Hazel's Hitchhiker

15: Crossroads

Joey

It was nearly two-thirty in the morning when we got back to the mechanic. And just as instructed, I paid the bill in the envelope exactly in the spot I was told it would be. Within ten minutes, the two of us quickly changed out of our nice clothes and were ready to get back on the road. It was amazing how fast Hazel got out of her dress and was ready before me. With about a couple of minutes for her to spare, she sat in the driver's seat and waited. Once I was done changing, it became apparent that I would have to be the one driving. The girl was completely out of it. Something inside of me felt it would be a bad idea to wake her up. It had been a long day for her. And unlike her, I realized how much napping my body had done during our drive that day. She needed the rest more than I did. With all my might, I was able to get her body on the passenger side. Damn, what a heavy sleeper this girl was. It would be a lie if I said that her slumber wasn't a little hot.

"On the road again," I whispered to myself once I got the car started and going. "Austin, here we come."

Yes, it was a bit dangerous, but it was hard to resist. While driving, I was checking Google to see how much time we had until we reached Austin. Eighteen hours. We had eighteen hours until we reached Austin. With it being almost being three in the morning, we could get there tonight before midnight with plenty of time to spare. We'd get there a lot sooner with the speed that was being produced in this car. Within a blink of an eye, we were in Seligman.

The happiest memories are sometimes the memories you're too young to remember. And those are also memories you can barely remember. I was only three years old, but I do remember a time when my parents were actually happy. They were in love. They were young. They literally had no problems. If they did have problems, I would've never known.

"Remind me again why your sister moved to Phoenix?" asked my dad as all three of us stepped out of the car. "What was wrong with Yuma?"

"Because she got married, babe. Her husband has his roots in Phoenix."

Seconds later, we found ourselves inside a café which I don't remember much of. My eyes were too focused on my Gameboy. There were only a couple of important details that I could remember. The first one was that this place was named Westside Lilo's Café located in Seligman. Once we all sat down, my mom took the Gameboy away from me and showed me the menu wanting to help me order. And that was the second detail. I ended up ordering a hamburger, fries, and a soda. My dad took the liberty of ordering a beer with his meal.

"Seriously honey?" began my mom. "We're on our way to Phoenix and we still got a few hours left to get there. Can't you wait to have a drink when we get there?" They have a wide variety of wine in their basement."

"I know love." His face began smiling at her. "But I have always wanted to try a Corona. Does your sister have any Corona?"

In fact, her sister didn't have any beer, but only wine. But my mom ended up being fine with him ordering a beer. Once the Corona arrived, he took his first sip, and out came out a large grin with a lick on the tongue. Cracking a joke, he was able to convince her to try the drink. Smiling, she accepted and took a gulp. For the next half hour, it was nothing but jokes and giggles. My old man had never been happier. The way he looked at the eyes of his girl was something that I couldn't forget. The way she touched the skin of his arm was also hard to not remember. For a minute, they were lost in each other's souls. If I was older, I would've told them to get a room.

When lunch ended, my eyes couldn't stay open. Something about my meal had me yawning and drowsy. Not long after getting into the car, I was asleep. When I woke up, we were in Phoenix. This city was hot. Was I in Hell? For the next couple of years, my parents always reminded me of how I slept through our trip to the Grand Canyon once we left Lilo's. When I went to bed every night, my ma would always tuck me in and tell me a story about the Grand Canyon. Listening to one of those stories made me regret falling asleep after eating that juicy hamburger. But she always promised that she would take me back to the canyon once I was old enough. When would I be old enough? It didn't matter. The woman loved me. She promised that I would be able to see it. She promised.

"I love you my little Joey," she would always claim when her lips kissed my cheek and leaving me in my bed to sleep for the night.

How had we not crashed? Coming back into reality, I realized we were in Williams. Damn, were we seriously in Williams? And Hazel was still unconscious in dreamland. The moon and the stars were still out. Literally, we were in the middle of nowhere. Just a few hours ago, we were in Vegas. It suddenly came to me when my brain realized how close we were to the '64. Moments later, we came to a crossroads that would take this car off route.

With quick thinking, the car found itself parked on the side of the road. Stepping out of the car, my head gazed towards the stars wondering what to do. Keep going and get to Austin or fulfill the promise that my own mom had broken? We could still get to Austin with time to spare. We could. Looking at the turn that would take us there, my arm began trembling. Should I? Would Hazel be pissed? Maybe I could buy her breakfast. With a great sigh, a decision was made. Getting back into the car, that turn was made and we were on the '64. All I could do was hope that my mother would be somehow proud of me.

Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Hopefully, the Grand Canyon isn't a complete detour. Don't forget to comment and vote!

Have you ever gone on a different route on a road trip?

Was it wise of Joey to take a detour to the Grand Canyon?

Is Hazel going to be angry?