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Chapter 1
Nadia
Mymaternalgrandmother,HollywoodIcon Delores Vitale, would say you’d know you’re in the Midwest when the seasons start to make sense. Even though Hollywood stole her heart, she proclaimed her soul never left Evergreen, Missouri.
And here I am, heading to Evergreen.
Wet from rain on a late April day, my hands grip an unfamiliar Jeep’s steering wheel. It’s storming buckets and got worse after I picked up the rental from Joplin regional airport an hour ago. When I left the airport, I felt transported back into another decade. It’s gotta be the LA temperament in me making me view smaller cities or towns as flashbacks of the past. Or maybe, it’s because my grandmother is from this land, and whenever she shared anything about Evergreen, Missouri, I coated it in black and white.
One thing for sure is the season of Spring, particularly the month of April, fits perfectly with the total mood of this drive. My windshield wipers are at full speed, and the shades of green my eyes see are popping and wildly vivid.
There’s a richness of green that gives this place lush density. It reminds me of what my elementary art teacher told me, ¨there are more shades of green than any other color.¨ I can’t lie, this turf is gorgeous, and that’s coming from a California girl.
I’m about forty-five minutes away from the town of Evergreen but about an hour away from my grandmother’s house. My grandmother, whom I address as Nonna, moved back a decade ago. She hung up her last Academy Award, dusted her hands, and closed the doors on offers that only wanted her as cameos in her old age. She’s eighty-five years old, and since she was never a comedian like Betty White, she wasn’t offered any clever roles. In Hollywood, people know my grandmother for her dramatic vixen roles. She played charismatic housewives, naughty mistresses, or money-hungry gold diggers that are now reserved for younger actresses. She was type-cast, but most women were during her primetime in Hollywood. Plus, Nonna had one helluva body that plenty pay for these days. And, speaking of her, she’s calling me right now.
I answer it via Bluetooth.
¨Nadia!¨
¨Ouch! Nonna! You’re really loud.¨
My heart almost leaps out of my chest. I take a breath.
¨Well, I’m sorry, but you’ll live.¨
I shake my head in silent laughter.
¨ I’m about an hour away according to GPS.¨
¨Well, I have the news on, and… they are reporting a severe thunderstorm warning with possible tornadoes to the area.¨
¨Oh, that’s great.¨ Now my heart is really going to leap out of my body.
¨It may be best to head to a motel if you see one and wait a bit.¨
¨A motel? No, I don’t want to go to a motel around here.¨
¨This isn’t a Hitchcock film, Nadia. There’s nothing wrong with a good ol’ Missouri motel. They’ll be cleaner than any California motel alongside the road.¨
¨Anywhere unfamiliar during a thunderstorm is scary, Nonna. I can make it to you.¨
¨Are there a lot of cars on the road right now?¨
My review mirror doesn’t reflect anything other than the straight road and whatever beautiful wet greenery I’ve already passed. As for what’s in front of me, I think I see one semi truck several hundred feet in front of me.
¨ It’s really quiet out here.¨ I hate to admit.
¨ That’s what I’m saying, Nadia. No one’s on the roads. Everyone’s told to stay indoors.¨
¨Okay, I probably will find something. I’m driving fairly slow, and that’s helpful, but if I feel like it’s getting dangerous, I’ll exit.¨
I hear her release a big sigh. I wish I could snap my fingers and be in her driveway already.
¨We were told there was rain today, but out of nowhere, I heard they are closing shops because we’re in a red zone with horrible weather. I think the first sign you come across, you go inside. Maybe a McDonald’s or even a Rest Stop?¨
¨I actually feel more comfortable doing that.¨
¨Familiarity, I tell you.¨ Grandma jokes.
