Chapter 4: Two roads, one choice
The morning after, Veronica woke up. As she opened her eyes, she looked at the little boy besides her, his tiny body all cuddled up against hers. She stroked his soft blond hair, and he looked up at her, giving her a sweet smile she already loved.
"G'mornin', David" she smiled back at him.
"Good morning, Veronica" he said. She got out of the bed and stretched out.
"Well, it's time to take a bath" she said "David, someone will knock the door soon. If they leave a white bag, then it's the laundry service. Your clothes is in there. Get changed and we'll go, okay?"
"Okay" he said, and she went to the bathroom.
-------------------------------------------
As Veronica took a quick shower, she thought about David, and the secret she had discovered the night before. The last thing she could remember was David's begging phrase...
"Keep me safe...Please...Keep me safe"
"He literally clung to me" she thought as she rubbed the soap over her body "I'd do everything to protect him...God, I'd like to keep him with me!"
"No, Veronica, you can't keep him. He already has a mother who probably misses him" her subconscious said, but she replied stubbornly.
"Yeah, right!, If she had loved him, she wouldn't have left him. What kind of mother can that be, a mother who dumps her own child away, to live on his own? He might be a Mecha, but he's still a child! Oh, damn it!" she cursed when she almost fell down to the floor trying to pick up the soap "Silly Veronica, arguing with yourself...but what about David? What will I do with him?" she asked as she dried off her body and put her clothes on. After a quick brush of her hair, she applied some fresh lipstick and lip-gloss, plus some vainilla-scented perfume.
-------------------------------------------
"Teddy, can you pass me that pillow?" David asked, as he tried to set up the bed.
"Yes, David" his furry friend answered, and they made up the bed. David sat down in the edge of it, with Teddy besides him.
"Teddy, why did Mommy leave me?" David asked.
"I don't know, David" the bear answered.
"Hm, maybe it's because Henry and Martin didn't like me" he said, sadly.
"But Veronica said she would take us home" Teddy said, and a hopeful smile appeared on David's sad little face.
"Yes, and I'll see Mommy again" he smiled "Veronica is a very nice girl"
"Are you guys talkin' about me?" a feminine voice said, and they looked to Veronica, who had changed to a blue t-shirt and blue jeans; her hair was all loosen, with brown strands falling in her forehead. David was already dressed in his normal clothes, his blue pants, the white t-shirt and his blue jacket.
They heard a phone ring, Veronica attended the call, and it was the Room Service, announcing her that the breakfast was ready.
"Well, let's go eat, guys" Veronica said, and took David's hand. They got out of the room, accompanied by Teddy.
-------------------------------------------
"So that's an order of cinnamon waffles, hot chocolate, orange juice and breakfast rolls" the waitress said, and Veronica nodded "Anything for the boy?" she added, and Veronica remembered David couldn't eat. But she didn't want the waitress to know that.
"He'll eat the waffles and the chocolate" Veronica said "Oh, make that a take-out order. We're in a hurry"
"Yes, ma'am" the waitress said, and went to get her order.
Veronica took the bag, and went to the lobby to pay for the night spent in the hotel.
-------------------------------------------
"That's a double bed, one night, breakfast included" the receptionist said "It's 80 NB"
"There you go" Veronica said, and gave him the money.
"Thank you, ma'am" he answered "Have a nice day!"
"Thanks" she said, and took David's hand. Then they left the lobby and went to pick up the car at the garage.
-------------------------------------------
"Well, David..." she said as she turned on the car "We still have 4 hours ahead. If it doesn't rain, you'll be with your mommy at 4 o'clock" this phrase made David smile.
"Really?" he said, his eyes shining with happiness.
"Yes, David" she answered, and she thought "You'll be with your mom...and I won't see you again. I know this has to happen, but why does it sound so wrong?" she thought again, with a sad look on her face. David looked at her.
"Veronica, are you okay?" he asked innocently when he saw the expression on her face. She smiled at him.
"Yes...don't worry, hunny" she said, and she took the steering wheel, and drove away from the hotel, with David and Teddy besides her.
-------------------------------------------
"Oh, dear...could my day be any worse?" Veronica asked, looking at the smoke getting out of the car engine. The engine had over-heated, and she had to turn it off, therefore she had to stop the car.
"What's wrong, Veronica?" David asked her.
"The goddamn engine is too hot, and I had to stop the car...stupid car!" she cursed, but she saw David's confused face, so she softened her tone "Don't worry, honey...we'll be with your mommy, but it'll take a little while"
"Okay" David said, and Veronica picked up her mobile phone.
"Hello...911? Yeah, I'm in the Road 75 with an overheated car engine" Veronica said "What? Will you send a mechanic? Eh...sure! When will he be here?...In two hours?...sure, no prob...thanks, bye" she hang up the phone and looked at David. "It's okay, David. The mechanic will come in two hours, so we'll have to stay here until he comes"
"If the mechanic comes, he will repair the car, and you'll take me with Mommy, right?" he asked.
"Yes, David" she smiled "Well...why don't we have breakfast while he comes?" she proposed, and he nodded.
When they had breakfast -well, when she was eating-, David looked at Veronica, feeling sorry because he couldn't eat the delicious waffles, and drink the hot chocolate -she had saved the rolls and juice for later-. She noticed it.
"David, what's wrong?" she asked him.
"Is the chocolate delicious?" he asked innocently, and she nodded "It looks like the coffee I used to prepare for Mommy in the mornings"
"You made coffee for her?" Veronica said, surprised "How sweet"
"But, although I know she liked it, I couldn't know how it tasted like because I can't eat" he said, sadly "I can't eat because I'm not real, and maybe that's why my Mommy left me" he added, rubbing a hand around his eyes, as if trying to wipe away his absent tears. Veronica caressed his hair and gave him a kiss in the cheek.
"Don't say that, David! Of course you're real! A different kind of real, but you are" she comforted him "You're here as I am, and you have beautiful feelings! That makes you real"
"Really?" he asked surprised.
"Sure! If I hadn't known you were a Mecha, I'd have thought you were made of flesh and blood. But being real goes beyond that. If you can feel love, sadness and all human emotions, then you're real, David."
"Thank you, Veronica" he said, as he extended his arms to her, and she hugged him "Thank you so much..." he added, as she caressed his hair.
"Okay, David" Veronica said a moment later "These are waffles. They have eggs, flour, butter and sugar; this last makes them sweet" she explained him. Feeling sorry because David couldn't eat, she tried to give him an idea about how the food tasted like. And it seemed to work, because the little Robo-boy became more and more interested as she spoke.
"Tell me more" he said.
"Well, the chocolate is also sweet because it has cocoa, milk and sugar" she said, as she took a sip of it, but her face tightened a bunch because the chocolate was too hot. David giggled when he saw how funny she looked "You have to be careful when you drink it, because it may be very hot, and your tongue might end up like this" she added, sticking out her tongue. David laughed again, and gave her the water bottle, so she would be relieved with the fresh liquid.
-------------------------------------------
"Hello, sorry for coming late" the mechanic said "Have you been waiting too long?" he asked, and Veronica shook her head. "Well, I'll check the car. The problem isn't serious, so I'll finish shortly"
"Thanks" she said, and entered to the car with David and Teddy.
Veronica sat in the driver's seat, and soon fell asleep with her head leaning in the steering wheel. David was reading a Garfield's comic book she had bought him in the road, and he and Teddy were laughing at Odie falling off the table when Garfield stole his food.
"This is so funny, right Veronica?" he asked, when he saw the sleeping girl by his side "Oh, she fell asleep" he said, and reached her.
"She must be tired" Teddy said "She didn't sleep too much last night, and she's been driving for 3 hours"
"You're right, Teddy" David said "What time is it?"
"It's 3:30 p.m." Teddy said, checking his internal clock.
"That means I'll be home at night...right, Teddy?"
"I don't know" the bear answered, as David cuddled himself against Veronica's lap.
-------------------------------------------
"Miss Adams? Excuse me, miss..." the mechanic said to the half-asleep girl, when she opened her eyes "It wasn't serious. It just overheated because it had no oil and just a few water. Some wires were loosen, I already fixed that" he explained.
"Thank you, sir" she said, yawning "How much is it?"
"It's free, miss. You called 911" he reminded her.
"Oh, yeah...I forgot" she smiled "Thanks very much!"
"You're welcome" he said, and looked at David "That's a cute boy you have there. What's your name, little pal?"
"I'm David" he said.
"Having a road trip with your big sister?" the mechanic asked sympathetically, and David didn't know how to answer, so Veronica helped him.
"Yes, sir. We were going to New Jersey, but I think we got lost" she said.
"Oh, that's no prob" the mechanic said "Just go straight ahead, and take Road 85. New Jersey is 4 hours away from there"
"That's great!" she smiled "Thanks for the tip"
"No problem. Glad I could help" he said, as he picked up his toolbox "Have a nice trip!"
"Thank you" Veronica said, as the man walked away. Little he knew that David was more related to the car than to the girl he was traveling with...
"Well, David...here we go" she said, as she turned on the car, and they drove away, looking for the Road 85.
-------------------------------------------
As the sun hid beneath the mountains and the moon started rising, Veronica was driving in the Road 85, there were only 3 hours left to arrive to New Jersey.
"3 more hours...and I won't see him again" she thought, and looked at David "I know I'd like to keep him with me, but...what can I do?" she asked herself, confused. She hated the idea of giving him up.
With these thoughts in her mind, she arrived to a road with 2 ways: one to New Jersey, and the other one would take her to Pennsylvania. She didn't know which one to take.
"And what if I take him with me to Pennsylvania?" she thought "I have an uncle there, and he's not a Mecha-hater as my aunt...he could even be a great friend to my cousin Jody...no, wait! He has a mom in New Jersey, but if she dumped him...oh, God! What can I do?" she asked herself as she looked at both roads, unable to decide which one to take...
*************************************
Author's Note: WHOOOO!! Two roads, two decisions she can take. Will Veronica take David to his mommy, or will she keep him with her and drive away to Penssylvania? What do you think?
What about the last scene? As you might know, crossroads are good symbols for those moments when a character is trying to decide which way to go. A good example is the end of "Cast Away", when Chuck Noland (Tom Hanks's character) is standing in the middle of an empty crossroads amongst cornfields, trying to decide which way to go next, what to do with the new life he's just starting...(thanks to Matrix Refugee for this clever observation!)
Well, I guess that's all. Wait for next chapter, and I hope you've enjoyed what I've written...and, as I always say...would you mind leaving a review? They're very helpful to me, as an amateur writer!