Page 11 of Losing Sleep
Chapter Five
Hours later, I satin the waiting room of a tire shop, waiting for Grey to finish talking to the worker at the counter so he could fill me in. We’d managed to change the tire, thanks to a couple of YouTube videos and a friendly trucker who stopped at the gas station. He was more than happy to point out the cause for our delay: a large nail protruding from the tire, most likely picked up at our last stop. My role in the effort had been to remove all our luggage from the trunk and stack it in the backseat, careful not to squish our cartons of milk. Thanks to the summer heat, I worked up quite a sweat, which now resulted in a chill-inducing damp shirt as I sat in the overly air-conditioned building, my backpack at my feet.
Red vinyl seats and pictures of tires and cars filled the tire shop, the smell of rubber adding to my headache. It had been building since we’d discovered the flat tire, but I’d been unableto find any pain killers in my backpack. I clutched my now half-finished Pepsi like a lifeline, hoping the caffeine would kick in soon. I sat next to one of the large windows filling one wall of the shop, cars passing on the street outside, trying not to think of the minutes ticking away as we waited.
I gave a sympathetic smile to a mom sitting in the corner, trying to keep her three little ones entertained. A man on a laptop worked in a chair not far from me, typing furiously. I debated pulling out my book from my backpack but prayed we wouldn’t be here long enough for me to need entertainment beyond what my phone could provide. Too bad spontaneous tire shop yoga was probably frowned upon. Otherwise, I’d be stretching out, attempting to alleviate some of the tension in my neck and shoulders that had been building since we’d discovered the flat tire.
My phone started ringing, and I answered it as soon as Tory’s name filled my screen. I’d forgotten to call with news of our latest delay.
“Where are you guys?” Tory asked, concern lacing her tone. In the background I could hear Trent yelling something unintelligible, along with the sounds of a video game. “I know you got a late start, but you’ve got to be getting close.”
“About that…remember our detour to buy cheese? Well, somewhere along the way Grey picked up a nail in one of his tires, and now we’re stuck in Logan waiting on repairs.”
I waited for Tory’s reaction as I watched Grey gesturing to the worker, frustration clear in his stiff shoulders and furrowed forehead. It took Tory a moment to speak. The sounds of shifting and then a door closing were followed by silence, hinting that she’d left the cabin basement in order to have this conversation.
“So you’re stranded in Logan?”
“Yep, and based on Grey’s facial expressions, I don’t think we’re getting out of here any time soon. I’m so sorry, Tory! Wewanted to be there for your actual birthday, but I don’t know if it’s going to happen.” My eyebrows scrunched, worry lacing my tone as I gave a play-by-play of the exchange.
The worker Grey had been talking to, a blond guy who looked like he was still in high school, disappeared into the garage portion of the shop, leaving Grey alone at the counter. Grey hesitated for a moment before storming over to where I sat, slumping into the chair next to me. The vinyl squeaked as he settled in and scrubbed a hand down his face, fatigue etched into his features.
“Let me put you on speaker so you can hear the latest,” I said, already dreading what Grey had to say. I held the phone between Grey and me, biting my lip as I waited for his news.
Grey leaned close to me, and I tried not to notice his musky smell. It provided a nice break from the odors of the tire shop, and I wanted to drink it in, allowing the scent to erase my headache and transport me away from here.
“They can’t patch the tire, and based on the wear on my other tires, they’re recommending I replace all four. However, they don’t have the tires in stock, and the closest shop with enough of the tires I need is in Salt Lake City. They can have someone drive them up, but they won’t get here until tomorrow at the earliest.” Grey’s hair and beard stuck up in odd directions from where he’d been running his fingers through it. It was the first time I’d seen his calm demeanor shaken this entire trip, and it did little to ease the anxiety I’d been fighting since we’d pulled into the gas station parking lot.
“But what are we supposed to do until tomorrow? Tory’s birthday is today. I guess we could find a hotel…” I trailed off, trying not to think of my savings account. I had not budgeted for an impromptu stay in Logan. “Or maybe one of my roommates can come pick us up, take us home.”
If that happened, I would not be returning on the trip. I’d stay home, go back to work, and spend my evenings avoiding social media and doing more yoga than was probably advisable. One of my instructors had asked if I could sub for her one day this week. I’d never taught a class before, but maybe I’d be brave and give it a try.
Based on the number of notification bubbles on my work messaging app, my coworkers wouldn’t be disappointed to hear my vacation had been cut short. It had taken all my self-control not to open the app while we sat in the tire shop waiting for news.
“Don’t worry about my birthday. We’ll more than celebrate when you get here,” Tory reassured.
“You guys could stay with my grandparents in Hyrum,” she suggested after a pause. Her grandparents lived a short distance away in one of the smaller towns in Cache Valley.
I immediately shook my head, though Tory couldn’t see me. “We wouldn’t want to inconvenience them. They’d have to come pick us up and—”
“They’d love it, and you know it.” Tory cut me off. “You remember how excited they were every time we visited during college.”
I pictured Dot and Hank and the little white house Tory and I had escaped to whenever finals and boy stress had gotten to be too much. It was cozy, with two small spare rooms barely big enough to qualify as bedrooms, but at least it was clean and free. Not to mention Dot was one of the best cooks I’d ever met. My mouth watered as I thought about the cookies she always seemed to be baking. Also, her pancake breakfasts were rock-ballad-worthy.
I looked at Grey, who shrugged as if to say, “What do we have to lose?”
I bit my lip before nodding. “Fine, but only if you’re sure they’ll be okay with it.”
“They’ll be thrilled! It’s been way too long since grandkids came to stay with them. You haven’t met my grandparents yet, Grey, but Grammy will probably stuff you full of baked goods while Gramps tells you stories about me as a kid, complete with embarrassing photos. I’ll call them now.” Tory hung up without saying goodbye, leaving us alone to process our change in plans.
Everyone else in the shop remained quietly occupied as Grey and I sat in strained silence. Easy listening music played from speakers overhead, just loud enough to be heard but too quiet to make out the lyrics.
“I’m sorry about the delay. If we hadn’t stopped…” He slumped deeper into his seat and stared at the floor in complete dejection.
I leaned my head back, the chair squeaking as I shifted in my seat. I stared up at the fluorescent lights, processing our situation. I shouldn’t blame Grey for our current predicament. It could have happened to anyone. But that knowledge didn’t fully stop the stress bubbling in my gut.
I took a breath and tried to release the tension between my shoulder blades, turning to look at Grey, who was hunched over, elbows on his knees, head resting in his hands as he stared dejectedly at the floor.
It’s not his fault,I reiterated to myself, sad to see such a happy, energetic guy worn down by something outside our control. I needed to shift my focus. There was nothing we could do, and there were some positives in the situation.
