The Engine Roared

They had never been on a journey this long before. She turned to him in the driver’s seat. He flashed a solemn, grim countenance. He used his telephone. She slapped it out of his hands and looked at him with intensity. He shot a similar face back at her. The engine roared. The stretch of highway beckoned her to go faster. No cops staked out along this stretch of Delaware highway from Kent County going into Sussex County.

He retrieved his phone from the floor without wrinkling his tuxedo. The luxury SUV sang a song of efficiency and power. Before he could return to his sitting position, she held her left hand on the wheel and reached for his arm. He looked up at her, anger painting his face. The speed of the vehicle reached eighty miles an hour.

He noticed the glint of the engagement ring and her chocolate dress in the light of the computer monitor positioned in the center of the dashboard.

Their looks remained icy. The coldness of their faces could freeze over hell. She kept her eyes on the road, shifting gears with skill. He ripped her hand away from his arm.

Then, they came to an intersection. A red light impeded their progress. He kept using his phone. She looked at him again with the brusque and cold way, her eyes narrowed. When the light changed to green, she mashed on the gas. His phone tumbled to the floor.

He breathed in heavy, short bursts. He raised a single finger. She scoffed. He put his phone away and reached to turn on a playlist from his phone. The sounds of jazz pervaded the vehicle. Her face looked incredulous. She tapped on the screen to visit a satellite radio station featuring trap music. He fumed. He put it back on his playlist. She looked him in the eye. A tinge of rage developed in her psyche. He smirked. She kissed her teeth.

Now, they rolled into more civilization with landmarks that dotted the land. The glimmer of the moon provided another element of light that guided their way.

He slid slightly in his chair. She kept a lawful speed in these parts, knowing that now police presence would be increased. She looked over at him. He lowered his eyes.

She started to say something…but her tongue. She tasted a bit of blood in her mouth. He was snoring like he was the seven hundred horsepower engine that propelled them. She shoved her right arm into his shoulder. She smiled and held up a finger and wagged it at him. He fixed his jacket. The little corsage had become a bit crooked. As he adjusted, she kept a steady pace.

She weaved through the light traffic like a skier passing through poles or gates. The thrill of staying within the speed limit and passing cars motivated her. No sign of stopping, the couple sat hearing the music of the machinery just a few feet in front of them. When she looked at him again, his eyes looked like saucers. His brain housing unit had to have been concoting some sort of scheme or plot. He smirked. Her eyes looked at him, then the road, then back at him. Her heart palpitated and small beads of sweat collected at her forehead. He then looked at his phone and tapped the features of the SUV. He smiled and then put away his phone. He gave a deeper sigh this time and slid the seat back just a bit.

She regarded this as an affront as they had agreed to not let the other sleep while the other drove. She reached again but he was ready for her. He lifted a stiff arm to intercept her flagrant touch. She recoiled. The colors of red and white streaked across the night which made her somewhat angry now. She didn’t want to see the other cars and the traffic lights and various minimalls and outlets. She just wanted the lights from her vehicle shining on the asphalt. It sort of became a war in her mind to let him sleep. Her day stretched on for just as long. All of the primping and pressing, the hairstylist doing his work, all of that corresponded to a deep seated rancor that she held for him.

More turns brought them closer to where they needed to be. Earlier that day, they kissed under the sycamore tree. Everything appeared buoyant, bright. Once they embarked on their travel, side eyes and bitter movements presented themselves between them. Now, the SUV swerved to avoid roadkill. He didn’t flinch. She gripped onto the steering wheel as she had never done before. Rage coursed through her veins. Then a few raindrops hit the windshield and the top of the vehicle. They had scanned the weather reports on their phones, but had only considered what Kent County experienced. The rain picked up harder and harder. Huge drops splashed against the glass like tiny water balloons. He was still fast asleep.

She pulled into the nearest gas station. She fueled up with the roof of the pump area shielding her from the moisture of the rain. Her eyes stayed on him as he napped away. She wanted to swear but decided against it. They returned to the road. She listened to her trap music. This didn’t faze her fellow occupant in the slightest. His calm demeanor while sleeping continued to spark ire in her soul. At the same time, however, she knew that they could be together. They had been friends on the job and then that relationship grew even more. The fire in her mind burned with an intensity that would light a thousand candles. She wanted them to be together, but didn’t know exactly how to express it. As she switched lanes, nearly hydroplaning, she kept up the pace and gained even greater ground. This was the first time that he had ever been in deep sleep during one of their excursions.

They finally arrived at their destination. She felt a bit like a champion as she never consulted a GPS service during the trip from Wilmington. She shook him awake. He inhaled sharply and stretched his hands. He looked at her deep in her eyes. He leaned in and kissed her. Next, he snatched the keys from the center console and exited the vehicle. She took off her stiletto heel and attempted to stab him. With deft moves, he avoided injury. He locked the doors and thanks to looking up the feature where you cannot honk the horn and all the doors locked from the inside, he strolled towards the entrance. She screamed like a banshee. She searched for something to break the glass. She found nothing. He walked on into the venue without a bit of worry or distress. Just before he entered, he sent her a grainy video of her kissing on the mouth what would have been his best man at their wedding. She reached for her phone which he had drained with use of the LED light earlier in the day. She looked up and chuckled. He found a young lady to spend the night with who happened to have her own car. He viewed this as a definite win.