I shake my head, pushing away my thoughts as I open the red door leading to the women’s restroom. Interestingly enough, it’s a stark contrast to everything else that just so happens to be a different shade of brown.
“Can I help you with something,” I mutter, my body lurched over the sink bowl with my hands down on its sides. “I’m on vacation.”
I knew something was awry. I haven’t been dosed in quite some time. Are you enjoying yourself? I for one am enjoying the fresh air…metaphorically speaking, of course.
“Hard to tell. Having you around is really putting a damper on things. I knew I was being overly jaded for no good reason. This place sucks, but it’s not that bad.”
How unfortunate.
“Yeah…it is, so I’m going to have to put you under for a bit.” I draw out a syringe from my purse and ready my arm for the coming injection.
No, how unfortunate of you to run away from your problems. Your parents must be so proud.
“I liked it better when you didn’t talk.”
Oh, you mean when I was preoccupied with ensuring our mutual survival? Even at my weakest, you still had the nerve to keep going. What happened to that girl?”
“You’re speaking to her.”
Doubtful. The girl I knew wasn’t a coward.
“I’ll keep that in mind while you’re tucked away. Goodnight.”
I sink the needle into my arm and push in the plunger. Instantly, the Holy Water begins to course through my veins, and I begin to feel its effects working against the demon inside of me. My breathing increases while I stare at my reflection, internalizing just how agonizing this moment is. It feels like heartburn… a smoldering glob of heartburn that travels from your injection site to your core before shooting out through the rest of your system. The pain doesn’t last long…it fades, but the sensation is worth something to behold, even if it’s not for too long. “Jerk.”
I take a moment to gather myself before grabbing my syringe on the side of the sink and tuck it back into my purse. After that, I let the water run for a bit and then wash my hands; splashing the warm water on my face once I’m ready to give this vacation another go. “Round two.” I sigh and grab at the dangling piece of auto-dispensed paper towel and pat my face dry. “Round two,” I mumble again.
I exit the bathroom soon after that, passing the same weirdos that I did on the way to the ladies’ room. As I head toward my seat, I walk up on Valerie chatting it up with our waitress, Helen. Apparently, telling a hell of a story judging by the way she’s flailing about.
“…So yeah, the rain really screwed us over, but we’re doing what we can,” Val finishes lightheartedly and takes a sip from her drink. Helen glances my way just as she begins to fill my glass to the brim.
“Hopefully,” she responds.
I awkwardly wave at Helen before taking my seat, ignoring the air of tension between us.
“Helen…I’m sorry I was kinda abrupt a little while ago. Really stressful week. We’re supposed to be on a vacation and stuff, but it hardly feels like it. Bad drivers…wonky GPS…rain. I didn’t mean to come off as rude as I did. Can we start over? I promise I’m not some stuck-up city girl. I’m actually a decent person.”
Helen’s tight brunette curls bounce as she shakes her head while topping off Valerie’s water.
“I appreciate the sincerity, but it’s nothing really. You’re fine.” She smiles, her eyes still set on Valerie’s glass. “I’ve had so many characters walk through this diner over the years…y’all may be newcomers, but you guys treat me better than some of the regulars.” Helen chuckles.
“Is that so?” I lean in, resting my elbows on the polished bar table.
“You see that guy over there…the one to your left, red shirt and trucker hat in the corner?” I glance over my shoulder and see a grizzly white man sitting alone in a booth for two eating a stack of pancakes with a huge hamburger on the side.
“Yeah, what about him?”
“That’s Tucker. He’s been coming here off and on for over five years and think he’s only tipped me a handful of times…which is fine and all if he wasn’t so gosh darn particular.”
“You can’t be serious,” Valerie says flatly.
“As a heart attack, darling. He’s nice and all…we talk about work and everything, but that man absolutely refuses to tip. I’m not a shrink. I don’t get paid to listen to people talk.”
“Maybe he sees you as a friend? It might be weird for him to tip a friend. I’d have a hard time tipping this chick over here, but I’d like, buy her something every once and a while or give her a good one every blue moon. It’s kinda like giving a gift for no reason, you know what I mean? Like, I’d feel obligated to tip Sailor because she’s my friend, but what if she didn’t deserve the tip? Would she be offended if I didn’t tip her? My lack or abundance of tipping can disrupt the balance of our friendship.” She sighs.
“Wait, what?” I grimace and jerk my head her way.
“This is some complicated stuff, Miss Helen,” Valerie says, shaking her head. “I really don’t know.”
I honestly don’t know if she’s trolling or seriously trying to find the perfect political stance for tipping friends. I’m not stressing it, though. At least Helen seems amused.
“Oh my, you girls are a hoot!” She laughs. “Your food should be ready in a little bit. I’m going to go run to the back to check on it real quick.”
“Sure thing. Thanks.” The heavyset lady walks towards the kitchen and I dismiss her from my sight, returning my focus to the oddball that is Valerie, who somehow got me in this mess—eating out at a strange place, in the middle of nowhere, in a rainstorm. Life is funny that way. Better this than drowning in my own misery. “I don’t know if that was some elaborate power move or something, so just so we’re clear…you do know that we’re going to have to tip this lady, right? It would be horribly ironic if she didn’t get anything. Just a warning.”
“But she’s our friend. It’ll be awkward if we do.”
“…Geez.” I try my hardest to resist the urge to facepalm.
Thankfully, I manage.
“Okay, here we go…one order of cheese fries and chicken fingers and another for a plain cheeseburger with fries. You ladies enjoy.”
Valerie and I take our time eating. With the storm passing over, there’s really not much of a rush. On occasion Helen would stop by, but only to refill our drinks in between servicing the other customers, but other than that, it’s just an hour or so of some quality time and rocking food. Turns out there was actually some truth to those reviews.
Right when I’m finishing up my burger, Miss Helen lays the receipt on the table. “Take care of it whenever you’re ready,” she says gently before giving us our privacy. Valerie reaches for her wallet, but I stop her.
“Don’t worry. I got this one, no problem. And I’ll get the tip, too.” After I finish my hamburger, I dig out thirty bucks and place it on top the receipt. “That’s at least twenty-five percent right there. I think the tipping gods will be pleased.”
“Most certainly.”
“Hell, she deserves it. Super cool lady. Good food.” I shrug before standing to stretch. “Ready to blow this taco stand? The rain doesn’t sound like it’ll be letting up anytime soon.”
“You’re cool with driving out in a rainstorm in the dark? We can totally stay a bit longer,” she says after biting into a stray cheese fry. I don’t blame her. Storms are rough, but I’ve had experience. I’ve driven in worse. You know, hunting and such.
“Rather get going while I have the energy. Sooner we leave, the sooner we can get where we’re going. I’m an excellent driver if you haven’t learned by now. Don’t trip.”
“You know, simply stating something doesn’t automatically make it true, right?”
“Whatever. For someone who’s always super upbeat, you can be a real downer sometimes.” I laugh.
“What can I say?” Valerie shrugs. “I’m awesome and unapologetic. T
hey go hand-in-hand.” Another fry finds its way into her mouth.
“And humble…” I smirk.” You done yet? You’re just picking at leftovers now. Come on, they’re about to close. The storm probably did them in. They don’t seem to be having that much traffic.”
“Yeah, we can go,” she says after a long-drawn sigh. “Bye, Miss Helen,” Valerie calls out as she stands from her stool. “It was nice meeting you!” Helen pops out from the kitchen cleaning her hands with a blue and white plaid towel that matches her uniform.
“Y’all take care!” She smiles. “Good luck with your trip. Stay safe!”
“Will do,” I reply. We should have been out of here ten minutes ago.
“See ya soon!”
With Valerie trailing behind me, we exit the diner and make it to my car, weather be damned. I press my fob to unlock my door, but it doesn’t respond. “Shit, hold on. I think it’s broken.” I hurry and manually unlock my door while Valerie runs to the other side. I stretch over to the passenger’s side and unlock hers as quickly as I can. “Shit, I think my key fob thingy is broken. Horrible timing,” I say as I strap myself in.
“Can you turn on the heater? I feel disgusting.”
“Yeah, me too.” I plunge my key into the ignition and go to start my car, but the engine fails to turnover.
“Everything okay?”
“It should be. Let me just…” I twist the key again, but nothing happens. I wait a bit and twist again. This time the engine stutters for a second and an unsettling putt grumbles from under the hood. “Ugh, you can’t be serious.” I lean back from the steering wheel and sink my back into my seat. “This is some crappy luck.” I sigh while I undo my seat belt. “Stay put. I’m going to see if I can find out what’s wrong.”
“You know how to fix cars?”
“My dad taught me a couple things… I’ll be right back. Pull up roadside assistance on your phone. We might need it.” Without saying another word, I venture out into the rainstorm and pop open the hood to my car. With the light from the diner’s parking lot as my aid, I do a quick search but nothing seems to be bent out of shape. “Well, shit. This trip went south fairly quick.” I lower the hood and tuck a portion of my hanging wet hair behind my ears before returning to the comfort of my Mustang.
“Any luck?”
“Nope. You got the number for roadside?”
“No service.”
“Seriously? Let me check mine.” I fish out my phone from my pocket, hoping for the best, but frown at the lack of bars displayed on my home screen. “Nope, I got nothing. Go figure.” I sigh and tuck my phone away, resentful towards the rain pelting my car on all sides.
“So, what now?”
“We go back inside and see if we can get someone to lend us a hand. Either that or we tough it out in the car for the night and wait for the storm to pass.” I brace myself for the onslaught of rain before exiting my car with Valerie. Together we sprint into the lobby, where we find Helen wiping down the surface of a table with a rag. She stops mid-motion, her brows scrunched as she stares at us, soaking wet in the middle of the diner.
“You girls left something?”
“I wish it was that simple. Our car won’t start and we can’t get a signal out here with the storm. Do you have a land line we could use?” Helen drops her towel on the table and marches towards us, her face etched with concern.
“We sure do. We’ve got one right here, behind this booth.” Helen reaches past us and goes for the black phone hidden in plain sight. It’s convenient that they have one in the front. This place doesn’t strike me as a spot where you can order your meal to go. “Hmm…that’s strange there’s no dial tone. It must be dead.”
“Of course,” I mumble under my breath. “Do you have any others here? Are you getting any service on your phone?”
“All the phones are connected to the same line,” Helen says as she pulls out her phone. “No service on the cell, either. Lightning probably got to a cell tower or something. The service out here isn’t the best even when the sun’s out, so who knows. Only downside to country living.”
Ugh. Our stuff was working just fine before we pulled up here. We should have just kept going.
“Awesome. So, I guess we’re screwed. Looks like we’re toughing it out in the car tonight. We’ll just have to call the hotel in the morning or something.”
“Now hold on a minute, there’s no need for you sweet little things to be out there in the elements like that. How about this? I’ll go to back and tell Johnny to finish up closing and I’ll let you two stay with me for the night.”
“That’s awfully sweet of you ma’am, but I don’t think that’s necessary.”
“Nonsense! You girls are on vacation, right? Think of it as a bed and breakfast. We’ve got a guest room. In the morning my husband can tow your car with his truck and give it a once over. The man can cook…he put his heart and soul into this place, but he loves his cars. He might be able to fix whatever problems you’re having.”
“Oh, so you’re the owners?”
“Yes, ma’am. Been in business for quite some time now.”
“Wow, that’s something.”
“It’s not much, but we’re proud of what we got. It takes a lot to run a business these days.”
“Yeah, for sure,” I respond, amused.
“So what do you say, sweetie?” I catch Valerie staring at me in my peripherals, patiently waiting for our joint answer.
“…Sure.” I nod. “Just let us get our essentials before we hit the road.”
Nothing’s ever easy with me.
Apparently, that rule also applies to vacations.
Chapter 5: Stranded
“This has been quite the day,” I muse while being smushed between Valerie and the truck’s door. “A funeral, and now this?” I growl as I run my fingers through my damp hair and toss it back. Not long after Helen’s proposal, Valerie and I grabbed our valuables and threw them in the backseat of Helen’s truck, which is without a doubt almost as old as me. “I can’t wait to finally put my head down and get some shuteye.”
The truck rumbles from the onslaught of turbulence as we traverse over what I assume to be a badly constructed road. It’s well into the night, and it’s raining. I can only imagine the kind of place we’re driving to.
“I’m sorry about the funeral,” Helen says. I shift my eyes towards her and then back to the rusted windshield wipers struggling to keep up with the water falling from the sky.
“Me too.” Valerie’s soaked knee lightly brushes up against mine, goading me to not end on such a low note. “He was a good kid. Chicago just got the best of him. It sucks, you know?”
“It does, indeed. I remember when I lost a close friend of mine actually. It’s hard to forget. Her name was Kelly. We went to high school together. I knew her virtually since kindergarten.”
“What happened to her?” I ask.
“Murder. Some lunatic decided it was okay to kidnap her on the way from school. Her parents searched for her for months. The whole community, too.”
“Did they ever find her killer?” Valerie asks, venturing into territory I’d rather stay clear of.
“Yeah, we did. Eventually the cops came up on a lead and found the guy in a forest a couple of miles out from town. Before they could take him in, he killed himself. Kelly was already dead, along with the other girls he managed to abduct before they pinned him down. After I graduated high school and was a bit older, I moved away and ended up here. I couldn't deal with staying at the time. Everything reminded me of her, and it was beginning to take its toll. It made me angry…resentful even. When she was still missing, I used to think I would see her everywhere. When the body turned up, in a way, it was kind of a relief. No one wants their friend to die, but at least there was closure…somewhat. As much as you can have given the circumstances. I was about your age when I truly started to find a positive way to deal with all my emotions. It was quite the journey.”
“And how wa
s that?” I ask.
“Service, darling. The service industry. Turns out I had a knack for making food. Baking, grilling, cooking, it didn’t matter. The people I met along the way were also nice. Rich or poor, everyone eats. In fact, that’s how I met my husband, Frank. We met at a food festival.”
“Aww, that’s sweet,” Val says.
“We’ve been going strong ever since. Everything happens for a reason girls, remember that. If Kelly wouldn’t have passed, I wouldn’t have met Frank and started a family or found my love for cooking. Life is like a circle. Everything rounds out. Although sometimes, it isn’t quite what you want. Take my waistline, for instance. I used to be teeny-tiny, but all these years of taste-testing seem to have caught up with me.” Helen laughs, and a chuckle involuntarily escapes past my lips. “Everyone needs an outlet. Just be sure yours doesn’t make you gain sixty pounds or change you into something you don’t like. Make sure it’s something positive.”
“Thanks,” I respond.
“It’s no problem. Just passing down the things I’ve learned over the years to a friend in need.”
Life lessons from a restaurant owner: just another thing to add to my growing list of strange occurrences.
****
Not long after that, we pull up to Miss Helen’s home, right in the middle of nowhere. Her house is slightly larger than the others I’ve seen on the way, but not by much. It’s quaint...a decent sized two-story, and from what I can tell, it definitely has some age to it. But I can’t complain. It’s a home. I’m not exactly use to luxury living myself. To me, a bed is a bed. I’ll make do. I can’t say the same for Valerie, though.
Her tastes are a bit more refined than the girl who hunts supernatural entities as a way to burn the midnight oil. Oh well, she’ll live. It’s just for one night.
We’ll be out of this town by noon tomorrow. It’s not like she has a choice.
Sailor Ray and the Beautiful Lie (The Pact Book 3) Page 4