Gaele!

Part 7: The Adventure

Gaele waved as the car disappeared down the winding drive, and she turned to go back into the house and nearly ran into Devon.
"That looked like quite a BIT of 'nothing' to me," he said, smirking. "I really thought he was gonna KISS you."
Her jaws clenched involuntarily. "SHUT up, you - you blathering BONEhead," she muttered, as she brushed past him, and headed up the stairs.
"HA, that was lame!"
She slammed her door on Devon's jeers, and sank down in her desk chair, letting the knot that was building up in her middle come to the surface in a rush. All the tension, the sadness and the excitement... were flowing from her now, in a torrent of tears. Big, wet spots fell on the envelope on the desk, blotting out part of the address. She tried to wipe it dry, but it smeared worse. Cursing, she flung herself onto her bed, and cried harder, and then relaxing a little, rolled the comforter over her, and fell asleep.
Someone sat on the side of her bed, joggling her. "Don?" she mumbled, partially asleep.
"Nope, guess again," Devon said. "What, are you gonna pine the day away for him? I thought you said you were gonna go out."
"I am? What time is it?" She peered at the clock, and lay back into her pillows, groaning. "After noon, already?"
"You gonna go into town?" Devon asked hopefully.
"Just down to the post office to mail this..."
"Ah come on, Gaele-"
Gaele sat up again. "No way, Devon. Dad said we couldn't go anywhere when he and Mom are gone."
Devon shifted back against the pillows beside her, wearing one of his charming, dimpled grins. "But YOU can, you're almost eighteen."
"Almost isn't eighteen, Devon. You know how Dad is about that."
"Huh. But it's okay for his uh, hundred year old, pseudo-brother to mess around with his daughter, while she's still technically JAIL BAIT?"
"GET out of my room," Gaele said, annoyed. "By the way, I'd appreciate it if you would knock before barging in here and vying for the Year's Unmitigated IDIOT Award. I think that if you want anything done, you'd better brush up on your poor sorry excuse for social etiquette."
"Aah, lighten up," Devon muttered, as he stalked out.
Sufficiently stimulated by Devon's needling, Gaele jumped out of bed, tore open the envelope on the desk, and rewrote the address on a new envelope. Her hand slowed as a thought came to her. It would be faster to take this up to the school herself... a drive that lasted about an hour and a half, and the registration would be done that much sooner. And... it would be a fun diversion...
"Hey, Devon?" She got up and trotted out into the hall. "Tell you what..."

"This is gonna take forever," Devon groaned, though he didn't sound terribly annoyed, as his fingers tapped the armrest of his seat in time to Metallica.
"Never mind," Gaele said, patiently following the lumbering RV around the sharp curve before they could see far enough ahead to pass, on the winding Cabrillo highway. Shifting into a lower gear and stepping on the accelerator, Gaele had little trouble going out and around before oncoming traffic came too close.
"Eyooh," Devon crowed, as the speedometer shot up to 85, and then slowed in time for the next curve. "Very nice. I think I'll buy myself a Ferrari, when I get MY license."
"Yeah, and I think this one is gonna spoil me for anything less," Gaele said, smiling at her brother, who mouthed the lyrics to the song that was playing. As she looked intently ahead, she wondered if Daddy would find out about their little drive, and what he'd say, if he knew she was borrowing his favorite car... but he won't, I can refill on gas, and reconnect the odometer... she had learned from a tech-savvy friend how to do this, in order to get around illicit car-borrowing. What the heck, why not? I deserve this. I've put up with enough garbage from everybody these last few days...
Once they got past the snarl of traffic and stop lights of the peninsula and hit the main freeway, Gaele followed the knot of cars that were typically going well over the speed limit. Before they knew it, they were in the  increasingly heavy traffic streaming past Capitola, and after a short argument as to which exit to get off, they found their way to the campus. The car attracted a lot of attention, as she pulled into a parking space as near as she could to the administration building. Devon got out immediately, and flashed his charming grin at a couple of awestruck female passersby. Gaele's mouth went dry, as she sat, frozen behind the wheel. There seemed to be an awful lot of people... and she knew none of them.
Devon leaned back into the car. "Hey, you comin' out or what?"
"Wait till there's fewer people around," Gaele hissed.
"You gotta be kiddin'! There's TONS of people, just get out, nobody's gonna bite you, besides, I'M here."
At Devon's cajoling, Gaele finally unhooked her seatbelt, and climbed out of the car. She held her jacket closer to her against the breeze, and clutching her handbag and her registration packet, she crept into the building. Devon strutted beside her, grinning confidently at the people who slowed to stare at the unusual looking couple. Gaele felt as though everything had stopped to look at her, and she wished she had a big, long cloak with a deep hood to hide behind.
Devon grabbed her arm. "Hey, here's the Registrar, I think."
"Yikes," she whispered, when she saw there was a short line of people standing just inside the glass doors.
"Jeezum, Gaele, if you're gonna chicken out, you might as well forget about going to any actual classes."
Gaele shushed him, and drawing herself up as dignified as she could, entered the office. She returned the curious looks from the other people with a serene little smile, and then casually glanced at all the flyers and posters on the near wall, trying to filter out the whispering.
"Whoa, like, is it Halloween already?" Turning to look, she saw a tall, slim, atheletic-looking man in his early twenties, with blond, curly hair left longish in the back, a deep tan, an aquiline, sunburned nose, and the golden haze of a goatee. His rainbow tie-dyed shirt sported a grinning skull wreathed in roses. A set of well used Walkman headphones clasped his neck.
"Whoa, like, you gotta problem with that?" Devon growled in return.
The man looked Devon up and down, then smiled, showing a little gap between his upper front teeth. "Wow, so you guys are for REAL... Hey, are you actually gonna attend school here?"
"What's it to ya, Goldilocks?" Devon snapped. The youth glanced apprehensively at Devon again, then grinned at Gaele, who couldn't help but smile back.
"Devon, cut it out. Heh, and I thought I was the nervous one..."
"I am NOT nervous," Devon said defensively.
"I'm Gaele, and this is my brother Devon."
"Kewl!" The young man beamed. "I'm Jack."
"You mean you're a Dead Head," Devon muttered, staring at Jake's shirt.
"Devon! Ah, Jack, maybe you can tell me how to hand in this registration form?"
"Uhm, you gotta send it in, and... oh, wait a sec, you're just dropping it off, aren'tcha?"
"Yeah, I just thought I'd save some time."
"Good thing, 'cause after you arrange to pay your tuition, you have to get a receipt and then you can go get your classes."
"Pay?" Gaele's heart sank. "Sh-htt... I knew I'd forgotten something... I should have enough in my checking, though, let me see..." she pulled out her bank book and punched her in her pin number on the tiny keypad, bringing up her account. "Hmmm. Do I pay for the whole year, or just per semester?"
Jack finally closed his mouth. "Uhm... for the semester," he said absently. "Y'know, this line is for financial aid. So... I don't think you need to hang around here."
"So then, what do I do with this?" Gaele held up the envelope.
"Put it in that slot, over there. You can always just pay when you come back to get your classes. That starts next week."
"Oh. Okay," Gaele said, and she went over and dropped the envelope into the appropriate mail slot. "There, all done. Well, we'll be on our way... nice meeting you, Jack."
"Yeah, see you around hopefully, Gay-leh... and bro."
"Kewl," Devon said mockingly to her as they hurried down the hall to the front doors. "Whatta loser. He's got goat cheese for brains."
"Cut it out, Devon..." Gaele said, nudging him hard with her elbow.
Devon turned around to watch a girl pass them in the other direction. "Ooh, mama," he said gleefully, patting his chest as he walked backward. "Whatta fine piece a' work. I think I'll come visit and hang out with you as much as possible, sister dear."
"Sure, why not?"
Devon suddenly turned to her and grabbed her coat. "HEY! Let's head over to the Boardwalk."
"No way, we're going straight home."
"Ah, c'mon, don't be such a-"
"NO, Devon, we should get back before it gets much later, you know how I hate to drive on the Cabrillo at night."
"So we'll stay inna motel!"
Gaele stopped to glare at him. "What, and leave the Ferrari out where somebody could mess with it?"
"We can stay at the Quail Lodge or somewhere like that. They'd look after the car."
"No, Devon. Dad would find out for sure. People might know about him at the Lodge."
"What, I didn't know he played golf."
"He doesn't, you retard."
"You're the retard."
As they reached the car, Gaele pointed the alarm deactivator at it. It unlocked itself with an obedient chirrup, and they got in.

"Rotten, ROTTEN, stinking traffic," Gaele grumbled, putting the car in neutral and craning her head over the steering wheel to try and see beyond the gridlock.
"Rush hour. Told ya we shoulda waited," Devon said, smugly leaning back and resting his hands behind his head.
"And I told YOU, I don't want to drive on the Cabrillo at NIGHT," Gaele growled, gunning the engine impatiently. The drivers in the other idling cars turned to glare in her direction. A black lowrider, with a Raiders logo decal on the rear window, rumbled in response alongside them, and a sneering man on the passenger side gave the Ferrari the middle-finger salute.
Devon promptly returned the gesture with a delighted grin.
"Hey! You want to get shot or something? COOL it!" Gaele pushed him back into his seat.
"They can't see in," Devon said, smirking. "Or else they would start crying like little babies an' wanna go straight to confession."
"NO they wouldn't," Gaele mumbled. To her relief, the traffic began moving again, and soon they were headed toward the freeway.
The lowrider followed, rudely tailgating her. No matter how much she slowed down, knowing they had plenty of space in the other lanes to pass, they stayed close behind, and she started getting annoyed. "What am I gonna DO with these jerks?"
Devon craned his neck to glare back at them. "Just LOSE the piece of crap," he said.
"But that will encourage them..."
"What, you want 'em to follow us HOME? Maybe they're gangbangers. STEP on it!"
Gaele sucked in her breath and floored the gas pedal, causing the car to skid its tires from the force of the acceleration, narrowly missing a rearend collision with the car ahead of her.
"OW," Devon protested as he head snapped back into the headrest.
The black car followed the best it could, but the distance was rapidly increasing between them. Then Gaele shifted into fifth gear and slalomed in and out of traffic, passing cars from the left and right as though they were pylons. The twelve cylinder engine whined like a giant mosquito when she downshifted on a turn.
"WHOOOAAAH! We are breaking the SOUND barrier," Devon said in awe. "And that ol' slammed Chicano-mobile is HISTORY."
"Yeah, and so's the gas," Gaele said, looking down at the fuel gage.
"Stop at a gas station, then."
"Yes, I will," Gaele said absently, as she looked for an exit.
Then she saw the red and white lights of a CHP flashing in her rear view mirror. She looked at the speedometer, and she heard Devon curse. "You say one more word, Devon, and I'll STRANGLE you on the spot, cop or NO cop!"
She pulled over onto the broad shoulder, and turned off the engine, and waited nervously for the highway patrolman to cautiously walk up to the car.  Another CHP soon pulled up behind him, and the men got out.
She opened the window as the first officer came up, and he bent over and peered in, from alongside. "Step out of the vehicle, please." He moved back a pace, when she opened the gullwing door, and he paused to stare at her a long, sober moment. "Could your companion step out, please?"
Gaele caught a glimpse of a grinning face in the lowrider as it zoomed past, and felt her face grow hot from the occasional honk of applause for the CHP from the other cars. She turned her face away and focused on a vast field of rustling artichokes that skirted the freeway. A pickup truck ground slowly past on a dirt road that paralleled the highway beside the field. The workers riding in back gawked at Gaele and Devon, and then laughed, pointing at her and talking excitedly in Spanish among themselves. She wanted to crawl back into the car and hide from all those eyes.
The patrolman drew himself up to resume the job at hand. "May I see your drivers license, motor vehicle registration, and your insurance card, please."
Gaele fumbled in her purse and then in the glove compartment to draw out the documents, her vision blinded by upwelling tears, as she gingerly handed over the documents. She glanced up at the officer, but his expression was hidden by sunglasses.
"Are you aware you were exceeding the maximum speed limit in excess of seventy five miles per hour, ma'm?"
She nodded mutely, flinching at his stern tone.
The man studied her drivers license, and carefully entered the information on the ticket. "Gaele Angelo." He looked at the registration. "This vehicle belongs to a- Michael... Angelo. Any relation to you?"
"He's um, my father," Gaele croaked.
"Did you have permission to drive his vehicle?"
"N-no..."
"Do you know where can we contact him?"
"Uh, he's out, um, out of the country at the moment."
"Do you know anyone else who can assume responsibility for this vehicle?"
Gaele thought for a minute, then shook her head.
The officer cleared his throat. "Then the vehicle will have to be impounded until the owner can be contacted."
Gaele looked up at the man in anguish. "Please don't... can't-can't I just drive it home?"
"I'm sorry, ma'm, I cannot let you drive it home. Your traffic violations are excessive,  and due to limitations on driving privileges for someone your age, I will have to hold your driver's license, until your court appearance. Is that understood?"
Gaele nodded, her throat closing up. She and Devon exchanged sober glances as the patrolman spoke on the radio. She noticed another yet CHP car had shown up, its occupants standing next to it, carefully watching the scene.
"Okay. Because neither of you have any previous record of violation,  there will be no detainment, so I will take you both home," the patrolman said at length.
"You can't- I mean, please, we can't just leave the car by itself here, it's v-valuable..."
"There's an authorized tow truck on its way to pick it up, they'll know what to do in this situation. In the meantime these officers will stay to keep an eye on it."
"Okay..." Gaele meekly followed Devon into the back seat of the patrol car. As she settled beside him, and the door closed, she let her head sink to her chest. "Don't say it, Devon..." she mumbled.
"Say what?"
"Just don't say ANYTHING!"

Gaele waited until the car left, before slamming her purse down onto the foyer floor. "This has got to be the WORST day of my LIFE!"
"You're telling ME," Devon growled as he wearily climbed the stairs. "The guy never stopped lecturing us."
"Yeah? Well, you aren't the one whose neck is as good as broken."
Devon disappeared into his bedroom.
Gaele numbly made her way to the kitchen to make herself something to drink. The wall phone rang, and after several insistent chirps, she reluctantly lifted the receiver. "Yes?"
"Gaele?" Rahab's voice. "How are you, sweetheart?"
"Mom! Um, I'm okay, what are you, in Japan already?"
"We're almost there. Everything all right?"
"Yeah, sure."
Pause. "Are you positive everything is okay? How is Devon?"
"He's just being a royal, class A, pain in the rear, as usual."
"Are you sure you are okay?" Gaele caught the strain in her mother's voice.
"Mom... It's late, I'm just tired, and stressed from these last couple of days, that's all. Just a lot has been going on, and I'm trying to unwind."
"You don't sound very well," Rahab said doubtfully.
"Mom, I'm okay, really! Nothing unusual."
Another pause, and then a heavy sigh. "All right, but I'll be coming back right after the funeral, tomorrow. Riahna doesn't like being away from home too long, and she's been acting up... Dad and Seth are going to stay a little longer..."
"Okay Mom," Gaele said as evenly as she could.
"Take care of yourself..."
"I will. You take it easy, too."
"I love you."
"I love you too, Mom."
She barely hung up the phone before she was crying, again. Finally alone, she let her pent-up emotions go, and sat at the table, with her face in the crook of her elbows.

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