Hazel's Hitchhiker

47: Welcome to Texas

Hazel

I'm not sure about Joey, but I enjoyed my time at the winery. I wouldn't mind having wine every often. And I was beyond grateful that none of that wine caused me to get drunk. I was expecting to be at least a little tipsy. After two minutes of leaving the winery, Joey passed out. Was the boy seriously that tired? Who was I kidding? It had been a long week and my whole body was tired as hell. All this driving was too much and it felt like it would never be over. With the moon over the dark sky and Dave Ramsey on, the car quietly drove through what was left of New Mexico. And my mind couldn't help but wonder why they named the state that. A lot of other stupid thoughts were going through my brain while ignoring the podcast.

"Oh shit!" I whispered to myself once I saw a green sign from a distance. "It can't be. Is it?" In response, I slowed down the car which had the car behind me to honk at me. Screw that pissed-off driver, this was a potentially special moment. And before my eyes, this special moment was confirmed. It was the sign that welcomed us to Texas. It just sat there in all its green.

Damn, I loved the way the Texas Flag looked on that sign. My car was barely going five miles an hour. With the sight of that sign, goosebumps were traveling all over my body. In a quick reaction, the car was pulled over to the side of the highway where the special sign sat. The sign was directly in front of us and tears began leaving my eyes with laughter leaving my mouth.

How the hell was Joey still asleep? Turning off the podcast, my palms began shaking Joey. "Joey wake up! Shit, wake up." Slowly but surely, he began waking up. With all this excitement, a water bottle was pulled from the backseat and was dumped onto Joey. Without a doubt, he was completely awake.

"Dude, what the hell?" Yes, the boy was pissed off, but whatever.

"Joey, shut up and look in front of you. Do you see where we are?"

Joey

With water all over me, it was forgotten once my very own eyes saw what was before me. It was none other than the sign that was welcoming us to Texas. Oh shit, we were actually in Texas. Heavy chills went down my spine. Parts of my body began twitching.

"Damn, we're actually in Texas?" The two of us were in complete silence. Neither of us knew what to say for the next couple of minutes. "Hazel, we're in Texas."

In all the happiness and joy we were experiencing, Hazel opened the door, stepped outside, and walked towards the sign to look at it. Once she was out there, my door was opened and I stood next to Hazel while we checked out the sign that gave us complete hope.

"I never thought we'd actually make it to Texas," cried Hazel with tears coming down her face. "This literally feels like a dream. Does it feel like a dream to you?"

"It does, but I can assure you that this is not a dream. This right here is the real deal." Part of me began to wonder if we were actually there. My phone confirmed that we were. "Welcome to Texas Hazel. Welcome to Texas."

Seconds later, the two of us found ourselves hugging, screaming, and jumping for joy. And while Hazel was experiencing a lot of happy emotions, her sad emotions were just as apparent. After our happy hugging and jumping, we continued to hug while she cried. It was truly a special moment with her in my grasp. This was a moment where I never wanted to let go of her. This moment desperately needed to last forever. If only that was possible.

Once we finished our hugging, she pulled out her phone and headed straight for her Instagram, and posted this sign on her story. The same thing was also done on Snapchat. My phone was also out and did the same thing. Unlike Hazel, I took the initiative to get a selfie of us in front of the sign. We both smiled and a video was made with us both shouting "We're in Texas!"

Getting back in the car, Hazel allowed me to drive. Sure, a moment ago I was sleepy and tired, but all that was gone. Everything in me was energized. Saying goodbye to the sign, we got back on the road.

"You know," I began after seeing another sign showing the miles we had for the closest towns. "We still got a few hours until we reach Austin. El Paso isn't that far off. Why don't we stop at a hotel and spend tomorrow hanging out and getting some rest? We can leave on Sunday morning and get to Austin by Sunday night."

"Sounds like a plan," she responded with our fists bumping each other.

In just a short time, we reached El Paso and we agreed to stay at the Holiday Inn. What a blessing it was to have so much money left over from Vegas. Once we checked in, we walked into the room that we'd be sharing. It was your typical hotel room and for that, I was grateful. Hazel wasted no time crashing into her bed and falling asleep. She'd likely be out for the rest of the night. Watching her sleep, the effort to tuck her in the bed was made. The girl looked so innocent and peaceful in her sleep. It was a beautiful sight.

Getting onto my own bed, I decided to watch a little television and found an old college basketball game. This game had my full attention. Those players on the screen would soon be me. It put a smile on my face knowing that we were in Texas and it wouldn't be long now until we reached our destination where I would someday be playing the big games for the entire world to watch. What a wonderful thought it was. It was a thought that put me to sleep.

Austin, Texas Clock Update: 8 Hours

YAY! They made it to Texas! Almost there! Don't forget to comment and vote!

Are you excited that they made it to Texas?