Loving Life

Chapter 10: Ervin

No one knows exactly where Nurse Berleow lives. When you think of small towns usually, you'd think everyone knows everyone, right? Not the case here. Hoping to either call or find people who know where Berleow lives, we stop at a little gas station and buy a phone book.

Brenda sighs. "So do we waste money in gas driving around this goddamned town or on my phone bill?" Her gaze turns to me. "Whaddya say, bud?"

I shrug. "She could be on the outskirts. Hell, she could be in an even smaller town." So we decided to stay in the bulk of the city, forgetting that a big, ole farmhouse usually indicates the country.

Three hours of useless driving around makes you strangely tired and frustrated.

"Well dude, I'm bordering empty on gas and energy and I hardly have any money on me for gas and a motel. Okay if we head back? Sorry we didn't find your friend." Her face imitates her voice.

"Yeah. Dunno what I was thinking when I decided to take this stupid trip," I mutter, slumping in my seat.

"Hey. Think about why you started this trip. I don't know how you met this girl or how you got separated. You'll find her, just follow your heart. But be smart. Even though I have no idea about this relationship you have, I know she's the one and you're ready for her to realize--this is if you broke up fighting--your arms are all she wants around you." She takes a breath, her voice slowly starting to crack. "Someone told me the longer you wait for something, the more you'll appreciate it when it comes. And when something's worth having, it is definitely worth waiting for." Brenda is full-out sobbing, her knuckles white against the black of night. This makes me wonder if some jerk like me decided to dump her. I find myself crying too, something I rarely do, especially after losing to my favorite video games.

Brenda wipes tears away, mumbling, "It'll be damn near midnight when we get back, and they're already curious why we didn't show up and even more curious why we didn't come back." She thrusts the throttle into drive, punches the gas, and we lurch forward, narrowly missing a car. The almost-victim honks his horn and screams out his window, "Goddamn it! Get the hell out of here, bitch!"

"Shut up, asshole!" I don't know if she does it on purpose or accident, but she clips the tail-end of the 'asshole' car. Once out of the parking lot, I calmly grab Brenda's pale hand located on the wheel.

"Brenda. Why don't you crawl in the back and get some rest while I drive? We're both tired. I am eighteen and I think can make it all the way."

She rests her forehead between her hands. "It's okay. I'm okay." My eyebrows arc like I'm saying, "Sure. Sure. Reeaall sure." Brenda peeks from under her arms and laughs like a psychopath.

"Ah, what the hell. Go ahead." She unbuckles herself and heads around the front of the car. Not even out of town, Brenda is passed out, her snores filling the silent car. At least I have something that should keep me awake for a while.

A car speeds past me. Fifteen minutes later, so does another, and another, and another.... I peer into a rusty pickup passing me. A girl with hazel eyes like emeralds shines in the night, lighting up and widening when they meet mine. She also has red hair gleaming blue from the dashboard lights and dark skin. Wait. Was that Mattie's face? It couldn't. Fortunately, the driver isn't one of those hurrying home from second shift. I gently push the gas to catch up.

It all happens at once:

Mattie sees me peering back at me, my suspicions proved correct.

Brenda throwing her body in front of me and screaming, "Brake!!"

Metal scraping against metal, people screaming. Me screaming.

White. Nothing. But. White. Is this like the movies? I don't know. All I know is that I can't think, which makes zero sense. Then someone picks me up. God? Is that you? I'm sorry for all the sins I've--it must have been a firefighter or EMT. The area in front of me is what every car-crash-I-almost-die movies taught me is an ambulance. Out of the corner of my eye, I see another figure being wheeled into a different ambulance. Something shiny reflects off their--Brenda?--body, covering every square inch of skin. Right behind the woman's body is a girl who I've seen before, standing in utter shock.

"Where are you taking him?" a girl's voice shrieks. I imagine it is the one who I saw across the road, running around asking first responders that same question.

Something hits the back doors as soon as we are off, sirens piercing the dead of night. From the mirrors placed in the upper corners, it is that girl's face--Mattie Hines, staring in utter shock as events again pull us apart.

Beeping fills the moving room. My eyes run around, trying to figure out where I am. I have to see her, but I'm strapped down, neck and everything.

"Goddamn it! Hershey, stop. Gary, stabilize him. Got us a sticker." The vehicle slowly comes to a stop and before it is completely resting, the doors are flung wide.

"This one! Get lost for God's sake!" a guy named Hinges protest. Mattie does the same.

"Please. No. Trust me! I know him!"

"How in this whole wide world would you know this guy?"

"He may be in an unstable condition. Shove her off, and let's go."

"No." Footsteps. "Never mind me. You're right. He might have a brain hemorrhage."