Comeback by Vicki Grant Read Free Book Online

an exit coming up. I could turn around there and be home by six. I could turn around, take Elliot to the Great Wall and be home by eight.
    I put on the blinker—but I drive right past the exit.
    I can’t go home to Mom and the lies and the fact that Colin isn’t there anymore.
    Elliot is howling and thrashing away. I worry his shoes are going to leave scuff marks on the white leather upholstery.
    I do my best to blank him out and lean into the windshield. I tell myself to keep going. I’ll figure something out.
    Elliot’s crying eventually winds down into a wheezy sort of whimpering. He stops asking me where we’re going. The sky starts getting dark, and my hands go numb from clenching the steering wheel.
    I notice the gas is almost on empty. I pull off at the next exit and look for a service station. The whole time, my head is frantically making new calculations. How far can we get before Mom sounds the alarm? How far can we get on a tank of gas? How far can we get before Elliot melts down?
    I pull up to the pump and get out my wallet. It sounds stupid, but this is the first time I realize I actually have to find a way to pay for everything.
    Mom cut up my credit card. I’ve got $18 in bills, maybe a couple bucks more in change. I have a debit card, but I doubt there’s more than $35 in my account.
    I get a little electric shock of panic, but then I think, No. Something will come up. We’ll be okay. That was always Dad’s attitude.
    I start filling the tank. I can’t believe how little time it takes to hit $30. I tell Elliot not to move, and I go into the station to pay. The girl at the counter swipes my card. I key in my pin and hold my breath. It goes through. That’s a good sign.
    I get out some change and buy a Coke and a bag of chips for Elliot. I immediately feel guilty. Mom would never let him eat like that.
    At least the junk food makes Elliot happy for a while. I turn the radio on to the corniest station I can find. For an hour or so, we cruise along the highway with the music blasting. If I could just forget all the other stuff, it would almost seem like we’re on an adventure.
    I’m starting to pass signs for places I’ve only ever heard of on the weather report. I switch off the radio when the eight o’clock news comes on. It dawns on me I won’t always be able to just turn things off. Someday, Elliot will hear the stories. I’ll have to be ready.
    The sky is black now—blacker than it ever gets in the city. I imagine our house all lit up by the television lights. Mom is no doubt starting to listen for the sound of Elliot and me coming up the stairs.
    How long before she gets worried? How long before she calls? I reach into my purse and turn off my cell. I don’t want Elliot asking why I’m not answering my phone.
    â€œI need to pee, Ria.”
    I don’t want to stop yet. I want to get as far away as I can.
    â€œCan you wait?” I say.
    He doesn’t have to answer. I can tell by the way he’s fidgeting that I’ve got to find a washroom fast.
    What if he doesn’t make it? What if he wets his pants? I should have packed him a change of clothes.
    I take the next exit and, thankfully, there’s a service station just a minute down the road. I look at the gas gauge. We’re practically on empty again. This car is going to bankrupt me.
    Elliot runs into the washroom, holding his crotch.
    A guy in his twenties watches him run in and laughs. “Been there, done that,” he says. He notices the LeSabre. “Nice car.”
    I nod. I’m too worried about money to answer. We have to eat, find a place to sleep… “How does it drive?”
    â€œGood,” I say and shrug. I’m trying to brush him off, but then suddenly I get an idea. “Want to give it a spin?”
    He looks at me like, Are you kidding? and says, “Yeah!”
    â€œOkay,” I say. “Twenty bucks for