Finding Somewhere Read Free Page A

the guy asked.
    “Oui.”
    That made us laugh, and the guy turned back to his table and left us alone. Then Delores started making kissing poses by sticking out her lips and closing her eyes. She meant it as a commentary on the guys, mocking them, but finally Sue came with the check.
    “You girls drive careful,” Sue said, tearing off the check.
    “We will,” I said.
    “What kind of horse, anyway?”
    “A chestnut named Speed.”
    “Well, here,” she said, handing us a plastic bag of carrots. “The cook said he had extra.”
    “Thank you,” I said. “That’s really nice.”
    “I like horses,” she said.
    We left a good tip, then slid out of the booth. The trucker guy who had spoken to us said,
“Au revoir.”
    “À bientôt,”
Delores said to him.
    “Inky dinky
parlez-vous
,” the second driver said.
    We linked arms and ran outside. We laughed all the way out to the truck. Delores, the happy Delores. Delores the pretend French-speaking Delores. We kept swinging around and around, like two planets slinging away from the sun. The light had just cleared the White Mountains behind us.

    “M OM ?” I SAID .
    “Where in the world are you?” she asked.
    We were parked in a rest stop not far from Albany. We had already crossed Vermont. Delores had stopped for a bathroom break, and when I checked her cell phone, it had three bars. I called home.
    “I’m in New York State,” I said.
    “With Delores, of course.”
    “Yes,” I said.
    “You girls are going to be the death of me.”
    I didn’t say anything.
    “The Fergusons called here first thing this morning,” Mom said, her voice becoming businesslike. “They’re quite upset with you.”
    “Sorry.”
    “Sorry doesn’t really cut it, does it?”
    “They were going to kill Speed.”
    “They don’t think the horse is in any condition for a road trip. They think you’ll actually be cruel to the horse by taking it somewhere.”
    “I’d never be cruel to a horse. You know that.”
    “You wouldn’t mean to be, Hattie. But sometimes your judgment might fall a little short.”
    We didn’t say anything for a second. Delores returned. She had a water bottle. She sat on the hood of the truck and drank.
    “We’ll take care of the horse,” I said.
    “You’re too young to be riding around the country on your own.”
    “I’m with Delores.”
    “Is that supposed to reassure me? Delores has a history of being fragile, Hattie. We both know that.”
    “It’s only a couple weeks.”
    I heard her breathe out smoke. It was easy to picture her on the back porch, a cigarette in one hand, a cup of coffee in the other, the phone tucked between her chin and shoulder. It was a Wednesday, so she had the midmorning shift at the parts store. She had to be at work at ten.
    “Just when I thought things were a little on track with you,” she said. “You just earned your GED. I thought we were heading somewhere.”
    “I am heading somewhere.”
    “Not in a straight line, I’ll tell you that.”
    “Mom, it’s only going to be a couple weeks. Then we’ll be back.”
    “Delores, too? Because her mom is going to call, and I better know what to say.”
    “Her mom wants her out of there. Her mom has a new boyfriend.”
    “So she’s not coming back? So you won’t just be a couple weeks necessarily.”
    “She’s not sure.”
    “Well, that’s just great. And how will you get back?”
    “I’ll take a bus.”
    “And where are you actually going? Do you know?”
    “I have a couple places in mind.”
    “The Fergusons think the trailer ride will be too much for Speed.”
    “He’s doing fine. We just checked him.”
    “This is just crazy, Hattie.”
    “Not that crazy, Mom. I’m not trying to be defiant. I just knew if I asked people for permission they wouldn’t give it.”
    “By ‘people,’ you mean me?”
    “You or the Fergusons.”
    “It’s their horse, by the way.”
    “It would be dead by now,” I said. “So any way you count it, he’s