Road Trip

By Zoe Yang

 

“We’re lost.” Diana’s father said, letting out a deep breath of air behind the wheel of the Toyota Camry. He navigated while looking at the road with a deep, stern glare. “We’re lost."

“It’s okay,” Diana’s mother said. She sat across from him in the passenger seat. “Let’s ask someone for directions.”

“Hmm.”

Diana sat in the backseat quietly, staring out the window at blurs of green and gray. Wisps of her long, wild brown hair fell on her face. She reached out and tucked it behind her ear. She hugged her baggy, blue hoodie.

“Where did you put the music?” Diana’s mother finally asked.

“Hmm?” Diana’s father grunted.

“I cleaned out the car the other week and told you to put the music away. Where did you put the giant, black CD case?”

Diana’s father was silent.
           
 “Mmm. I think it’s in the trunk, Janice,” he finally said.
           
“Why would you leave it in the trunk before a road trip?”
           
“I don’t know, I had other things to worry about. Say, does this route look familiar to you? Do you remember what exit it was?” Diana’s father tapped his fingers across the steering wheel.
           
The car slowed down onto the local road, and Diana’s father glanced around out the window at the quiet suburban streets. He pulled up next to a man in a purple Hawaiian shirt and yellow baseball cap. The man’s outfit clashed terribly with Diana’s father’s business attire. He used extremely dramatic gestures as they conversed about directions.

Diana finally spoke up. “Ugh. Why did you make me go on this road trip?” She rolled her eyes and sighed.

“He’s just a boy, Diana. You’ll get over him soon enough.” Diana’s mother said, turning around to look at her in the back seat. “But one day you’re going to be glad we all finally spent some time together.”
           
“If that’s how you feel, then why did you go traveling for most of the summer anyway, Mom?” she shot back.

“You know your father and I don’t have a lot of free time to just sit around. There were conferences.”

Diana looked out the window again.

“But today is our day together,” Diana’s mother said. “It’ll be okay. You’ll see.”

Diana’s father closed the window of the car and looked extremely displeased.

“You’re still sulking because of that boy Cliff? Get over it, Diana. Really. High school couples leave for college. They break up.” He scratched the back of his head. “He said that we’re off. Like way off. We’re not making it to that fair today,” Diana’s father said.

“What?” Diana’s mother said.

“We’re turning around.”

“Ronald, then what the hell are we going to do today?”

“I don’t know, Janice, but there isn’t anything I can do about it! Is there?”

Diana’s mother still looked upset. “Not anymore. Why didn’t you bring those instructions?”

“It was a mistake. A mistake, Goddamnit!” Diana’s father pounded once at the steering wheel, setting off a brief honk of the car. The little boy in the backseat of the red van in front of them looked back at their car.

Diana’s father’s voice returned to a normal stern tone. “If we just keep on driving now, we might be able to make it back before it gets dark.”

For the next forty-five minutes, the car was silent, aside from the white noise of the air-conditioning. Diana’s father had turned off the radio all together and Diana’s mother stared forward with a bitter expression on her face. Her eyebrows were furrowed, emphasizing the deep set wrinkles on her forehead. Diana’s eyebrows were furrowed too, as she looked back out the window at the road. The car moved along to the highway again, and hummed on. Signs passed their windows.

As the car pulled along, Diana’s head drooped forward more and more until she was asleep in the backseat. After some time Diana’s father pulled over at the side of the road next to a field of grass. He explored the area and came back to the car, opening the back passenger seat where Diana was sleeping. “Wake up,” Diana’s father said, giving her shoulder a little nudge. Diana opened her eyes, and took a quick look around.

“Diana, come see this…” Diana’s father said.

She closed her eyes again and shifted away.

“Come on, Diana, come see this.” He said, as he tugged her arm.

Again, Diana opened her eyes. She dragged herself out of her seat and followed her father down a narrow path not far from the car. After a minute, they came to a small pond. Diana rolled her eyes. “What?”

“Look,” Diana’s father said, pointing to the mountains and the sky just beyond the pond. Diana turned to take a look and opened her mouth. Once facing the view, she closed her mouth again. The sunset tinted the sky peach at the edge of the dark figure of the mountains. Shades of pink and yellow rippled through dark, gray blue clouds. The sun bled bright, watercolor highlights. All the colors spread through the evening sky, but also through glassy reflection of the lake. Green grass framed the water all around. The scenery looked like a morning glory coming to bloom at the right hour. Diana and her father paused for a moment, staring ahead. Her father cleared his throat.

“Diana—” he said, followed by a sigh. “I’m sorry your plans with Cliff didn’t work out today.” Diana glanced down at her feet and kicked a pebble into the pond. It sent a ripple through the reflection of colors.

“But I’m also sorry that we didn’t get to spend more time together these past few years before college,” he added, turning to look her in the eyes.

She looked up at him, and then looked down again and nodded.

“Oh, wow, that’s really beautiful,” Diana’s mother said, coming over from behind them. All three of them glanced at the fading sky now. Diana’s father grabbed Diana’s mother’s hand, and Diana took in a deep breath of air. They stood there until the stars were just barely visible, and the evening darkness began to surround them.

“Do you remember, when you were little and I was still young,” Diana’s mother asked. “And I used to say to you – if we’re ever far away from each other—”

Diana joined in to finish her mother’s sentence with her. “We’ll both still be able to see Orion’s belt together.”

Diana’s mother glanced at her daughter. “I think that it’s bringing us together tonight,” she said. She rested her hand against her daughter’s back. They all gave the view another glance before heading down the path back to their car. Their figures darkened as they walked farther and farther away from the pond.

The family got into the car again. At first, as they drove down the road, no one said a word. But then, Diana’s mother started to hum an old favorite song of hers. It started out as a soft tune, and soon grew louder, happier. Diana’s father joined in. Diana leaned her head against the window, listening to their voices. She closed her eyes.

Outside, the sound of tires rolled across the asphalt road as the car moved forward against the wind. Inside, the family was traveling along, traveling home. Orion’s belt hovered in the sky above them.

 

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