The Road Trip by Terveen Gill

They had been planning for weeks.

The road trip that would cement their bond.

A man and his woman. A woman and her man.

They were madly in love. She pledged her devotion. He admitted his adoration.

And there was no third who could contradict either emotion. It was do or die, you or nothing, let’s make heaven a place on earth.

It would be an 1800 miles journey. The open road, two lovebirds, and an elongated stretch of nature. Towns and cities would come and go but that didn’t matter.

The end was what they were looking forward to. A month of ocean and sand. The commitment of a lifetime and the soft utterances of I dos.

It would be no one but the two of them. And that was how they wanted it. Why invite the world to their secret paradise of love? It was sacred, private, and not for the eyes of others.

They would return and announce their reformed status to friends and families. Outside opinions weren’t their concern.

The night before the first day of driving, a small disagreement made the man and woman raise their voices.

She had packed too much.

He had a car that was too small.

And they both went to bed in silence.

The next morning saw them return to their normal selves. She giggled with excitement, he laughed like a braying donkey. They set out with the rising sun and made loving promises with each passing mile.

Then came the boredom and the listless gazes. He drove with his eyes glued to the road, she sat with her eyes peeled for any obstructions. They sighed and groaned.

Even Kenny Rogers couldn’t snap them out of their irritable states. As the country singer crooned on, they regretted their decision.

Sitting for long hours in a confined space wasn’t what they had expected.

After seven hours, the man asked the woman to drive. She took over and began to cry.

He was too jaded to ask why, so she drove and wept, and he turned and slept.

Soon began the hallucinations.

She thought the road had turned into a snake and was raising its head to strike her. Her hands gripped the steering, her foot slammed the brakes. The man yelled and sat up straight, his eyes red and weary.

He demanded an explanation.

She shouted her dissatisfaction.

Both decided to turn around, head back home, and contemplate going their separate ways.