Audrey
THE MORNING SUN spiked its light through the well-worn curtains, peeking through the thicker, black-out set which laid an inch open, no matter how much one tried to keep the ends together. Unfortunately, the beam of sun sat gingerly across my eyelids, and I felt the burn of my retinas jerk me awake.
Sleep dusted across my eyes, and I rubbed it away as I sat up, wondering suddenly what time it was. Flicking them toward the red numbers on the nightstand alarm clock, cheap motel standard issued, I groaned and plopped back onto the pillow, grabbing the second one on the other side of the bed and smothering myself with it.
Wait a minute. Where’s Liv?
Throwing the soft, bleach scented pillow off, I sat back up again and studied the empty, not slept-in, other side of the bed I occupied. Turning back toward the inside of the room, I studied the lump sprawled across the second queen bed. Saul was softly snoring, and I spied the smooth olive skin peeking from under the sheet, which barely covered him. He looked like he might be sleeping in the nude, making me swallow as I averted my eyes.
Great Jehoshaphat! I hope he’s wearing boxers under there.
Shaking the adrenaline shock off, I yanked the blanket off and went to lean against the warm windowsill. The motel parking lot sat half abandoned, people already having rushed to whatever business they were up to and leaving only a handful of cars spread across the lot, our old station wagon included. It looked neglected, dusty with a film of nasty stuck to it, making it obvious it hadn’t been washed in months. If the state of the car was any kind of indication of the state of our lives, I was going to have to start praying again, with retro prayers to make up for the months I’d been way out of touch, and especially with Liv being the way she is.
After scanning the parking lot, I saw no sign of her. Frowning, I gave the curtains a good pull, sending a small amount of dust into the air. Flipping my suitcase open, I pulled out an outfit and headed for the bathroom, grumbling about Liv the entire time. Saul shifted in his sleep but didn’t awaken, letting me know to tone it down a bit.
Still. Where the hell was she? I was going to kill her when she hopped back over here. She was always doing crap like this, disappearing for days without any kind of warning or letting me know where she was. It worried the bejesus out of me, but I knew sooner or later, she’d come waltzing right back into the motel room, flop onto the bed and sigh happily, as though nothing had occurred and she was living the good life.
The blast of hot water was soothing and cleared the fogginess of the early morning out of my head. I didn’t deserve this. It was ridiculous how much she took my concern of her for granted. A soft growl vibrated in my throat at the thought of it, and I slammed the water off. Finishing up in the bathroom and all dressed for the day, I walked back into the room to find Saul awaiting his turn in the shower.
“Hi, Audrey.” His smile made me slow down the hard yanking I was doing on my hair. It was a mess, and the lack of conditioner made me want to cut it all off. I had to remember to do some shopping today before rehearsal and the show.
“Hey, Saul. You haven’t heard from Liv, have you?”
He shook his head, already feeling his way toward the bathroom. Most motel rooms were all the same, so he had no difficulty getting there without his walking stick. “No, sorry. I didn’t hear her leave. She didn’t tell you where she would run off to?”
“No.”
“I hope she’s okay. She seems pretty adept to finding her way around. I’m sure she’ll show up soon.” He paused at the door and waited for me to answer, maybe feeling guilty that he wasn’t as concerned about her whereabouts as I was.
“You’re probably right,” I muttered, letting him off the hook.
“Up for some breakfast when I’m done? I’ll be fast.”
I nodded at first before realizing he can’t see me. “Yeah, sounds good.”
“Good! Just a few minutes. Be right out.” His faded blue eyes twinkled with his cheeks folding up into another bright smile, which forced my mood to inch just a bit higher.
With that, he disappeared into the steamy room I’d left behind. Finished pulling the sopping messes of hair into a ponytail, I scampered over to my suitcase, stuffed away my dirty clothes, and re-zipped the case. I was tired of feeling like a mother hen to Liv. It was definitely time to rethink our relationship.
The bag of money peeked out from under my side of the bed, and I bent down to retrieve it. Checking the insides for the wads of bills, I sighed. We’ll pay dearly for every last penny of this money. I felt it in my soul, a dread that stuck to me like a shroud of cobwebs. I pulled loose a couple of twenties, stuffed the bag into my own oversized purse, and waited for Saul. Maybe breakfast would keep me from killing my sister. She’d better not walk in before I’d eaten. It would be the last thing she did—I’d make sure of it.
Sitting in a worn, fake leather booth at the local Denny’s, I shifted in my seat until the waitress sashayed her way to our table, smacking her gum as she asked for our orders. Her hair was an artificial red, one that no one naturally possessed. The array of curls were held up by a handkerchief tied and pinned to the mass. She wore heavy makeup, and her red lipstick stuck to her two front teeth in small smudges. Long chains dangled from her thin neck, making me rub my own at the thought of the weight they must own. I was a minimalist. Even Liv, with her gobs of makeup and jewelry, kept it tasteful. I wasn’t even sure if this one’s long, acrylic nails were within the Health Department’s code.
I was relieved that she was just the waitress and not the cook, to say the least. “She must be a fright to look at.” Saul’s voice echoed in my ears, bringing me back to the table as I flushed for getting caught staring at her. Wait, how would he know that?”
“How can you tell?”
“The way you paused while you were talking to me, right before she arrived. It sounds like a shocker to me.”
His skill in observing the noises around him made me stop tapping my nervous foot on the floor. I wondered briefly if it would be harder to hide things from a deaf person. Doubted it.
“Yeah, she’s just over the top with her enhancement routine and jewelry. Hope her dangles don’t drop into my oatmeal.”
Saul let out a laugh but cleared his throat as the waitress returned with our coffees and cream. I poured five packets of sugar into mine and half the cream. Saul just lifted an eyebrow at the sound of my additives as I stirred.
“What?”
“You seem pretty wound up already. All that sugar might not be a good idea.”
“Oh, clamp it. Sugar calms me down. If there’s a time I am fraying my nerves, it’s now. Liv is going to get her comeuppance when she comes back for putting me through this shit over and over again. I’m sick of it, so don’t you start now, too.” I took a deep swig of caffeine and nearly burned my lips. The food better be good today. No, it better be stellar with what I’d seen so far.
Chapter Seven