by Ashley Lowe
At the diner down a few blocks from the hotel, Ali and I grab coffee, omelets and bacon for breakfast. I’m only eating to make sure she eats at this point. I know she’s hungry otherwise she wouldn’t have brought it up this morning when we woke up in the hotel room. I feel bad that she has to play any part in this mess. At the same time, I am feeling guilty because I couldn’t do it without her.
For the most part, we are very quiet. Neither of us says too much to each other. We’re too consumed by our thoughts to speak. For the longest time, we just sit there. I play a spoon through the eggs on my plate and sip at my coffee. It’s getting cold. Ali puts down her fork, takes my hand softly in hers from across the table and gazes right through my eyes.
“I have an idea.”
“Okay! That’s what I like to hear. Come on, out with it,” I put down my fork and wipe my mouth with a napkin, ready to listen to anything that could come out of her mouth. Any idea has to be better than no idea. I’m too fuzzy to properly think about any solution to the situation we have found ourselves in. I am happy to know that she’s capable of thinking when I am so obviously not.
“I don’t know about you, but I have money saved in a bank account. I don’t know how far it will get us, but I think we should get as far away as we can and fast. I’m kind of weary of people like Tom. You know the celebrity-types.”
“Oh, we’ll be fine. Before too long, they’ll forget all about us.”
However, I can’t help but agree with Ali for the most part. The longer we stay this close to Tom and my family, the more definite my demise is. I know my parents will either come after me or completely disown me. One way or the other, there’s no point in staying around if I’m not wanted here. I nod my head and ask, “How do you think we should proceed?”
She pauses to think about the question for a few seconds. “We’ve always said we would like to take a road trip after college. It doesn’t look like either of us will be going back to finish out our senior year any time soon.”
“Great point,” I say, putting the cold coffee mug up to my face. “But, I can’t go back for my car. We won’t have any way to get ourselves on the road.”
Ali grins mischievously at me, shaking her head and rolling her eyes like she already has a plan put together in her beautiful mind. I’m obviously of little use in this conversation. She’s always been good at being bad. I don’t thinks she’s ever been caught for any wrong deed she’s ever committed.
“My car is pulling up now,” she says as her brother and his girlfriend pull up in two separate cars in the parking lot right outside of the grimy diner. One is Ali’s old, black Ford Focus ZX3. I’m seriously surprised she still has the car. It’s only a few hundred years old. Okay, I’m exaggerating. She has had it since she was sixteen, though.
“Do you think we’ll really be able to get far? I don’t want to take any chances getting caught,” I say. I’m always the responsible, motherly figure. I’m also the biggest worry wart I’ve ever met. Sometimes, I wish I could be more daring and adventurous like Ali. If I had to choose, she’d be my idol. Earlier in our conversation, I wasn’t too cautious about avoiding Tom or my parents. Now that Ali is talking up getting away, I feel a little more nervous.
“We’ll be fine. Nobody knows what I drive. We always take your car, Ms. BMW.” She has a point. Since I bought my BMW-- partly due to Tom’s insisting and my dad’s credit-- we never had a need to drive her crappy Focus. Err... I mean, that lovely little Ford she loves to drive.
“Perfect. Let’s go,” I say, gesturing to the door. I stop and pay for our meal at the register before I make my own exit. We didn’t really have a waitress, so I didn’t bother leaving a tip. Plus, I don’t think we’ll ever need to worry about anyone spitting in our food here. Chances are we will never be coming back. At least, that’s the plan.
Outside in the parking lot, Ali’s brother, Mark, and his girlfriend, Amber, were getting out of the vehicles. Ali gave Mark and Amber a long hug, thanking them for their assistance. I have never met Amber before, but she seems nice enough. I grab Mark and hug him, too. “Thank you. You have no idea how much I appreciate this! I owe you big,” I say as I pull away from his embrace.
“Don’t worry about it. Anything for my sisters,” he says. We all laugh and Ali motions for me to get in the car. We can’t waste too much more of our precious time. I do love how Mark has always been the best big brother I’ve never had. He was our hero growing up. I can’t believe I’m admitting this, but we used to wear his clothes and pretend to be his little brothers.
“Thanks, again, Mark!” She screams out the window as we pull out into the street in front of the diner. “I’ll call you guys when we get where we’re going!”
She sits back and lets out a deep breath. “Where are we going?” I want to ask. I look over at her wavy, blonde hair flowing out around her tanned face. She pushes a golden lock back behind her left ear exposing the small, heart-shaped tattoo on the side of her neck.
Looking over at me with a flirtatious grin she murmurs, “Ready?” Her eyes put me in a brief trance. I can’t help but sit there and look at her. She snaps her fingers in front of my face.
“More than you know,” I say as I grab her soft hand between the grey cloth seats. “Did you let Mark know where we were heading? I ask.
“No way. I don’t even know where we’re going for sure. I have my cell if he wants to talk. I told him I’d let him know where we ended up so that they could come visit.”
Along the sides of the highway, there are seas of wildflowers growing. There are specks of white here, purple there and yellow littered everywhere in between. The breeze smells a bit like the trees around the neighborhood where we grew up.
“I’m ready,” I whisper to myself.