Page 24 of Road Trip
Everyone laughed while my face turned red. I loved her brand of corruption.
“Did you two meet recently?” Stevie asked, obviously looking for details.
Abra winked at me. “Yep. Last night. I picked him up on the side of the road.”
Stevie blanched, then caught herself. “Last night? Side of the road? I know there must be more to it than that, Ms. Mora.”
“It’s true,” Abra said with a wink at me. “And we decided to run away together. What better place?”
Stevie and McShane looked all lovey-dovey at each other and spoke in unison, “What better place.”
Abra laughed at their lovesickness and turned to me.
“These two met last year at a concert. They got married a few months ago, right? Was it January?”
Stevie smiled up at her husband and bit his neck.
“Ow! Um, yeah, January. We ran away, too. My grandmothers were disappointed, but with everything going on with my brothers—”
“That’s right! The trial! Did those boys get found guilty?” Abra asked him.
McShane nodded, looking like that might not have been enough. “They didn’t get near enough of a punishment. I think castration should be on the table for rapists. I’m so glad my brothers don’t go to those fucking parties anymore. Fucking bastards.”
I did the mental math and realized just what case he was talking about. A big house party was broken up in the Hayward Hills and a girl had been gang raped by some party crashers. It had garnered a lot of attention for the PD as the detectives handling the job had done an excellent job nailing the punks and the D.A. did a great job prosecuting. I hadn’t been involved, but I’d certainly heard a lot about it.
“That was that Hill party, right? Darn shame for that girl. Your brothers were there?” I didn’t want to sound accusatory. I tried to watch my tone so I wouldn’t offend Abra’s friends.
McShane cracked his knuckles, and Stevie shared a sad smile with Abra. “Yeah, but they were the ones who broke the whole thing up. Beat the shit out of those little monsters, too.”
“I didn’t mean to imply—”
“Nah, it’s all good,” Aaron said. “I’m sure you see all kinds of shit. They’re good boys, but the whole thing brought hell down upon my family for some time. It was a fucking disaster. I’m just glad it’s all over. The boys got their diplomas, they got accepted to college with scholarships, and will be heading off to UC Berkeley in a month or so.” He planted a kiss on Stevie’s head.
“And then it will be time for us to get busy,” she whispered up at him.
He groaned a little and kissed her deeply. Wow. It had been a really long time since I’d been around anyone truly in love like these two. Probably just a matter of time before they were at each other’s throats. I didn’t want to think that way, but that was all I’d seen. Their kind of love was the kind that made a person rethink any negativity about getting involved with someone. I looked down to see Abra smiling happily, and was there a little extra gleam in her eye? I just wished it could be that easy.
“Are you guys…” Abra squealed, and Stevie laughed, shaking her head.
“Not yet, but we’re going to start trying pretty soon. The doctors said I had to wait at least a year after to make sure my body is ready, and it has been.” The concerned look Abra gave her let me know that something terrible must have happened. Abra stepped away from me and hugged Stevie tight. McShane looked worried for his wife.
“So where are you guys sitting?” he asked me, obviously changing the subject. He watched in concern as the women headed off to the restroom together.
I watched Abra walk away and again for the however manyth time, I was just floored by how incredible she was. I shrugged.
“I don’t have a clue. Abra’s in charge.”
McShane raised an eyebrow at me and his lips split into a somewhat salacious grin.
“That’s a good thing. She’s quite a woman. But what’s this with meeting her on the side of the road?” His tone was like a big brother. Protective.
“Yeah. She kind of bailed me out of a bad situation.” I certainly wasn’t going to go into detail with this guy, but I didn’t want him to think I had ulterior motives. “She’s been a lifesaver. Literally.”
Aaron nodded, looking me over curiously, his eyes lingering on my bruises. “No doubt. Must have been some shit. I hope you’re making sure Abra’s safe.”
I appreciated his tone. If the tables were turned, perhaps my sister, I would’ve been very concerned.
“How long have you known Abra?” I asked, wondering just how strong of a connection they had. It was weird, almost like I was trying to get to know her through someone else.
“I’ve known Abra a couple of years, I guess. I met her a few times through Callie, my employee at the shop, then Stevie started doing Home Hospital Instruction for some of the teen parents at Abra’s school, so they got to be really good friends. I was really happy, too. Stevie moved in with me over in Hayward and away from her friends on the Peninsula. I always felt guilty about it. She takes such damn good care of me and my family. Abra seems like she’s cut from similar stock. She’s kind of the caretaker of her family, too.”
His comment had me curious. Abra had yet to divulge too much of her personal life. Everything was happening so fast, we hadn’t gotten around to the basics. Aaron gazed in the direction of the restrooms with a far-off look in his eyes. I could see how grateful he was for his wife. It was kind of beautiful.
“When did you know?” I asked him, and then felt a little embarrassed. “I’m sorry. I’m not trying to pry. It’s just really obvious you’re in love.”
Aaron shrugged. “The first time I laid eyes on her. In that one moment, she changed my whole life. I’m just happy she felt the same. Never been happier.”
I nodded. “I get it. I should be more of a mess right now. My whole life kind of fell apart this week. But whenever Abra’s around, it doesn’t seem like the end of the world anymore. Is that crazy, or what?”
McShane pounded on my back. “One door blows up in your face, another one opens. Get used to the crazy. It’s good crazy.”
