Read No Parking at the End Times Online
Authors: Bryan Bliss
No Parking at the End Times (16 page)
I
COME ACROSS A LITTLE CHAPEL IN THE BASEMENT OF THE
hospital. It’s dark and everything seems to be covered in red—the carpet, the cushions. Even the small Bibles that dot the back of each pew look like blood. An older woman is playing the piano, singing loudly from the hymnal even though the chapel is empty.
I am bound.
I am bound.
I am bound for the promised land.
I smile. The only thing missing is a trumpet solo.
It could be a sign. It could be a message. I don’t know. But after the initial pause of recognition, I start walking again, following the cramped hallways of the hospital.
I’m trying to feel comfortable inside again, even though it’s strange when I get too warm and have to pull off my sweatshirt.
Aaron’s room is full of machines and people. Mom, Dad, Jess—Uncle Jake will be here tomorrow. The doctors say Aaron will be okay, and every time they say it I let myself smile. Because even though I know they mean physically, that his cuts will heal and the bruises will eventually disappear—I can finally believe it.
We are okay.
There’s a reason why people thank agents and editors before God, country, and all manner of family. They walk the road with you. Michael Bourret is the type of agent you want on such a journey. Tireless and smart and awesome. Thank you, sir.
My book was like those kids who go on daytime television to get yelled at by a drill sergeant. Martha Mihalick whipped it—and me—into shape. Eternal gratitude for seeing what I could not.
Molly O’Neill has always been an energetic supporter of my writing and this book. She may not be my editor, but I’m happy to call her a friend.
Speaking of friends, I’ve got a ton. Thanks to Nova Ren Suma, Ray Veen, Mike Martin, Suzanne Young, Lisa Schroeder, Chris Hoke, Laura Turner, Callie Feyen, Chris Warner, Chrysta Brown—I’m leaving out so many—Jill Reid, Jacob Buckenmeyer, Mike Jung, Alison Clement, Kristin Starnes, and Heidi Weisel. Every one of you is important to me, and I can’t imagine having done this without your friendship and support.
Steve Brezenoff, Jeff Geiger. Let’s go to NYC again soon.
Aaron Guest, Matt Slye, Paul Luikart, Seth Riley: Great writers. Brothers. Cobras.
Thanks to Greg Wolfe, who directs the MFA program at Seattle Pacific University, and to both Robert Clark and Gina Ochsner, mentors in the truest sense of the word.
My family allows me to disappear for hours on end, and for that I’m eternally grateful. Thanks to my mom, Barb Skelley, who has shown undying and constant support of my writing. My kids, Nora and Ben, would probably prefer I wrote books about dragons and wizards, but as they once said, “Your books are okay too.” Listen, I’ll take it. And finally, thanks to my wife, Michelle, who deals with the manic brunt of my writing life. High, low, meh—she’s there and I can’t thank her enough.
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BRYAN BLISS
has worked with teenagers for more than ten years. He holds an MFA from Seattle Pacific University. This is his first novel. He lives with his family in Minneapolis.
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This book is a work of fiction. References to real people, events, establishments, organizations, or locales are intended only to provide a sense of authenticity, and are used to advance the fictional narrative. All other characters, and all incidents and dialogue, are drawn from the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real.
NO PARKING AT THE END TIMES
. Copyright © 2015 by Bryan Bliss. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Bliss, Bryan.
No parking at the end times / Bryan Bliss.
“Greenwillow Books.”
pages cm
Summary: Abigail’s parents, believing the end of the world is near, sell their house, give the money to an end-of-times preacher, and drive from North Carolina to San Francisco, where they remain homeless and destitute as Abigail fights to keep her parents, her twin brother, and herself united against all odds.
ISBN 978-0-06-227541-7 (hardback)
EPub Edition © January 2015 ISBN 9780062275431
[1. Homeless persons—Fiction. 2. Family problems—Fiction. 3. Brothers and sisters—Fiction. 4. Twins—Fiction. 5. Faith—Fiction. 6. Swindlers and swindling—Fiction. 7. San Francisco (Calif.)—Fiction.] I. Title.
PZ7.1.B63No 2015
[Fic]—dc23
2014037503
15 16 17 18 19
CG
/
RRDH
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
FIRST EDITION
GREENWILLOW BOOKS
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