’ve gone to get my phone. Back soon. Sorry about locking you out. Where are you, anyway?”

  When Lindsay’s car rattled to a stop at the curb a few minutes later, Lainie didn’t bother getting up off the top step where she waited. Lindsay climbed out of the car waving her phone over her head. “It was at Pedro’s, just like I said.”

  Steven slid from the passenger side with a pair of very high heels hooked over two fingers. “Yeah, and that’s not all she left.” He held them up and shook his head.

  “I have no idea how I got home without my shoes.” Lindsay brushed her shoulder against Steven as she passed him. “Why didn’t you tell me I was barefoot?”

  “Oh, man, I don’t think I could have told you my name last night. How’d we get home, anyway?” Steven followed Lindsay up the stairs, lightly bumping into her when she stopped suddenly halfway up.

  “What’s wrong? You look mad.”

  Lainie slowly got to her feet. “I’ve been walking all over town looking for a phone. Thanks for waiting for me, by the way.”

  “What is your problem?” Lindsay pushed past Lainie and unlocked the door. “We were only gone, like, ten minutes. And we didn’t know where you were. I’m the one who bothered to leave a note. You didn’t.”

  Lainie held out her hand. “May I borrow your phone, please? I really need to call home.”

  “Steven already did on the way back here. He got it all settled.” She disappeared into her bedroom. “I’ve got to get ready for work. And I feel like—” The closing door cut off the rest of her sentence. She opened it again and stuck her head out. “I don’t know what they did to you out in Lost Gulch or wherever, but I don’t care for it. You’re not the Lainie I used to know, that’s for sure.”

  Lainie turned to Steven, who had found the remote and was settling into the armchair. “So what’s going on? Everything okay?”

  Steven didn’t look up from his channel surfing. “Yeah, Manny’s bringing the tow truck when he closes up the garage. He said he’d be here about eight.”

  “What about the diner? Did it get opened okay? Did you call your grandmother to make sure she wasn’t worried?”

  Steven turned to Lainie with an irritated sigh. “Look, I said everything was okay, didn’t I? Manny said he’d try to close up early, so let’s just relax, all right?” He turned back to his remote.

  Lainie curled up in a corner of the couch and gazed out the window. Had she changed as much as Lindsay said she had? It was hard to tell. She could hardly remember herself before she landed in Last Chance. Only passing moments, like seeing Lindsay head out for a night of partying in her short skirt or hearing that Nick was still out there, stirred the sleeping memories of her abandoned past. And they left her feeling sick inside.

  “Well, I’m off.” Lindsay breezed out of her room and headed for the door. “If you leave before I get home, just make sure the door is locked and pulled tight shut.” She bent over the sofa and offered an awkward hug somewhere in the vicinity of Lainie’s head. “I’m so glad I got to see you, Lainie, and I’m sorry I was such a witch. I’m just not feeling my best right now. Do you have a phone number where I can reach you? I don’t want to lose track of you again.”

  When Lainie hesitated, Lindsay rushed on. “Just write it on that pad on the counter. I’ve got to go. If I’m late again, I’m dead.” She blew a kiss at Steven. “Loved meeting you, Steve. And don’t forget, you promised the next night out is on you, so call me.” The door slammed behind her, and her quick steps faded down the concrete stairs.

  Steven went back to his TV watching without saying a word to Lainie. Usually she had to beg him for five minutes silence, but those cartoons certainly had his attention. Something was up, but it was clear there was no way he was going to talk about it.

  “I can’t just sit here and listen to that television. I’m going outside.” Lainie jumped to her feet and grabbed her jacket.

  “Don’t get lost.” Steven switched the station without looking at her.

  A cool wind blew a fast-food bag down the street, and Lainie pulled her jacket around her. She dropped to the step where she had waited for Steven and Lindsay and leaned against the railing, watching Saturday afternoon unfold around her. Even though she had never seen the neighborhood before last night, there was a hopeless familiarity in the barred windows and dusty streets. Down the block a group of boys, not much older than Matthew from the looks of them, leaned against a parked car, laughing and calling out to some girls, who turned around in fury and yelled something Lainie couldn’t hear. She didn’t have to. She knew what the boys said; she knew what the girls answered; she knew what the car cruising slowly down the street was looking for. This had been her world. And it would be her world today if that red warning light hadn’t shown up on her dash last summer. “Lucky break, I guess.”

  A half smile crossed her face as Elizabeth’s indignant voice popped into her mind. “Luck had nothing to do with it, young lady, and you know it.”

  Maybe not luck, then. Maybe Elizabeth was right and God was in control, even when you didn’t even know who he was. Tears stung her eyes.

  “God, did you really see me last summer? Was it you and not my dumb car that got me to Last Chance? I want to go back there, God. I want to go home. I mess things up so bad when I try to make my own plans. Will you take over for me? I like your plans so much better.”

  She closed her eyes as a warm peace filled her until she wanted to burst out singing. “And, God? I’m going to bring Ray to church with me. It’s time he came home too.”

  Manny arrived in his tow truck just past 7:30. Lainie saw him pull up, and she and Steven met him on the walk as he ambled toward the stairs. Never had Lainie seen him without a joke or a smile, but he was almost grim as he turned on his heel and headed back to the driver’s side of his truck.

  “Come on, let’s go get my car. I need to get back. The girls are sick and Patsy was not happy I was taking off after work instead of coming home to help her.”

  “Sorry about the car, dude.” Steven opened the side door and slid in after Lainie.
“The guy that hit us has insurance, though. I’ve got all his info.”

  “Yeah, we’ll see.” He started his engine. “Now, where’s my car at?”

  “Is everything okay at home?” Lainie moved her knee so Manny could shift gears. “No one was worried, were they?”

  Manny looked at her, exchanged a glance with Steven, then returned his attention to the road in front of them. “Ask him.”

  “I told you everything was fine, didn’t I?” Steven dropped the arm he had stretched across the back of the seat to give her shoulder a squeeze. “Now stop worrying, okay?”

  Lainie waited in the truck while they hooked the wrecked car to the tow and then settled between Manny and Steven for the ride through the darkness to Last Chance. Neither man was inclined to talk—certainly a change from the norm for both of them, but Lainie relished the silence. She’d stop by the garage Monday to try to make amends with Manny for the wrecked car, and as for Steven, well, it would be a while before she had anything more to say to him.

  The headlights flashed on one of Rita’s roadside signs. “Make Last Chance Your Last Stop—10 Miles.” Lainie smiled into the darkness. She couldn’t get there fast enough. She had a few fences to mend with Ray, and hopefully Elizabeth wasn’t too put out with her, but she was going home.

  27

  The porch light was on and the glow of a lamp shone through the curtains of Elizabeth’s front window when Manny dropped them off at the curb. Lainie took a deep breath before starting up the walk.

  “Looks like she’s waiting up. I hope Fayette called her before she started wondering where we were.” Lainie glanced back at Steven, who was standing with his hand on the gate.

  “She’s probably just watching some old rerun of one of her cop shows.” Steven closed the gate, leaving himself on the outside. “You know, I feel kinda bad about leaving Ray with the bar when I said we’d be back. Why don’t you make up with Gran, and I’ll talk to Ray. I should have had Manny drop me there.”