Page 18 of Almost There
Eastern winds whipped against their heads and tangled up her curls. Tessa pulled her hair back into a tighter bun as she stood in the face of it, gulping in the hot and dry air. The dust was relentless as it flew around them, but she’d rather chew mouthfuls of it than to breathe in another second of smoke. Moose chased the kids around the tumble weeds and cacti, his barks getting lost in the rumble of the breeze.
At least they were laughing now and hopefully not seriously damaged for life. Kids are resilient. She prayed that was the truth.
The next one hundred and forty miles were nothing but back roads with no towns or structures marked on the map. Miles of open desert lay in front of them. They had enough gas to make it to the next stop. There was enough food and water. Yeah, but what if you break down? Tessa walked around the truck to check the tires and undercarriage for any potential problems, her anxiety creeping back again.
Robin waited behind the tailgate, hiding from the worst of the wind as she watched the kids play. Mason threw a dirt clod for Moose to chase and howled with laughter as it disintegrated back to the earth.
“Should we have done something to help those people back on the freeway? I think that fire is only going to get worse for them,” Robin said when Tessa got close enough to hear her over the wind. They both looked to the west and the landscape that was sucked into the sweeping clouds of smoke they’d left behind.
“What could we have done?” Tessa shoved her hands in her pockets. She already knew the guilt would plague her for the rest of her life. But her children were safe. And what about their children? She turned back to the east and let the wind dry her face.
“It’s only going to get worse, isn’t it?” Robin sighed. “I was waiting for someone to rush the truck and take it from us. And not just like Olive on your street. Like a desperate person or some actual criminal who wouldn’t hesitate to hurt us just because they can.”
Robin pressed her lips together in a thin line as the words brought up the pain she carried. Tessa waited a moment for her to speak, giving her space to get it out, but Robin wrapped her arms over her chest and shut herself down again.
“Olive, huh?” Tessa gave a sad smile as she glanced back at the road they’d traveled. “I thought I was bad with names.”
“From henceforth she is Olive,” Robin stated. “I freaking hate olives.”
“How can you hate olives?” Tessa took a step back with her hand over her heart. “What did they ever do to you?”
“Existed.” Robin shrugged.
“Remember how you said I could trust you?” Tessa teased. “I’m not so sure about that now.”
“Speaking of trust.” Robin laughed. “How did you know we would get through that fire? There was a moment I thought you might be insane.”
I don’t know. Tessa shook her head. “Honestly, I just stopped thinking and pushed through.”
“Mom instinct for the win again.” Robin winked, then cursed when she got dirt in her eye. “Are we staying long? If so, I need my sunglasses.”
“We should probably get back on the road now anyway. I think they’ve stretched their legs enough.” Tessa cupped her hands over her mouth and screamed for the kids. Moose’s ears perked up, catching the noise over the wind, and he nudged Mason forward. The kids came running with the dog on their heels, all smiles and red-faced from playing in the desert heat.
“At least we get to roll the windows down now. What kind of a truck doesn’t have AC?” Robin huffed as she slammed the door closed behind her. “I hate to say it, but this is really the apocalypse.”