Turn Right on 260

At the request of Ms. Abel, who is literally half of my audience (only two people read this any more, i guess), here's my story only, i'm actually ending it right. (though, technically the last one was right because i'm the author and i wanted it to end that way, but....nevermind you know what i mean)

0630- Alarm goes off
0635- Shower
0645- Dress and Breakfast
0655- Brush teeth
0700- Sit in vehicle, stare blankly
0705- Warm up vehicle
0710- Begin commute to school
0722- Park at school, more blank staring
0725- Exit vehicle, begin walk to first class

So it had been. I never varied from this routine. Never. I took the same roads, saw the same cars, no exception.
Back out of driveway onto Wagon Train Pass.
Turn right on Shilo Trail
Turn right on Lone Pine Damn Road
Turn left onto 260
Turn left onto Old Linden Road
Turn left into school parking lot.
Proceed to furthest row and park.

Repetition.

Turn left onto 260.
Turn left onto 260.

Turn right onto 260.

That's when it started. I could NOT take it anymore. One more goddamn left turn onto 260 and I would exit my car and lay in the road until I was lucky enough to be run over.

NO. I made a right. And with that right, I woke up. I woke up from the mundane dream most people call a life.

I looked down at the gas gauge. Three quarters of a tank. I drove. I thought about stopping.

I kept driving.

I already knew where I was headed. I didn't have to think about it.

I was not happy. I was not sad. I was living. I might have been crazy...

I passed Payson, followed the signs to Phoenix. I was on the 101 when I ran out of gas. I parked on the shoulder. I popped in the cigarette lighter. I opened the glove box and took out the papers. The lighter popped back out, now red hot. I lit the papers on fire. Registration, proof of insurance, owner's manual, everything. I used one of my keys to unscrew the licence plate. I started walking. A thought occurred to me, and I stuck out my right hand. Nope, no Knight Bus, I guess you really have to be a wizard for that one to work. I tried my thumb instead. It took half an hour of walking backwards with my thumb sticking out before a Toyota Camry pulled over. It had New York Plates. The girl behind the wheel, must have been about 18-19, fresh out of High School, she had a Trigonometry book in the back seat. She asked me which way I was headed. I said, "West." She laughed and said, "Hop in Cowboy." Cowboy.....?"

Where are you from?"
"I just came from Show Low."
"Huh... never heard of it."
"I'm not surprised."
"So, where's your home, and don't say Show Low, that's where you're coming from, not where you belong."
That's an interesting way to put it...
"San Diego."
"Is that where you're headed?"
"I haven't gotten that far yet.... probably, though."
"I've never been myself, but I hear it's nice."
"Yeah..."
I'm not really one for small talk, let alone small talk with a pretty girl I just met not 5 minutes ago.
"You don't talk much?"
"Depends on who you ask."
"I'm asking you."
What a smart-ass...
"If I want to, I'll talk."
"So you just don't want to talk to me? Huh, most guys try to talk their way into my pants."
"I'm not most guys."
"Nice line, how often does that get you laid?"
"Never has."
"Hahaha."
She starts messing with an iPod and Tom Petty's Echo Album starts playing.
"Good album." I muse, mostly to myself.
"Not as good as Wildflowers."
"Dark Side of the Moon or Wish You Were Here?"
"Are we still talking albums, or just the singles?"
"Just the songs."
"Wish You Were Here."
"Huh... Metallica or Megadeath?"
"Metallica."
"The Offspring or The White Stripes?"
"Offspring"
"Black Sabbath or ACDC?"
"ACDC."
"John Mayer or Jack Johnson?"
"Jack Johnson."
Okay, now she has my attention.
"So, what's your story?"
"What do you mean?"
"You're in Arizona, with New York tags, and you're taking me to southern California, just because I had my thumb out."
"How do you know I wasn't already on my way to San Diego?"
"Because I didn't say I was heading to San Diego, I said I was heading West, you just went with it and assumed I meant San Diego because that's where I was born."
"Nice detective work Mr. Holmes."
"Thank you, Watson."
"Ha! As if I would ever bee your side-kick."
"You already are."
That shut her up.

She set her eyes on the road.I looked out the passenger's side window. Dirt, dirt, dirt, and more dirt. Welcome to southwest Arizona.The digital clock in her car read 2:30.School was almost out. Some people might be wondering where I was, most would not care. I thought about my parents, They might get a call asking where I was today, they might not. Neither one of them would be home til at least 10:30 that night.

"So what are you running from?"
Her voice knocked me out of my thoughts.
"What am I running from...?"
"Yeah, from the back pack I can tell you're still in high school, probably a senior or junior, it's still school time, you're ditching to go...somewhere, what are you running from?"
"I....I don't know, really."
"Oh come on! Abusive parents, shitty girlfriend, what?"
"No, my life was fine. Great parents, no girlfriend to speak of, but whatever, that doesn't bother me."
"There has to be something...?"
"I don't think I'm running from anything. I think I'm running towards something. I'm running towards life, towards a life where I'm actually living. You know?"
"kind of..."
"I don't know, I'm crazy, and I've accepted this part of me."
"Haha, no, it's just... I'm kind of the opposite. I'm running from life. I graduated end of last year, and I was all set to go to college, but I couldn't do it. I was so scared. I hid at my parent's house for three months doing nothing...."
"You've never told anyone that before, have you?"
"Who's to tell? I've been on the road for 2 months now, all by myself. Lucky me, I have a rich daddy who loves me too much to care what I do with his money, but not enough to actually talk to me. Oh, and mommy, well she's dead; and step-mommy is a gold digging whore."
Psycho alert is screaming in my head.
"Oh....I'm sorry...?"
"Don't be."

3:52
"Do you want me to drive for a while?"
"Huh? What? Oh.... sure."
I'd been watching her for the past 30 minutes nod, inches away from sleep. Something told me she'd been driving since last night. Driving or running, it was the same for her.

I got behind the wheel and checked the gas gauge, we still had 1/4 of a tank, I though we'd have run out by now.
"It's a hybrid and a Camry, the thing gets crazy gas mileage."
"Wow.... I think I know what my next car is going to be..."
"Haha."

I started driving and looked over at her ten minutes later, she was passed out.

As I drove I started wondering about different people. Only a few really, the ones I cared most about, the ones that probably cared where I went. I wouldn't be getting online tonight. No emails, facebook, myspace, AIM, MSN, nothing.Wanted Dead or Alive by Bon Jovi was playing in my head, "I'm a cowboy, on a steel horse I ride, I'm wanted (wanted) dead or alive!"Good to know that even when I'm completely crazy, I'm still my usual crazy self.... just with poorer judgment I guess. Or better, I haven't decided that yet.

Now Entering the state of California.
Huh...that's cool.

"So, what's with the hair?"
"Good...afternoon."
"Yeah, I'm awake, now seriously, What's with the hair?"
"I was lazy one year, didn't get a single haircut, liked the result, and stuck with it."
"Not a rebellion thing? Nothing cool? Just happened?"
"Yep."
"I like it."
"Thanks."

"Do you think I'm pretty?"
"Have you been drinking while I wasn't looking?"
"No. Answer the question."
"No, it's a loaded question. I say yes, I'm trying to get into your pants. I say no, I'm a jack-ass and I can get out of your car."
"Just tell me what you think."
"Did you not hear a word I just-"
"Please."
I'm completely confused at this point.
-sigh-
"Yeah, I think you're beautiful."
"Thanks, not for saying I'm beautiful, but for answering the question."
"And why does that mean more to you."
"Because you did something you didn't want to do for me."
"Okay... don't get too hot and bothered just because I caved."
"That's not what I meant.... you know that."
Yeah I knew that, I'm just deflecting. That was not something I cared about talking about right then, so I just stopped talking. By the way, why can't pretty girls be dumb?

We were passing by those giant windmills, the wind turbine machines used to generate electricity. It was an interesting clash. Out here, nature remained mostly untouched my humanity, but amongst nature there were modern structures. A clash, but beautiful in it's own way. I looked back at my travelling companion, and raised an eyebrow when I saw she was already looking at me.

"You're a curious person."
That's the nicest way people say, "You're weird." I know this from experience.
"Yeah, I know."
"I don't think my friends would approve of you."
"Luckily, I don't care."
"Something told me you wouldn't, which is why I like you."
"Oh? Explain."
"I used to hang out with the rich kids, the old time "jet set", you know. They thought they were the best because they could buy clothes and cars on their parent's dime. They thought they had the right to be mean to poorer kids and kids like you, the weird ones, and the brainy ones. I used to be like that."
I thought of a friend of mine and replied, "People change."
"Very true."
I thought about what it would be like to be rich. To have actual silver silverware next to the plate. Plate.
"That reminds me, can yo hand me my backpack?"
She gave it to me and I unzipped it, grabbed the lisence plate, put the backpack back in the backseat, rolled down the window and chucked the plate.
She started laughing. I looked at her.
"What?"
"I think I love you."
"I get that a lot."
"Oh do you?"
"Yep. What can I say? It's the curls; the girls love the curls. It ryhmes so it must be true."
She laughed and looked back out of her window.

Now entering San Deigo County.

It's been 10 hours since I mad that right turn. I've run out of gas on a freeway for the first time. I ditched my car and made it incredible hard to prove that it's mine. Also a first. I hitch hiked. Another first. I was living, for the first time in my life, I was really living.

"I don't know where to go."
She looked over at me.
"Who lived here how long?"
"Sixteen years."
"And you don't know where to go?"
"No. I know where places are, and I know how to get there, but I don't know where to go."
She put her hand on my shoulder and smiled.
"The best part is, you can go anywhere."
Freedom.
I drove to the first place I thought of.

The smell in the air was just how I remembered it. I walked out onto the edge of a rock that jutted out over the waves. Every now and then, a larger wave would cash and send mist into the air that landed on our skin. The sun was setting now. Watching the sun set at La Jolla is one of the most beautiful event you will ever witness. The ocean wind toyed with our hair and when combined with that mist, made us shiver. She nudged against me and I wrapped my arm around her to try and keep her warm.

"Welcome to San Diego. Is it like you heard it was?"
"No."
I knew what she was going to say, so I took the bait.
"No?"
She smiled and said, "It's way better."

The green flash meant the sun was gone. We walked back to the car.
"Now what?"
"I don't have a solid plan, I guess that's a pattern with me, but I think I'll stay here for a bit and visit some people."
She smiled, but it that smile that you use when you don't get what you want for christmas, but you don't want to hurt the gift giver's feelings so you smile and say, "That's great! Thank you!".
"I guess I'll keep moving."
"Stay here with me for a while."
I guess she was hoping I would say that...wait...why did I say that?
"Red Hot Chili Pepper's or Sublime?"
"Ah! That's hard!.....Sublime, I guess, but it's close."

We got out of the car on a familiar street. I looked at the two story house. I looked at the yard with the rose tree things and the barn mailbox and the red gates. The garage door was slightly open, good they were home. I had many places to stay in San Diego, but this one would make my mom happy, or at least.... not as pissed.

"Wait!" She was about to open the door.
"What the hell is your name?"
"Hahaha! Wow, I just realized...."
"Yeah, I know. I'm David."
"It's a pleasure to meet you David, my name is Samantha."
"The pleasure is all mine."



Hmmm, I'm not 100% sure about that ending, let me know what you think.