Lost Girl in Transition Ch. 19

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Showered, dressed, and ready to take on the day, Claudia was in the kitchen filling her travel coffee mug. Once full of the hot beverage, she grabbed one of the muffins that Mona had baked, then headed towards the hallway and in the direction of the bedrooms.

“Mom, are you ready yet?” She loudly called out. “Finals start at ten a.m., so we better get on the road.” Now at the door to her mother’s room, Claudia nudged it open and stepped inside, scanning the neatly kept area before walking further in. “Hello, are you in here?”

The sound of vomiting in the attached bathroom provided a response and in a rush Claudia moved forward, entering the small space to find her mother kneeling in front of the toilet.

“Oh no, you’ve got morning sickness…” Positioning herself beside Mona, Claudia tenderly rubbed her back, then tore off a large wad of toilet paper so that Mona could wipe off her mouth.

“Sorry to keep you waiting, sugarplum…” She dry heaved once, then twice before throwing up again, then let out a shaky breath before continuing to speak. “I’m really sick, Claude. Might take me a few minutes to get the rest of this out.”

“If you’re not well enough to go, I can call someone up and have them drive me to school.”

“Who?” Mona’s breath came out shaky as she wiped off her mouth.

“How about Tina?” Claudia asked. “She can drive, right? And I’m sure she wouldn’t mind.”

“She can drive, but she doesn’t,” Mona said. “She had a real bad accident a year ago, and ever since then she hasn’t been behind the wheel.”

“Well maybe Kimi’s mom could take me,” Claudia said.

“No, she’s got work in a few hours. She recently started that job at the tribal office, remember? So there’s no way she can take the day off.”

“That’s right, I forgot,” Claudia said, and easing out a sigh, began to search her mind. “Tristan’s parents work too so I can’t ask them, and Big John won’t be home from work until noon…”

“Lucas…” Mona gagged, then heaved violently over the toilet, but when nothing came out, she shakily sighed and spoke again. “Lucas will help. Call him.”

“He’s probably working,” Claudia said. “It’s nearly five a.m., which means he’s due at the lumber mill soon.”

“Just call him,” Mona said in an exasperated voice. “He’ll do it, you know he will.”

Not wanting to irritate her mother any further, Claudia retrieved her mobile from her tote bag. “Alright, I’ll give him a call. But in the meantime I’m going to make you some licorice tea. It should help with your morning sickness, right?”

“Yes,” Mona said while lifting her head from the toilet, but as another bout of vomiting suddenly came through, she let loose a generous stream.

“Hang tight, mom,” Claudia said while lovingly rubbing her shoulder. “I’ll be right back, okay?”

As Claudia left the bathroom she quickly dialed in Lucas’s number, pressing the receiver against her ear as she went to the kitchen. The line rang a few times before being picking up, then the sound of his voice came through the mobile.

“Hello?”

“Lucas, It’s Claudia.”

“Wow, you’re up early. What’s going on?”

“Sorry to call you right before your shift, but I need a really huge favor and don’t have anyone else to ask.”

“Okay,” Lucas said. “What is it?”

“First off, do you have finals today?”

“No, It’s Friday. I took my last final on Thursday.”

“So you only have work today.”

“Yep. Why, what’s up?

“I need a ride into the city,” she said. “Those online classes I’ve been taking have finals today, and I have to go in-person in order to complete my exams.”

“What time do you have to be there?”

“Ten a.m.”

“And how long does it take to drive?”

“About three and a half hours.”

A brief silence preceded his next words. “Well It’s a quarter till five right now, so that leaves just a bit over five hours until exams.”

“Right,” Claudia said. “But with traffic it could be longer, maybe four hours, or even a bit longer.”

“We’re cutting it close,” he said.

“I know.” She filled a tea kettle with water, then set it on the stove to boil. “My mom was supposed to drive me but she’s got terrible morning sickness. So clearly she’s in no shape to drive.”

“Gotcha,” Lucas said.

“I know It’s five hours out to the university, so I totally get It’s a lot to ask you. But if you could possibly help me out Lucas, I’d be like forever thankful to you.”

“Well It’s not the drive that bothers me. It’s just my boss is a real tight ass, and doesn’t like last minute call-outs.”

“So he’ll probably say no then, huh?”

“He will unless I get someone to work for me. Which now that I think of it, I just might know a guy who will.”

“Really?” Claudia’s heart lifted.

“Yeah, this guy named Steve. I worked for him a bunch of times when his kid was sick, so he’d probably be willing to cover my shift.”

“That would be great,” Claudia said. “Do you think you could call him right now?”

“Sure, I’ll give him a ring and see what’s going on.”

“Thank escort bayan you so much, Lucas. I really appreciate you even trying.”

“No problem, just give me a few minutes and I’ll get right back to you, okay?”

“Sounds good,” Claudia said. “I’ll wait for your call.”

No sooner had Claudia put her phone down, did the kettle begin to boil, blowing its whistle loudly until she turned the gas off. Having already prepared a mug with a teabag, Claudia added the hot water, then stirred in a bit of sugar before lifting it in her hands.

On entering her mother’s bedroom she saw that Mona was on the bed, brows furrowed and mouth drawn tight from the nausea that ailed her body. As Claudia approached the bed Mona sat up, then accepted the mug and took a sip.

“I want you to drink the whole thing, okay mom?”

Nodding her head, Mona sipped again.

“I may have a ride out to university,” she said. “But It’s not for sure yet, so we’ll see.”

“He’ll take you,” Mona said. “You know he will, Claude. That boy is sweet on you.”

“I guess,” Claudia said, but as Mona rose her brow and gave her a look, Claudia could only smile. “How’s the tea?”

“It’s helping. I can feel it working already, thank God.”

“Good,” Claudia said. “Because I really hate to see you suffering.”

Grabbing an unused pillow from Big John’s side of the bed, Claudia propped it behind her mother’s back. She then unfolded a throw blanket, spreading it out over her mother’s legs.

“Need anything else, or are you good?” Claudia asked.

“I’m good,” Mona replied, but just as she did, the sound of Claudia’s ringtone filled the air.

Hoping like hell that Lucas had good news for her, Claudia quickly answered.

“Hello?”

“Claude, hey. So it looks like I can do it.”

“Oh, awesome. Thank you so much, Lucas.”

“Not a problem,” he replied. “I know you’re in a tight jam so I’m glad to help out.”

“What time do you think you can be here?” Claudia asked. “It’s five right now, so the sooner the better.”

“Well I’m just out of the shower and kinda naked right now, so I need to put some clothes on. But once I do that, I’ll be on my way.”

“Naked, Lucas? Did you really need to mention that?”

“I didn’t need to, but I wanted to.” He lightly chuckled. “Why, did it create a visual?”

“You know darn well it did. You did that on purpose.”

This time he gave a snicker.

“You’re bad,” she said with a grin.

“Yeah, and you love it.”

The grin remained, but there was also a flush beneath her dark brown skin.

“I’ll be at your house in fifteen minutes. See you then, alright?”

“Alright,” Claudia said. “See ya.”

After pressing the call end button, she dropped her phone into her leather tote bag. But on shifting her gaze to Mona, Claudia saw that her brows were raised in a playful manner.

“So…you and Lucas were flirting, huh?”

“We were just messing around,” Claudia replied.

“Uh-huh,” she said with a smirk. “I knew you still had the hots for him.”

“Well I’m not with Tristan anymore, so It’s not as if I was doing something wrong.”

“Hey, no judgment from me, sugarplum. You have to move on, It’s only natural.”

“Speaking of Tristan, I need to send him a text. See if he still wants to meet up on campus later.”

“So you two are still friends. That’s good.”

“Of course. Our connection is too special to just throw away.”

“Well I’m glad. I always did think Tristan was a nice young man.”

“He really is a special guy,” Claudia responded. “But since we’re on this subject, what do you think of Lucas?”

“Why? Are you thinking of getting back with him?”

“No, It’s not that,” she said in a flustered kind of way. “I’m just purely curious is all.”

“Oh.” With a ghost of a smile, Mona gave her opinion. “Well, he’s a lot different now than what I had originally expected.”

“And what did you originally expect?”

“Well, from what Big John used to tell me about him, he seemed like the player type. Not someone I would have personally picked out for you.”

“Okay.” Curious to hear more, she waited for Mona to continue.

“He seemed advanced in a sexual way and that worried me, because I knew you were still a virgin while dating him. To be honest I was certain he was going to break your heart, but clearly it never happened so I guess I was wrong.”

“So you like him now…”

“I always did like him, just wasn’t quite certain of his intentions. But Big John never trusted Lucas, and always told me he much preferred Tristan.”

“Not a surprise,” Claudia said. “Tristan is his nephew, after all.”

A smile crossed Mona’s face at that remark, but then a thoughtful expression came over her features.

“So Lucas is working at the lumber mill and going to college now, huh? Gotta say, I never saw either of those coming.”

“Neither did I,” Claudia said. “But I’m really glad that he’s making advancements.”

“Yeah, he’s definitely matured, so good for him.”

What bayan escort followed was a comfortable silence, during which Mona took a leisurely sip of her tea. Claudia just stood there casually gazing out of the bedroom window, noticing how the sky was still dark as the sun had yet to rise.

“So anyways, that’s my opinion,” Mona stated. “Go forth and do what you feel is best.”

“Like I said, I was just purely curious. Your opinion wouldn’t change anything, mom. I just wanted to know.”

“Alright,” Mona said with a smile, but as a knock suddenly sounded at the front door, she lifted her brows at Claudia. “There he is.”

“Guess that’s my cue, then.” Leaning over the bed, she gave her mother a kiss on the cheek. “Anything else you need before I take off?”

“Nope, I’m good. Now get outta here and ace those exams.”

“I will,” Claudia replied, and with a soothing rub on her mother’s pregnant belly, bid her unborn brother a goodbye. “Later, baby. Don’t make mama throw up anymore, okay?”

Mona smiled at Claudia while watching her leave, and with a wave goodbye, Claudia was off. Already wearing a leopard print coat and black scarf, she was bundled up and ready for the cold, so on reaching the front door, she swung it open.

“Hey, Lucas.”

“Hey, Claude.” His eyes went all soft as he looked her over. “You ready to hit the road?”

“Yep.” She stepped outside and closed the door, then followed beside Lucas as they went to his truck. “Thanks again for picking me up.”

“Of course. I couldn’t let you fail your exams, could I?”

“Guess not,” she replied. “But just wanna let you know how much I appreciate it.”

“Get me a nice Christmas gift, and we’ll call it even.”

“I’ll do the best I can,” Claudia said. “But I haven’t got a whole lot of money, so…”

“I was joking, Claude. I don’t expect a gift.”

“But you’re getting me one, so It’s only fair.”

Having reached the old pickup, they both got in, and after starting the engine Lucas backed up, then turned onto the street and accelerated.

“Yeah I’m getting you a gift,” he said to her, “but It’s not because I want one back.”

“Well I’m still getting you one anyways,” Claudia said. “So even if you don’t want it, you’re gonna take it.”

With a smile, he gave his response. “Alright, so get me one. But let’s not go overboard, okay? Keep it cheap.”

“Not 99 cent store cheap, though. We don’t want the presents breaking immediately after opening them up.”

“Alright.” The corners of his eyes wrinkled as he broadly smiled.

“So how were your finals?” Claudia asked. “You took your last one yesterday, right?”

“Yep.” Now entering the highway ramp, Lucas increased his speed. “They went really well, actually. I fully expect to get A’s and B’s.”

“That’s awesome, you must have studied a lot.”

“Oh yeah, I put in some serious hours. I even joined a study group to make sure I really knew my shit.”

“I’m impressed,” Claudia said. “I’ve never joined a study group in my life.”

“Because you’re brainy,” Lucas said. “You don’t need people to quiz you, you probably remember everything immediately after reading. Me, I gotta hammer it in, make sure it sticks before I take a test.”

“Well if that’s your method, then keep at it. Whatever keeps those grades high, you know?”

Lucas nodded. “So, how’s it been taking those online classes? Must be different not being on campus, huh?”

“It’s very different,” she said. “But I guess It’s what I needed, because It’s given me the chance to get therapy from Tina. Plus I actually have time to focus on me, and that’s been a really important thing.”

“That’s great, Claude. It’s really terrific to know you’re making advancement.”

“Thanks,” she said. “It’s been a lot of hard work and facing up to things I didn’t want to, but I know in the long run It’ll only continue to help me.”

“Definitely.” He lightly nodded before clearing his throat. “So I know the last time we spoke, you told me Tristan and you had decided to break up…”

“Yeah…” There was a question mark in Claudia’s tone.

“Well I was kinda wondering how you’ve been dealing with it. I mean it must be hard, considering you two were so close.”

“We still are,” Claudia said. “Only difference is, we’re no longer romantically involved.”

“Okay.”

“It is hard, though.” Her voice slightly broke. “But knowing we’re still good friends makes it easier to deal with.”

Perhaps not knowing how to respond, Lucas remained quiet and focused on the road. For awhile, so did Claudia. But feeling the need to express her thoughts, she once again started to speak.

“Maybe It’s kind of a good thing that I’m alone now, you know? It’s probably healthier anyways, considering I am still going through therapy.”

“Right,” Lucas replied. “You probably need that time to just be with yourself.”

“Yeah,” Claudia responded in a hopeful way, but there was a sadness hidden in her pretty face.

Only two lanes in width, Highway escort 2 stretched out before them, cutting through endlessly expansive prairie that was known as Plains Indian country. Trees were sparse, hills lightly clustered with modestly built houses and well-aged mobile homes that were tinted with rust.

Then eventually they were past reservation land, and passing small towns barely large enough to warrant a dot on the map. Since traffic was sparse, Lucas increased his speed, engine lightly grumbling as he went up to 60 mph.

“It’s good you’re taking your time,” Lucas suddenly said after their moment of stillness. “Not much good ever comes from rushing, you know?”

With a nod of her head, Claudia agreed.

“But of course I would be lying if I said I wasn’t hoping for another chance with you.”

Turning her head to look at him, Claudia saw he was studying her, as if gauging her reaction. But then he turned his attention back to the road, and she was given the chance to just stare at him.

“You know I feel about you, Lucas.”

“Of course I do, Claude.”

“And you get that I have a strong attraction to you, one that obviously Isn’t going away…”

“Yep.”

“But I don’t want to say anything just yet. I mean It’s only been four days since Tristan and I ended, so I’m still processing all of these feelings.”

“I understand,” Lucas replied. “No need to explain further, I totally get it.”

And it seemed that he truly did, because a silence then fell between them. It was a comfortable kind of silence, though, the kind that allowed them both to remain perfectly content. It wasn’t long, however, before the sound of Lucas’s voice broke the stillness surrounding them.

“You’re worth it.” With a light nod, he firmly added, “You totally are, so It’s completely okay.”

“I’m worth what?” Claudia asked.

“The wait,” he simply said.

She knew what he meant, of course, so a response wasn’t necessary to give. But she did slyly gaze at him from the corner of her eye, causing him to eventually shift his attention and give her a little smile. It was at that moment she felt a shift in her heart, a type of warmth that she couldn’t ignore.

It was so strong that she couldn’t deny it, But before she had time to properly process what it was, she distracted herself by looking out the window, gazing at the scenery that passed by.

* * * *

Somewhere along that long stretch of Highway 2, Claudia had fallen asleep. She didn’t know whether it was the car stopping, or the sound of the engine knocking as it was turned off, but as she opened her eyes and gazed out of the pitted windshield, she saw they had arrived at the university.

“You slept hard,” were the first words that Lucas said as she awoke. “Must have not gotten much sleep last night, huh?”

She yawned, then sat up straight before shifting her gaze to his face, and after rubbing her eyes to clear the fogginess of sleep, she finally gave a response.

“Was up until midnight studying for finals.”

“Yeah, so you really needed that rest.”

She nodded, then let out another small yawn, but on noticing a blanket was stretched out across her, she gave it a curious look.

“Where’d this come from?”

“The heater is busted in this truck and I thought you might be cold while sleeping. So I figured a bit of extra warmth might do you some good.”

“Well thanks, that was sweet of you,” she said with a smile, and after folding the blanket as best as she could, placed it into the pickup’s rear seat.

“Nice campus.” Now gazing out at the university, Lucas admired the massive stretch of property which was filled with collegiate buildings.

“Yeah, it is.” Claudia took off her seatbelt, then grabbed her purse. “You should explore a bit, see if you like the look and feel of this school.”

“I think I will,” he said. “Maybe I’ll even see what it takes to get into a place like this.”

“You should.” Her eyes went bright with encouragement. “By this time next year, you could be going here, too.”

“Yeah, that’d be nice.” He nodded thoughtfully at the idea.

“Well thank you again for the ride,” Claudia said. “You seriously saved my butt.”

“Not a problem. You know I’m always here for you.”

“You going to hang out in the city for awhile, or head back home right away?”

“I thought I was waiting for you to finish your exams,” he said. “You’ll need a ride back home, right?”

“I can get one with Kimi, Ethan, and Tristan,” she said. “So don’t worry about hanging around for three hours, because they’ll be definitely be heading home for winter vacation.”

“That’s right,” he said. “School won’t be back in session until next year.”

“Yep. Christmas vacation is finally here.”

“Well alright, if you can catch a ride back home with them, then I guess that’s fine.”

“You don’t mind, do you?” Claudia asked. “I mean there wasn’t any reason that you had to stick around, is there?”

“Well like I said, I wanted to check out the campus. And I was thinking to speak with a counselor about their admissions policy and get some paperwork to take back home, so that’d kill some time.”

“Oh…” Noticing the disappointed look in his eyes, Claudia realized that he was hinting at wanting to be the one to drive her back.

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