“We’re at our destination.” She opened her car door. “Get out.”
I looked around and realized we were in San Bernardino, an hour and a half away from home. I couldn’t believe I had been so tired, I didn’t realize she had taken me on a road trip.
“Kelli, you know I have to go to work tomorrow. I can’t stay in San Bernardino overnight.”
“Hush woman.”
Less than 10 minutes later, Kelli and I were in our room. She booked a basic room with two king beds. But basic was anything but “basic” in my eyes. The room had a serene ambience, decorated in blue, crème, and gold. The bed was just so inviting.
“I felt you needed time to get away from the madness and consider what you want right now,” she spoke quietly. She turned on to her side and faced me. “You’ve been through a lot, and today was just the explosion of it all.”
“No kidding.” I palmed my cheek, checking the sting level left from the slap.
“I came here a lot when I first discovered Kristophe’s infidelity,” she confessed. “I’ve spent many random nights here, wondering how to deal with him. If I should tell him, or whether to just keep going.”
“Where’d you get the time to do that? Or the money? Aren’t you a stay at home mom?”
She smiled. “Never let anyone fully control your lifestyle, lady.” That secretive smile she work provided even more questions than answers.
“This room is paid for. I’ve taken care of it.” She stretched out briefly, then looked at the time, which was now after 4 PM. “The stores are closing early because it’s a Sunday, so I’ll be back. You just rest. Unless you want to come?”
“No, that’s okay.” I really wanted to get out and explore, since I hadn’t been out in a while, but the level of fatigue in my spirit made that an impossibility. I stretched one leg up, curling it closer to my person. The sheets were calling my name. “I just don’t have it in me right now. Thank you.”
“No problem.” She fished in her purse and tossed a medicine bottle on my covers. Curious, I examined the label. “Ambien. It’ll help you knock right out for 8 hours. Get some rest while I’m gone.”
Shaking my head, I tossed the container back. “I don’t need 8 hours of sleep. Not in the middle of the day.”
She tossed me another container. “Here’s Xanax. You may or you may not sleep. But you will certainly be more diffused. And that would definitely help you right now.”
I popped one of those, letting it dissolve under my tongue, and then swallowing the slightly gritty, bitter pool of saliva that built from its exchange.
It was less than 15 minutes before I drifted off to sleep. Throughout my state of sleep, I thought about everything that was going on. I dreamt of going away from Twenty-nine Palms, California, for a while, and being in Texas with Ro.
In the dream, I didn’t have Jordan, so I was free to go where I wanted. Ro and I got manicures, and had fun. Hollis was loving and attentive, and when Presley showed up, he was nothing more than some guy that hung around Hollis, and Hollis didn’t even like him.
Xanax must have worn off quickly, because I woke up two hours later. It was a little after 6 PM. True to her word, Kelli wasn’t back from shopping yet. I had no idea what this girl was buying, but she needed to hurry back. I was absolutely starving, and I needed to take a shower. Not so much because I was filthy from a hard day’s work, but I just needed to rinse myself off from the madness of today’s events.
Kelli’s phone went to voicemail twice, so I shot her a text, letting her know I was awake and hopped in the shower. As I let the cool water wash over scalp and skin, I pondered over the dream I had. Ro had invited me to come to Texas, and I kept telling her no, using Jordan and Hollis as an excuse. Summer was pretty much over, so any thought of family vacation was completely out the window until the holidays. Yet and still, I felt there was a stranger in my house, and this person hated my guts.
I was mentally fatigued, and honestly had no clue how, in less than 24 hours, I was supposed to get through the next day coming back to work, especially with a huge red mark on my face and bruises forming around my neck. I looked at the bruises in the mirror, evidence that what had happened was not a dream, but a real event. Part of me wanted to crumple in a fit of sobs again, but I couldn’t. My tear ducts were exhausted beyond normal repair, so I just had to let the sorrow billow through me as I realized the man I fell in love with had fallen out of love with me.
I heard the door open, so I styled my hair with some hotel conditioner, and walked out in just my towel. I was completely fine sleeping naked.