KRISTY The shit also happens to the stars

Road trip

The sun beats down on the bay window and passes through the curtains, its rays reaching up to my face.  One day, we'll have to think about closing this damn shutter.  I bury my head under the pillow, grumbling deep inside.  I emerge slowly, a hammer banging rhythmically in my head.  When an airplane passes over the beach, the hammer resonates and turns into an electric screwdriver.  I gripe again but this time I let out a groan.

I go downstairs with difficulty, my eyes narrowed to avoid the light of day.  Thelma magically appears in front of me with a glass of water in her hand and an aspirin.  I drink greedily, it's amazing how thirsty a hangover is.  She places a pair of sunglasses on my nose.
I sit in the garden to have my breakfast.  Always so adorable and romantic Thelma has everything prepared on the garden table.
I eat with appetite, it has been a while since I have been so hungry.

- I have a surprise !
- I love surprises.  Tell me !
- I think I found the solution to help you feel better and therefore prevent you from becoming an alcoholic.
- Ah, ah, ah very funny!
- Enough with the jokes !  We're going for a Road Trip!  Or rather a mini Road Trip, we are going to La Paz.
- You want us to go to Mexico?
- It's going to be cool, you'll see!

I get up from my chair to sit astride his lap.

- I'm not saying no, you and I in this car, alone on the road!
- Not quite, Frédérique and Joana join us.  It's been a month since you last saw them!  I thought you would be happy to spend some time with them.
- What romanticism!

The four windows wide open, the music blaring, we are four girls in the wind!
We chose to drive my car to make sure it holds up.  A black Chrysler 300 c all in leather and above all very comfortable.  The sun is just starting to rise.  I decided to be the first to get behind the wheel.  That way, I couldn't ruminate and think about Angel.  I have to stay focused on the road.  We sing everything on the radio, so out of tune that we hurt our ears.  When the advertisements arrive, we slide a CD into the player.  None of us agree with the musical choice.  I find us an agreement with the last album of U2.
I have a smile, the good humor of the girls cheers me up.  Thelma was right, I needed to recharge my batteries.  Sunglasses adjusted, the sun visor adjusted, I ride without asking any questions.  We leave the city and leave the Freeway to arrive on Surface Streets.  I park on the side to turn on the GPS.  Thelma pulls out a road map from her backpack.

- Tell me this is a joke !
- No, we forget about computers!  We're going on an adventure!
- We're going to get lost!
- No, we're not idiots, we can read a map.  And let's say we get lost, that's the adventure!

I laugh at her but at the same time, I want to make her happy.

- Ok, as you want, we'll see!

I activate the key to start the engine.  Before driving off, I look in the rearview mirror, I see Joana sitting right behind me winking at me.  I send it back to him and set off again.
After two hours of driving, it starts to get very hot in the car even with the windows open.  We decide to close them and turn on the air conditioning.  I drive with one hand and with the other, I drink the green tea without sugar that I prepared in a gourd, to keep the tea fresh.
There is a good-natured atmosphere, it's nice to be with girls.  Frédérique and Joana want to know where and when, Thelma and I met.  They want to know everything down to the smallest detail.  We tell them about the evening but omitting to mention our first kiss.

- We're lost!
- No, we're not lost!
- I'm telling you we're lost!
- Okay, it's true, we're lost!  But we will find our way back.
- With your card?  We turn arround !  We should approach the border and here we are in the middle of nowhere.

I suggest that girls vote for or against GPS.  Thank God, Joana and Frédérique are of the same opinion as me.  Except that in the middle of nowhere necessarily there is no connection possible.  I applaud Thelma for her success.

- Well done, you won!  I shouldn't have listened to you.  How do we do it now?

Frédérique becomes ironic.

- We look at the map!

What triggers a general laughter.

I suggest that the girls change places.  I take Thelma's place while Joana takes the wheel.  We absolutely have to find our way back.  I want to see civilization again before it gets dark.  I'm looking on the map where we can be.  I put it between us on the gear lever, it will be easier for several people.  By dint of looking for clues around us and thinking, we finally find ourselves on the main road.  I like being the co-pilot, it's less tiring than being the driver.

The border is offered to us straight ahead, it's very impressive!  A cylinder wall of orange steel, barbed wire and concrete stretches endlessly, as tall as a building.  When we reach the roadblock, we are surrounded by cameras and projectors.  We sneak past the other vehicles in the queue.  The wait will be long, we take the opportunity to nibble.  We do not lead wide, soldiers make their rounds in an incessant ballet between the vehicles and observe inside them.  They linger on those they think are suspect.
It's our turn to pass the roadblock.  We give our papers to the security guard while a soldier inspects our car.  The security guard recognizes me and asks for an autograph.  It will become a memorable memory.
The dam was passing, we can breathe again.  It's crazy how cooler all of a sudden!
We decide to visit Tijuana and spend the night there.  The city is very beautiful, but my favorite thing is to walk along the beach all the way to Malecón Playas.
I walk barefoot on the wooden slabs.  I observe the life around me, all its lights, its noises, its movements.  Families and groups of friends who finish their meals in crowded restaurants.  Young people having a drink and starting to make the bars their own.  The sky is its innumerable gradients.  I stop for a moment, leaning on the wooden fence, I enjoy the warmth of a wild fire lit on the beach.

Up there, I point my finger at the sky to the girls.  A shooting star !  A tear runs down my cheek.

Angel!  An angel, my angel has passed!