3
ERISS JACKSON
Ermias and I woke up at 6:15 a.m. to eat breakfast at the hotel, then we climbed back in bed and fell asleep until it was time to shower, pack, and leave the hotel. The sun was beating down by the time we dragged our suitcases to the car. Ermias hopped in the backseat in his booster seat, strapped his seatbelt around him, and slid his headphones on to play on his tablet. I closed his door, rounded the car, and hopped behind the wheel. I slept so well last night, and I felt energetic. I thought about taking Ermias to the huge arcade they had in Love Grove before leaving.
Shoving the key into the ignition, I turned it and…nothing. It just clicked. I tried again, and the same shit happened. It just made a clicking sound. I frowned. My stomach dipped at the thought of Ermias and me being stranded in Love Grove.
“Not today,” I groaned, smacking the steering wheel lightly. “Not here.”
I pushed open the door and climbed out. Ermias was still busy with his tablet to even notice that I was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. I popped the hood like I just knew what I was doing. My car had been giving me small problems here and there, but it never gave out like this.
Sighing, I retrieved my phone from the front seat and called Mahlia.
“Hey friend, you make it home yet?” she answered. “I hadn’t had a chance to check your lo.”
“My car won’t start,” I said, keeping my voice low so Ermias wouldn’t pick up on my frustration. “We’re still in the hotel parking lot. Any suggestions in this town and on a Sunday?”
“Zyro. His shop is closed today, but I’m sure he wouldn’t mind. I just found out my cousin, Leek, went to jail last night, and you know that’s Zyro’s brother.” Mahlia sighed. “Let me call him real quick and see what he can do.”
“Okay, thanks, Mahlia. I appreciate you.”
“Anything for you and Ermias, friend. I’ll call you back.”
“Okay,” I replied.”
We ended the call, and I peered back inside the car. It was hot, and I wasn’t sure how long we could sit outside in this heat. Three minutes later, my phone vibrated in my hand. An unfamiliar number popped up with a Love Grove area code.
“Hello?” I answered skeptically, looking back once again to check on Ermias. We couldn’t stay out here too much longer. I watched him wipe sweat from his brow.
“Mom, it’s hoooot,” he whined.
“This Zyro, Mahlia’s folk. She told me yo’ car won’t crank.” I froze at the sound of his deep, country voice with a drawl.
“Yeah, it won’t,” I replied while walking over to the other side to tell Ermias to get out. We’d have to go back inside the hotel to cool off. “The battery just makes a clicking sound.”
“I can come see ‘bout it. I’ll have to stop at my shop to get the tow truck in case I need it. Y’all have somewhere to go to get out of this heat?”
I glanced at the hotel’s entrance and replied, “We can go back into the hotel and wait.”
“Aight, bet. I’ll call when I pull up.”
“Okay, thanks.”
“Yeah,” he said, and the call ended.
“Ermias…” I pushed my phone into my back pocket. “We’re going to go back inside and wait for help. Mama’s car won’t start.”
I left our bags in the car, locked up, and led my son back to the hotel’s sliding doors. The air-conditioning hit us as soon as we stepped inside. I think we both let out a long sigh of relief. Ermias plopped down dramatically on a lobby chair and got lost in his tablet once again.
I sat in another chair beside him, removing my phone from my pocket before my butt hit the seat. That’s when the pressure started, a throbbing pulse behind my left eye. It began as a dull feeling and then sharpened as if someone was pressing a thumb hard against the inside of my skull. I bit down on my back teeth to keep from howling out from the pain.
My phone vibrated, and with a shaky hand, I picked it up, answering Zyro’s call.
“Hello?”
“I’m outside. I’m a come in a grab yo’ key. You and lil’ man can stay in the AC,” his voice rumbled on the other end.
“Okay,” I whispered. I hit the end button and attempted to act normal. Reaching into my purse, I grabbed my shades and slid them over my eyes.
