On the Road Again

Chapter 16

"Belgium." Donnie starts from his place in the seat behind me. "Home to the world's best chocolate and waffles." He lowers his travel pamphlet so that it no longer masks his eyes. He turns to look at Vay in the row of seats behind him. "Do you think it's true, I mean, mum makes some pretty killer waffles." Vay quickly shifts his gaze towards Donnie before returning his eyes to the bright screen of his iPad.

"It might be a bit exaggerated, but they've got to be pretty good if their so confident to write something like that in there." Vay says passively before returning to his game.

"How much farther?" Mimi whines as she cracks open a bottle of nail polish and intoxicates us with it's fumes.

It was just a few days ago that we were in Disney Land, and yet it seems like Mimi's fun and bright side has worn off. Like a mood that had just come and gone. Maybe Disney had done something magical to her while we were there, but whatever it was, it hardly lasted long enough. And the one icy wall I thought I had broken, instantaneously built itself back up within the next few days, causing me to wonder if this trip was even a good idea at all.

"Not that far, around two minutes." I roughly estimate, but my words come out incoherently as I nervously bite my lip. None of what I've just said is true. We haven't even booked a place to stay, but for the sake of my head staying completely stitched on, I choose to tell her a little white lie instead.

We aimlessly drive around Belgium for much longer than two minutes before Mimi finally catches on with what's really happening.

"Wait, we do have a place to stay, right?" Mimi asks, raising her left brow in suspicion. A family of butterflies begin to do the Macarena wildly in my stomach as I try to conjure up a quick second lie to patch up the last. But my mouth refuses to cooperate and I find it opening and closing without purpose as no words come out. "Oh my God you have got to be kidding me!" Mimi exclaims. "I'm stuck in a car, which is very crowded may I add and we don't even have a place to stay!? What were you planning to do Indi?! Stumble across a hotel!?" I shrink back in my seat. It sounded much smarter in my mind. It sounded fun and adventurous. I choose not to answer her question, deciding that it can, and probably will, only lead to further argument.

"I'm sorry." I apologise feeling smaller than ever. I knew that trying to defend myself was a lost cause. When you get Mimi fired up, I've learnt that she won't accept any rational answer for your doings. I let out a long sigh and the rest of our argument dwindles into silence.

I remember when Mimi wasn't like this. I remember when we used to have pillow fights in the early hours of the morning, and how she used to greet me every Saturday with a beautiful breakfast. Maybe it was my fault that we fell apart, I mean last time I checked, she treated me like a queen and I can't even remember the last kind deed I have done for her! I turn to Mimi as she finishes coating her left pinky in bright pink nail polish.

"I really am sorry." I repeat, hoping desperately that she will accept my apology. After the thoughts that have just danced across my mind, I can't help but blame myself for our entire falling out. She gazes up at me.

"It's okay." She says, her voice soft and comforting. It really wasn't the answer I was expecting, but I couldn't be happier about it nonetheless. "I think I saw a nice looking motel just a few blocks down, do you want to turn around and go back?" she suggests. I nod gratefully and take the nearest right hoping it will take us back around to the road we were previously on.

I can't help but receive that same feeling that I had in Disney Land. The feeling that suggests that the invisible wall between Mimi and I has crumbled just a few inches closer to the ground. Yet unlike last time, I have this slight feeling that some of the wall may stay knocked down. But yet again, this is Mimi we're talking about here, and she can be very unpredictable.