Trailer Trash(66)

Some nights, Cody found himself drifting in that warm, surreal place between sleep and reality. Sometimes, in those hazy moments, he imagined kissing Nate again. Sometimes he replayed a moment from the day when Nate had found a reason to reach across the table and take his hand. But when consciousness came, he steadfastly refused to acknowledge those thoughts. The memory of more than a month of the silent treatment was enough to keep him grounded in reality. He’d risked everything once, only to have Nate turn his back. He couldn’t bear for that to happen again.

Besides, he had bigger things to worry about. Namely, his mother.

Or, to be more accurate, the complete absence of his mother.

She’d switched to the evening shift a few weeks before homecoming. It meant she didn’t get up until Cody was already at work, or at school. She left before he got home, and didn’t come home herself until he was asleep. It meant they rarely saw each other. It was something that had happened before, and Cody was used to taking care of himself.

But at some point, he’d begun to realize that she wasn’t coming home at all. The pile of unopened mail on the countertop grew taller. Some of them were coming with “past due” stamped in red across the envelopes.

The Tuesday before Christmas break, Cody woke to the sound of a train barreling down the tracks less than twenty yards from his trailer. He glanced out of habit at the digital clock radio next to his bed. The display was blank, and Cody frowned, sitting up to rub his eyes. What the hell time was it? The house was still dark, as was the sky outside. That meant it was before seven, but he had no way of knowing how long he had before Nate arrived.

He wandered into the kitchen. Nothing happened when he hit the light switch. He squinted at the old-fashioned battery-powered clock hanging on the wall, and finally determined it was six thirty. He had plenty of time, but having the power out was going to make for a damned cold shower. It happened on a regular basis in the spring and fall when lightning storms were common, but it generally only happened in the winter if they had a blizzard. The ground was still blanketed with snow from the last storm, but the roads were dry, so it hadn’t snowed during the night.

He caught sight of Vera through the window and rushed onto the front porch to catch her before she climbed into her car, undoubtedly headed for the gas station.

“Hey, Vera?”

She turned toward him, although her expression was lost in the dim light. “Yeah?”

“Is the power out at your place?”

“Nope. Working just fine.”

Cody’s heart sank. Vera had power, but Cody didn’t. There was only one explanation.

He took the pile of mail, sat down at the kitchen table, and started opening envelopes. He was still sorting through it when Nate arrived, and he had to hurry to get dressed while Nate waited, his brow furrowed with curiosity.

“Do you think you can take me uptown after school?” Cody asked, once they were in the car.

“I still can’t figure out why it isn’t ‘downtown.’ I mean, it’s downhill from most everything else.”

“From Orange Grove, maybe.”

Nate shook his head, looking amused. “Whatever. I can take you. Why? What’s up?”

Cody hesitated, unsure how much he wanted to say. It was true Nate knew most of the sordid truth about his home life now, but this felt extreme. He chose to change the subject rather than answer. “Are you going home for Christmas?” It was something he’d been wondering, but hadn’t asked. He’d been afraid of the answer.

“No.”

“Oh.” That surprised him, and Nate must have heard it in his voice, because he sighed.

“Remember how I told you that my parents split up because my dad had an affair?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, I was wrong. Turns out it was my mom. And her new boyfriend is already living there with her, in the house I grew up in, and he doesn’t want me around.”

Cody knew exactly how it felt to have a parent not want you around. His own father hadn’t even bothered sending a birthday card in years. “That sucks.”

Nate’s shrug was a bit too forced to be casual. “I don’t mind, to tell you the truth. I’d rather be here with you anyway.”

It took three stops after school to pay the rent and the more urgent of the bills. The electric company promised to have the power back on in a day or two. In the meantime, Cody had to hope it didn’t get too cold. He almost wanted to cry as he handed over his money. He’d only been a few dollars away from a brand-new pair of snow boots. Now, he’d face the winter in his Converse. Still, he didn’t resent the loss of footwear so much as the simple loss of his money. Somehow, having that bundle of cash tucked into his drawer had given him hope. Each dollar he added felt like a promise. Now, he was back to less than ten dollars in his pocket until payday rolled around again. At least with Christmas break starting soon, he’d be able to pick up a few extra shifts.