Two for the Road

Scribbles05- Yes! I edited the story a whole bunch, changed the first chapter entirely, and re-titled it, so I thought it'd be easier just to repost it and delete the other version :)

Chapter 3
Rebecca hummed lightly to herself as she folded her favorite Bob Marley t-shirt. She had gotten it two years before while in San Francisco with her brother and mother. The shirt was in rough shape, with the hem in desperate need of repairing, a spaghetti sauce stain on the stomach area, and a small tear from all of the wear. She had practically lived in the shirt for the first few months after she had bought it. She smiled. Reminiscing about all the good times they shared as a family in San Francisco made her forget all of the bad things that had ever happened to the family.
She wanted to pack as light as possible and take only the most necessary items. With no set destination, she had no idea how much she would need, but did know that she did not want to lug around several bags of junk. Her suitcase carried some clothes, pajamas, her cell-phone, necessary hygienic products, and a couple of compact disks to listen to in Jaime’s car. She also brought along her purse that contained some chap stick and three hundred dollars in cash that she had taken out of her bank account the previous day. With eleven-hundred dollars between the two girls, that would be plenty for gas, food, and a cheap motel for a while. Rebecca zipped up her suitcase.
Her excitement about leaving grew as the day wore on. She had considered the risks, made a list, even. But still, the pros overrode the cons. Everyone needs some adventure in their lives, so I guess this is a good start, she thought. She also considered alternatives in order to save money, such as sleeping in Jaime’s car to lessen the need for motel costs. She would call her mother from her cell phone after a week or two to keep in touch, as was agreed upon by the two of them when discussing the move. Her mom was normally very understanding about personal freedom, and had always encouraged Rebecca to do whatever she could to “find herself”. Assuming that this was an important step in “finding herself”, as well as her independence and freedom, Rebecca sat down with Ms. Moore, explaining everything. She added that she would carry her cell phone with her, and call to check in every so often. There was minimal opposition and within the hour, Rebecca had managed to convince her mother entirely that this was a good idea. And also that she couldn’t stop her anyway. There. It would be fine. After all, Rebecca was eighteen years old! She wanted to at least attempt to travel before college, if she decided to go to college at all. There were so many reasons to leave Foxwood, and she realized that this may be the only chance that she would have for a very long time.
~*~*~*~*~
Rebecca was seated on the cool cement step in front of her house, a single suitcase resting next to her, when her girlfriend drove up. She did not even recognize that it was her at first.
Jaime was driving an authentic 1974 Volkswagen van, complete with bobble heads in the window, a fuzzy steering wheel, and murals hand-painted all over the exterior. Rebecca laughed as Jaime hopped out and patted the side of it.
“What do you think?” she asked, smiling.
“Um, did you drive through a commune on the way here?”
“It was Harmony’s,” she answered with a chuckle. “I told her what’s going on when I visited her last night, and she was surprisingly cool about it. She told me that she just bought a new eco-friendlier vehicle, so she gave us this for our little trip!”
The girls knew Harmony through Rebecca’s mother from high school, where they were best friends for a number of years. She was your typical hippie, as Rebecca's mother had once been. Ms. Moore still kept many of the values from her old life, but had changed quite a bit at the same time. Harmony lived just out of town, on a small acreage. Since Rebecca was just a young child, she had been treated by the woman like she was an equal, never different because of her age, and Harmony never concealed secrets from her as most adults had. They talked like old friends. Jaime was introduced shortly after the two girls met, and soon, all three became good friends. Though Rebecca’s mother had changed quite a bit over the years, eventually losing most contact with Harmony, her daughter and daughter’s girlfriend had kept a close and special friendship with her; the kind of bond most girls are rarely fortunate enough to come across even once in a lifetime.
“Oh my God, Jaime! Are you joking? That’s fucking awesome!” She paused. “I thought we were going to take your car, though. Not that I’m complaining or anything, but...” Her cynicism quickly shifted to excitement. Jaime nodded in agreement.
“Yeah, but it’s less roomy and my parents could probably keep track of my mileage or something on the bills so they’d figure out where we were. Not that they’d care if I disappeared, anyway.”
Rebecca was quiet for a minute, not wanting to move to the subject of the Bennets and let it ruin the day. “We’re so lucky this came up, I’m glad you told Harmony before we left. I would have felt bad leaving without letting her know. This is perfect!”
“Uh huh! And there’s even a bed in the back so we don’t have to worry about being all uncomfortable trying to sleep in it or anything.”
“Unbelievable.”
Ms. Moore kissed her daughter and gave her a long hug. “You be careful,” she whispered.
“I will, mom.”
“And call me when you get to where you’re going, so I know where you are and that you’re safe.”
“I will.”
“And lock the doors.”
“Mom…”
She turned to Jaime. “And treat her good! You be careful, too! Don’t drive when you’re tired, and if you-”
“I love you, mom,” Rebecca cut in, bypassing the rules that were not really important to say, but more so a way to keep her there longer.
Ms. Moore sniffled and nodded. “I love you, baby.”
Jaime smiled as the two embraced a final time and tossed Rebecca’s bag into the van. The girls climbed in, Rebecca still smiling in astonishment. We’re off to a great start, she thought, seating herself in the soft seat up front. Jaime planted her hands on the steering wheel.
“You ready?” she asked Rebecca, taking a dramatic breath.
She nodded in reply. “Never been so ready for anything in my entire life, babe.”
“No second thoughts? I mean, you still have time to get out if you changed your mind, because after this, there’s no going back for a while, you know. Last chance to bail.”
Rebecca inhaled deeply. “Let’s go.”
Jaime smiled. “Hell yeah, that’s my girl!” she cheered as she pressed her foot down on the gas pedal.











Chapter 4
Rebecca slid a CD into the new stereo that Harmony had recently installed in the van. As the first song began to play, a sign caught her eye. It read “Now leaving Foxwood.” She finally, for the first time in her life, had freedom from the town she grew up in. There was nothing wrong with Foxwood, of course, but since she was about twelve, when her dad had left them, she had dreamed of controlling her own destiny, where she could follow her dreams and just get away from all the same old scenery and same old people. She never told Jaime any of this, but somehow could tell that she knew anyway. Her real dream was to travel- to go to some far-off land and meet people of a different culture, see different landscapes, and do different things. Unfortunately, Rebecca’s mother was not one who enjoyed traveling. The furthest she had gone in the past five years was Medicine Hat, in the Southern region of the province, and she hated every minute of the ten-hour drive sitting in the backseat with her younger brother, Nathan.
“Becka?” Jaime whispered, gently touching her shoulder.
“Huh?” Rebecca replied, waking herself out of a daze. “Oh. Yeah?”
“Thanks. For coming with me, I mean.”
A smile crossed her face. “No problem, babe. I’m glad I did.”
Jaime put her hand on Rebecca’s and blushed slightly, making both of them smile.
~*~*~*~*~
After driving for a few hours, Jaime pulled over to the side of the road and rubbed her eyes. “What’s wrong?” Rebecca asked her, slight worry in her voice. They had only been on the road for four hours and she was not at all wanting to turn back already.
“Oh, nothing. I am just so tired right now; I haven’t slept in, like, three days. I was so excited to finally get the hell out of this town and out on my own.” She pulled a small bottle of pills out of her pocket.
“What are those?”
“Huh? Oh- just something to keep me up.”
“Pep pills?”
“Sort of similar, only not illegal and not dangerous.”
Rebecca frowned. “All that shit is dangerous, Jay. Give me those.” She took them from the girl and emptied them on the side of the road.
“Hey!”
“Let’s just stop for a while. We don’t have to keep going right now.”
“I don’t want to stop until we’re as far as possible from that place.”
“Want me to drive?”
“Well, now that you dumped my very expensive little bottle of energy, I guess we have no choice.”
Rebecca smiled when Jaime did, and walked around the back of the van to get in the front seat, as the other girl stood up and climbed into the back, sprawling out on the bed.
“Thanks,” she mumbled, almost falling asleep the minute her head hit the pillow. Rebecca just smiled again and started the van. The box-like vehicle actually drove a lot smoother and easier than she expected. She pulled out, back onto the dusty dirt road. As a new song began on the CD that was playing, what was to be her new life started, as well. She was now a hundred percent in control. Only a moment later, she saw a big green sign on the roadside that said “Jasper- 300 KM”. Perfect, she thought to herself. Jasper was probably the most beautiful place in Alberta that she had been to, and she just knew that a quick walk in the town would help her to clear her thoughts. Her foot pressed the gas pedal a little harder, now going a hundred and ten kilometers per hour. If they drove like this the whole way there, they’d make it in about two and half hours. Rebecca rolled down the window, feeling the cool morning air blowing against her skin.
Soon the surrounding fields and meadows transformed to tall mountains, their summits hidden behind soft blankets of snow and white ribbons of cloud. Small waterfalls flowed down the moss-covered rocks that lined along the sides of the road. The sky remained a bright cerulean, and the lush emerald forests crept closer to the street as she drove through the organic rural setting. The portrait took Rebecca’s breath away; she had never seen the environment so pure before. The nearest to nature she had gotten was the forests and winding rivers in the city, which were nothing compared to this beauty. It was a living example of freedom. Rebecca slowly pulled over to the side of the road and climbed out of the vehicle. She sat on a fallen tree that was overtaken by moss, basking in the sun like a reptile on a rock in the desert. She breathed in the untouched mountain air, so different from the car-exhaust fumes that she was used to back in the city. The oxygen filled her lungs and washed over her entire being. After a moment, she took a glimpse at her watch. She inhaled deeply once more before standing to get back into the van. She looked back at Jaime, who was lost deep in a blissful sleep. She looked so serene, it made Rebecca smile.
One hundred kilometers to Jasper. Rebecca grew more excited at each sign that told her how close she was to her first destination. She turned left sharply in following the directions of the road signs and map. Through her front window, she noticed a small assembly of mountain sheep gathered along the roadside. Wanting desperately to stop the van and perhaps snap a quick photograph, she restrained herself. No. We can’t stop. Straight on ‘til Jasper, we’ll get there faster. She chuckled quietly to herself. Realizing that she had stopped the music when she had last pulled over, Rebecca turned her CD back on. It blasted, causing her to swerve a bit. “Crap!” She quickly turned the volume down low. She exhaled quickly and heard Jaime moan in the back seat.
“Jaime?”
The girl rolled over onto her back and stared at the ceiling. She paused for a moment. “What?”
“Sorry I woke you up; I forgot to turn down the music when I turned it off.”
“Well, I haven’t slept in days. No, don’t worry, I’m totally fine with only three hours of sleep,” she replied sarcastically, an irritated tone in her voice.
Rebecca sat quietly, a bit taken back by Jaime’s attitude. “I said I was sorry,” she said in a tiny voice. When Jaime didn’t reply after a minute, Rebecca felt hurt.
“I’m joking, hon. Chill out, I don’t care. I was awake for a minute or two before that anyway.” Jaime came to the front of the van and kissed Rebecca on the cheek.
“You scared the shit out of me! Don’t do that!” she snapped, slapping her on the arm.
“So! Where we headed, Becks?” she asked, climbing into the passenger’s seat.
“You’ll see,” she answered in a sing-song voice. Jaime smiled and shook her head.
“Okay then. Hey, Rebecca?”
“Mm-hmm?”
“Turn off that music, will you? It’s bad as hell.”
Rebecca simply grinned deviously and turned it up, to be greeted with a hard glare from Jaime.
“I’m going to throw that so-called ‘music’ of yours out the window and back over it once I have control of the wheel again.”
Rebecca smiled wider and proceeded to blow a teasingly sweet kiss.
Finally, a large, decorated sign welcomed the girls to the town of Jasper, Alberta. Rebecca’s smile almost touched her ears. She squealed in excitement. “Jaime! Jaime we’re here! We’re in Jasper!” Rebecca cried. Jaime sat straight up from the hunched position she had curled into in her seat, yawning and stretching out. The mountains outside the glass were unfathomably large and surrounded the entire town. The scene was like that of a painting. The girls stayed in the small tourist town for most of the afternoon, enjoying the sights, souvenirs, and food. After a leisurely stroll and some sight-seeing and picture-taking, they climbed back into the van. They would try to find a campground to park at for the night until they found a hotel somewhere outside town. Tourist towns always charge way more for hotels, Rebecca knew this to be common knowledge.
Unexpectedly, it was over an hour later before they would encounter a small motel to stop over at. Checking out average prices for the area would be a nice way to figure out where to stay for a little bit. They pulled up into the dusty parking lot and Jaime immediately shot out of the van and around the corner of the building, to the door.
“Becka! Come here, check this out,” Jaime called urgently from around the corner of the small motel. Rebecca ran to the window where Jaime was standing, to find her pointing at a sign.
“Full-time waitress needed. Apply within,” Rebecca read aloud, taking a moment to get the idea Jaime had.
“Yeah, I’m going to do it.” Before Rebecca had a chance to respond, her girlfriend dashed it through the motel front entrance. Just a moment later, she re-emerged from the doors, holding a flyer she had grabbed. She handed it to Rebecca, urging her to read it. It mentioned that anyone working full time receives an nine-dollar-per-hour starting wage.
“That would be great, I mean, we could afford food, first of all. And the guy working the front desk told me that they have a whole bunch of little housing units behind the motel that employees can rent for only, like, $500.00 a month! If I work full-time, that’s less than two weeks worth of paychecks!” Jaime said, practically jumping up and down with excitement.
“Well…I…what will we…” Rebecca stuttered, trying to think of something that could be wrong with this plan. But at the time, she couldn’t think of one thing.
“What’ll we what, Rebecca?” Jaime questioned accusingly, putting her hands on her hips.
“Ugh. Whatever, never mind.” Both girls were a bit irritable from the drive, and Rebecca did not want to start arguing this early in the trip. “Sounds great! You want to do it?” she asked.
“Really?” she asked excitedly. When Rebecca nodded, Jaime wrapped her arms around her and squeezed tightly. “You’ll see, it’ll be great. We’ll love living here!” A grin crept across her face and Rebecca pushed the doubt she had in her girlfriend’s plan to the back of her mind and forced a smile, too.
Jaime ran to the van, whipping the girls’ bags out faster than lightening. She tossed them onto the ground, quickly locking the van doors, and stood, smiling.
“Go inside, babe. Don’t worry about the bags, I’ll get them. Just get us a room and ask about applying for the job, okay?” Jaime kissed her lips lovingly and ran off and disappeared around the corner again. Rebecca laughed to herself and picked up the luggage.
Rebecca dragged the belongings into room forty-three, dropping the bags behind the door and throwing herself onto the bed. She sighed happily and closed her eyes. Looking at the clock, she realized that it was 3:00PM and that she had been in the van for almost eight hours. Feeling suddenly exhausted, she rolled over and allowed herself to drift into a light sleep.
Rebecca’s eyes opened slowly, and through her eyelashes the girl could see a dark shadow in the corner of the room. Her immediate reaction was to scream, in her moment of being half-awake and half-asleep, fearing someone had gotten into her bedroom.
“Rebecca! What the hell?!” She heard Jaime’s frantic voice, and opened her eyes wider, making out the image of, wouldn’t you know it, Jaime. She suddenly recognized where she was; a motel room, far from her bedroom at home. No one had broken in. No one was standing in the corner with a gun, and no one was giving her any reason to fear. It was just Jaime, searching through her suitcase.
“Sorry. I forgot where I was for a minute,” she apologized.
“Well, now that you’re finally awake,” Jaime said, pointing at the clock, which now said eight-thirty-four, “I have something to tell you. I got the job!”
“Oh my God, are you joking?”
“Nope! I handed in my application, and the lady instantly asked me for an interview. I thought I did kind of crappy, because I was nervous and all, but she said it sounded great and hired me on the spot! It was way rad.”
“Jaime! That’s great,” she shouted, grabbing onto her arms and kissing her.
“I know! Isn’t that just fucking awesome, dude?”
“When do you start?”
“They said I could start as soon as I was available, so my first shift is tomorrow, from 8:30 until noon, then I get a one-hour break and start again and go ‘til five.”
“Wow, that’s some shift!”
“Yeah, well I applied for full-time so we could rent that little cabin apartment thing and still afford food and all that stuff.” Rebecca hugged her again.
“I’m so proud of you,” she said quietly, her head against Jaime’s shoulder. Maybe this will actually work out better than I’d first thought, she thought before drifting back into a sound sleep. Traveling tired her.