Mae had found a dreamless sleep. If the radio was on, she certainly didn't hear it. Mae didn't see as the highway widened into multiple lanes and exits bending along the city limits. She didn't watch as the trees gave way to a sparkling coastline and the clouds parted and the sunlight hit the waters of the Harbor. She didn't watch as the buildings only got taller and more and more people lined the walkways on either side of Roy's truck.
When Roy had closed the driver side door and walked into a nearby building, that was when she woke up. All Mae could see was a streetlight with a pride flag hanging from its pole and small rain puddles by the sidewalks that rippled in the wind by the buildings that only seemed to grow as she stared up at them, her eyes getting wider as realization after daunting realization came over her. For the first time in as far back as she could remember, she knew it was daytime, but with all the apartment buildings and offices and restaurants and public gardens that surrounded her, she had no idea where the Sun hung in the sky. And in all this urban sprawl, all the beauty of life and civilization that she was witnessing for the first time in her life, Mae could only say one word. One idea, whispered as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes.
Cool.
It was only after she summed up her setting that Mae noticed she was alone in Roy's truck. She looked down to see an unopened bottle of Fiascola sitting in the cupholder nearest her. With no thought given, and with her meds having given her an incredible case of cottonmouth, Mae downed half the bottle in ten seconds. As she burped, the bubbles tickling her throat, Roy opened his door with a book in his other hand. Resting the book cover side down on the dashboard, he watched with a shake of his head as a startled Mae spilled more than a few drops of soda on the passenger seat.
Oh! Darn it. Man...
Mae used her shirt to soak up the soda as Roy regarded her with a smirk.
Worse things have happened in this truck, Mae.
She stopped her rogue attempt at cleaning and put the bottle back in the cupholder. Mae paused and blinked. She pointed at the bottle.
This was mine?
Roy nodded as he started up his truck again, the engine kicking as he leaned back and looked around the immediate vicinity of his parallel parking space.
Yep! Gregg mentioned you liked the stuff. Had to fill up on gas on the way here. Figured you'd want something.
Mae squinted. This weird guy bought her a Fiascola? What, was she gonna have to pay him back? He wasn't saying as much as he drove through the main streets of Bright Harbor. Mae was pulled out from her thoughts as she looked around, hands on the window as she saw a little park with a statue of a dead guy and a big, official looking building nearby and a group of people gathered around a lady shouting on top of a stepladder and a cart that sold hot pretzels. Then, as she stared out at the city, she asked Roy a question.
Where are we going?
His voice was as warm as hers was caught in abject wonderment.
I figure one of us has to pick up Gregg. He should be finishing up work right about now.
Mae gasped, her claws scraping against the glass.
Roy cleared his throat. He muttered his next words.
Okay, but don't do that to my truck.
In fifteen minutes, they pulled up in front of another apartment building that was almost exactly like the one Roy stopped at before, only this time Roy was double parked next to a little, blue SUV and he gave his horn a couple quick honks. There was a pause as a pressure began to build on the street. The air outside stood still as Mae's ears bent against her head. Then, in an instant, the door of the apartment building shot open, and a blur of leather and denim shot out of the entryway and rocketed toward the truck. Just as quickly, Mae saw Gregg in all his glory as he tried to no prevail to open the passenger side door.
Gregg shouted, his cries only barely muffled by the window between him and her.
Mae. Maemaemaemaemae!
Roy held his head as he couldn't help but laugh.
I'm trying to unlock the dang door, man. Stop messing with the handle!
Gregg wasn't listening.
Maeeaeaeaeaeamaemaemae.
Gregg made a show of it all as Roy was eventually able to find a moment to get the door unlocked. Finally, Gregg latched onto Mae, and Mae onto him, the two of them sharing a hug that made up for over a year of lost time.
And during this whole exchange, Mae was screaming, which had actually made it quite hard to hear what anyone else had said.
A car behind the truck honked its horn, and Gregg got up into his seat as Mae unbuckled her belt and got in the middle. When Gregg closed the door, the driver behind them drove around and glared at the trio in the truck. No one saw this, however, as Mae squished against Roy to get her new seatbelt on and Gregg struggled to get himself settled between his want to get buckled up and his need to never let go of Mae never again ever.
It took everyone five minutes to get settled down, an amount of time during which a bent up Roy lost his hat between the brakes and the gas pedal, leaving him to unmuss his hair in the rearview mirror while Mae and Gregg caught up with one another, cheesy smiles lining their faces. Mae started.
Too bad you didn't trip and fall down the stairs and break your neck.
Too bad you didn't die of boring on the way here.
Too bad that car didn't run you over and unhook your head from your spine.
Too bad a crow didn't fly through the windshield and peck your eyes out.
Too bad you didn't fall out of a window and land on a pokey metal fence.
Too bad you didn't get in the worse car accident ever and spin out into a ditch and and, and and, your arms didn't end up stuck up your nose.
They stopped and they hugged again and Gregg spoke with a small gasp for air.
You're here!
Mae spread out her arms, hitting Gregg and Roy in their sides, making them grunt in the process.
I am!
They immediately hugged again as they headed toward their next destination.