Arrival: A Post-Apocalyptic Thriller

6

“Thanks, Sam.”

“We’ll see you later, Maya.”

Maya smiled as she winked at the cashier and then walked out of the convenience store. Reno sat in the rig off to the side of the parking lot, waiting for her. The Mapco Mart on the corner of Jefferson and Rosa Parks, located on the fringe of downtown Nashville, was a place they stopped at every day during their shift to grab a coffee or pick up a snack.

Maya opened her water bottle and took a sip before climbing back into the driver’s seat. There, she opened a small bag of peanuts and dropped some into her hand to toss them into her mouth.

“You know, you’re lucky I don’t have a peanut allergy. You’d have to get a new partner.”

“And you think I’d have a problem with that?” Maya asked.

“You’re saying you’d pick peanuts over me?”

Maya shrugged and grinned.

“Ah,” Reno said, an insincere frown trying to hide a smile. “I’m a little hurt.”

“Yeah, whatever. You sure you don’t want anything? Sam was a little bummed you didn’t come inside today.”

“I’m sure he was.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means that I’m sure he’s glad I wasn’t in the way.”

Maya furrowed her brow.

“I mean, he’s got the hots for you,” Reno said.

“What?” Maya asked, scrunching up her face. “He’s at least thirty years older than me.”

“So? Some women are into that.”

“Well, I’m not.”

“What are you into, then?”

Maya felt herself blushing and started up the rig. She glanced in the mirror to make sure the area was clear.

“Come on,” Reno said. “You don’t wanna tell me about this guy you’re going out with tonight?”

“Not particularly. You’re my partner.”

“And your friend. Don’t pretend like we never talk about our personal lives.” He playfully winked and smiled. “Come on. Tell me about… what’s his name? Rick? Or was it Dick?”

“It’s Nick, you jerk.”

“Yeah, Nick. Tell me about Nick.”

“There isn’t much to tell. I don’t know the guy. And I don’t think I’ll be getting to know him anytime soon.”

Reno shook his head. “You did it again. Didn’t you?”

“I don’t wanna talk about this, Reno.”

“How many dates are you going to break off? This is like, what, the third one in six months?”

Maya said nothing. Sweat beaded on her forehead. What Reno had said was true, though his numbers were off—she’d canceled four dates in five months, almost a stand-up a month.

“I’m sorry,” Reno said. “I shouldn’t be messing with you about this.”

“No, it’s all right. Like you said, we’re friends. Friends rib each other.”

“Friends can talk, too, you know.”

Maya looked at him then, suddenly thankful to have a partner like Reno. She could tell he was a good guy, and he was a heck of a lot more enjoyable to have around than her previous partner, Doug. Doug had been twenty-five years older than Maya, and they’d had virtually nothing in common.

“I don’t want to bore you with my single-mom life.”

“You think that bores me?” Reno let out a small laugh. “My mom raised four kids on her own. I know more about it than you might think.”

Maya turned away and swallowed. “Things have just been a little hard lately. Everything’s fine with Aiden, but Laura’s got that teen girl thing going on where she thinks she knows it all. I figured it would come eventually, but now that it’s here, it’s even tougher to deal with than I’d imagined. Now I know how my parents felt.”

“You? A know-it-all phase?” Reno laughed at his own sarcasm.

She grinned and shook her head, smiling until she thought of the underlying reason for her family’s dysfunction.

“And Gerald… God.”

Maya had complained about Gerald to Reno before—a lot. And it wasn’t fair to Gerald. Reno had never met the man, but he probably thought he was the worst guy on Earth. Maybe she was too hard on her ex-husband, despite his constant arrogance and inconsiderate nature, but it was hard not to be. She believed that he loved his children, at least, even though he spent too much time trying to please the new girlfriend instead of them.

“I wish he’d be a little more considerate, you know? The kids still love him. And I want them to have a dependable father-figure in their lives. But time and time again, he does things to disappoint them.”

“What now?” Reno asked.

Maya told him how Gerald had missed Laura’s career day at school, even though she had told him about it several weeks ago, reminding him many times since. Then she explained how he’d been angry when Maya wouldn’t cancel her mother’s plans so Gerald could see them this weekend.

“You did the right thing,” Reno said. “Just because he messed up doesn’t mean your mother should have to sacrifice her time with them. And if he thinks otherwise, then screw him. He’s an asshole.”

Maya stared at Reno.

“Sorry,” he said. “I got a little carried away.”

“It’s okay,” Maya said. “I didn’t know you felt so strongly about him.” She laughed.

“Yeah, well. From what you say…”

They came to a stoplight and Maya patted Reno on his leg. “Thanks for listening. I know you have to put up with my drama far too often.”

“Drama?” Reno scoffed. “You don’t know my sister. She’s the drama queen. Besides all that, you were there for me when I had my own stuff going on.”

Reno had survived a nasty break-up three months before, and sure enough, Maya had heard plenty. He’d met Robin at the University of Maryland, and they’d dated for five years. Reno had moved to Nashville in the first place because Robin had taken a job there, and he had moved in with her. He’d become a paramedic a few years later and had been partners with Maya ever since.

“You two talked yet?” Maya asked.

Reno shook his head. “I don’t see that happening. It’s a shame, too. We were friends for so long.”

“Sometimes people change. A lot can happen to a relationship between the ages of twenty-one and twenty-five.”

“Now you sound like my damn mother.”

Maya laughed. “Yeah, now this is making me feel old.”

“All good. I appreciate all you did for me.”

“And just when are you gonna jump back into the pool?”

“Haven’t thought much about it, to be honest.”

“Come on. You’re a young, good-looking guy living in Nashville. You gotta live it up, man.”

“I’m not into all that. I don’t think I want to date a bunch of girls. I think I’d rather wait for the right one to come along. One and done, you know?”

“That’s what I thought. Didn’t work out that way.”

“Yeah.”

“Well, whatever woman snags you up is going to be lucky.”

Reno smiled at Maya, and then simply mumbled, “Yeah,” before he put his hand on his chin and looked out the window.

Maya narrowed her eyes. She’d opened her mouth to ask Reno what he was thinking about when the EMD radio came to life with a call.

“Corner of 5^th and Broadway. Bicycle/automobile collision.”

“Here we go,” Maya said. She flipped on the siren and hit the gas.