strong that I could carry on this confrontational conversation with his mother. But I was strong.
“Then you should go find him. If you are meant to find him, you will.” With that, she closed the door and threw the lock.
I stood there disappointed and confused for a few moments and the I realized that of course I knew where he was. I just had no idea how to get there.
I walked slowly back to my apartment, trying to sort out how to make the next move. Inside, the place was very quiet. Mom left a note on the entryway table.
“Getting some groceries. Be back soon.”
Something came over me that I had never felt before. I opened the drawer and pulled out the extra set of Mom’s car’s keys. I dug in my wallet to make sure I had the driver’s license I got in the summer just before we moved here and that I had almost never had the opportunity to use. There it was, just waiting, it seemed, for this moment.
I slipped out the door and crept down the hall to the stairs, then flew down the seven flights of stairs. The stairs came out beside the elevators, and beside the doorway from the stairs was a back door to the parking structure. Just a quick turn out one door and through the other – I prayed that Homer was facing the street.
At the bottom of the stairs I paused, caught my breath. If Homer saw me, I wasted to seem calm. It’d be enough to have to explain why I took the stairs. Just exercising, Homer.
I opened the door, stepped out. Homer had his back to me talking to the tiny woman with the yippy dog I’d seen – and heard – every now and then. Homer was trying to be heard over the dog’s shrill noise. I stepped through the back door, ran into the parking structure, fumbled with the keys, dropped them. picked them up. Got in the car, started it and then asked my self, “What do you think you’re doing, Nikki?”
But I didn’t have time to answer. I had to move, or I would lose courage. Or whatever this weird emotion was that made me suddenly act completely out of character.
I had never, ever, ever done anything even remotely like this in my life. When I we as little girl, a friend of mine said she was going to run away from home. She’d packed a little suitcase and everything. I couldn’t imagine how she could even think of doing such a thing. I asked her where she would go, what she was going to eat, where she would sleep, what her parents would think, they would be so worried.
And now I’d basically stolen my mother’s car and didn’t even leave her a note. Oh – I had really become crazy!
I was glad it wasn’t dark yet so I could get my bearings. I tried to remember exactly the route Mitch had driven when he took me to his underground hideaway. We’d started from the theatre about half-a-mile away. So I went to the theatre, and then worked out the same initial turns he took. I remembered that he then went quite a distance on a road that wasn’t very busy. So I followed what I thought he’d done.
About twenty minutes later, I saw familiar terrain, as the sun made its way below the western horizon. I pulled onto the grassy knoll, stopped the engine and gripped the steering wheel. Courage, Nikki, I told myself. You’ve come this far, don’t wimp out now!
I got out a flashlight and started to prowl around in the fast falling darkness. The place looked completely abandoned, not even Mitch’s car was there. I felt spooky. I knew I ought to text Mom, who was surely becoming alarmed. But I dare not stop. I had to find that rabbit hole in the earth before darkness fell completely. A loamy, earthy scent rose up from the damp ground, and a cool breeze buffeted around me. It made me feel as if I didn’t exist.
Then I almost fell into the hole before I saw it. Carefully I went down a couple of steps. It did not feel as though anyone was there, other than the two-dimensional Millie, on the billboard, eternally, gazing skyward.
I continued to the
“Then you should go find him. If you are meant to find him, you will.” With that, she closed the door and threw the lock.
I stood there disappointed and confused for a few moments and the I realized that of course I knew where he was. I just had no idea how to get there.
I walked slowly back to my apartment, trying to sort out how to make the next move. Inside, the place was very quiet. Mom left a note on the entryway table.
“Getting some groceries. Be back soon.”
Something came over me that I had never felt before. I opened the drawer and pulled out the extra set of Mom’s car’s keys. I dug in my wallet to make sure I had the driver’s license I got in the summer just before we moved here and that I had almost never had the opportunity to use. There it was, just waiting, it seemed, for this moment.
I slipped out the door and crept down the hall to the stairs, then flew down the seven flights of stairs. The stairs came out beside the elevators, and beside the doorway from the stairs was a back door to the parking structure. Just a quick turn out one door and through the other – I prayed that Homer was facing the street.
At the bottom of the stairs I paused, caught my breath. If Homer saw me, I wasted to seem calm. It’d be enough to have to explain why I took the stairs. Just exercising, Homer.
I opened the door, stepped out. Homer had his back to me talking to the tiny woman with the yippy dog I’d seen – and heard – every now and then. Homer was trying to be heard over the dog’s shrill noise. I stepped through the back door, ran into the parking structure, fumbled with the keys, dropped them. picked them up. Got in the car, started it and then asked my self, “What do you think you’re doing, Nikki?”
But I didn’t have time to answer. I had to move, or I would lose courage. Or whatever this weird emotion was that made me suddenly act completely out of character.
I had never, ever, ever done anything even remotely like this in my life. When I we as little girl, a friend of mine said she was going to run away from home. She’d packed a little suitcase and everything. I couldn’t imagine how she could even think of doing such a thing. I asked her where she would go, what she was going to eat, where she would sleep, what her parents would think, they would be so worried.
And now I’d basically stolen my mother’s car and didn’t even leave her a note. Oh – I had really become crazy!
I was glad it wasn’t dark yet so I could get my bearings. I tried to remember exactly the route Mitch had driven when he took me to his underground hideaway. We’d started from the theatre about half-a-mile away. So I went to the theatre, and then worked out the same initial turns he took. I remembered that he then went quite a distance on a road that wasn’t very busy. So I followed what I thought he’d done.
About twenty minutes later, I saw familiar terrain, as the sun made its way below the western horizon. I pulled onto the grassy knoll, stopped the engine and gripped the steering wheel. Courage, Nikki, I told myself. You’ve come this far, don’t wimp out now!
I got out a flashlight and started to prowl around in the fast falling darkness. The place looked completely abandoned, not even Mitch’s car was there. I felt spooky. I knew I ought to text Mom, who was surely becoming alarmed. But I dare not stop. I had to find that rabbit hole in the earth before darkness fell completely. A loamy, earthy scent rose up from the damp ground, and a cool breeze buffeted around me. It made me feel as if I didn’t exist.
Then I almost fell into the hole before I saw it. Carefully I went down a couple of steps. It did not feel as though anyone was there, other than the two-dimensional Millie, on the billboard, eternally, gazing skyward.
I continued to the
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