Steph's Holliday Break

ONroute

"That's the last of it!" Randall said as he lifted the last bag into the trunk. "Right?" He turned to the two mothers walking towards the van. 

"I... Think so?" Carol turned towards Anna. "Is that everything?" 

Each person took turns looking at each other to confirm everything has been loaded. Once the yes was unanimous they loaded themselves into the car. Stephanie was schedule to drive the first leg so she made her way to the drivers side while Jason sat in the passenger's seat. 

As Steph climbed in Jason noticed the familiar crinkle of a diaper which drew his gaze to her waist and hips. He had suspected something earlier when they were all rushing to load the van, but chose not to bring any attention to it as he was sure she had her reasons. 

Steph noticed his gaze and lifted the front of her shirt ever so slightly while  tugging the waistband of her oversized sweatpants, giving him a quick glimpse to confirm his suspicion. Jason turned away and blushed and Steph gave a playful smirk. Fortunately, no one else in the car took note of the quick exchange. 

Steph entered the directions on her phone and chose the predetermined route discussed the night prior. She made sure to double check that everyone was ready to go, and that there all seatbelts were on. She chose a playlist of easy upbeat music that all in the car would approve of, and placed the car in reverse.

It was still dark as they pulled out of the driveway. It was now 5:30, meaning that their plan to leave early worked. Wanting to make the drive as smooth as possible, they set a departure time of 5, knowing that their tendencies would make them late.  

It didn't take long for all the passengers in the backseat to doze off to sleep. As they made their way out of the suburbs and onto the highway, the only ones left awake were Steph and Jason. Jason turned his head to double check if everyone was asleep, paying special attention to their breathing, and for any movement. 

"Steph." He whispered. "You sure it's okay to uh... you know?" He said gesturing to her currently larger than normal butt. 

Stephanie nodded. "Yeah, actually it was my mom's idea. It was from last night." Stephanie took a glance to her rearview mirror for any movements. She then explained the deal she made with her mom to avoid wearing the bulky disposable underpants while she shared beds with his little sister. 

"So why are you wearing those now, and not the Goodnites?" He asked.

"I woke up dry and proved it to my mom but, If I threw these away, it'd be a waste." She said as she checked her mirrors before makin a lane change. "I mean, I took them off so I could pee this morning. I just retaped it because I didn't want to throw them away. I have to wear something for the ride anyway." 

"Makes sense." He agreed. "And you're okay to drive?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" She replied. "If anything I have one less thing to worry about while I drive."

"Good point." He chuckled. 

The drive was rather uneventful, and after two hours of intermittent conversations and quietly singing along to Steph's road trip playlist. At this point, most of the passengers with the exception of Carol had stirred awake. 

"Honey, can you pull over at the next ONroute?" Candace said from the middle seats. "Let's grab some coffee and breakfast and swap seats." 

Steph agreed and took the next exit to rest stop along the highway. She drove past the familiar sign of red and green 'ONroute' sign, along with a list of fast food chains. Steph backed into a parking space and the passengers all made their exit. 

At the early morning hours of 7:30, the only food options were Starbucks and Tim Hortons. While each person had the autonomy to make their choices, they unanimously congregated at Tim Hortons. 

"Their coffee kinda sucks, but it doesn't matter when you add cream and sugar." Carol said yawning. They all took their turns ordering their coffees, breakfast sandwiches, and donuts of choice, followed by a box of Timbits to snack on. 

All of the adults made a quick stop at the toilets while the younger three stayed in place. 

"You guys don't need to go?" Jason asked the two girls. 

"No, I didn't really drink anything yet today." Anna replied sipping her coffee.

Stephanie nodded in agreement. "I don't really need to go either." 

"Yeah, same." Jason agreed. 

Once everyone was out and ready to go, they boarded the van. Steph and Jason took the back seat, while Carol and and Anna took the middle rows. Candace took the passenger seat while Randall drove. 

"If you guys are okay with it, I'm gonna drive straight there. If you need a washroom break just let me know." 

"Sounds good dad!" Stephanie yelled from the backseat. 

"Who wants their food?" Candace yelled passing the brown paper bag containing their food. 

"Oh yes please" Carol replied grabbing the bag. 

The bag was passed around and the passengers all took their their first meal of the day. Anna and Carol were taking their time while Stephanie mad very short work of her sandwich and took a cautious sip of her coffee. Still finding it a little too hot for her liking, She opened a bottle of water and took several large gulps.

"Too salty?" Anna asked looking back. 

"Yeah." Steph blushed. "And hot." 

"Can you pass me a bottle too?" 

"Sure." Stephanie said passing up a bottle of water. 

After passing the bottle to Anna Stephanie sat back on her seat and looked out the window into the snowy fields of the Canadian farmlands.

Staring at the landscape she soon realized the sun was surrounded by a circular halo. She had only heard or seen pictures of this phenomenon, but had never seen one in person. 

She took another swig of her bottle, finishing all of the water inside. She traced the halo with her eyes, making note of the opposite ends which flared in intensity. Her fingers followed suit and traced the lights through the window. 

They trailed past the glass of the window and rested on her coffee, which she deemed to now be cool enough for a proper sip. Considering how it was a holiday she allowed herself to have a double double. Stephanie breathed a contented sigh as the warm sweetness filled her mouth and travelled down her throat. She took several more large sips while admiring the view before she was interrupted by Anna.

"They're called sun dogs!" Anna said noting the inquisitive looks out the window. 

"It's pretty cool." Stephanie said while still looking out.

The other passengers turned their heads and followed in awe as they witnessed the rare sight. 

After a minute of oohs, ahs, and the sounds of phone cameras clicking, the voices died down and silence filled the cabin once again. The silence however, was short lived as Randall started singing along to his own playlist of worship music. The fatigue of the early morning drive had caught up to her. She leaned her head on Jason's shoulder. 

"You tired?" He asked.

"Mmhmm." She hummed back

"Take a nap?" 

"Yeah." She said as her eyes slowly drooped. She smiled at the sound of her father's quiet singer and allowed the call of slumber to take hold. But before they fully closed for her nap, she saw the silhouette of Anna chugging a water bottle, just as she did mere moments ago.