The Gemini

38 - Street Party

May 19, 1989

Head propped in her hand, fingers meshed into brown waves, Jody stared out of the window into the dark of night. Tears had dried, left behind now were frazzled nerves. A minor hour ago she could've died.

"You alright?"

She nodded at Nikki's question. It was the third time she had asked it.

Sixty minutes ago Jody had lost control of her car and came close to slamming into oncoming traffic. Ramming into a tree is what she did instead. Amazingly she wasn't injured but her car was trashed.

The whole thing was the result of what Jody believed was a chase. On the way back to Nikki's from the station, she got that feeling of being tailed again. This time the review mirror proved her intuition right. Unable to see the driver in the night, she only knew that it was a deep burgundy vehicle, older make.

When Jody picked up a little speed, so did they. Each turn made was copied. She had increased the limit again, wanting to hurry and get to safety then realized that she couldn't. The last thing she wanted was for whoever this was to know where she lay her head at night.

Turning this way and that, Jody eventually lost her own direction in the darkness. Then it happened in a blur. While trying to avoid being run off the road, Jody swerved into the oncoming lane. She thought it was empty until she heard the blaring of a horn and saw the sudden blinding of headlights. Swerving hastily once more, her speed was stopped by a tree just off the roadside.

Her alleged stalker gone. She sat there dazed afterward with silent tears of shock rolling down her face. Eventually she grabbed her things and set out to find the nearest telephone. And now she sat in Nikki's car. Officially up a creek with no paddle. As if she needed anything else to go wrong in her life.

Without solid transportation, her jobs were at risk. She still didn't have a home. While she didn't hate staying with Nikki, she hadn't planned on being there forever. But with the way her finances were, it was looking like she was going to be there for much longer than she originally thought.

"I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"This. Everything. All of it."

Nikki sucked her teeth. "Come on, girl. Don't go getting depressed and shit. What could you do? It was an accident."

"I could've been smart and stayed in nursing school. Got a real job instead of following my dreams. Maybe then I would've met a nice guy instead of an untruthful asshole. Then I'd have my own place and wouldn't have to rely on other people to get by." She glumly went on with her list. "If I kept the job at the office, I'd be in bed right now and not out here trying to die."

Nikki laughed. "My bad." She apologized for the action when Jody gave her an empty look. "Forreal quit spazzing out. At least you didn't actually die. I'm glad about it because I don't know how to a plan funeral."

"You would plan my funeral?" Jody sounded a touch surprised.

"Ain't nobody else going to. Your auntie hate you and your daddy don't like you either." Nikki grinned slickly.

Jody remained completely unbothered. "Fuck you."

"It's good that you called when you did anyway because Devin was about to get cussed out."

"Why?"

"This is our seventh month together and I thought we should celebrate, and he agreed. So I made the reservations and everything. Then he come talking about, Warren got tickets to the game and I can't cancel. Jody, this man knew for an entire two weeks about what I planned."