[ 3:23 PM ]
"how are you upset with me?" ray questions, hood up and thumb out, walking along the road.
"you were so quick to put their lives in danger," i tell her, shaking my head.
my hood's up as well.
"you're a hypocrite dom. one second you're telling me that some people have to die, it's life, but the next second you're caring about life?!"
"caring about life is wrong?!" i question, matching her elevated tone.
"no! it's the fact that you disregarded that guy on the bus' life so easily."
"i was protecting you! we could've died!"
"and we could've made it to apple by five. now, we don't know," she says, throwing her hands up in dramatic effect.
"how could you look at that three month old and not want to keep her safe?"
"i do. i did! i finally relaxed when time proved to me that they were immune."
"the fbi are looking for us," i grit, "i didn't want to put her through no parents!"
"dominic, i'm over it. i don't want to talk about it anymore."
"no."
"no?" she questions snapping her head to me.
"you don't get to "i'm over" this conversation," i tell her.
"you've said what you wanted to say. we have to get to apple before the fbi get to us."
i groan, loud.
"you're so fucking stubborn! this isn't even about apple!"
"since when has this not been about apple?! the hell?"
"since meeting you!" i shout. i pinch the bridge of my nose and stop walking. "you know why i'm mad at you soraya?" she turns around and stands in front of me. "you've done nothing but push me away. we haven't found anything out about ourselves. alex is no where to be found. apple is stuck in a home with my... my rotting mothers corpse, and you just can't give me one ounce of hope that we might actual figure something out. i thought by now, you would realize doing this together is more important than this stupid "loner" act you're doing!"
"you don't know me!"
"i want to! have i not been clear?! have our bodies not been clear?" i ask her, taking a step toward her, decreasing the space between us. "this," i say, grabbing her hand, "is beyond the way we want us to go. you've felt it. when i was helping you with your mom. our shower. it scares you," i nod, getting it, "but why fight it?"
we stare into each other's eyes, a small moment forming between us as a sympathetic look slowly forms on her face.
the burner vibrates in my pocket.
i'm the first to tear my eyes away as i pull the phone out. i answer, setting the phone to my ear.
soraya shakes her head displeased, removing her hand from mine and continuing to walk ahead of me.
"dom?"
"hey mamas we're almost to you," i tell apple.
"hurry, it's scary here and there's a bad smell from mama's room."
"i'll be there really soon, don't worry. i'll call you and let you know when i'm outside."
"okay dommy."
"i love you apple."
"i love you too."
"bye."
i pocket the phone and jog a little to catch up to soraya.
"ray wait."
"dominic! please drop the fucking topic. i don't want to talk about us or our stupid powers! i just want to get to apple so we can figure a plan to get to alex. cool?!"
i roll my eyes.
"i don't even know why i even try with you. cool. it's just weird. how did they figure out we were being chased by the government?"
"yeah, i don't know."
•
[ 4:42 PM ]
we hitch another ride with a woman in her late 40s. she's blonde and going to naples.
ray hasn't spoken a word to me since essentially getting mad at me for getting mad at her.
marina, our lovely driver, hasn't said much besides her name. i'm sensing she can feel the tension between her two passengers. that, and ray expressed just how much sitting in the back with me will make her really uncomfortable.
"y'all together?" marina asks, breaking the silence, her country accent pure and sweet. she asks hopeful, dancing around her inflection delicately.
"sort of," ray mumbles in a sulking heap in the passenger seat.
i sit in the middle, watching her act like a child.
i roll my eyes.
"i shouldn't pry," marina deflects, shaking her head and catching my eyes in the rear view mirror.
"you know marina, you should pry!" ray blurts, sitting up and turning in her seat to face marina.
"rose," i warn her.
what the hell is she doing?
"as we told you marina, we're heading to naples, but we didn't tell you why," soraya smiles.
"rose, come on," i urge.
why does she have to be extra right now?
"the guy in the back, i guess i'll call him my boyfriend, knocked me up. a proud two and a half months. so we'll be staying with his family, but he decided to go some other route without consulting me. our time got pushed back for us to be in naples. he's mad at me for not being okay with his choice but i'm pissed at him for being an idiot and not being 50/50," she explains.
"that's not even true," i butt in, shaking my head.
"then what's the truth, david?" she asks, squinting her eyes at me.
"the truth is i'll always do shit to protect you, and until you realize that, you'll always be at odds with me," i tell her.
i'm starting to realize i'm going to need lots of patience dealing with her.
"who's in the right marina?" ray asks, ignoring my answer.
"uhm... well... technically both of y'all are. he loves you, a lot. i can tell," she grins at me. "it's evident, but i can see why you're mad as well rose. road trippin' ain't easy, makin' it longer ain't fun either. plus you're pregnant," she retorts, hoping to be the bridge to our divide.
"not exactly what i want to hear, but thank you for trying to help us get to naples," soraya states.
"no problem honey."
"but can i be honest with you marina?"
"anytime darlin'."
"we met each other not to long before we- i got pregnant, so we barely know each other. david isn't like most of the guys that i used to know or associated with but he clicks somehow. it's just hard getting used to his way of love i guess."
"what i've learned from my past two ex husbands is that love is a compromise between each otha'. not everything can go your way rose, even if you are pregnant," marina jokes.
finally, someone said it.
"i just have to get used to the way he is. he's like a baby, but not, if that makes sense."
"am i not in the car?" i interject.
she just called me a baby.
"clearly you can hear me. i'm talking to you too," she states, looking at me.
"well clearly you and marina were deep in convo about ME. what was i supposed to say?"
"nothing! take the information in and do with it as you please."
"why you gotta be like that?"
"be like what?"
"like you."
"aww a compliment," she sarcastically coos.
"it wasn't."
"aww, you're delusional."
"i really hate you," i chuckle.
"am i really that bad?" she fake pouts.
"yes."
she laughs, flashing me the finger.
"liar. marina quick, kick him out the car for his sins," she says, marina laughing softly.
"at least you're not boring," i grin, shaking my head at her.
"well shut up and stop complaining," she grins and faces forward.
"yeah? you shut up."
•
[ 7:58 PM ]
i close the car door, pulling the burner phone out my pocket. i hold my duffel up at my shoulder.
"you two darlin's be safe!"
"thank you so much marina, you've been the biggest help!" ray appreciates through the open window, as i open the flip phone.
"it's no problem. you better hurry and stay hidden. wouldn't want the fbi to find you."
she doesn't say anything else. she rolls her window up and rides away.
soraya and i exchange a bewildered look.
"we should get inside," i encourage.
she nods and i dial apple, holding the phone to my ear. i lead the way to my moms apartment.
"dommy?! are you here?!" apple questions, her already high pitch voice rising a few octaves higher.
"yes. i'm here. i'll knock three times and then twice."
"okay. hurry!"
i hang up.
"we made it," i smile to myself as we step in front of my moms apartment door. i take a deep breath, knowing once these doors open, things are going to change.
i'm going to have to face up to emotions i've been putting away.
i raise a fist and knock three solid times, wait, and then two more.
it doesn't take apple long before the door swings open. i bend down to hug her and once we make contact, a weak jolt of electricity shoots through my body.
"ow!" she cries, jumping back from me.
"what?" soraya questions looking between us.
apple wraps her arms around herself like she's cold.
"let's get in," i say standing and walk in.
the stench in the air is the most unpleasant smell my nostrils have ever been through. i plug my nose but it doesn't help, it's like it's coated in my nostril hair.
my mother.
"she's in her room," apple tells me, noticing my expression.
ray closes the door and stands behind me.
"no, no i don't want to see mama right now. come here apple."
i crouch down to her level with my arms open wide. she runs into me. i squeeze her against me, a smaller vibration, similar to soraya and i's courses through me.
"do you feel that?" i ask her.
she pushes away from me, enough to look at her arms.
"what is this? are you shocking me?"
"no," i chuckle. "ray, i think apple's special," i inform, craning my neck to look at her stand above me.
"what's going on?" soraya asks.
"when she hugged me, that vibrating, zapping feeling happened, like when we first met."
soraya walks toward us and crouches down next to apple and i's embraced position.
"apple, this is the girl i want you to meet."