Road Trip

Chapter 6

I gave Blake a quick tour of the car after tossing her bag in the trunk, then made sure to link her phone's Bluetooth to the car as well.

"Why are you doing that?" Blake asked curiously.

"You're the navigator, and therefore in charge of directions and music. Think you can handle it?"

"I am? Really?" she asked excitedly. "I'm on it!"

"Absolutely. Rule of the road. But remember, with great power comes great responsibility." I joked.

"Uh huh, thanks a lot Uncle Ben!"

After a quick stop to top off the gas tank, we got back on the road, heading westward on I-40. If we took that long enough, it could take us all the way to Albuquerque or further west to California. It was also close to both Phoenix and Vegas, so it would give us lots of options.

"All right," Blake asked, "what kind of music do you want."

Well, I would like some good driving music. So, something that isn't going to put me to sleep." I requested. "But I'd like you to do something for me first."

"What's that?" she asked.

"Well, you mentioned you had a hotel reservation in Daytona?" I reminder her.

"Oh, right."

"Well, I'm betting that dickhead is probably still planning on using that reservation. It would be a real shame if he got there and the reservation was cancelled." I said with a grin.

"First of all, his name is Jerky McDickface, and yes, that sure would be a shame!" Blake said as she found the reservation in her e mail and made a quick phone call.

Five minutes later the hotel had cancelled the reservation, and she was laughing in the passenger seat. "Oh, damn I wish I were there when that asshole tries to check in! That makes my day!"

"Wait a minute, that is what made your day?" I asked, pretending to be offended.

"Well, the bacon was a close second," she giggled back at me.

"You're right, that was good bacon."

"If it helps, seeing you again when I needed you didn't make my day, it made my year," she said softly.

I looked over to see if she were joking but she was looking out the window so I couldn't tell. "I haven't even asked how you've been. Or about your mom. You both doing alright?"

"Oh yeah, we're good. Mom is still working, and is worried about me moving out. But she's been on her own the last few years with me at school, so she'll be ok. She's more worried about me being on my own, I think."

"You waiting on a job to move?" I asked not sure what her major was.

"Nope. Already have a job. I've been writing for almost 5 years, but the last year or so it really took off so now I have some book deals. I can work anywhere, just deciding where I can afford to live." She said brightly.

"That's awesome! What kind of writing?"

She paused for a minute and I thought she was blushing, but I couldn't tell while looking at the road. "Umm, just some fiction," she finally relented.

"That's great. I'd love to read some of your stuff when I have free time." I figured everyone with a creative bent would want to have support for their work.

"Oh, I don't know. You might not like it," she deflected. "Oh, what did you want to listen to?"

"Surprise me."

"Oh, I just might!" I turned my head really quick and saw her raising an eyebrow and throwing me a wink.

"How old are you again?" Damn this girl was going to make for an interesting trip.

"Sixteen, so don't take me across a state line."

"What the fuck?" I yelled.

"I'm kidding! I'm kidding!" she said trying not to choke while laughing at me. "I'm 22. I'm just short so I look younger."

"We're never going to make it out west if you keep giving me heart attacks you know," I pointed out.

"All right, I'm sorry," she said, though she was still giggling. She kept fiddling with her phone and finally started blasting out a good sounding rock song that I was unfamiliar with. Surprise succeeded.

"What is this?"

"Halestorm, Love Bites."

"I like it."

"I figure it fit the day. And you needed driving music, they're good for that."

I had to agree there, "You're going to make a good copilot!"

"Why thank you kind sir!" she replied, reaching behind my seat and snaking a bottle of water from behind the seat. "Want one?"

"Sure." I replied, better to stay hydrated.

She grabbed another and opened the cap for me, putting it into the cup holder. She took a long drink then put hers into the cup holder as well, removing the paper from it first. "What's this?" she asked, looking at the prescription.

Now it was my turn to blush. "Doctor's orders."

"She ordered you to take a road trip?" she asked incredulously.

"Road trips and I don't usually go well, as you may remember. I've been on 4 in the last 10 years and have been dumped on every one of them. She thought it would be good to go on one alone."

"Seriously?" She started to giggle.

"You're laughing at my crippling medical affliction?" I pretended to be hurt.

Her giggles turned to outright laughter. "This is all so funny! How are you not laughing?" she said while trying to breathe.

"You'll have to explain this one."

"You have a literal prescription to go on a road trip, alone, because you get dumped on them. Then the very first thing you do is pull over and find me, where I just had that same thing happen to me, and instead of going on the road trip alone, you ask a virtual stranger to go with you!" she said through the giggles. "I'm obviously part of your cure."

"Well, you were last time," I said absently.

"What do you mean?" she asked with a small gasp.

"Every time I was dumped on one of those road trips, I just went home. Never even finished going to where I was going. After I got you and your mom home, for whatever reason, I decided to actually keep going to my destination. I had a great time, even if I was alone." I explained.

"Hot damn, I am the cure! Pull over at the next town!"

"What? Why?" I asked, not sure if she was serious.

"I need to get a tattoo that says Prescription Strength, Doctors Orders Required on my ass!"

I didn't stop laughing for 3 exits.