Beyond Denver

Chapter 16

The roads are better now, and I hope we get to Mike's house soon to pick up Meggie. Maroney finally takes the exit on Whitney Way with the GPS instruction on his phone that guides him. All I hope is never to meet Mike.

"Did your brother propose Layla yesterday?"

"Nah. Not yet. The big day is coming, and so will be the wedding." Among different subjects, Maroney mentions what he does for a living. He is a senior student of Finance at UW while working part-time as a real state agent. He works more hours in the summer.

"Is that why you go to Sophie's almost every morning?" I ask him.

"Yes, I enjoy starting my day with a cup of coffee while looking at a beautiful girl like you." I blush at his words.

"How do you manage your job while attending school full time?"

"It is hard, but not impossible," he says. "We always do our best. I guess you're a freshman, right?"

"Yes, I'll be a freshman."

We finally reach a quiet and peaceful street filled with oak trees. His white house is right located at the dead end with no many neighbors. The grass hasn't been mowed recently, the weeds spreading from the front up to back yard. I fix my ponytail and move my hoodie away from my lap as Maroney pulls over in the driveway. Mike's BMW is not there, which means he hasn't gotten home yet. Am I supposed to feel better?

After dialing Meggie's number simultaneously, Maroney finishes his cigarette, placing the bud into the small ashtray. She opens Mike's front door right away without answering my phone call. She runs toward the car bare feet, high heels on her hands. The black dress from last night is all wrinkled. Her makeup is still ruined since last night's tears. Maybe Meggie has washed her face, but the mascara trace is still present around her cheeks and at the corner of her eyes. She squints when her almond-shaped eyes when they meet the sun as she opens Maroney's back vehicle door, throwing herself in. A blanket filled with dog's fur lays on her side. There is a wrapping paper from Culvers I believed to be from a sandwich Maroney had eaten and two empty plastic soda cups on the vehicle floor.

"Thank you so much for picking me up," her voice is still hoarse. The hungover that produces her vocal cords to have a deeper sound is definitely a sign of dehydration.

"My head feels like a balloon that will suddenly pop up at any second," The smell of vodka comes through her breath as she speaks. She definitely has a hungover.

But worries me is the not the hungover. It is Meggie's haunted expression when she covers herself with the blanket. "That's my dog's blanket with you are okay with that," Maroney warns her. Meggie doesn't mind a bit. Instead, she gags as Maroney rushes to grab an empty plastic bag just in case she throws up.

"I have nothing in my stomach to puke," she adds, moving her body completely sideways, not caring to expose her underwear under her dress as she moves to a different position.

"I called the bank's emergency number. They froze all my accounts for the weekend. They are probably sending me another card tomorrow in the mail. I'm broke now."

"That's god you froze the account."

"I still have to make another ID." Even though sick, Meggie is beautiful. It is her ballsy movements and the way she talks that sometimes hides her lack of self-esteem. On a regular day, Meggie appears to have confidence and self-esteem.

I lower my hands and look at her, making sure she is okay.

Meggie is safe with both me and Maroney.

If it wasn't enough, Mike's car appears in the driveway at the same minute we are taking off. The first thing I notice is a woman in the car sitting next to him at the passenger's seat. He pulls in, gets out of his BMW, directing himself to my window. I open it just a bit as I try to get rid of mosquitoes invading Maroney's Volvo due to Mike's tall grass, piles, and the accumulation of leaves in his yard.

"What the hell?" He says when he notices Meggie lying in the back seat, "Meggie, you still here?"

"How was she supposed to go back home?" I demand the answer from him. Maroney only observes.

Meggie sits down, taking notice of the girl still sitting in his car, "Yeah, asshole. Who is that woman out there?" her angry voice surfaces as she places her hands on her head to stop the headache.

His eyes dart back to his car, "A friend. Why?"

"Let's go home, Cassidy. I can't stay here any longer. She is the one, isn't she? The bitch calling you last night while you are hanging out at the Bunker. While we fucked last night?"

His eyes widen with her words, "Your psycho. I told you the girl calling me last night is my sister's friend. She lives in Iowa, and her parents are getting a divorce. My sister is still in high school. You know how those girls are. This one here is a friend." I watch the girl sitting in the passenger seat, looking at herself in the mirror, and fixing her hair with her fingers, enjoying the show.

I exchange glances with Maroney. "Let's go," I tell him, and Maroney drives off Mike's driveway. More tears come down from Meggie's eyes, and I can't stop but feel sorry for her. 

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