Hazel's Hitchhiker

22: The Accident

Hazel

The morning was beginning to pass before us and we were making super great time with it almost being eight in the morning. In just a short time, we would be in Flagstaff which meant we would be passing by NAU. It was the one college I definitely didn't want to go to. There was no way in hell my body would be going through those cold winters that Flagstaff is known for. As if anybody wanted to walk or drive through the heavy snow. In no time at all, the car had reached Flagstaff.

"Oh crap!" exclaimed Joey who was woken up by a loud noise on his phone. Wasting no time, he took his phone out. "Notification from ADOT. Looks like there was an accident that's going to close the '40' for several hours."

Clearly, the boy was joking. There was no possible way that there could be an accident in the morning. There wasn't even any traffic. It didn't make any sense.

"What the hell is ADOT?" I asked

"It's the Arizona Department of Transportation. They're known for their funny road signs. They had this one sign recently that said 'Drive like the person your dog thinks you are.' Funny stuff."

"And you just happen to have the ADOT App on your phone even though you don't live in Arizona?" Part of me was hoping that this was still a joke. Maybe if there was an accident, it would have been cleared up by now. It would only make sense considering the traffic and where we were.

"Guess I do." Seconds later, he began bopping his mouth with those eyes on that phone.

In just no time at all, my own eyes spotted an ADOT Sign claiming that there was an accident which meant we would need to use an alternative route. That alternative route was apparently the I-17. Oh shit, an alternative route? The I-17? This was not supposed to happen. It wasn't. And because it wasn't, Dave Ramsey went off. There was no need for podcasts or music in the car. But there would be a huge need to chew harder than ever before on my sunglasses.

"It's going to be fine Hazel." The boy clearly knew that I was panicking even though there were no words that expressed it.

That very second, I began hyperventilating with tears leaving my eyes. Puke was seconds away from leaving my throat.

"Alright Hazel, calm down. I'm looking at Google Maps right now. The I-17 is going to take us to Phoenix. From there, we can get on the I-10 which will take us to Austin. It'll be a little detour, but according to Google, it'll take about two hours to get to Phoenix and about another fifteen hours to get there. We'll still get there tomorrow early enough with enough time to spare.

Maybe Joey had a point. Maybe we would get there with enough time to spare, but I was tired of these detours we'd been having so far. What if there were more detours that happened? If that was the case, we would never get there in time. We couldn't afford to be late. We just couldn't. 

"Alright," I began trying to catch my breath to calm myself down. "You sure this detour isn't going to hurt us. We'll still make it to Austin on time? How much do you actually trust Google? Like a lot?"

He began laughing and patted my shoulder. "Trust me, everything is going to be fine. We'll still get there. And we'll get to see some of the passing sights of Phoenix which is a plus.

"Okay," was all I could say. Saying anything else was impossible. Thank goodness for Joey. Without him, I would be in self panic throughout this trip. Hell, I probably would never have made it with my car breaking down. Never would it have crossed my mind to go to Vegas. It was all going to be fine. It was. It had too.

"You know," Joey spoke again breaking the silence. "My mom lives in Phoenix. To be more specific, she lives on the west side in Avondale."

His mom was in Phoenix. And I couldn't help but wonder if this was fate. It had to be.

"What exactly happened with your mom. Like, why did she move to Avondale?" 

Joey

There were at least half a dozen suitcases when I got home from school. My mom was completely pissed off while yelling at my dad. Just another day in paradise. The only thing unusual about all of this was the suitcases in the living room.

"Where the hell are you going woman?" yelled my father with a beer in his grip.

"I'm getting as far away as I can from you to Phoenix with my sister! You're a piece of a shit husband." It soon occurred to me that she had a plastic knife within her grasp. "All you ever do is drink your ass off and complain that the factory is either preparing to lay you off or cutting your damn hours! And I can't take it anymore! I can't!"

"Oh Okay, fine! Be the little bitch that you are! Because that's all that you are! You're a little stupid ass bitch! A damn stupid ass bitch!" In a quick second, he tried to take the plastic knife away and put her in a chokehold making it almost hard for her to breathe. This one was new. Was she going to die?

"You asshole," she screamed as her strength managed to get out of the chokehold by kicking his balls leaving my old man to fall to the floor in pain. In a shocking turn of events, my old man ended up being pepper-sprayed leaving the guy in even more pain. She wasted no time rushing the suitcases to the car and took off like a rabbit.

"Oh shit," I claimed fearfully watching the car take off from outside with my old man still inside recovering. Did she seriously leave me alone to fend for myself with this maniac? Was it wise to go back inside? What would happen if I decided to go back inside. My dad was pissed and it was completely possible that he could beat the shit out of me. That wasn't a chance worth taking. Not at all. Instead, it was probably best to go take a walk.

Hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Don't forget to comment and vote!

Austin, Texas Clock Update: 17 Hours

Has an accident ever slowed you down?

Can Hazel and Joey still make it to Austin in time?

How do you feel about the way Joey's mom left?

Will anything interesting happen in Phoenix?