The Stalkers' Guide To Roadtrips

Day 19: Three Cheers For Awkward Car Journeys

                                        The gloves are off; the wisdom teeth are out,

                                                                What you on about?

 

Start Destination: Helsinki, Finland

End Destination: Stockholm, Sweden

Via: /

 

3:37AM (GMT) / 5:37AM (Local Time)

 

“Remind me why we had to get up so early?” Rosie yawns as she helps herself to a bowl of cereal.

She is still dressed in her pyjamas, insisting that she will get changed in the car when she wakes up properly. Her red hair is unruly, curls spinning in directions that seem impossible and she has to prop her head up to stop herself from falling asleep.

In comparison Elise appears to be completely awake, it might have something to do with her waking up at this time every day. She is pacing around the kitchen, trying to ensure that we have left nothing behind; it appears that she is not keen on her Dad finding out that we stayed at his house.

Levi and I are somewhere in between and at least we have made the effort to get dressed. I have a jumper over the top of my clothes and I try to stifle the several yawns that try to escape.

Once Rosie has finished eating the four of us pile into the car. Rosie makes herself comfortable in the back seat, snuggling into her travel cushion in an attempt to fall back asleep. It is quickly decided between the three of us remaining that Elise and Levi will go in the front, Levi is – although I’ll never tell him – the best driver and El has all the paperwork necessary for our journey including the tickets we need to board the ferry that will take us from Finland to Sweden.

I settle down on my own seat and turn to Rosie.

“You’re not a morning person are you?” I tease.

She mumbles something unintelligible in reply but I can guess that it is not complimentary from the middle finger she gives me alongside of it.

Deciding that she is going to be terrible travelling company I plug in my music and prepare for what seems like it is going to be the longest journey in the world, the idea of twelve hours trapped in a car with these three seems like my worst nightmare at the moment.

Luckily the sound of Passenger is just enough to drown Rosie’s snoring and Elise’s poor singing out. I notice that Levi tries to subtly change the radio station away from the mind-numbing pop but Elise notices and soon puts a stop to his attempts.

“Surely the driver should get to pick the music,” Levi points out.

“I have to put up with your driving,” El replies, “I’m not putting up with your appalling taste in music too.”

“Who says it’s not your taste in music that’s appalling.”

“The charts.”

“Please the charts are bullshit, how many singles do you even need to sell to get into the top ten?”

“More than whoever you like is selling,” Elise points out.

Never have I been so thankful for the ability to turn the volume on my IPod up even further.