Watching Cars Go By

Chapter 2: Lauren

Chapter 2: LaurenWith the bulging suitcase likely well past the allowed fifty pounds, Lauren shook her head as she watched Kayla struggling to zip it closed. Already breaking the promise she’d made to herself only hours before, Lauren stepped back into the role of mother.

“Here, honey. I think if you put some of these books in your carry on, you might actually be able to lift this thing.”

Kayla sheepishly transferred the four biggest of her multitude of “must have” books from the suitcase into her well-worn duffle bag, muttering a vague expletive as she attempted to heft it onto her shoulder.

“Geez, Mom! All those years playing soccer gave me super-powered legs, but I can’t very well kick this thing through the airport. My shoulder is already killing me and it’s only been two minutes.”

Lauren sat down on Kayla’s bed, trying not to smile at her daughter’s typical melodramatics as Kayla sorted through the contents of the carry on.

“I can’t leave this behind.” Kayla moaned as she pulled out several less than practical items. “What if someone wants to have a game night? I need to take Apples to Apples. It’s my absolute favorite and I almost always win.”

Lauren’s heart contracted with the knowledge of how much she was going to miss her daughter. She’d done her best to hide her misery when the much-hoped-for acceptance letter came, taking her only child so far from home. But Kayla had been so excited when she was accepted at the University of Michigan, Lauren’s own alma mater, tied with Harvard for its program in Geochemistry, and Lauren was tremendously proud of her. At least Kayla wouldn’t be that far from Lauren’s sister-in-law’s house in Lansing. Even though Kayla had vowed to come home so often her parents would be sick of her, and made her mom promise to keep her room exactly as it was for just such occasions, Lauren knew the visits would not be frequent enough to satisfy her and they, in all likelihood, would gradually become further and further apart.

Taking a deep, bracing breath, Lauren put on her sternest “mommy look.”

“Where are you going to put all this stuff, anyway? Your dorm room is barely as big as my walk-in closet, and you have to share it with that girl…what’s her name? Princess?”

“Contessa, Mom. And don’t make fun of her. It’s not her fault her parents gave her a weird name. She’s really nice and I think it’s going to be great rooming with her. She’s already promised to dye my hair purple.”

Lauren shuddered, pulling her hand back before she gave in to the urge to stroke Kayla’s beautiful auburn hair, so unlike her own mousy brown with a decidedly untamable mind of its own. Instead, she made one more maternal sacrifice and pretended to join Kayla in her delight.

“That’s nice, honey. I’m glad you were matched with someone fun. I know how much you hate leaving Jessica and Francine.” Best friends since kindergarten, the girls had been inseparable till graduation, their lives now leading them in different directions.

Lauren felt a frown furrowing her forehead at the memory of Craig dragging them to Texas all those years ago, miserable at leaving her family and friends for another of his schemes. “But babe, I have what it takes to make it big in the oil industry. Just wait, you’ll see. This move will be the solution to all our problems.” Ha! Typical grandiose notion of his that never came to fruition, that’s what the move was. As usual, she suppressed her long-standing resentment and pasted a smile on her face. Kayla had made the adjustment just fine with the help of her two friends, thankfully. Lauren wished she’d been as successful. Oh well. Water under the bridge.

“By the way, did you pack that stuffed armadillo I gave you for your cousin Shella? She’ll be so excited to have something from the ‘wild west.’”

“Yes, Mom. It’s right next to my little stuffed Butterscotch dog. And don’t even think of trying to talk me out of taking that.” Kayla bent to pat the cream and white beagle by the same name, a tear escaping her eye.

In the baby-talk voice she reserved for her beloved canine of thirteen years, Kayla murmured sweet nothings to the dog who’d slept at the foot of her bed since coming into their lives as a stray the summer they’d moved to Texas. The now-elderly dog had been there for all the important milestones of Kayla’s life. With no idea he was about to be left out of this adventure, he thumped his tail enthusiastically as Kayla found the favorite spot behind one floppy ear, scratching distractedly.

Emotions threatening to overtake them, both women said in unison, “We’d better go.”

Together they managed to get the heavy bags out the door and into the back of the battle-scarred SUV that had carted teammates and gear to numerous soccer games and other school events over the years.

“When are you going to get a new car, Mom? I’d be ashamed to be seen in this thing if I were you.”

“You mean you’re ashamed to be seen in it. You’ve been complaining about it for years, but it gets us where we need to go, doesn’t it?”

“Yeah, but seriously. Haven’t you ever wanted something nice? And what do you need all this room for now? You should get a little Nissan like Francine’s mom. It’s really cute and not a gas-guzzler like Dad always says this old thing is.”

Lauren felt the familiar tension in her shoulders as she bit back a caustic remark. Kayla loved her dad of course, and was blind to his shortcomings, but it wasn’t like it was her life’s dream to drive around in that rusty tank either. But, thanks to him, money was always tight. She clamped her hands on the steering wheel, wondering how much he was spending even now…

“MOM! You almost took out the mailbox!” Kayla shrieked. “I didn’t mean total the thing, just think about getting a new one.”

Maybe totaling it was not such a bad idea, though the eleven-year-old car wouldn’t bring in enough insurance money to net even a decent down payment on another vehicle. Craig. Damn him. As usual, she worked a real job, juggling the bills to keep their heads above water, while he chased another pipe dream, trying to get backing for some harebrained scheme of his that would likely clear out the last of their savings. Lauren couldn’t even remember what this latest idea of his was all about. She’d stopped listening to him years ago.

Finally finding a spot in the short-term parking lot at the airport, Lauren helped Kayla drag her suitcase out of the back of the SUV. Together they struggled to the terminal, panting by the time they squeezed through the door and headed for the baggage check-in counter.

“Mom! Look out!”

A woman struggling with an overly-full baggage cart, oblivious to her surroundings, narrowly missed knocking into them. Kayla’s shouted warning roused her from her apparent mission to bowl them over and the woman glanced up with a mildly guilty look on her face, her eyes meeting Lauren’s for a long moment before she mumbled something in another language and continued on her way. Must be nice to be a world traveler. Lauren had never been out of the country. She cast an envious glance at the foreign woman’s rapidly departing back.

“Next.”

Their turn at the counter came all too soon.

“Well, I guess this is it.”

Lauren reluctantly handed over the carry-on bag, her breath catching in her throat as she watched Kayla hoist the bag onto her shoulder, its weight forgotten in her eagerness to be on her way. Together they headed in the direction of the gate number on Kayla’s boarding pass. There was a long line at security, and Lauren wasn’t sure she could handle standing there watching as the crowd absorbed her baby, sweeping her away. Kayla, too, seemed disinclined to drag out the goodbye, and gave her mother a quick hug.

“Say goodbye to Dad for me, will you? I wish he could have been here. Think about what I said about a new car, okay, Mom? Dad’s going to make plenty of money really soon and you won’t have to worry about a thing.”

“Of course, honey.”

“And Mom, why don’t you have lunch with one of your friends today? I don’t think you should be alone.”

The concern in Kayla’s voice made her smile. “I may just do that, my dear. Now that I don’t have to cater to your every need, I can actually have a life of my own.”

“That’s the spirit. Oh, gotta run! The line’s moving.”

One more quick hug and a last admonishment to be careful, and Lauren was left standing alone. She hastily turned toward the exit, unwilling to let Kayla see her break down.

Somehow Lauren managed to hold it together till she was alone in the car, but as soon as she pulled the door shut, she leaned her head on the steering wheel, giving in to all the pent-up grief she’d been holding in while Kayla was around. She allowed herself to sob it out for a few minutes before finally blowing her nose and giving up the parking space to one of the many cars honking.

Merging onto the freeway, Lauren speed-dialed her best friend and former coworker, Victoria. If anyone could get her out of this funk, that feisty Southern belle could.

“Victoria?”

“Why, honey, are you all right? Oh, that’s right, Kayla left today, didn’t she? Don’t say a word, I can hear it in your voice already and I’m there for you. Just tell me where you want me to meet you.”

“Denny’s okay?”

“Why, you bet, honey. Just give me a few minutes to put on my face and I’ll see you there. Drive carefully, now, y’hear?”

Lauren wiped her face and smiled. Good old Victoria. Lauren may not have made a lot of friends during her years in Texas, but at least she had one she could count on. They’d met in the coffee shop at the hospital where Lauren worked, on her very first day there. Lauren had arrived well ahead of the start of her shift, and she found herself killing time with a frappuccino when Victoria sashayed in, calling greetings to everyone within earshot. The woman seemed to have an uncanny ability to sense when someone needed her, and she immediately singled Lauren out, joining her with a high-calorie bakery item and engaging her in conversation. Since then, they’d shared numerous stories about the highs and lows of their respective lives whenever they could coordinate breaks on days Victoria was volunteering at the hospital. Married to a man who, in her words, “has enough money to burn a wet mule,” Victoria certainly didn’t need to work, but took great pleasure in helping others.

It would be nice to see Victoria. It had been awhile, since Victoria had cut back her hours since her husband had retired, and though she was happy her friend was enjoying life with a husband who was her whole world—did people really feel that way?—Lauren couldn’t help feeling a little envious. Craig was hardly ever around. Hmm. That wasn’t what bothered her, if she were honest with herself. It’s how she felt when he was around that was worrisome. Hmph. Judging from comments she overheard at work, Victoria’s infatuation with her husband was probably less the norm, and her own irritation with Craig more typical. Maybe it was because Victoria and Martin had met later in life and neither had ever had children that they were so dedicated to one another. But no way would Lauren ever want to trade lives with her. She couldn’t imagine life without Kayla, and felt herself tearing up again at the thought.

The SUV shuddered to a stop in front of Denny’s just as a familiar cherry-red Miata convertible pulled in with a screech. The door flew open and there was Victoria in all her glory, windblown but, as always, perfectly made up, sporting a white cowboy hat, her ample boobs (non-surgically enhanced, she bragged) threatening to spill out of a red, rhinestone-studded western shirt, her signature too-tight jeans tucked into Golondrina boots. Now there was the picture of the wife of an oil baron! Despite her obvious wealth, she was not above eating at Denny’s, and Lauren loved her for that.

After releasing Lauren from a heavily perfumed hug, Victoria stepped back and looked her up and down, frowning.

“Bless your heart, sweetie. If you don’t look like you ain’t worth two dead flies! Come on, honey, you need to get you some good strong coffee and none of that sissy Starfucks Frappuccino shit.” She grabbed Lauren’s arm and nearly dragged her to a booth in back, ignoring directions from the server.

Lauren gratefully succumbed to Victoria’s brash, take-charge attitude, and sank heavily onto the bench seat. Victoria brushed off a crumb from her own seat before gracefully lowering herself onto it, and instructed the waitress to bring two cups of “high octane” coffee and some kind of “sticky buns” before turning her attention back to Lauren as the waitress hurried off. “Well now, what has you grinnin’ like a Cheshire cat, darlin’? A minute ago you looked like you just lost your best friend, and you know that’ll never happen.”

“How do you do it?” Lauren asked in awe. “Get everyone to act like they’re thrilled to be your servants?”

“Oh hush now. You know that ain’t true. It’s just my normal southern charm, that’s all. You Yanks just ain’t accustomed to it. But what about you, honey? How you holdin’ up?”

“Oh, well, I guess as well as can be expected for a woman with no life. I just feel like I don’t have any purpose anymore, you know? Kayla’s been my whole life since she was born. What am I supposed to do now?”

Steaming cups of coffee arrived. “Thanks, darlin’,” Victoria exclaimed with a smile. “This smells divine.” The waitress all but curtsied before exiting, leaving the two women alone once again.

“Now, what are you goin’ on about? ‘No life’? Why, you’ve got a good, well, a job, a handsome, well, a husband, an ugly piece-of-s**t car, a half-dead dog…Why, I guess you’re right. Damn good thing you’ve got me for a friend or you might as well end it all.”

Despite herself, Lauren grinned. “I knew I could count on you to lift my spirits.” In a poor imitation of her friend, Lauren tried, “Why, I was lower than a grasshopper jest this mornin’.”

Victoria laughed with a very unladylike snort, smacking herself on the thigh. “Oh, girl, don’ you even try to talk southern. It ain’t befittin’ y’all a’tall!”

The two talked well past two sweet rolls, through salads, and almost into dinner before the restaurant started filling up and they finally slid out of their seats with a promise to meet again soon. Victoria had given Lauren a lot to think about on the drive home.