Rat-Girl

Glenda eased her car up to the curb and watched as Keith's red Ford disappeared into the apartment's underground garage. She fumbled through her purse, grabbing a pen and feeling for a scrap of paper. Finally, she gave up the search and scrawled the apartment address on the palm of her hand. Shoving the pen back into her purse, she grimaced as she realized it was a permanent marker. Great, now she'd have to go around with Keith's address tattooed to her hand until it wore off. Glenda sat for a moment and stared idly out the window. She'd followed him on an impulse with the intent of finding where he lived. Now that she'd accomplished that goal, she wasn't sure what her next move should be.

Glenda was about to leave when the apartment garage door began opening. To her surprise, Keith's car emerged and sped past her. Instinctively, she pulled out and began following him again. The headlights from the oncoming traffic revealed silhouettes of two people in the car. Glenda clinched her jaw as she considered Keith's passenger - Brandi, no doubt.

It was more difficult keeping up with Keith than before. He was driving faster and more erratically. Glenda felt a flash of panic as she considered the possibility that Keith had noticed her following him. But he didn't seem to be trying to lose her. Besides, she thought, Keith seemed like the kind of guy who would just stop and confront anyone he thought was tailing him. Glenda took a deep breath and calmed herself.

Keith pulled onto the freeway and was soon near the city limits. Glenda reasoned it wasn't worth chasing him across the country and decided to take the next exit and turn around. As she approached the exit, she made her way over to the right lane. She realized Keith was doing the same thing. Panic gripped her again and she slowed down a little to open up more space between the cars. She watched Keith's car speed down the exit. There were few cars out at such a late hour and she would be pulling up right behind him at the stop sign. Glenda crept down the exit.

Keith sped off before Glenda reached him. She watched as he pulled into a dirty motel just off the highway. Glenda pulled over to the shoulder where she could get a better view of the motel parking lot. Keith was stopped in front of the motel office but he wasn't parked. Suddenly, Brandi stumbled out of the passenger's side. After a few moments Keith sped away. In the glaring light from the motel's neon vacancy sign Glenda could tell Brandi was upset, maybe even crying.

Glenda considered her next course of action. Keith had sped off quickly and she'd have trouble catching him. Going home was the smart thing to do. Home, where she could still catch a quick nap before the day started. But, she hadn't done many smart things that night and there was no reason to start now. Glenda slipped the car into drive and eased into the motel parking lot. She pulled next to Brandi and rolled down her window.

"You okay?"

Brandi had been staring at the soggy money in her hands and hadn't noticed the car. She jumped and let out a little squeak when Glenda spoke. Annoyed, Glenda snorted and stared at her.

"I said, are you okay?"

Brandi nodded. "Yeah," she sniffed. "I guess so. Do I know you? You seem familiar."

Glenda gritted her teeth. She and Brandi had worked at the same plant for a year. Not the same line, but still, the same shift. She took a deep breath, and pushed her glasses back up from the tip of her nose, and forced a smile.

"I'm Glenda. I work at the plant."

With her glasses back in place, Glenda's eyes appeared shrunken and beady, almost half their actual size. This was a face Brandi remembered. "Rat-Girl", that's how she and Rusty used to refer to her behind her back.

"Oh, Glenda. I remember you!" Brandi's face brightened."Um, do you think you could give me a ride? It's kind of embarrassing. I'm sort of stuck out here."

"Hop in. Did you have a fight with your boyfriend?"

Brandi slid into the seat and pulled the door shut. "Yeah. It's my own fault. I knew he was a jerk. I should have stayed with my old boyfriend. He was a real sweetie."

"Uh, huh." Glenda felt a burning deep in the pit of her stomach. She didn't want to have this conversation with Brandi. She was kicking herself for choosing this course instead of home.

"So," Brandi said, "I was wondering. Would you mind dropping me off at my old boyfriend's place? You might know him. Rusty? He works at the plant, too."

Glenda nodded as Brandi gave her the address she already knew. She nodded, but there was no way Brandi was going to see Rusty tonight.