Highway Part 13

Highway Chapter 11(Continued)

When it came close to 11:30, I looped back and returned to our rendezvous spot. I began to grow concerned as time passed from 11:30, until it was 11:35, and 11:40. When she was half an hour late, I grew seriously  worried. Had something happened to her? What was holding her up? Where was Veronica?

Just as I prepared to search the town, she showed up from behind me.

“Hi. Sorry I’m late,” She said.

What had she been doing? Forcing back my frustration, I took a deep breath to calm myself and my voice.

“What took you so long? I was worried," I asked.

I made it sound as casual as possible. She looked sheepish, but responded softly and calmly.

“They are having this weird event over there and I ended up on the other side of the people. I had to work my way through very slowly to not call attention to myself. I didn’t mean to make you worry.”

She seemed concerned I was upset. I let out a breath I hadn’t known I’d been holding. It would be absolutely horrible if I lost my young charge on only the second day. Pleased she was at least trying to listen to me, I gave her a grateful smile.

“Are you ready to go?” I asked her.

She nodded, looking just as relieved as I was to have found me again.

“Oh wait,” she called as I started to walk to the general direction the motel was in, “Here, catch this.”

She threw me something from her bag, and I narrowly avoided being smacked in the head with it. Examining it, I realized it was a walkie talkie. I looked to her with question in my eyes.

“I had them sitting around the house, and I thought they might be useful. Now we can communicate when we are away from each other.”

I gave her another smile, and stowed away the walkie in the side packet of my backpack. We had to go back to where Veronica had been a few minutes ago to get out of the correct gates.

As she had said, the people seemed to be having some sort of parade. The origin was unknown, for it was a bunch of paper kites flying by in the sky, confetti raining down upon us. Dragon kites swooped through the air as if they had the actual wings, and colorful lizards soared across the clouds. Whatever this was, it had drawn quite the crowd, and they were blocking the exit. We were going to have to weave right through the middle of the throng.

Veronica had instinctively drawn closer to me, our shoulders brushing against each other. I turned to her, almost having to shout over the noise.

“We’re going to have to go straight through them!”

She seemed hesitant, and I wondered what was causing her trepidation. I held out my hand for her to take, something to keep us together.

“Come on!,” I yelled to her.

She looked at my hand and back at me before shouting, “I’m not a baby! I can take care of myself! You just worry about your own well being!"

Deciding it didn’t matter as long as she didn’t get lost, I nodded, only replying to stay close. I hadn’t even known this town had housed so many people.

It appeared the finale had come, for the crowd’s voices had become more frenzied and manic. A gigantic kite, twice my size, rose up from the horizon, swooping down on the people. Passing only an inch above my head, the kite began a flight pattern similar to a dance, diving down and then careening upward. The people were all cheering at the kite show, and they swayed like an ocean wave, threatening to wash us away.

The space in between people was non-existent, and it was so hot it was sickening. Mob mentality was a very powerful thing indeed.

I felt emptiness by my side, or at least a gap where I thought it would be occupied by a certain girl. I looked for Veronica in the crowd, but couldn’t find her. I searched the waves of people for her vibrant hair, and began to panic again when I couldn’t spot her. Was she lost? Should I try to push through and hope she’s at the other end? I pushed through the people, searching high and low.

Forcing myself into a calmer state, I set about searching more methodically. I scanned the crowd, staying in the same place, a solid rock in the middle of a stream.

Suddenly I felt a body slam into mine. I stumbled, but didn’t fall. When I saw who it was, my relief was evident. There was Veronica, looking a little frazzled, but otherwise unharmed. She mimicked my relieved look, and closed the minimal space in between us.

Taking my hand like a lifeline, she looked at me and nodded. We weaved in and out of the people, sticking to the edge once we got there. She held on to my hand, as if for dear life itself. As we finally cleared the masses, I saw our exit. Picking up speed but still maintaining a firm grip on Veronica’s hand, I dashed to the other side.

We stopped to catch our breath, her legs shaking a little bit. Perhaps she was claustrophobic? But even if she wasn’t, being around a lot of people was always uncomfortable for people like us. We felt too confined, used to the vast expanses of nature when you might as well have a grain of sand in relative to your size. She seemed suddenly aware we were linked together, and pulled her hand away like she was about to be burned.

“All right then,” I remarked after we had calmed down, “I think it’s about time we left. Don’t you agree?”

She agreed entirely. The walk to the motel was about an hour and a half, but it had been infinitely more pleasant this time around, for I didn’t have a teenager brooding at my side, constantly insulting me. She asked me about the plant life, and what was their role in the environment. I have never met a girl who can ask as many questions as Veronica did, but it was okay. The more she learned, the more connected she would feel.

She already seemed a less pained girl than before. Something about the outside made her smiles come more frequently, and made her laughter easier. She asked me more silly questions. Did I like scrambled eggs? Who was my favorite singer? Which was my favorite sport? It went on and on, and I answered. I would often repeat them to her, for the sake of learning.

We arrived a bit later than I was expecting, but still came early enough to get a reservation. We headed up to our rooms, and set most of our stuff down. It was about two in the afternoon, and we didn’t quite know what to do.

I was lying in bed, sorting supplies and counting everything. Veronica was watching an old movie in here, for my room had a bigger television. She would occasionally mumble something to the television, absorbed in what was happening on the screen. Suddenly, she was leaning over the edge of the bed, folding her arms.

“So, are you like that?” she asked, looking up at me from her position.

“Like what?” I asked.

She pointed to the television, and I twisted my legs to the side to see the screen more clearly. It appeared to be an old western movie. Okay, I thought, I need to straighten this out right now.

“Not at all,” I scoffed at the movie, “I couldn’t be more different if I tried.”

When she gazed at me curiously, I decided to elaborate.

“We don’t wander around and become ‘heroes’, we help people who need to help themselves. Think of it this way, I have in common with the Lone Ranger as much as you have in common, with, let’s say that boy yesterday.”

She snorted in discontentment, and plainly stated, “Well I guess you are pretty different. The only thing I have in common with him is that I breathe. And sometimes he even needs to be reminded of that.”

This comment made me smirk, and then I snickered lightly. With nothing else to do, I watched the rest of the movie with her, getting her to join me in making fun of the acting and plot.

When we got hungry, we went down to the lobby, where right outside a man was selling delicious looking hot dogs. Veronica and I ate them under the fading sunset, leaning against the bench and watching the sun say its farewells. Veronica said she was going to head up, for her feet were “going to just wear away.” I watched the sun for a moment as she walked through the doors, and then caught up with her.

We settled in for the night. I took a shower before she got the idea, for I wanted the water temperature to be in the positive ranges. Not to say I knew she would take a long one, I thought it highly likely.

As the warm water cascaded across my face, I began to think. Veronica still was rough and tough, and she would likely even be a mild version of this when she had her awakening. But still, I was glad to see that she had already become happier. She was going through a process, I knew, and I was happy to be there for her. She was rather endearing actually, even when she looked like she was planning to kill you for waking her up. I hoped she wasn’t too mad at me for that. I felt like I would miss her when she found The Way.

Drifters rarely ever stay together, and if they do, it’s only for a short time. We were just made to be lonely when it came to human contact. The whole world was connected to us, and it wasn’t necessary to have a companion besides the wild.

Even so, I would miss her spunkiness and attitude. I would never tell her this, of course, and I would be there to wish her good luck and to say farewells with the utmost empathy and happiness when she found her way. I found it odd that I was even wondering about this. Since when did I feel like I wanted a companion? I shrugged, figuring there were mysteries in the world, and I would never figure them out by worrying over them. It’s like trying to solve algebra by chewing bubble gum. You can try, but it won’t do you any good.

Turning off the stream of water, I stepped out onto the plush rug beneath my feet. Even though I preferred to sleep at night, it was good to “freshen up” at different places in towns so that I didn’t look like a ragamuffin. Putting on a white t-shirt and some plain black basketball shorts, and towel drying my hair, I entered my room only to hear a fervent knocking.

Opening the conjoining door between our rooms, I came face to face with an irked Veronica.

“What’s up?” I asked her nonchalantly, leaning in the door frame.

She gave me an irritated look.

“If you are quite finished stealing all of the hot water, I would appreciate being able to take my shower now.”

I suppressed a smile at her impatience.

“Go ahead, it’s all yours, princess.”

She gave me that glare I had come to know so well, and scowled, replying “Don’t call me stupid nicknames. No Vee, no Ronny, none of these. And especially not princess. All right?”

I put my hands up in a defensive matter, holding back a smirk.

“What happened to ladies first, anyway? Have you no chivalry? Chivalry, art thou dead? Actually, you know what, it’s okay that you went. I would want to let the ladies go first, so that definitely applies to you.”

Ouch. She was certainly sassy tonight.

“Oi, watch it,” I grumbled.

She laughed, basking in her victory.

“ I am the master of the universe!” she sang as she bounced away.

What a strange girl, I thought, but I couldn’t keep from smiling. She took her shower, long as I had expected, and then again came knocking on my door.