The Winding Road

Chapter 19

I feel a rush of excitement and let out a soft squeak.

James chuckles and puts his hand on my leg, " are you excited? "

I pull myself up and put my head on his shoulder. His arm wraps around me and he squeezes me until I'm squealing and trying to squirm away from him. "Yes, yes!" I squeal, "I'm excited!"

James laughs and lets go. "I'm glad."

"Are you?" I say gasping for breath that has been ripped from my lungs.

"As long as I'm with you, I know I'll have fun. So yes, I'm very excited. Plus I've never been there before."

"Me neither. My mom always wanted to take me but when dad went haywire and took all the money for alcohol, I guess that dream shriveled up and died."

James fell quiet. "I'm sorry."

"Chill. I've gotten over him. If he wants to go and get wasted every night, then do that. But don't get me involved!"

"Aren't you worried though?" James says softly.

"About mom?" He nods. "Well of course I'm worried. I mean, he was whipping her with a belt for goodness sake." I wipe a tear away and take a deep breath. "But I believe in my heart that she is alright."

"I'm sure she is." James puts his arms around me and pulls me towards him. I fall into his arms and rest my head on his chest. I close my eyes and think of everything we are going to do when we arrive. Although the circumstances aren't great, this is going to be fun.

"Hey. How about something to eat?" James breakers the silence, "like an early breakfast."

I look at the dashboard and the clock flashes 01:30. The thought of food brings a grumbling sensation to my empty stomach. I grab the bag from on the floor and unzip it. I reach in and pull out two packets of peanuts, a bag of chips and two bottles of water. I hand the peanuts and water to James and he begins eating them. He throws them into the air and catches every one in his mouth.

"You look like a lunatic James." I say, shoving a handful of peanuts into my mouth.

He laughs and we devour the rations together. With our stomachs full and our food all gone, we decide to have a short nap. James leant his head against the door and I curled up next to him in his arms. He was warm and smelt strongly of his deodorant.

"Hey James," I say softly with my eyes closed and my cheek pressed up against his chest.

"Yes?"

"Thanks for coming on this trip with me, I really appreciate it."

"No problem Sam. I told you I'd always be there for you." James looks down and I feel his lips pressed gently against the top of my head.  I look up into his deep blue eyes and smile.

"It's almost time to go."

"I know." James says.