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Four
Vignettes 2. Cars There's never anything to really do around here, unless you count the car. An '83 blue Charger that you never take care of. You don't know it yet, but the inside front right tire is worn to the treads. Who checks these things? It's been months since he put it up on blocks and disassembled it for you, delivering his diagnosis like a doctor. What did you do with the information? The advice? You wished he would leave. But you didn't know you wished he would leave. You never know how much you want him to leave, you just love that peace when he's gone—waking up to the sunshine and the morning doves all alone. We're bored. We cruise route 6, stop at the State Park, sit on a picnic table under the pines in the green evening light and smoke a pipe. I hold the spicy smoke in my lungs for a long time. My neck feels warm. My cheeks flush. I close my eyes and watch the pink sparks play across the brown backdrop of nothingness as I slowly exhale. I watch Jess try to do the same, in her cutoff jeans and her wild curly hair. She pulls deep and long on the lacquered pipe. The green light through the trees turns her hair a copper color. She's at peace. Never asks questions. She closes her almond eyes and exhales. So what'd wanna do? With our myriad options? Tanya, I'm surprised! Let's see ... we could ... drive around! Yeah! Let's drive around! The idea is exciting to us. Drive around. Why not? The place is so beautiful. Yeah, there's nowhere to go without money, but who needs it? I have a good stereo that I inherited with the car, a Pioneer, with speakers that fill the back seat. We select Melissa Etheridge, the old standby—"Bring Me Water," or something like that. We can't hear anything but the music as we make our way, once more, to Route 6. We're laughing. The music is dramatic: Somebody bring me some water. Can't you see I'm burning alive... It doesn't choke us up like it's supposed to. Just makes us laugh at the sound of our voices screaming along. Maybe because we're still girls. Hey! Jess yells. We're two wild and crazy girls here, listening to Melissa Etheridge on Route 6! Everybody STEP ASIDE! We see a blue Camaro Iroc ahead of us. Let's race! I scream over the stereo and put my foot as far down on the gas pedal as it will go. The car hesitates, then slowly accelerates, it's four cylinders about to reach the extent of their services. We pull into the right lane alongside the Camaro, laughing, and leer over at the driver. She's waving at us, smiling a big lipstick smile. It's Karen, an old family friend, smiling sweetly, her eye makeup sparkling. Hi. Nice to see you. How are your parents? We are laughing so hard that we have to pull over. Karen and her Camaro already a mile away, innocent, going somewhere. For a moment, I wish I had somewhere to go. I look over at Jess, I see her white teeth in the partial glow from a restaurant parking lot across the highway. Tanyaaaa! She's still grinning. I think it's time for another tape! I let her select this one. I know what it's going to be—-the one she always plays. And we go. |
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