Frankly Told: Away We Went
The evening sun cut through the band of tint layered at the top of the windshield. It wasn’t the sunshine that came with heat but it was bright. The sky was coloured in a beautiful cocktail of oranges and reds and the air danced between the front and back passenger windows.
The speakers carried warmth in the music that seemed to interweave with her breath in every word and beat in the rhythm. In the back of the car sat three friends who just swayed to the music without a word. She looked over at the driver, his hand placed securely on her thigh. He picked up on her gaze and gave her a gentle squeeze that made her giggle.
Cruising down the almost empty road, the car bounced softly with the slight bumps on the terrain giving the newly tarmacked road some character. The lightness in the car was palpable and it was clear that the weekend getaway was a much-needed break. The smile that had colonised her lips from the moment they left the viewpoint began to fade as her mind wandered.
“I had a dream that we didn’t make it home,” she said.
“Ati?” the driver said, taking a pause to acknowledge her random outburst.
“Yeah,” she scoffed. “I realise that it probably isn’t the best thought to bring up right now but-”
“Ya think?” he threw back, without missing a beat.
“No, I get it but I was just thinking,” she continued. “How I am so so happy right now.”
There was a pause.
“So what the hell does that have to do with… Ebu!” one of the ladies in the back cut through the silence. “What do you mean?”
“Just that, I guess,” she shrugged. “ I guess at that time it was scary but sitting here now I can say that I don’t fear it if it happens because I think I’m at that point of happy where if I’m to go, I’d be good with it.”
“Bro,” the driver recoiled, pulling his hand back and gripping the wheel with both his hands at ten and two.
“Ghai babe,” she started, shocked by his reaction. “Kwani you are not happy?”
“I was, then you started sounding like you ready to end us all,” the driver retorted. “Ebu excuse me, I am trying to focus on the road.”
She pouted. She could see the laughter he was holding behind his eyes as he kept them trained on the road ahead. In the rearview mirror, she caught the one friend who said something checking the level of the bottle of alcohol she had in her arms as if she was calculating the thought. The driver caught her point of focus and looked back at the friend.
“I hope you guys back there haven’t finished the whole boti,” he joked. “You’ll start speaking like this one here.”
She lightly punched his arm.
“Babe, can you open the sunroof?” she requested in a sweet tone.
He looked at her out of the side of his eye, calculated the risks and what she might do. After short silence of navigating the loop from the side street on to the main highway, he nodded and pressed the button on the dashboard. The roof slid backwards and as it did, she raised herself out of the car.
“Ay! Be careful!” he cautioned her taking his hand off momentarily to steady the drunk girl.
Above, she was hit by the gust of wind that momentarily wiped the effects of the alcohol from her system but after a while, they returned and she raised her arms. The driver pressed on the pedal and the car purred into greater speed. She screamed out with excitement as the meter slid to just over one hundred.
“I love you! I love this city! I love life!” She could be heard over the rushing wind.
The driver smiled to himself. He looked over to his three other passengers who seemed to be absorbed in their stupor.
As she stood, half leaned backwards, she could feel the adrenaline pumping through her body. Her arms dropped back down for support on the roof of the car. The smile came back to take its position on her face.
Maybe it was a good thing she didn’t tell them exactly what she meant about her dream, she thought to herself. She was certain her boyfriend thought it was just her being a clown as usual but she knew what she was saying. The weight in her chest became a little lighter and life seemed so much brighter. The air smelled fresh. The sound of the cars on the road was clear and almost calming.
She wondered why she didn’t get to do this more often but soon came the realization that its sweetness was in the rarity and perhaps it was just to savour the time. She knew she couldn’t just get up and ask them to uproot their lives for her impulsive wants.
She thought about her family and how worried they must have been when she texted to tell them she would be home after the weekend, having left the house the Friday before. The uncertainty no longer scared her, in fact, it gave her some comfort in the anticipation of the scolding.
She looked down at the top of the drivers head and a tear came to her eye. She smiled to herself imagining his very focused face, knowing how much he hated the highway. Maybe she should have told them, how her dreams sometimes came true. What good would it do? She thought.
She saw the sign just as it had happened in her dream and closed her eyes. Breathing deeply she collected everything she felt and packed it into the feeling of peace. She was grateful for it all and more. The joy and relief, the laughter and jokes, the imperfection of the planning and the perfection of the execution. There it was. Peace.
Most of all she was grateful for the sadness that made them decide to pack up their bags, say they would go and away they went.
