17.
Petal
The doors of the elevator closed around her, and it began to descend. She was alone in it, since it was going to the corporate parking level below. That meant Petal was trapped in the little box with her thoughts. Attempting to ignore them, she closed her eyes. The walls were all reflective glass, and so the only way to ignore herself was to look at the backs of her eyelids.
And let me tell you, those were damn interesting!
The soft ding announced they were there. She strode off and toward the taxi zone. Her car was in the shop, so she’d been forced to use a service to get her to and from work. In the morning she’d used a basic yellow-cab service. It had been horrendous. So she’d decided to splurge after work.
A sleek matte-black luxury sedan was just pulling up to the gate, the driver barely visible behind the tinted windows. It was devoid of any lettering or logos, which she liked. The passenger-side window rolled down. “Miss Olson?”
She nodded. Almost immediately the door opened and the driver exited, smoothly coming around the front. She indicated she was going to ride in the back, and he pulled the door open for her. She slid inside and he pushed it closed gently.
“My apologies for not being here earlier,” he said upon re-entering. “There was an accident that happened literally right in front of me. Unavoidable unfortunately.” He sighed, an over-the-top sound. “Some people.”
The car pulled smoothly out into traffic and she leaned back into the seat. The driver wisely stayed silent after that, simply guiding the car to her condo on the other side of the city.
The skyscrapers passed by slowly on either side as they contended with afternoon traffic. The huge metal, concrete, and glass buildings that had once seemed so beautiful and modern to her now felt like they were pressing in on either side of her, making her feel claustrophobic in her own hometown. Any time she closed her eyes, Petal was transported back to the calmness of the hills of Surrey. Where the hills were covered in trees and the people moved at a pace that wasn’t frantic.
A horn blared from the car next to them and she heard the driver hiss in anger. Clearly he was holding back some road rage at the other vehicle. From what she could see, they’d been cut off by some little import vehicle with an overly loud exhaust and a rear windshield absolutely plastered with ridiculous decals for various car parts companies and stores. Lovely. Just another thing that the country didn’t have.
There are yahoos everywhere, girl. In the country they probably just drive huge pickups.
Maybe. But she would have a much easier time avoiding them there when there was no traffic to speak of.
“Does it ever feel oppressive to you?” she asked suddenly, leaning forward.
Her driver—Michael, according to the laminated white card fixed to the dash—jerked in surprise as she spoke. He’d likely tuned out the fact that she was even in there, based on how quiet she’d been for the past twenty minutes or so.
“Um, pardon, ma’am?”
Petal smiled. The boy had manners, she liked that.
“Just Petal is fine.”
“Okay. Pardon, Petal?”
Oh, she liked him.
“This.” She waved her hand out into the front seat and around, to indicate she was talking about the city. “All of it. Does it ever feel like it’s just closing in on you, pressing in from all sides?”
He shrugged. “No, not really. I love the hustle and bustle, the constant go-go-go of it all. There’s always something going on, something new or different to experience or see. Always changing, never quite the same. You wouldn’t get that out in some country bumpkin town.” His voice was a little too snooty for her, and she revised her opinion of him down a bit.
“I suppose. But there’s no trees. No nature or grass. No forests or open hills.” She knew her voice sounded wistful.
“Maybe. I can see how if you enjoy that, it would feel different. But since you asked me my opinion, I say that sounds somewhat boring.” He paused for a second before continuing. “Besides, the cellphone service is probably atrocious.”
Petal laughed and sat back into her seat. She’d forgotten the age gap between them. Her driver couldn’t be more than twenty-five at most. Probably in his early twenties, and addicted to his phone, like everyone else. She was always on hers while at work, but once the day was done, she put it away. It was one rule she’d never broken, and never intended to. Her life after hours was hers. Not the company’s. If they didn’t like it, she was prepared to walk away, a threat she’d almost had to make good on, before someone had come to their senses and decided they’d rather have her in place during the day only, rather than not at all.
“You sound like you’re missing somewhere.”
Maybe there was hope for him after all.
“Maybe I am. I’m not sure. It’s a confusing situation. I thought I liked the city too. Thought I was at home with the noise and the press of it all. But now…” She shrugged. “Now I don’t know.”
“There’s a guy, isn’t there?”
She jerked. How had he known that?
“Us guys aren’t the only ones who get wistful over someone you know,” he said with a smile.
“I see. You’re very perceptive for someone your age, Michael.”
“Thank you, I try.”
“You did a good job. You’re correct. There is a guy. A wonderful guy.”
That I screwed things up with horribly, possibly beyond repair.
“It’s never too late,” Michael said, as if reading her mind.
“But what if I’m making it out to be better than it is? What if I’ve created this memory in my mind, which isn’t reality?”
The driver thought about it for a bit. “So go back for a visit? Nobody is going to force you to do anything permanently. Go back with a critical eye. See if you were recalling it correctly. Maybe you were. Or maybe it’s worse. But it could also be that it’s better than you remember as well. Don’t forget that.”
It’d be better if Lex didn’t hate me, which I’m sure he does. But the kid has a good point. When did the young ones start getting so smart?
“Maybe,” she said out loud. “Maybe that’s what I’ll do.”
Pulling out her phone, she broke the rule for the first time right then and there, texting Mackenna and telling her to get her tickets back to Surrey as soon as possible. Then she settled back into the leather seats and relaxed for the rest of the drive home. By the time Michael pulled up in front of her condo, her phone was blinking with an email.
You leave tomorrow at eight in the morning. Tickets attached.
Petal smiled. She was going back to Surrey!