Road Trip

“Aaron, are you sure you know what you are doing?” I screamed down the driveway as I watched my boyfriend nearly take out our mailbox. I did not spend hours on it for him to run it over backing up his vintage RV. In typical fashion, all I got was a thumbs up out the driver-side window. Then, the back of the RV suddenly swung in the opposite direction, I am so glad the cars are in the garage. Five more painful and terrifying minutes pass before Aaron’s parking job is complete and this dwelling on wheels now sprawled across our drive. Of course, feeling accomplished, Aaron hopped out with a huge grin, “Well, what do you think?” he asked me.

I’m not known to mince words, and I knew my face would give me away anyway I just said the first thing that came to me, “Couldn’t we go glamping instead? You know, like a cabin with room service.” Aaron looked at me with a scowl and then laughed and then laughed.

“Chase, didn’t you go camping growing up?” he asked.

I could only reply honestly “Yes and hated every minute of it!”

“Well, that is because I was not there! Besides, this will be just like being at home, but we will take it with us every day!” He gave me a kiss and stood next to me to admire his baby.

I looked at Aaron, and then at the RV. All I could think to myself was, when can we get our king bed and double shower installed in this thing, then it would be just like being at home. Aaron said he wanted to hit the road as soon as we could, but I was dragging my feet. I had barely packed anything to wear and did not know what to take. Aaron had brought the behemoth home to give me the grand tour a couple of days ago before taking it to the mechanic to get the motorhome checked and then to get washed and detailed. Of course, I was a good homemaker and made sure there were plenty of fresh towels and linens to take with us. I am glad that neither of us is too tall, me five-ten and Aaron five-eleven, because the bed in this thing was short, as wide as a queen bed, but short. Aaron bought it for going to the beach and living in during the summers while in college, so it has seen a lot, but it was still in good condition for being a 1971 motorhome. He had modern amenities installed over time but still, it was not our home.

I finished gathering my clothes into a duffle bag and took them out to the camper. When I came down the steps of the RV, Aaron was bent over with his head in one of the lower compartments, I guess he did not hear me come up behind him because when I asked “Whatcha doing” he jumped and hit his head on the inside. He stood up rubbing the back of his head and I apologized for startling him and hugged him. I loved it when he had his arms around me.

“It’s alright,” he told me and kissed me on the forehead.

It was about three o’clock on an afternoon in late June when finally pulled out of the driveway. I saw our house at the end of our Pasadena California cul-de-sac fading away in the side mirror. I have never been on a long road trip before, I mean Los Angeles to Las Vegas does not count that only four or five hours. Aaron told me the Redwood National Forest was more than three times that and I instantly got a pit in my stomach. Aaron said originally the GPS had us going though San Francisco, which I was excited for, but he did not want to take the RV into the city, so he made a changes to avoid that.

Before leaving the house, I took the time to carefully curate some of our favorite music. Before we could finish belting out the complete Wicked Broadway soundtrack, we hit traffic trying to get out of the Los Angeles basin. I am so glad Aaron was driving this thing because I cannot with traffic. Even driving our everyday cars in traffic, I will cut a bitch if you cut me off! Traffic seems to extend for as far as the eye could see but Aaron never lost his cool. He just happily followed along with the music, which made me do the same. One advantage to having a house on wheels, the kitchen. I did not know that Aaron had also made a run to the grocery store while I was milling around the house this morning dreading this trip. He stocked the pantries and with all my favorite snacks and the fridge with my favorite drinks, okay points to the RV.

Halfway into the soundtrack of RENT, the original Broadway cast recording, not the movie, did not get me started; traffic started to break up. The sun had set a while ago, so I checked my phone, and it was almost nine-thirty at night. Aaron pulled off the interstate and into what seemed to be a rest area with a couple of fast-food places and a gas station in the middle of nowhere. Aaron put gas in his vintage beast of an RV while I went to get some hot food for us. Aaron moved the RV out of the gas station, parking it closer to the fast-food restaurant I went to, and we ate at the dining table in the RV. I hate to admit it, but maybe this RV thing was growing on me. We finished our food and Aaron said,

“Ready to get back on the road?”

I looked at him and asked, “How much further?”

He smiled “Well…” no scratching the back of his head. “Traffic getting out of town really cut into or driving time today, and I probably only have a few more hours in me so...”

He must have seen my face go limp because he stopped talking. “Does that mean we’re going to like sleep on the side of the road or something?” as asked.

“Chase, it is no big deal. Truck drivers do it all the time!”

This did not make me feel any better. He got back into the driver’s seat, and I went back into the passenger seat. As we got back on the interstate, I could only think of one thing to do, play Adel. This is how Aaron knows I am not happy. As we travel down the highway, the last bits of civilization fade to a dark horizon beyond the end of the headlights. I asked Aaron.

“Where are we?”

His reply, “Farm country”

It was not too long before Arron started to repeatedly yawn. He pulled off the highway into an open dirt field that had a few bushes around. There was single streetlight near the highway onramp, otherwise darkness. We were not on the main interstate anymore, so cars were few and it was incredibly quiet. Aaron fumbled around under the RV for a minute before producing a portable fire ring, log, axe, and travel chairs.

“What did you raid Costco when they opened this morning too?” I asked.

He laughed at me and said, “Remember I lived in this thing during the summers for a while, I picked up a few tricks.”

He set up the ring and the chairs and I sat down to watch him work. It was summer but it was a little cool and I think just wanted to show off. He put the log down and took the axe in hand. It was not a full-sized axe like a lumberjack, but enough room for two hands on the handle. His first swing did not go so well, missing the log completely driving the axe head right into the dirt. I cover my mouth to hide and hold back the laugh. The second swing made a connection, and the axe got stuck. Embarrassed, Aaron messed with the wood for a bit but eventually having worked up a sweat, he got what he wanted broken down and in the firepit. It must have been right before midnight when he got the fire going and he disappeared into the motorhome. He came back out with a paper grocery bag, sat down, and handed it to me.

“What’s this?” I asked.

“Remember how you told me you hated camping when you were a kid?”

I nodded.

“Do you remember want you told me your only happy memory of camping was?” he grinned.

“You didn’t?” I said as I opened the bag.

Inside was all the makings for smores. As if he had been practicing a magic trick for weeks out of nowhere, he produces two long-handled roasting sticks to put the marshmallows on. He even went as far as to have our names etched into them, Aaron & Chase. We roasted marshmallows by the fire and built smores until the fire almost died, I had completely forgotten we were in the middle of farmland off the side of a highway. Aaron packed up the leftovers supplies and put the chairs away before putting out the smoldering embers with a bottle of water.

We both headed inside and brushed our teeth, how I missed our double vanity, but Aaron let me use the bathroom sink while he used the kitchen sink. Normally at home we do not bother with clothes while sleeping, but I figured I will stick with a pair of sweats while sleeping in the motor home. Aaron must have thought the same because he settled on sleeping in his briefs. We got into our respective sides of the bed, because why mess with tradition and we were able to get comfortable. My feet were inches to the edge and the mattress was something to be desired.

“Good night, love you!” I told Aaron.

“Love you too,” he said right before switching off the overhead light. Almost at once I could tell Aaron had fallen asleep, and I drifted off right behind him.