Let's Get Lost (10 page)

7

IT WAS 4:00
A.M.,
and Bree had lost count of how many hotels they'd gone to looking for Alexis. They'd been circling the airport, stopping in at every place they spotted. It might have been easier to keep track if hotels didn't all use the same color palette: the same light yellow walls, dark green carpet, and vermilion furniture.

Leila had been certain that Alexis would be staying at one of the hotels near the airport, waiting for a flight in the morning. But they hadn't found her, just a succession of desk clerks shaking their heads at their computer monitors and saying, “I'm sorry.” The lobbies were always empty, the parking lots outside still, as if the Rapture had come and left only hotel employees behind.

“Haven't we been in this one already?” Bree asked as Leila pulled into a parking spot near the entrance of yet another airport hotel. “I don't see the point anymore, Leila. We're not going to find her.”

“Come on,” Leila said, unbuckling her seat belt. “I have a good feeling about this one.” She gave Bree a couple of encouraging taps on the thigh and then got out of the car. Bree sighed and followed her, feeling for once like going to sleep.

The lobby walls were the color of honey mustard, the carpets patterned with jade and maroon. There were two women standing behind the front desk. The older woman was scowling at some papers in front of her. Her wispy blond hair was up in a loose bun, and she had wrinkles that seemed too deep for her age. Her name tag was pinned straight on her shirt, shiny but chipped in one corner, so that the
e
at the end of
Marjorie
was half-gone.

The younger woman looked tired but cheerful. Her red hair was styled just like Marjorie's, but every strand was tightly in place. Her name tag simply read
Trainee.
When they noticed Bree and Leila walking toward them, Marjorie whispered something into the younger woman's ear and took a step back
.
Trainee
softened her face into a courteous expression, although it couldn't quite be called a smile.

“Good morning, ladies,” the trainee said. “How can I help you?”

“Hi,” Leila said, starting the same explanation she'd been giving all the hotel clerks. “We have to get in touch with one of your guests.” She gave Alexis's name.

“What's the room number?” the woman asked, turning to her computer and placing her French-manicured fingertips on the keyboard.

“We don't have the room number, actually. Just the name.”

Trainee
typed something into her computer but offered no reaction about what came up on the screen. The woman hesitated, then looked over her shoulder at Marjorie, who shook her head tersely. “I'm afraid I'm not allowed to give out any guest information.” The trainee folded her hands on the desk. “I'm sorry.”

“So, she
is
a guest here?” Bree said, feeling her pulse start to quicken.

“Um, well—” the trainee started to say, before she was interrupted by Marjorie.

“Ma'am, we're not allowed to give out any information.” She stepped forward, moving the younger woman aside. Bree couldn't help noticing the adhesive bandages covering two of the fingernails on Marjorie's left hand.

“It's a family emergency,” Leila said. “You don't have to give us any information. If you could just call her room, that'd be very helpful.”

“I can't have the guests be disturbed at this hour,” Marjorie said.

Bree fought the urge to be combative. “Please help us out. I really need to talk to my sister. Can you at least tell us if she's at this hotel?”

“I'm sorry, ma'am, but there's nothing I can do. It's against company policy.” Marjorie stood up straight, moving her hands behind her back like those of a soldier at-ease. The trainee gave Bree a compassionate look and mouthed an apology.

“What's against company policy?” Bree said, raising her voice. “Getting two family members in touch with each other in an emergency?”

Leila put a hand on Bree's shoulder and eased her out of the way so that Leila was standing directly in front of Marjorie. Bree took a couple of steps toward the faux fireplace to calm herself down before returning.

“Marjorie,” Leila said with a smile. “We don't want you to do anything against company policy. We just need to get in touch with my friend's sister right away. What can you do to help us?”

The woman raised her chin defiantly. Bree saw that her default expression was a frown, the corners of her mouth drooping down as if she was constantly expecting disappointment. “I can't give out guest information, and I can't disturb the guests.”

“Do you have a manager we could talk to?” Bree said as calmly as she could.

Marjorie tapped the business cards on the desk.
Front Desk Supervisor
.

“Great,” Bree said. “A miserable person on a power trip. That's exactly what we need.” She grabbed one of the business cards and started ripping it to shreds, shaking her head.

Leila gave Bree a look that she immediately understood.
Let me handle this
. Bree ducked her head in agreement but kept ripping the business card into smaller pieces until Marjorie's name and title were no longer readable.

“Sorry about my friend. She's had a rough night,” Leila said. She leaned forward and looked into Marjorie's light blue eyes. “One of my favorite song lyrics from a band called Modest Mouse is this: ‘The whole world stinks, so no one's taking showers anymore.'

“Maybe you've had a worse night than my friend here. Your boss yelled at you, or a customer was rude. But the way I see it, there's only two ways to go about things after a bad night. You either stink it up with everyone else, or you take a shower.

“I can guarantee you that I've got a story that will make you thankful your problems are as small as they are. Hell, I'm sure you have a story that will make me feel like my problems are small. But what good is that? Everyone pointing out how awful everything is instead of trying to clean it up a bit?

“All you have to do is tell us the room number. Just this one tiny thing that'll make the world a little better.” Leila clasped her hands together, not so much a pleading gesture as a hopeful one.

Bree looked up from the little pile of business card scraps she'd gathered while Leila was talking. The lobby was quiet in the wake of Leila's speech, which felt like a good sign, even though all the other hotel lobbies had been just as quiet. Something in Marjorie's expression had changed, though. Maybe it was kindness; maybe it was just mercy.

Marjorie cleared her throat. “I can't help you.” She turned to the trainee. “Always follow company policy.” Then she slid a business card across the desk to Leila. “If you find out the guest's room number, please feel free to call back.”

Bree shook her head in disbelief. She thought about throwing the business card scraps in Marjorie's face, or running down the halls and waking up everyone in the hotel, but she didn't have the energy. She grabbed Leila's arm and led them away from the desk. “Let's just go,” she said.

When they pushed open the doors to the parking lot, Bree was shocked at how much the air had cooled.

“What a bitch,” Leila said. She was looking down at the business card Marjorie had given her. “I can't believe how heartless she was.”

“Yeah,” Bree said. She wasn't in the mood for frustration. She just wanted to shut down for a while.

A quiet moment passed. The airport was right in front of them, and Bree could see taxis headed toward the terminal, dropping off the earliest wave of business travelers. Bree wondered how much consolation she would get from simply returning to her life on the road, trying to love the thought of it even when she didn't love the thing itself.

“Two-one-eight!” Leila shouted, breaking the silence.

“What?”

“Two-one-eight,” Leila said again, handing Bree the business card and turning back to the hotel. “Marjorie took a shower.” Bree looked down at the card and turned it over, seeing the numbers written in neat, curling digits on the back.

Bree's heart sped up. Alexis was here. Bree had no clue what to say to her, but everything could turn out okay. They jogged to the entrance and went straight to the elevator. Bree's thoughts raced madly on the slow ride up.

The doors opened on the second floor, and they stepped out into the little elevator nook. There were two chairs and an accent table holding a plastic bouquet of brightly colored flowers. A sign on the wall directed guests one way or the other depending on the room number. Bree glanced down the hallway, then turned to Leila. Leila looked as if she'd carried the day's events seamlessly, as if the life could never be drained from her eyes, no matter what was thrown her way.

“Thanks, Leila,” she said. “For convincing me to call her. For seeing through my bullshit when even I couldn't.”

Leila smiled warmly. “Don't mention it,” she said, and she plopped herself down on one of the chairs. “You go ahead. I'll hang back here.”

Bree lingered for a second, then nodded and turned down the hallway. At room 218, Bree skipped the dramatics of taking a deep breath and knocked loudly on the door. If her sister wasn't going to forgive her, she wanted to get it over with.

Alexis answered the door wearing the same pajamas and hoodie that she'd shown up in at the jail. In the harsh glow of the hallway, her face looked much older than it had a couple of hours ago. Her eyebrows were slightly raised, as if she expected to be amused.
Get on with it
, her red eyes were saying.

“I never should have left,” Bree said. “It was selfish and thoughtless—you're right. I made both our lives harder than they already were.”

Bree became aware of how quiet the hallway was. Alexis was leaning against the doorway, her hands tucked into the front pocket of her hoodie. She looked completely unmoved by Bree's words. But Bree couldn't stop.

“I'm sorry I never asked about how you were doing. I assumed I understood what was going through your head, and I shouldn't have. I'm sorry I kissed Matt. That was such a shitty thing to do. I'm sorry I put you through everything I did. I'm sorry I put
us
through that. Life was hard enough without me acting like an idiot.” She wiped the back of her hand across her nose. “If it helps at all, I love you. I know we didn't always get along, but these nine months away from you, I've felt you missing from my life. And I want you back in it. I'd understand if you don't want to see me again, but I had to apologize.”

Alexis's face remained unchanged. Bree turned to leave. At least she'd tried.

Before she could take a step, though, she felt Alexis grab hold of her arm and pull her into a hug. It was a tight hug, so warm and recognizable. She could smell the strawberry shampoo on Alexis's hair, the same brand they'd both been using for years. Bree pressed her cheek to her sister's, felt their combined tears scurry down her neck. They'd hugged like this so many times throughout their parents' sicknesses.

“I'm sorry,” Bree said again, resting her head on Alexis's shoulder.

“I was so worried about you. My little sister, out in the world, all alone.” She pressed them closer together. “It's okay. I forgive you. Just never put me through anything like that again.” She sniffled and then gave a laugh. “Of course I want to see you again, you goof.”

Bree laughed too, felt her nose get all snotty with tears. She unabashedly wiped her nose on Alexis's sweatshirt. The sisters pulled apart and stood in the hallway at Alexis's door, basking in the moment of happiness.

* * *

It was hard for Bree to leave Alexis's side, even if it was just for a few minutes. She gave her another hug before she left the room and joined Leila in front of the elevators.

“How'd it go?” Leila asked.

Bree beamed a smile in response.

“Good,” Leila said, returning the smile. Then she stood up from the chair and called the elevator. “Walk me to my car?”

“Of course,” Bree said, still smiling.

They crossed the hotel lobby, nodding at Marjorie as they passed her desk. Bree even raised her hand in a shy, thankful wave, but Marjorie didn't look up to acknowledge it.

Bree pushed open the door that led to the parking lot, the early morning air greeting them. The first inklings of sunrise colored the horizon. Bree had learned how to leave with ease, but good-byes were another thing altogether, this one in particular.

Leila was walking slowly, too, elongating the trip to the car.

“Alexis wants me to go back home with her.”

“That's great,” Leila said, her smile wide and sincere. She gave Bree's forearm a supportive squeeze. “That's what you wanted, right?”

“To be honest, I hadn't even considered what would come after I said I was sorry. She asked me if I wanted to go back home.”

“Are you gonna go?”

“I told her I want to go back with her but on my own terms. A road trip from here to Reno, no itinerary, no plans, no rush to get back. Just me and her on a shared adventure.”

“Make sure you get a car with air-conditioning.”

Bree laughed until they reached Leila's car. More than anything, Bree would miss how easily laughter came in Leila's company. She ran a finger along the hood of the car, leaving a trail in the thin layer of dust.

“People can say whatever they want about you, Leila, but life is not boring when you're around.”

“And it's not very legal when you're around.”

“I do what I can.” Bree shrugged. “You sure you don't want to come in and sleep for a few hours? We can all leave in the morning.”

Leila seemed to consider this for a second, toying with the car keys in her hand. “No,” she said. “I think I'm gonna get back on the road. The Lights are calling.”