If At First

Part 10 - Chapter 9

If I wasn't already nervous enough, this certainly cinched it. "So then, wh...what should I wear; do you think?" She didn't have a problem sharing her ideas before, so I thought it couldn't hurt to ask.

She turned back to me leisurely, and glanced over the top of her glasses; a mischievous gleam in her eye and a grin on her face. "Well if you want my advice, I would say something a certain Haven Casey might appreciate."

Mental note: Never ask Nana's advice about anything, ever.

Just after six thirty, I heard my Grandmother's screech for Beverly or Brian ringing through more than one closed door. Brian, I knew, had gone home for a long weekend and wouldn't be back until Monday. But Beverly, usually busying herself with something around the house, was uncharacteristically absent.

Not wanting to add to Nana's frustration, I decided to head for the side porch, having settled for a simple green cocktail dress. The one Michelle told me she refused to let me live without.

I didn't get outside fast enough before my grandmother found me on the stairs. "Where IS that woman! What good is she to me if I can never find her?"

"I haven't seen Beverly since this morning." Maybe Beverly would be my salvation from this mess. Maybe I wasn't completely lost after all.

Nana stopped, looking me over critically. "Yes, that will do." She nodded. "Well, we're already going to be late, and I don't drive. Did you get a driver's license when you came here?"

"Um, I've had a license for years." I answered wonderingly.

"Yes, but you're not driving at home, so did you get one here?" she was becoming progressively more irate, so I endeavored to diffuse the bomb.

"Nana, I'm pretty sure a driver's license benefits from interstate validity. I would be happy to drive us there."

"I'm sure you're wrong, but I don't really have a choice in the matter. The keys are in the kitchen, car is in the garage. I'll meet you out front."

I stood in the otherwise empty three-car garage, staring at my grandfather's silver Aston Martin I heard Brian bragging about last week. The Mercedes we'd taken to Castlereagh a few days before was gone, which meant Beverly was probably running errands. Lucky Beverly. Regardless, I notably approved of the evening's mode of transportation, though I wouldn't normally know the difference. Anything would be an improvement from the decrepit stick shift I normally drove, but this was an entirely new experience.

I pulled around to the part of the house where Nana waited. She hesitated near the passenger door as though she expected me to open it. I didn't. I waited for her to notice, and she reluctantly opened it herself, slouching into the seat.

"Where to, Madam?" I asked playfully. I knew her nose was out of joint, but I was too overjoyed by the car to care.

"North." She pouted.

I looked over at her, still smiling. "I'm not a compass."

"Just follow the main road out of town." I could see her trying to hide her own smile at my enjoyment, but she's had years of practice sulking, and she's really good at it.

I accelerated, navigating smoothly through the front gates and narrow streets until we were far beyond the boundaries of Townsend. An intermittent patch of newly constructed cookie-cutter homes would pop up every now and then, until the green pastures grew increasingly spacious, the houses progressively smaller and further dispersed.

"How far away is it?" I asked.

"I can't remember. Just keep following this road. You'll see it."