Jim Thorn: Arrival: A Post-Apocalyptic Thriller

“You scared the mess out of me.”

“Sorry.”

Maya rubbed his head. “You kids are so quiet.”

“Would you rather us fight every time you come home?”

“I quite prefer the peace, thank you very much. Though I wish you’d read something with words.”

Aiden turned the comic book towards her. “There’s words.”

“Right.”

“It could be worse. I could stare at my phone all day like Laura.”

“Speaking of which, where is your sister?”

Aiden shrugged. “Probably back in her room texting with Jacob.”

“Who?”

“Some boy she likes. She hasn’t told you about him?”

Maya sighed. Laura was at that age. Fifteen had come too soon. Maya wasn’t ready for her little girl to be talking to boys.

“Got any ideas for dinner?” Maya asked.

“You know what I’m going to say.”

“Pizza?” Maya arched her eyebrow.

A grin stretched across Aiden’s face. If there was one thing that could pull him away from his comics, it was pizza. Maya returned the smile. “Pizza sounds like a great idea.”

“Sweet! Can I order?” He’d already grabbed his phone and was searching for the app. It wasn’t like Maya could say no.

“Just make sure you get one without meat. Don’t do that to your sister again.”

“The vegetarian thing is so lame. Why did she have to start doing that?”

“Respect your sister. She doesn’t have to eat meat if she doesn’t want to. Get one with cheese or spinach or something.”

“Order me a salad!” Laura shouted from her bedroom.

Maya looked at her son.

“Yeah, yeah, I heard her.”

She patted her son on the leg as she walked off and down the hall to Laura’s room.

“Hey there,” Maya said.

Laura sat in the middle of her bed, her eyes glued to her phone and white wires trailing from each ear. Maya had known almost immediately which one of her kids had come out as the family’s troublemaker, and Laura was the undisputed champ of the house. Completely in the throes of teenage rebellion, she could go from zero to Maya wanting to strangle her in two seconds flat. Her long brown hair and hazel eyes made Maya feel as though she was looking into a time machine mirror. And remembering her own teen years, Maya knew the boys would be fawning over her daughter. If only she could have one conversation without seeing Laura’s hair in her face or those earbuds in her ears.

Maya leaned against the doorframe and crossed her arms. She whistled, and Laura finally looked up.

“Oh, hi.”

“Hey,” Maya said. “You heard us talking about pizza, but you didn’t hear me saying hello?”

Laura shrugged. “Selective hearing, I guess.”

“I don’t know whether that’s an insult or not.”

“It’s not. I’m just hungry.”

“Me, too. Did you have a good day?”

Laura finished a text before she responded.

It bothered Maya that her daughter couldn’t live in the moment. She always had to be on her phone, oblivious to life happening around her. Maya let it slide now, trying not to create tension between her and her daughter. After what had happened on the call earlier, she wanted no conflicts with either kid tonight.

“It was all right,” Laura finally said, mumbling.

“Well, it doesn’t sound like it was all right. Did something happen?”

“No, I’m okay.”

“Hey.” Maya walked all the way into the room. “You can talk to me. Tell me what’s wrong.”

Tears welled in Laura’s eyes. She tried to hide it by turning away and staring at her phone, but Maya saw it. She sat on the edge of the bed.

“What’s the matter?”

“Today was career day at school. All the other kids had their parents there. But Dad didn’t show up. A ghost. Again .”

That bastard , Maya thought.

She’d split with Gerald three years ago, and she hated the fact that they’d gone through the classic, ugly divorce. In the aftermath, he’d promised to spend time with their children, but Laura and Aiden had been left with one disappointing no-show after another. Maya had done her best to keep their relationship cordial for the sake of Laura and Aiden—which became harder as the kids got older and no longer believed their father’s lies—but it often seemed like there wasn’t much point to the charade. He was a veteran with PTSD and a reliance on the bottle. Not that it was an excuse, but Maya had to acknowledge it as a reality in Gerald’s life

“I was literally the only kid in my class who didn’t have a parent there.”

“I’m so sorry, hon. Look, next time this happens, I’ll take the day off and come. Okay?”

“You came last year. I wanted Dad there.”

“I know it’s no excuse, but he probably forgot. He’s really busy this time of year and you know he lives out of state. Maybe he couldn’t leave the job site.”

Gerald had spent his entire life in the construction industry, and the last Maya had heard, he’d been promoted to foreman for a company based in Bowling Green, Kentucky.

“It’s only an hour drive. He couldn’t take the time to drive down?”

Maya sighed. “Look, Laura. I know you’re upset. Heck, I’m mad that he stood you up like this, too. It’s not right.”

“It was embarrassing .”

“Well, it’s the weekend. You don’t think all those kids in your class are gonna have other things on their minds? They’ll forget all about it by Monday.”

“Yeah, I guess.”

“Speaking of the weekend, are you packed up for Nonna’s?”

“I don’t wanna go to Nonna’s. I wanna hang out here this weekend.”

“She’s really looking forward to seeing you guys. It’ll be good for you. Besides, I really need some time to myself. I’ve had a rough time lately.”

“ You’ve had a rough time?” Laura snorted.

Maya thought about the accident, the pregnant woman. She swallowed a potentially bitter reply. “It’ll be good for you. Nonna always spoils you, even when I tell her not to.”

“Whatever,” Laura said.

Maya leaned in and kissed her daughter on the head. “Have some time to yourself. I’ll come let you know when dinner’s here.”

“Thanks.”

Maya went to the door, but looked back to see Laura wiping her eyes. She couldn’t get the image of the young baby out of her head, and what his mother had gone through after nearly being killed. And to top it off, Gerald couldn’t be bothered to show up at his daughter’s school for a career day.

She bent down and picked up a dirty t-shirt Aiden had thrown into the hallway. She could swear he had grown another three inches overnight. The old adage was true—they grew up fast.

Gerald’s loss.

After dinner and a few hours spent picking up the house, Maya slipped into the bedroom. She turned on the shower and undressed. Standing in front of her vanity, she stared at herself in the mirror. Her brown hair was an oily mess as she pulled it out of its ponytail. Maya was only thirty-five, but days like today made her look twenty years older.

She got into the shower and rested her head against the wall. Closing her eyes, she tried to clear her mind as the hot water ran down her back. Maya thought of Courtney—the pregnant woman she’d helped. She wondered if the woman had woken yet, and if she’d had the opportunity to hold her baby. NICU had stringent rules that often seemed cruel to new parents. In some instances, people had to go days, even weeks, without getting to hold their child. Maya had gone through something similar with her youngest, Aiden.

When Aiden had been born, Maya had held him for only a couple of minutes before the nurses pulled him away to weigh him, remove the umbilical cord, and run some tests. He’d begun coughing, and before Maya knew it, more nurses had flooded into the room. The OBGYN tended to Maya, trying to keep her calm, but despite the frantic energy in the delivery room, Maya had seen a nurse perform CPR on Aiden. Though it only lasted for a moment, she’d panicked. The nurses had brought Aiden to her to show Maya he was okay, but then they’d had to take him away moments later.