Motorcycle Girl: Book Two

Chapter 9: Falling

Lucia roars to life, the engine drowning out the rush of the city.

She stares at the bike, her eyes wide.

I clear my throat.

"You guys should go inside." I say to everyone.

Adelaide starts to protest, but Josh grabs her hand and drags her out of the garage.

Mom gives me a quick hug and takes my face in her hands.

"Good luck, okay?"

I nod at her.

She pats my cheek and walks out.

When we're completely alone, I sit down on an old cooler as far away from her as I can.

I grab the other cooler and move slowly towards her.

Her eyes snap from the Lucia to me at my movements.

I move very slowly, my eyes never leaving her.

When I notice her hands trembling, I set the cooler down.

"If you want to sit." I say gently. "You don't have to." I add. "But if you want to, you can sit."

And then I walk back to the other cooler and sit down, clear across the garage from her.

The garage is small. It's just a one car and it's a stand alone building. The put a lot of storage in here. The floor of it is regular concrete that was painted blue by the previous owner of the house. The walls are a white color. They're lined in wooden shelves, like stand up shelves, and there's a door to outside on the right wall. Odeletta stands at the garage door near the right wall, the actual door itself a few feet away from her. She slowly sits down in the snow.

When she feels the cold wetness seep into her jeans, she scoots out of the snow and into the garage, sitting in the opposite corner. She doesn't pull her knees to her chest. Instead, she sits criss cross, watching Lucia rumble.

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This continued for two hours, but I made no move to bring her inside.

I notice though, that she's shivering.

I stand up slowly, and the moment I move, she looks at me.

I grab a box and very slowly, reach in and grab an old blanket we use when we go somewhere that requires us to sit on the ground.

I move very slowly towards her until I'm right in front of her.

She pulls her knees to her chest to protect herself, trembling.

I crouch down slowly.

"Here." I hold the blanket out to her. "I'm not going to hurt you, okay? I love you. Here is a blanket, it will keep you warm."

When she makes no move to grab it, I carefully set it on the floor in front of her.

By the time I'm back to my seat across the garage, she's unfolded the blanket and wrapped herself in it.

This is progress.

I've decided if she's made no move of progress by one, I'm taking her inside.

It's twelve now.

I don't want to push her too far.

I watch my watch , and then Lucia, and then Odeletta, and soon enough, the time hits one.

I let out a slow sigh.

I get up slowly and shut off Lucia, pulling the tarp over her.

"Let's go inside the house, okay? It is cold out here."