“Elektra?!”
Lex felt heat crawl up her neck. “Yeah.”
“As in the Greek Elektra? Or the comic book villain?”
“The original Greek mythological character,” Lex sighed.
She hadn’t wanted to tell Mary her real first name. But Mary kept asking the weirdest questions. Like ‘Is Lex short for something?’ Lex appreciated the effort to break the ice but would have preferred to talk about work.
“That’s interesting,” Mary continued, managing to keep her voice more or less neutral.
Lex caught a glimpse of her own hair in the window. She ran her hand through it out of habit.
“Why did your parents name you that?” Mary asked. Lex should have known she wouldn’t let this go.
“Gosh,” she replied, her tone light, “You sure are the curious type, aren’t you?”
Mary lifted her shoulders, smiling. “I guess I am.”
Lex glanced around the train. The toilet sign above the door of their carriage had switched on.
“My dad picked the name,” she explained. “He likes the mythological character.”
Mary’s eyes widened. “He wanted to name his daughter after a crazy woman?!”
Lex chuckled at Mary’s honest surprise. “Yeah, I guess he did.”
“Sorry,” Mary said, shaking her head, “I know I’m repeating myself, but … Why?!”
The train slowed down a little. It was easier to study the row of houses next to the track. Lex couldn’t imagine living in one of them. So noisy and so crowded. Plus, everyone on the train could see into your backyard!
Mary cleared her throat, a subtle way to probe Lex for an answer, Lex was sure.
“He likes Elektra because of her obsession to avenge her father’s murder,” she explained. Her hands were getting clammy.
“Really?” Mary shrieked, then pressed her lips together, as if she realized she had let the words slip out.
“Yup,” Lex answered, nodding gravely. She didn’t like to talk about her dad’s weird taste in stories. She crossed her arms and hoped they could move on to another topic.
But Mary kept going. “Who killed him?” she asked, fidgeting with the label of her winter coat, that was draped over her legs.
“Who killed who?” Lex asked, her eyes drifting to Mary’s long fingers.
“Elektra’s father. Who killed him?”
“Oh,” Lex muttered. “Her mother and her lover.”
Mary’s jaw dropped. Lex wanted the ground to swallow her whole. How could she make this conversation end?
“Didn’t your mother object?!” Mary asked in a high pitch. She leaned closer and placed her elbows on her knees. Her hazel eyes stared up at Lex with so much honest curiosity, Lex felt compelled to answer.
“She hated it, of course.”
“Why didn’t she pick a different name then?” Mary asked, blinking.
Lex felt a familiar sting in her chest and looked down at her hands. She hated thinking or talking about her mother.
“That’s just the way things are in my family, okay?” she sighed and pressed her lips together in a thin smile.
Mary narrowed her eyes but didn’t say anything. After a few moments, she straightened and got comfortable in her chair. Her eyes focused on the window and the landscape that flew by behind it.
Lex wondered if she had sounded a little too harsh. She didn’t want to go back to tense silence. They had finally managed polite conversation without getting into an argument. She rubbed her cheek nervously.
Her voice was soft when she spoke. “My mom started calling me Lex. Or Lexie, actually.”
Mary turned her head slowly, her eyes twinkling. “Lex- ie?”
Lex just nodded.
“Okay then,” Mary said, her lips curving up into a triumphant smile. “Lexie.”
“No one else is allowed to call me that,” Lex blurted out.
Mary just smiled again, stretched her legs out in front of her and focused back on the window. There were no more houses outside. Vast stretches of land, most of it muddy and bare, provided a somewhat depressing view.
Lex shut her eyes, retreating back into herself. She doubted she would be able to nap in the train, despite being tired. She had a hard time falling asleep in her own bed, let alone on a train with Mary sitting across from her.
She reflected on their day together instead. Apologizing was way out of het comfort zone. But she was relieved she had done it. Mary had opened up a lot more afterward.
Things finally seemed to be heading in the right direction between them. Lex wasn’t thrilled about having to attend a conference she was far from interested in, but maybe her cousin Hannah had been right to send them on a trip together.
In an hour or so, they would arrive in Washington and make their way to the hotel. It would be the middle of the afternoon by then and there would be plenty of time to unpack before dinner.
“An early night is just what I need,” Lex thought. She purposefully stopped herself from thinking about dinner too much. Picturing herself in a restaurant with Mary Alexander made her too uncomfortable. Who knew what other questions Mary would ask?
*****
Mary and Lex arrived at the hotel two hours later. The lobby was a large, open space with an inner courtyard and a huge glass roof. Classy, leather chairs stood scattered everywhere.
The men and women hurrying by were all dressed in dark, perfectly-cut suits. The people sitting in the chairs were huddled together and conversed in hushed voices.
“The city of power,” Lex thought. “Everyone here wants to rule the world.”
She was about to make a joke about it to Mary when she saw that her companion had paled considerably. She then saw Mary look down at her jeans and sneakers.
“You look great,” Lex blurted out, smiling.
Mary’s eyes snapped to hers.
“I mean, don’t worry about the suits,” Lex said, cursing herself for her lapse in judgment.
Mary raised a skeptical eyebrow. Lex tried again, “Everyone thinks they’re running the country here, right?”
“Yeah, I can see that,” Mary replied, tucking her hand in the pocket of her jeans.
“Not your kind of people, huh?” Lex asked, grabbing the handle of her suitcase. She knew Mary probably considered her to be exactly like the people in the lobby and braced herself for the reply.
“I guess not,” Mary admitted. A strand of her hair had fallen in front of her eyes.
“Wanna go check in and hide in our rooms?” Lex joked.
It earned her a smile. She was proud of herself for it.
“Sick of me already?” Mary quipped.
Lex’s lips parted, taken off guard by Mary once more. Mary started making her way to the check-in desk, leaving Lex behind to stare at her back. After a moment, Lex grinned and headed in the same direction.
“Two reservations for Leroy Chocolates, names Emsworth and Alexander,” Mary was telling the hotel clerk when Lex joined her.
The man behind the desk was wearing a shiny grey suit with a horrendous, yellow tie. The outfit was so glossy Lex wanted to get out her sunglasses.
“Ah, Miss Emsworth?” the guy asked, brightening.
“That’s her,” Mary replied and jerked a thumb at Lex.
He immediately focused all of his attention on Lex. “Welcome, Miss Emsworth, we’re always delighted to welcome your family.”
Lex gave him a forced smile. She could feel Mary’s eyes on her.
“Odd, I see a reservation for two superior rooms, Miss. Would you like me to upgrade your room to a suite?” the man asked, tapping his screen.
A careful glance at Mary confirmed what Lex had already suspected. Mary’s cheeks were bright red, her eyes shooting daggers at the hotel employee. Rightfully so, Lex thought. He was completely ignoring her.
“No,” Lex said, firmer than she usually would. “I want you to check in Miss Alexander. Then give me the same type of room on the same floor.”
He looked up, his eyes flicking nervously from Lex to Mary and back. “O-of course,” he stammered.
Lex shifted her attention to Mary. “It is Miss, right?” she asked with a playful wink in an attempt to put her at ease.
Mary met her gaze. Her shoulders were still tight, but Lex could tell she appreciated Lex’s effort. “Yeah,” she confirmed with a shy smile.
This pleased Lex for some strange reason. Probably because it would have been embarrassing if Mary had turned out to be married after all.
“Here are your keys,” the hotel clerk said, recovering quickly. He handed Mary a card first.
“Thanks,” she said coolly.
Lex accepted her own key and nodded at the man.
“Adjoining rooms for you and your friend,” the guy added and grinned.
Lex froze. What exactly was he thinking? Why would he give them adjoining rooms? She hadn’t asked for that. And what was that stupid grin about? She almost opened her mouth to protest.
Luckily, she realized that would only make things more awkward. It was better to just pretend adjoining rooms were no problem at all. And why would it be, really?
“Elevators are on the right, upper floor. Enjoy the view!” the man said and gestured for another customer to approach.
It took some effort for Lex to sound normal, but she thought she managed. “Let’s go,” she said to Mary.
Mary practically bounced to the elevators. It seemed she too was uncomfortable with the adjoining rooms. Lex cursed the hotel staffer for his eagerness to please.
Mary pressed the up button by the elevator twice. Lex kept an impatient eye on the descending numbers above the door. The awkward silence between them was back. Lex was too embarrassed to do anything about it.
“Eh, is it okay if I have room service for dinner?” Mary asked.
Lex let go of her tight grip on her suitcase handle. “Yeah, of course. Sure.”
“Great, I’m beat,” Mary explained, tucking some hair behind her ear.
Lex could tell something had made Mary very uneasy. She felt like it was somehow her fault and her mouth went dry. Maybe she should let Mary off the hook for breakfast as well?
“Want to meet in the lobby at 8 tomorrow morning?” Lex offered.
“Okay, sounds good.” Mary replied, pressing the button again.
The elevator arrived not long after. Lex stepped back to give the large family inside some space as they walked out. Mary and Lex then made their way upstairs without another word.
When Lex finally shut the door of her room behind her, she closed her eyes and groaned. No matter how hard she tried, it seemed she and Mary kept taking one step forward and then two steps back.