Mia placed the bag on her bed and returned to her closet just as Rod's phone began to ring. He held his gaze on Mia for a beat, silently asking if she would be okay if he left to answer it. She waved him on and he stepped into the front room.
"Serling," Mia heard him answer as she packed clothing into her overnight bag. There was a long pause before Rod spoke again. "Sorry, Captain, I can't come in right now, I'm out of state."
Mia packed toiletries and clothes while eavesdropping on her brother's phone call. There was another long silence followed by a quiet sigh.
"Yessir, I'll be there first thing in the morning," Rod hung up his phone and walked back into the bedroom.
"Everything okay?" Mia inquired, as she zipped up her now full duffle. Her eyes were red and puffy and her voice hoarse.
"Oh, sure," Rod was nonchalant. "Just a busy afternoon for Atlanta PD, they need all hands on deck, but they'll manage without me. Ya hungry?"
"I guess I could eat," Mia replied with a fake smile, throwing her bag over her shoulder. "This guy looks like he could go for a burger." She pointed to Colonel. The pup responded with a tail wag.
Rod grinned before leading the way out of the room.
"All set?" He asked before walking to the front door. Mia still felt anxious, but she nodded. The trio stepped out onto the porch. The outside air was hot and thick with humidity. A warm breeze carried the scent of a distant neighbor's barbecue. Mia's stomach rumbled quietly and it made her realize just how hungry she actually was and how long it had been since she had a proper meal. She locked the front door and carried her bag to Rod's car, placing it in the trunk. After one last longing look at her small home, Mia opened the passenger side door and let Colonel jump in the backseat before climbing in.
Rod reversed down Mia's driveway. Once they were on the road he turned the radio on. The opening chords of Tuesday's Gone filled the silence in the car. From the corner of her eye, Mia could see Rod stealing glances at her. At first she didn't know why he kept looking at her, then she realized she was biting her nails. It was a nervous habit she had developed when she was young. Rod turned the music down slightly, just as the lyrics began.
"Ya good?" He asked, looking forward. Mia paused before answering. Thoughts were running through her head at a nauseating pace.
"Not really." she replied, her honesty surprising even herself. "My mind's racing."
"Might help to talk, get some of it off your chest," Rod suggested. Mia scoffed.
"You don't wanna hear about my problems." However, she knew that wasn't true. Rod wouldn't have offered if he didn't want to help. Perhaps she just didn't want to say what was in her head out loud. That would make it too real. For the past several weeks, Mia had lived in her head, thinking and over analyzing everything, but she hadn't yet vocalized her feelings. That still felt overwhelming for her. Mia gazed out the window, silently thinking to herself. Eventually, the music on the radio stopped for an urgent news bulletin. Mia turned up the volume.
"...ultimately we expect we will see community spread in this country. It's not so much a question of if this will happen anymore, but rather more a question of exactly when this will happen and how many people in this country will have severe illness. We will maintain, for as long as practical, a dual approach where we continue measures to contain this unknown disease, but also employ strategies to minimize the impact on our communities."
"What's that about?" Mia wondered aloud. She glanced at her brother who seemed unfazed. They both shrugged it off and Mia turned off the radio. She stared out the window again then sighed before speaking. "I'll talk to ya eventually Rod, I promise. I don't want to lay all my burdens on you though. I'm not tryin' to be that girl who's hated because she's sad all the time."
"Hated by who?" Rod asked. He sounded slightly taken aback by Mia's statement.
"I dunno. Everyone, I guess. Myself especially." she shrugged.
"Well, I don't hate ya," Rod offered. Mia gave her brother a halfhearted smile and turned the radio back on before switching stations. Bad Company's Shooting Star veiled the awkward silence that had fallen over the siblings. A quiet Mia watched the passing scenery. Then she felt something bump into her shoulder. She turned and saw Colonel's head resting on her arm.
"For what it's worth, Colonel don't hate you either," Rod briefly glanced to his right. An airy chuckle escaped Mia's lips as she placed a hand on the mutt's head. She held it there and the three quietly listened to the radio as they traveled down the road. A half hour had passed before either of them spoke again.
"You said we were getting food?" Mia asked. She motioned to a diner on the side of the road. "Looks like as good a place as any."
Rod pulled off the road and parked the car in the nearly empty parking lot. It was dinner time and he had expected the place to be more busy. There were only a few other cars in the lot and he wondered if the food was going to be worth the stop. Mia's voice broke his train of thought.
"I'll stay out here with Colonel, we'll go sit at those picnic tables," she pointed over Rod's shoulder as she spoke. "Just get me a chicken sandwich or something."
Rod nodded and the three of them got out of the car. Mia and Colonel turned left, toward the picnic tables and Rod turned right, toward the diner's entrance. Rod walked in and glanced around. The place looked deserted. An elderly couple sat at the counter intently watching a news report on an old, boxy television, but all of the booths were empty. A waitress was filling two mugs with muddy liquid. When she noticed Rod, she gave him a polite smile.
"You can sit wherever you'd like, sugar," she drawled. After placing the mugs in front of the two other customers, she grabbed a notebook and pen from her apron and turned her attention to Rod.
"Actually, Miss, I'd like to place an order to-go," Rod walked up to the counter. The waitress nodded for him to continue. He ordered two chicken sandwich meals and a plain hamburger. The waitress wrote down his order and sauntered to the kitchen. Rod sat a few stools down from the other diners and watched the television they were still staring at. There was a newscaster standing outside of Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta. The volume was muted, but the closed captions were on.
"...overwhelmed by this unknown virus, with many running at 200 percent capacity. They've stopped all routine procedures, many operating rooms have been converted to intensive care units and they are now diverting or outright not treating other emergencies such as trauma or strokes. Staff are working as hard as they can but many are starting to get sick and emotionally overwhelmed."
Rod felt the tension building in his shoulders. He wasn't usually one to get worked up over sensationalism, but something about this unknown virus he kept hearing about felt different. He was feeling more and more confident that he had picked up his sister at the right time. It would probably be better if he kept his worries about the virus from Mia. Her mental state was very fragile and he couldn't risk her going into panic mode.
Eventually, the waitress came back with a greasy, brown bag full of food. After paying and tipping, Rod strolled back outside. He acted casual so Mia wouldn't suspect his worries.
"I dunno how good this is gonna be. There was hardly anyone in there," Rod warned, plopping the food down on the picnic table. He reached into the bag and started passing out food. First he handed Mia a chicken sandwich and fries. Then he unwrapped the plain hamburger and tossed it to Colonel, who excitedly caught it and gulped it down in a few bites. Before sitting down, he went back to the car and grabbed water bottles from the cooler in the trunk as well as a plastic bowl. He filled the bowl and placed it on the ground for the dog. It was late in the day, but the early summer temperatures were sweltering. The mutt quickly drained the bowl then laid under the picnic table to cool down in the shade.
"Yeah, it's not great," Mia remarked with her mouth full. "But, it's food."
Rod hummed in agreement before beginning to eat his own meal. The siblings ate in a mutual silence. A warm breeze delivered the faint scent of honeysuckle and somewhere in the distance, katydids were just starting to chirp. Mia considered the peaceful moment, feeling grateful she had decided to come with her brother and not to stay locked away in her stuffy house. Colonel lay against her feet, panting rhythmically. The calmness allowed Mia's mind to wander, but only briefly before she felt eyes on her. Looking forward, she caught Rod's gaze. His eyes met hers then turned downward to her arm. A delicate stem of baby's breath was inked on Mia's inner wrist. Rod made eye contact with her again and raised his eyebrows, silently prompting her to explain the tattoo he was seeing for the first time.
A heavy sigh departed Mia's lips as she absent-mindedly traced the tattoo with her finger, silently collecting her thoughts.
"I got it after Callie..ya know," Mia trailed off, still unable to speak about her daughter's death. Rod looked down. Mia knew he also felt uneasy with the subject. After a quiet moment, she continued speaking. "After...everything.. I wanted to die. Every night when I'd go to bed, I'd beg God to not wake me up in that empty house. It was just so hard hearing the silence everyday."
Colonel sat up under the table and gently placed his head in Mia's lap. Mia's hand reached down and slowly stroked him behind the ear. The comforting gesture gave her the courage to continue speaking.
"But everyday, I woke up. And everyday, the silence and the emptiness of the house fought to prove to me that she was gone." Mia shifted uncomfortably. This was the most open she had been with anyone about the agony she had experienced. It made her feel vulnerable and exposed. She shook her head and chewed her bottom lip. "Just thought getting a tattoo to remember her would help ease the pain some."
"Did it?" Rod's voice was uncharacteristically small.
"Yeah," Mia answered honestly. "A little."
They sat quietly for a while, both lost in their own thoughts. A sudden, piercing ring brought them back to reality. Rod pulled his phone from his pocket and checked the caller i.d.
"It's Mom," he told Mia before answering. "Hello?"
Mia watched as her brother half listened to their mother. She didn't know what was being talked about, but Rod seemed disinterested. Several minutes passed before Rod had the chance to speak.
"Oh, yeah, speaking of Mia, she's with me. Hold on, I'll put ya on speaker." Rod set the phone down on the picnic table and turned the speakerphone on.
"Hi, Mama," Mia squeaked, she hadn't spoken to her mother in weeks.
"Oh, Amelia," the voice on the phone sighed. "My sweet girl, how are you? Where have you been? Why don't you ever answer your phone? Don't you know we've been worried sick about you?"
"Uhm.." Mia glanced at Rod, flustered by the load of questions directed at her.
"Oh, nevermind, dear," their mother continued dismissively. "I'm just so glad you two are together. Especially now, with this crazy virus going around, I want you'ns to do just as I say and-"
"We're big kids now, Mama, we know how to wash our hands and drink our o.j." Rod interrupted, hoping to get his mother off the subject before she said too much and scared Mia.
"Don't you sass me, Rodman. This is serious. You'ns both need to stay inside, away from all these filthy, disease-ridden people. Now, I mean it."
"Yes Ma'am," Rod spoke, feigning shame. He rolled his eyes dramatically, hoping his performance was helping to distract his sister. "We'll get some supplies and stay holed up a while, alright?"
"You liar," Mia mouthed silently, a lopsided grin on her face. Rod smirked back.
"That's better. Well, I have to go, kids. Your daddy's a-callin' me to watch Jeopardy."
"Alright, Mama. Talk to you soon. Love ya." Rod was relieved to cut the conversation short.
"Okay. Bye-bye." Their mother hung up. The siblings both rolled their eyes and started laughing.
"That! That's why I never answer her calls. She puts on this mask of a doting mother when she actually couldn't give two shits how I've been." Mia exclaimed, the humor slowly leaving her voice. "It's just small talk to her. Why do you even bother telling her you love her? She never says it back."
"Well, 'cause I do love her," Rod put his phone back in his pocket. "And she doesn't have to say it back, I know she loves me."
"Whatever," Mia replied, standing up and stretching. Colonel followed suit.
"I love you too, ya know," Rod also stood, collecting their trash.
"Gross." Mia's nose wrinkled, a hint of smile sat on her lips. She walked toward the car, letting Colonel in first.
"Yeah, whatever, dork," Rod smirked. He tossed their trash in a nearby garbage can and climbed in the car. The trio listened to the radio in a comfortable silence for the rest of the drive to Atlanta.