Page 116 of Road Trip
“Where were you last night?”
Therese stretched and yawned before answering. “Just chatting with some insurance type guys down in the hotel bar. They’re part of the conference that sucked up all the rooms with queen beds.”
She looked over at Maeve, who was packing her toiletries into her carry-on bag. “By the way, has anyone ever told you that you’re a big cover hog?”
“No. But I’d love to know why you have to twist and turn all night? You’re like a damn rotisserie chicken.”
“These hotel pillows are like foam rocks. I miss normal pillows.”
Therese disappeared into the bathroom and came out twenty minutes later, dressed in black leggings, an oversized Kiss T-shirt from the 1980 Unmasked Tour, and her Chuck Ts. She had a towel wrapped around her still-damp hair.
Maeve made a point of looking at her watch. “We need to be on the hotel shuttle in thirty minutes, so you need to get a move on, big sister.”
“I’m moving,” Therese said. She picked up her purse and looked inside. “Have you seen my phone?”
“No, but I haven’t looked for it.”
“Call my number, okay?”
Maeve tapped the icon with her sister’s number, but it didn’t ring in the room.
“Shit. I think I put it on silent last night while I was in the bar.”
“Where did you have it last?” Maeve asked.
“Not sure. I know I had it in the pocket of my jacket when I went downstairs.”
“Could you have left it in the bar?”
“I don’t know. Maybe. I was talking to a guy from Atlanta. His sister went to St. Mary’s, but she was a couple classes behind you—”
“Therese, focus!” Maeve wanted to shake her sister.
“I am focusing.” Therese went back into the bathroom, shook her head. Opened the drawers in the nightstand. “Not there.”
She got down on her hands and knees and stuck her head under the bed.
“Found it!” She held the phone aloft like an Olympic medal.
“Thank God. Come on, get your crap together. The elevators in this hotel are the slowest.”
The two sisters rolled their suitcases down the hall and stopped in front of the bank of elevators. Two had “Out of Service” signs on them. The display board for the third elevator car showed that it was on the twelfth floor.
The minutes ticked away as they watched the car stop at every floor on the way down. Finally a bell dinged and the elevator doors slid open to reveal a car jam-packed with travelers and luggage. A burly man extended his arm to stop them from entering. “All full!” he announced. “Have to catch the next one.”
Therese pointed down the hallway to the staircase. “Come on, we’ll have to take the stairs.”
The sisters clattered down the four flights of stairs. By the time they emerged into the lobby they were red-faced and breathless. People were streaming past them toward the entrance, where an airport shuttle bus was parked at the curb.
“Hurry,” Maeve urged, but Therese was already a few paces ahead of her. They joined the line of passengers but were among the last to board the bus, meaning they both had to stand during the ten-minute ride to the airport, squashed butt-cheek-to-butt-cheek with strangers.
“At least we’ll be the first ones off,” Therese whispered in her sister’s ear.
They were makinga beeline for the Delta check-in counter, but Therese stopped to tie her shoelace. Maeve turned around to wait, but Therese waved her on. “I’ll catch up.”
Maeve stepped up to the counter when it was her turn, placing her suitcase on the luggage scale.
“ID please?” the ticket agent asked.
