The Trip
Intro to TIME LESS
He kissed me again passionately and smiled in a way that touched my soul. Looking into the eyes of my soul mate, I still cannot believe how we got to this moment, but I never want it to end. The journey was strange, scary, and exciting; all rolled into one. It all seems so long ago, yet it still feels like yesterday. I have to share my story with you. If I had not lived through it myself, I would not believe a word of it as truth, but I swear to the universe, it happened.
TIME LESS PART 1(first draft)
Road trip
6:35 am Saturday
“Ok, I’ll see you when you get here. Your Uncle Tyler and I are heading into town to pick up a few things. It has been a long time since we have seen you, Celestina. We can’t wait,” Aunt Rebekah says before hanging up the phone. Walking around the apartment, gathering last-minute items to pack, I stopped at the window. The campus dorms spread out before me, and the small park in the center was vacant of visitors at this time of the morning. It was a gorgeous September day. I couldn’t wait to get on the road.
I clicked end call on my cell and tossed my phone in my purse. I’m getting ready to head out to the country for four weeks. I just finished my 3rd year in college, and it was rough. I took a few extra classes during the summer to start in the Winter session in November. I needed to get away from this city and relax. After stuffing my bag to capacity, I lugged it down the stairs and tossed it in the trunk of my not-so-new VW convertible. I put the top down and ran back upstairs to get my breakout bag as an afterthought. You never know. I want to be prepared if there is ever a zombie apocalypse or we go dark. I know what you’re thinking, too much Walking Dead. But I would still instead be prepared than the one without anything. #Zombiebate
I was on the cross country team in high school and swim team in college, so I was in shape and had endurance. #doublethreat
It’s early in the morning, 7 AM, to be exact. I have a 16-hour trip ahead of me. If all goes well, I’ll be pulling up in Aunt Rebekah’s driveway right before midnight. I have driven there before, but it has been a long while, and I was accompanied by friends last time.
Schooled out, partied out, studied out, and stressed out, I want out of this grind just for a little while. Oh, don’t worry, I wasn’t running away from a relationship or scandal. I am a pretty typical, happy kind of girl.
I will veg out, eat home-cooked meals, get some fresh country air and maybe even put on a few pounds. I was grinning like a fool as I pulled away from my dorm. Traffic was light. Most people were still sleeping off Friday night’s partying. I turned up the radio and sang along as I headed towards the interstate. Around noon I stopped for gas, a quick bite, and to stretch at a rest stop area. There were plenty of road-weary travelers passing through this rest stop. I sat outside in the shady park, turned my face to the sky, and enjoyed the sunlight on my skin. The birds above me chirped happily as they flitted from branch to branch. A pair of squirrels ran from tree to tree and fed by the children next to a huge RV. Like I said earlier, it was a perfect day.
I was getting back in my car. I considered putting the top up but figured I’d wait until early evening since the weather was gorgeous. The asphalt miles disappeared behind me as I got closer to my destination. The afternoon was turning into evening, and it looked like there may be a bit of rain up ahead. After a few more miles, I turned into a gas station and put up the car’s convertible roof. I did not want to chance getting stuck in the rain in the dark trying to pull it up at the last minute. Before restarting my journey, I treated myself to a Dove ice cream bar, beef jerky for protein, and coconut water from the attached convenience store. So they would not worry, I checked in with my aunt and uncle to let them know my progress.
Soon the roads were just two lanes, and the thick forest was on either side of me. A bright full moon had replaced the sun, and the darkness was almost tangible. I silently wished I had begun my trip earlier. If I had, then I would not be passing through the dense forest in the dark. It always gave me the willies. Very little traffic at this time of night enhanced the spook factor.
I was only about 10 minutes away from my aunt and uncle’s when my right front tire ran over something in the road and blew out with a loud bang. I let loose a scream as I temporarily lost control of the car and overcorrected. Somehow, I managed to avoid plowing into any trees when I ran off the road. My heart was pounding, and my ears were ringing from the tire exploding. I sat in the car, visibly shaken. A lone tear escaped and rolled down my cheek. I angrily dashed it away. After a couple of minutes of deep breaths, I steadied myself, grabbed my cellphone, unhooked my seat belt, and got out of the car.
11:43 pm Saturday
I made my way around the car, using my cellphone’s flashlight app to see what damage was done. Well, the tire was flat. I tried calling my aunt and uncle but was not getting any signal. I decided I was close enough to hoof it the rest of the way—no sense in worrying them. Besides, my cross country training prepared me for moments like this. I grabbed my break-out bag and started walking. I thought I heard something in the woods a few times, but I did not see anything and just chalked it up to nerves.
Right as I was approaching my aunt and uncle’s property, I thought I saw something out of the corner of my eye at the beginning of the driveway. Adrenaline raced through my system, and I sprinted across the street and down the long driveway. As soon as I got close to the house, the motion lights came on, flooding the yard with light. I did not stop running. I hurtled up on the porch, skipping the four stairs and crashing into the screen door unceremoniously. I could see my aunt and uncle sitting in the living room watching the end of the nightly news. They both turned their heads at the sound, my uncle’s hand going to the side of his rocker where I knew he kept a shotgun.
Midnight
“Hey, Auntie,” I said, my face flushed. I managed a quick look behind me, but the well-lit yard was eerily still and uninhabited. No one was chasing me. I had managed to freak myself out like I did back when I was 12, over nothing. My aunt got up and undid the latch, and opened the door for me.
“I didn’t hear your car come up in the yard,” she said, hugging me and kissing my cheek. I hugged her back.
“I had a flat just up the road and walked the rest of the way,” I answered.
“Why on earth didn’t you call us? Anything could have happened to you with all these woods out here,” she said, worry in her tone
“I tried, no signal,” I said, holding up my phone
Aunt Rebekah shook her head and mumbled something about technology not being worth two cents. I shuffled past my aunt to hug my uncle as he placed the gun back where it was.
“Uncle Tyler, have you lost weight?” I remembered I couldn’t get my arms around him last time I visited.
He smiled, obviously proud of himself, “Oh, just a few jelly donuts less than last time and hitting the weights a few times a week. Got a nice set out back. I’ll show you tomorrow, ” a hearty chuckle following his words.
“You look good. I’ll take you up on that, ” I said. “Maybe we can go for a run too.”
“Looks like you got in one already, gal. Were you trying to run through my screen door?” Uncle Tyler said and made a show of checking the hinge before closing the front door. We all laughed as I explained, “I overshot the porch. That’s all. I guess my legs are quite a bit longer than I thought, or your porch is smaller.”
“Gal, now if that porch shrunk, I have some swampland to sell ya,” Uncle Tyler exaggerated a country accent. Uncle Tyler was born in Mississippi, but he was living in Washington DC by the time he was three. When he married my aunt, they moved to this humble little town in North Carolina. So the only thing he retained from old Miss was calling me gal sometimes.
“Let me look at you, Celestina!” My aunt puttered around me like I was a kid again. “You are all skin and bones. I bet you didn’t even have a decent dinner. Come on in this kitchen so I can fix you some food,” She walked into the kitchen without a backward glance. Guess that meant I was to follow her. So I did and asked where I could wash my hands.
“Use the half bath right through that door. Mmm hmm, that’s the one,” She said, stirring a pot on the stove. I could smell the delicious aroma as soon as she lifted the top. Brunswick stew, and I know she made some sweet cornbread to go with it. I hurried up and cleaned up. My mouth was watering. Yes, the weight will cometh.
By 2 am after a hearty bowl of stew and cornbread and some catching up with my aunt and uncle, my stomach was full. I was freshly showered and ready to go headlong into sleep. I’m happy I am in the room that looks out over the front yard. There is a huge pecan tree with branches that almost reach the window. I spent many summers climbing its branches and eating pecans. I was looking forward to sleeping in tomorrow and catching up with my aunt and uncle. There were no classes to rush off to. No papers are due. I feel great. I laugh at my silly scare and drift off to sleep.
3:45 am Sunday
I’m awake. I am not sure what woke me. It’s pitch black in my room. I look over at the old alarm clock. 3:45 am.
“Ugh, why am I awake?” I groan, pull the covers over my head, and squeeze my eyes shut, determined to go back to sleep. I am just dozing off again when the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. Is someone in the room with me? I snatched the covers down and grabbed my phone, stabbing at the flashlight app and shining the light all around the room.
Nothing.
“Hello?” I whisper into the darkness. Only silence and the sound of crickets greet me.
‘What is wrong with me?’ I wonder.
Slightly disgusted but even more tired, I turn off the light, put my cell phone back on the nightstand. The next thing I know, it is morning.
9:00 am Sunday
I wake up to the smell of bacon and coffee saying, hello sunshine, to my nostrils! I get out of bed and stretch, smiling—last night’s crazy already a fading memory.
I went downstairs, ate a hearty breakfast of eggs, grits, bacon, and homemade biscuits. Afterward, I helped Aunt Rebekah with the dishes and then worked out with Uncle Tyler. After a good sweat, I decided to go for a run. The fresh air felt good on my skin. Running makes me feel free, and I can think clear thoughts. Besides, my car was still sitting down the road with a flat. During breakfast, Uncle Tyler said he would get it taken care of for me. He knew a guy. Besides, he said he wanted an excuse to get out of the house.
Running is a great way to take in the sights on my terms. Little had changed in the quiet country town of Blaine, North Carolina. Before long, I found a nice trail that circled the small lake. It seemed much smaller now that I was all grown up. After running it twice, I stopped and sat down on the bank to rest and just enjoy the beauty and serenity of the lake. A gently moving breeze sang through the tree leaves and rippled across the water. Birds called happily, and a family of ducks drifted on the slow current. A dilapidated dock sat at the other side. It didn’t look as safe as it used to be. I smiled to myself as I remembered my first jump off the dock. I was scared, and all of the other children were running past me, jumping in and calling me to join them from the water.
“Come on, Celeste! Tina, you can do it! Just jump. You’re missing all the fun!” Laughter and water splashing did little to sway me. I stayed on the dock alone. The next thing I know, Billy gets out of the water and comes over to me. I knew his name, but we had never spoken directly. His fiery red hair was plastered to his head, and he had freckles... so many freckles, his green eyes looked like marbles. He grabbed my hand and walked me to the edge.
“We go on three, ok? Don’t worry; I won’t let you go!” Billy said.
Behind me, a branch snapped, yanking me from my thoughts. With my heart in my throat, I whirled around just in time to see a deer making its way through the trees. It stopped with one paw lifted. The giant buck had a beautiful set of antlers, and it looked at me with green eyes. I thought that was interesting but figured it probably reflected off the foliage. I held as still as I could in the awkward, half-twisted position I. After a few moments, determining I was not a threat, the deer continued and came out further along the bank for a drink of water. I snapped a pic with my phone, grateful I had it with me.
Making myself comfortable again, I stretched my legs and picked up a few stones to toss in the water. I stared at the rippling waters, and a sense of peace covered me. My mind wandered back to when I was 12. I was here for the summer. My brother and I were with some of the local kids, laughing and swimming. I had a massive crush on Billy Franklin. Even now, remembering his smile brought a smile to my lips. His laughter was infectious. We took turns on the tire swing, and I remembered the butterflies I would get in my stomach when our hands accidentally brushed the first time. How at the end of the summer we shared our first kiss. I wondered where life had taken him.
Drawing my knees up, I hugged them to my chest. The deer wandered around on the far side of the lake, rooting around and alternating between drinking water and stopping to stare at me. A gentle breeze blew, wrapping me up in the warmth of the south. It felt almost personal. In this solitary moment, I felt like I was home.
I sat there for a while before I brushed myself off and headed back to the house. I wondered if Uncle Tyler needed help with my car, and I didn’t want him to think I was ungrateful. I jogged back up the trail and out onto the main road at a pretty steady pace. A few cars honked as they passed, the drivers threw up their hands in a friendly greeting. You gotta love southern hospitality. Making it back to the yard, my little bug was parked out front with the tire changed, not a spare, but an actual tire. I quickly jumped the four stairs and entered the house.
“Uncle Tyler and Aunt Rebekah, I’m back!” I yelled since I did not see them in the living room. “Thanks for fixing my tire,” I said as I made my way upstairs. I passed their bedroom on the way to mine and turned back to knock but heard giggles. I paused with my hand in the air and listened again. Gasping, I took a step back from the door. It was apparent they were having a private moment.
“Ok, wow, I guess they expected me to be gone longer,” I dropped my hand and hurried down the hall to my room.
Once in my room, I checked my Facebook and posted the picture of the deer on Twitter and Tumblr #countryliving
I remembered that my bags were still in the car, so I headed back downstairs to get them from the trunk. Two trips up and down the stairs later, and I was sweaty and a little tired. I decided to soak in the clawfoot tub in the adjoining bathroom. I stepped into the steaming hot water. Sliding down into the water, the bubbles hid my nakedness like a Calgon commercial. I washed and then lay back against the cool porcelain. Man, it was heavenly.
What happened next, I can only describe as a dream.
I must have fallen asleep because I was suddenly 12 again and taking that leap with Billy into the lake. We hit the water together, and we are sinking. He is still holding my hand just like he said he would. I open my eyes, and he is there smiling, giving me the thumbs-up, and he lets go. He swims up to the surface. I float away, down to the bottom, my hand outstretched. I open my mouth to scream for help, forgetting I am underwater. Water rushes in my mouth and nose. I see him swimming towards me, but he is not fast enough. He is losing me. All I can see is his startling green eyes. Then everything goes black.
to be continued...
©Venis Nytes
started writing end of Sept 2015
