Moonlight Cottage

Reunion

   The boss lady ended up being surprisingly supportive when I called her. Apparently, normal people feel bad when someone has passed away (Who would have thought?) and she was more than willing to help me through this. I couldn't help getting that imposter feeling again as she attempted to give me words of comfort. What was I supposed to say? Actually, I'm not that sad about it, but can I still have the weekend off? I didn't think that would go over very well. Instead I thanked her in the right places and did my best to keep my responses as short as possible. It must have worked, because in the end, she gave me Thursday off as well.

    I hadn't originally planned to be free all day, but it was nice to have a good amount of time to prepare for my trip. I spent the morning packing up a suitcase and cleaning out my car. It went faster than I'd expected, so I made a last minute decision to take it in for an oil change and to check the tires and such. Better safe than sorry, right? I didn't want to end up broken down in the middle of nowhere, halfway to California. That's how horror movies start. Besides... I was late for an oil change anyway. Procrastination at its finest. Put off regular car maintenance until someone dies and forces you to get it done.

    I was dreading the long drive, but there was no way I was stepping foot on a plane. Heights and I don't mix. Road trips can be fun though. I liked the part where I could blare music and sing at the top of my lungs for hours. Also, there's the snacks... jerky is a weakness of mine. I just kept forcing my brain to focus on those parts and not on the parts where my butt will go numb from sitting all day and having to stop at dirty rest stops to use the filthy restroom alone. I shuddered at the thought.

     I pulled into the first mechanic's shop I saw and parked in a spot. A guy came walking up from the open garage to greet me. He looked a few years older than I was with a friendly enough face. I let him know what I needed and he informed me that it would take around an hour. He showed me to a little waiting room and took my keys.

    The room was barely big enough to hold four dingy plastic chairs and a small box television on a crate. The walls were coated in grime and the tiled floor had more scuff marks than blank space. Everything smelled like motor oil. I sat down in one of the chairs and tried not to think about why it was sticky. I zoned out on the game show playing quietly on the TV, but it wasn't holding my interest at all and I mentally scolded myself for not thinking to bring a book.

    I started to scan the small room, my eyes drifting from one thing to the next. There was a small window next to the door I'd entered through and I could see a grocery store across the street. Standing, I made my way outside and let the mechanic know that I was stepping out. I carefully looked both ways for traffic before crossing the street. The sun was high in the sky and the heat waves coming off of the road were making me sweat up a storm. Reaching the doors of the grocery store, a strong gust of cool air hit me as I stepped through. It was so much nicer in here. Definitely cleaner too.

     Might as well kill two birds with one stone and get my snacks while I'm here, I thought to myself. I grabbed a small basket with handles and slowly made my way through the aisles. I scanned every shelf, grabbing anything that sounded good and that would keep on a long road trip without refrigeration. Turning a corner too fast, I almost ran into someone else's cart and I apologized immediately out of habit. I realized quickly when I looked up, that of course I knew this person. Yay, small talk... my favorite.

    "Emma? Hey! How are you?"

    "Hi Angela, long time no see."

    Angela had been my neighbor when I first moved to Reno. She was actually the first person I had met here. Our doors were directly across the hall from each other and we had spoken almost every day in passing. She was a very outgoing sort of person and a little loud at times, but I generally enjoyed her company. In small doses. She just seemed to ooze fun from her pores and I couldn't help liking her a little. She had this way of always breaking me out of my shell against my will. I wouldn't call her my friend, but I wouldn't be offended if someone had referred to her as such. She had moved out about a year ago and I hadn't seen her since.