Fringe Benefits

"Of course."

They kissed, another tongue-flapper, and they held it an extra beat for emphasis.

"Max, would you like to ride with us when I drive Haley to the train? I mean, if you can take the afternoon off."

"Sure, I can do that, just have to move a couple things around. I'd like to go along and see her off."

He kissed her once again, a short one, then he gathered up the rest of his clothes and left.

----

"Jesus, what happened to you?" Mona said with alarm.

After Max left, Mona had fallen back to sleep for forty-five minutes and woke happy and refreshed. She showered, then put on her robe and went to the kitchen to make coffee. She was pouring her first cup when Haley entered the kitchen. She looked rode hard and put away wet and had two dark welts on her neck.

"I feel like I was hit by a truck," Haley said.

"Dick did that to you?" Mona said, gently touching Haley's neck.

"Who else? What an asshole, I can't believe you're even seeing that guy. I got so pissed, I told him to get the hell out late last night, and if he didn't I was gonna start screaming. Look at this."

Haley pulled her t-shirt down off her shoulder and showed her mother her flesh wound, all puffy and red.

"Oh My God! That's it, he's history."

"Exactly. I never thought going to bed with him would be a blood sport. Did he ever get rough with you?"

"Nothing like that. If he had I would have kicked him out too. What a jerk. Are you all right?"

"I'll be okay. More mad than anything." Haley poured herself a coffee.

"So, I guess swapping men didn't work out so well, huh?"

"Not for me, not by a long shot. But it was different, that's for damn sure. How about you?"

"Uh, I guess you could say my experience was different, too. Yes, different. That's a good way to put it."

----

Max showed up at one p.m. Friday as Mona had suggested. The train station was located seventy-five miles from the beach. They needed to be there by three o'clock to buy the ticket and catch the train, and then Haley would have a long overnight ride back to school.

He rang the bell and Mona answered the door, ushered him in with an unhesitant kiss on his lips.

"The car's already packed," she said. "I hope the weather holds off. I'd hate to drive through a monsoon for an hour and a half. The weather report said there's a heavy storm front heading that way from the southwest."

They waited for a minute or two, then Haley appeared. She wore black jeans and a white turtle neck up to her chin, which Max thought was odd, and quite different from the way she'd dressed all summer. He leaned to give her a kiss, which she accepted without much reciprocation. Mona grabbed three bottles of water out of the fridge and said, "Let's go."

Mona drove, Haley rode shotgun, Max was in the back. The conversation was forced, mostly Mona and Max asking Haley questions about school, classes, activities, whatever, and not getting much in response. As they drove westward, they could see dark, ominous clouds up ahead.

After about an hour they hit the rain. It was light at first, but soon became heavy, making visibility difficult, and the wind was kicking up. Mona turned on the radio and they listened to reports of massive rainfall, possible flooding and traffic jams. They were driving right into it.

Mona was a nervous wreck by the time they reached the train depot.

"Pull up front," Max said. "You guys go on in, I'll park the car. No sense everybody getting drenched." He unloaded Haley's three bags from the trunk, watched them enter the station and got back in the car. He pulled the car into a lot about a block away, fed the meter and made a run for it.

Back in the station, he found mother and daughter seated on a bench. "Train's running a little behind," Mona said.

"Hurry up and wait," Max said, and sat down beside Haley. "Did they say how long?"

"Not long, only twenty minutes or so."

"Did you get your ticket?" he asked Haley. She nodded and held the ticket up for him to see.

After a few minutes of tentative small talk there was an announcement for her train. They all stood up, said their goodbyes, hugged, kissed. The kiss Max received was a glancing blow, and his hug was more given than received. He could feel it was over between them. Then Haley picked up her bags, one in each hand and the smaller one hanging from her shoulder, turned and headed for the train.

"Call me when you get in," Mona called.

"Me too," Max added.

But Haley didn't seem to hear.

----

"You wait here, stay dry," Max said, under the canopy at the front of the depot. "I'll go get the car and pick you up." Before Mona could reply he ran off into the downpour.

A short while later Max pulled the car up in front of Mona and she got in. Then he drove back into the rain and down the street. After a quarter mile he stopped at a traffic light. Making a left would put them on the highway east, and back to the beach.

It was dark and stormy, black clouds, thunder, lightning bolts nearby. Max watched through the windshield as wind-aided wavelets of rainwater swirled across the street. He didn't look forward to a long, hairy drive through this kind of slop.

They sat in the car waiting for the light to change, staring ahead. Across the highway before them was an old motel. The place was lighted up and an orange neon sign flashed VACANCY in the inky afternoon.

Mona put her hand on his and said, "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"I think so," Max said as the light turned green.

He pressed the gas pedal, made a left and then a quick right into the parking lot and pulled right up to the office.

"Right?" he asked.

"Right," she said.

He got out of the car and ran into the office. Mona watched through the window as he checked them in. After a few minutes he ran back out and jumped in the car. He drove about forty yards and parked in front of their room. They had no luggage, so they hopped out of the car and onto the covered walkway. Max unlocked the door, flipped on a light and they went in and shut the door behind them as quickly as possible to get out of the weather.

The motel was two buildings separated by a protected breezeway between them. Max had gotten them the room on the end of the first building, right next to the breezeway.

Close to the ice machine.

*******