Next Time by Erin O'Reilly

Author:Erin O'Reilly [O'Reilly, Erin]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780947528188
Publisher: Affinity Ebook Press
Published: 2017-01-06T18:30:00+00:00

Chapter Fourteen

The days flew by. I said good-bye to all my friends. It was with sadness laced with a healthy dose of anticipation that I went to bed the night before we were to leave. The fact that I slept soundly is a surprise to me as I bound out of bed and into the shower. This will be my last breakfast in California, and I make my way down the stairs and into the kitchen.

Mom is standing at the stove. “Dad is outside checking everything. Can you go tell him breakfast is ready?”

“Yep.” I go outside and see my dad checking the tire pressure. “Hey, breakfast is ready.”

He comes over to me and engulfs me in a hug. “You ready for this?”

“Yes and no, if that makes any sense.”

He grins. “When your mother and I first came to California, I think she cried every day for two weeks. She was homesick and called her mom every day. One day, she found a friend at a gym she was going to and after that, the tears stopped.” He hugs me again. “It’ll all work out, I promise.”

“I’ll hold you to that.” I kiss his cheek. “Let’s eat so we can get on the road.”

†

With a U-Haul tracking behind my Prius, the road flies by. I’m glad my mom and dad are going with me. Even though it is prolonging our eventual good-bye, I am grateful to have the time with them. With three people driving and pushing it, we could make the journey in four days but decide to make it a pleasure trip and do some sightseeing along the way.

The first day we drive almost eight hours to Bryce Canyon National Park where we spend the night. The next day we visit the spectacular canyon, and Monday we drive to Colorado and spend the night in Rocky Mountain National Park, awe inspiring to say the least. I even see my first moose. Our journey continues across the States, stopping in St. Louis and going up in the Arch. In Pittsburg, we visit the wonderful Carnegie Museum of Natural History before heading out on the final leg to Reston, Virginia and the apartment I’ve sublet for the next six months.

Through a sudden downburst of rain, I see a sign that reads Reston 15 miles and sigh. “We’re almost there. My butt feels like it is glued to the seat.”

“Want to pull over? I’ll drive,” my dad says.

“No, I’m good. Besides, if we stop and get out we’ll get soaked.”

“You can stop on the shoulder of the overpass ahead. Won’t get wet.”

I laugh. “But we will get the spray from passing cars. I’m good.”

“Hopefully the rain will have stopped by the time we get to your apartment,” Mom says from the back seat. “I’ll check out the radar on my phone.”

“What’s our plan of attack?” Dad looks over at me.

“Unpack the trailer, go to the market, and have a nice dinner before collapsing into bed.”

“The rain should be ending anytime now.” Mom leans over the seat to show Dad the radar map on her phone.

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