Page 33 of Pit Stop

Twenty-Five

Tillman

Disgust and anger simmers in my veins as I take in my surroundings. Growing up the way I did, it truly angers me how some people have no respect for what they have. Lyle is definitely one of those people. One look at Odette’s face and I knew she was once again feeling defeated. I haven’t said much mostly because I’m afraid my anger will be misguided and land on her shoulders and that’s not where it belongs. It’s the last thing I want to do. I’m not sure I can control it right now. I also felt like she might need to process everything as well. At least that’s how it seemed. Luckily, we were able to get pretty much everything into the travel bags she had found in the closet, but leaving behind things like stereo systems, gaming systems and comic books doesn’t sit right with me.

For a kid like Odin these are all that he has, and although they’re material, they probably mean a great deal to him and I despise the idea of him losing them. So, as I head downstairs to my car with the travel bags full of his things, I decide I’m leaving nothing behind. It takes multiple trips by the time I’m done but I feel like it’s worth it. For a kid who has already lost so much, managing to salvage what he does have is important to me. By the time I’m done I still haven’t seen Odette, so I head down the hallway in search of her. She’s not in the master bedroom like I expected so I head down the stairs. When I reach the main floor, I search through the rooms. The kitchen is last but it’s where I find her—staring out large glass doors that overlook the backyard. I see a ton of large trees, giving a ton of shade to the backyard. There’s a deck, and from here I can see the grill and a long table with benches. There’s a fire pit off to one of the sides of the pool. It’s not until I get closer that I start to notice the colorful fabric thrown haphazardly everywhere. Books ripped from the binding cover the yard and pool in random places. My gut twists when I see it, recognizing the pieces of fabrics as clothes. As if she can feel my presence Odette says, “I don’t think we have to worry about gathering my things.” Her voice is a quiet whisper, but the sound of sadness pulls at every piece of my heart.

“We can still gather it,” I offer.

For a moment she doesn’t speak, silence settles between us. Finally, she turns to me with a heavy sigh. “Yeah, I need to gather the clothes. There’s no saving my schoolbooks, but I need the clothes,” she sniffs and quickly moves towards the kitchen, opening the cabinet door under the sink and grabbing a roll of trash bags. “This is probably the better way to gather it. Everything will have to be washed.” I grab the trash bags and head outside.

We’ve gathered all the clothes we can reach. I bend down and grab some of the pages from her school book. “What are you studying?”

Odette looks up at me, blowing a lose strand of hair from her face. “Nursing.”

I smile. That suits her. It makes me happy to know that someone like her will be in the medical field, helping people, saving people. Those qualities already shine through, and I don’t even really know her; but I want to, a little voice in my head whispers. “What made you want to do that?”

She stands up and dusts her hands off. “It’s going to sound cliché, but I want to help people. I know I won’t be able to save every patient but maybe I can make them more comfortable, hold their hand when no one else is there to do so, maybe I can make them smile with a funny story, wipe away tears when they're scared…” her words trail off and she falls quiet.

Talking doesn’t seem possible right now. I manage to clear my throat. “I think you’re going to make a great nurse.” Her words have weaved their way into my soul and imprinted there. I don’t think I’ve ever heard a better reason for a career choice.

Her smile grows sad. “I won’t. I mean I think I would be, but I probably won’t get to finish it. I’m a certified nursing assistant already and I may just have to learn to be okay with that.”

Odette makes her way around the pool to where I’m standing holding some pages from a book. “Why do you say that?”

Her shoulders rise and fall with a deep breath. “Onyx got mixed up in all of this, sent to jail, to try and help pay the difference of tuition. These books that Lyle tore apart are really necessary and I don’t have them now. I can’t afford to replace them. I won’t let Onyx put herself on the line any more for me and what I want. She’s sacrificed everything for Odin and me. It’s time I take a few for the team.”

Another reason on the growing list of many that I have for finding Odette completely captivating. The odd little tug I feel towards her reappears, like it always does. The fact that she can be so passionate about being a nurse yet willing to give it up for her family speaks volumes about the person that she is. “Maybe, it doesn’t have to be one or another.”

Her eyes meet mine. “I think it does. The course load alone for nursing is pretty time consuming. I need a job, but I haven’t been able to find one that is willing to work with my school schedule. I can’t keep letting Onyx take everything on her shoulders alone, we’re a team and we need to act like one.” I nod my head, accepting the answer but not fully embracing it. There’s no reason it has to be this way; she just doesn’t know it yet. She turns to the pool. “We can leave those. What you managed to reach should be enough.” Odette is willing to sacrifice her career, so I’ll be damned if she has to sacrifice her personal belongings too. Without a second thought I yank my shirt over my head and start to toe off my sneakers and unbutton my jeans. “What are you doing?” she asks, surprise evident in her voice.

As my jeans drop to the ground with a heavy thud thanks to my belt, I look over at her. “Getting the rest of your things.”

Her cheeks are flushed, eyes wide, mouth slightly ajar as she takes in my body. There’s no use in denying that I enjoy the fact that she’s taking a moment to look at me. I do it more than enough to her. She opens her mouth then closes it back before she starts fidgeting and looking around like the backyard finally became the most interesting place she’s ever been. I bite back the laughter I feel building. “We don’t, I mean, you don’t have to do that.”

“I know, but I am,” I tell her with a nod of my head.

As I move around the pool to the steps, I feel her eyes follow me. Heated and greedy. I feel like I’m king of the world right now. “You’re going to get all wet.”

I chuckle at her feeble attempt to sway my current decision. “That is what usually happens in a pool.”

“Tillman…,” she sighs.

I wade down the steps, the cool water instantly chilling me to the bone. By the time I’m waist deep it feels good though. Glancing over at her I say, “Odette…” Gathering the rest of her things I swim over to the side and place them into a trash bag she has ready and waiting. Once she steps back, I hoist myself up on the side until I’m fully out of the pool. When I look over, Odette is standing there shaking her head. “What?” I ask.

“I swear that’s a scene in some teen movie somewhere.”

Her comment makes me laugh. My head falls back. When I look back at her she’s moved to some built-in cabinets by the firepit. After grabbing a towel she comes back and hands it to me. I think about her comment. “I don’t think it’s in a movie. There’s usually a girl getting out of a pool in slow motion to appease the teenage boys who want to act like they’re too cool to watch the movie in the first place.”

Odette twists her mouth in concentration. “That’s a damn shame because that’s a movie I would have watched.” I watch as she turns around, grabs a couple of bags and walks away, her hips move to a rhythm of their own. My body is no longer cool, it is hot as fire now.

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