“Shelley…Shelley….SHELLEY!”
I looked up from the small display and smiled. “What?”
“Can you please lay that thing down and start enjoying the scenery?! We have been on the road for hours and still you are fiddling with your so-called pocket time mirror. Frankly, it’s bleeping is getting on my nerves.” Lucas ranted.
I shrugged and looked outside. Desert. Red dirt. Sand coloured or greyish rocks.
“What is so special about this place?” I asked him pulling up an eyebrow. I adjusted the airco of Lucas’ comfortable MPV so that it was a little less cold. The draft was causing goose bumps on my arms.
“You want me to stop working on what might be the biggest scientific discovery of this century to look at some rocks? What are you? A geologist?” I sniggered.
He glanced at me annoyed and Sebastian who was sitting in the back ticked me on the back of the head. “Quit the bickering. You two are distracting me and I need to finish this level…”
“Why can he play that stupid computer game and I cannot play with my time mirror?” I pouted.
“His computer game does not go beep.” Lucas grinned.
Anna huffed from behind me and looked morosely outside. “Apparently a computer game is more important than spending some time with your girlfriend.”
Sebastian lifted a hand, patted her head and returned to the buttons. “Love you too, honey.” He said grinning, not taking his eyes of the screen. She tickled him in an attempt to catch his attention, but failed.
“Are we almost there?” she whined. Lucas looked at the navigator. “About 20 more minutes.”
I returned my attention to the time mirror and restarted the debugging. “Shelley! Cut it out! Or you’ll walk!” Lucas cried. I sighed and put it away in my bag. How hard would it be to enjoy myself for 20 more minutes? I looked at Lucas driving. I looked out of the window. I looked at my nails and bit them.
God, this is boring.
---***---
We stopped at the visitor centre of the Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park. The others went inside for information and I looked for a decent place to eat. Local cuisine and reasonably clean. I found a perfect little restaurant and walked back to the visitor centre.
I walked back. God. The heat was suffocating. I saw the others through the glass of the ceiling high windows of the centre. Anna was smiling and Sebastian was paying for some tourist trinket. At least one of us was having fun. I can’t believe they kidnapped me for a road trip to this shithole. I was so close in getting the mirrors right. This trip really came at a bad moment.
On the right was a bench in the shade and I walked over and sat down on it. God I missed the cool sterile air of my lab. Taking the time mirror out of my bag, I looked for my pink mini toolbox. Just when I opened it, Anna stopped in front of me and waved something extremely ugly in my face. “Honey, I bought a present for you. Look! It’s ancient and dusty. Imagine the number of germs on it.”
I slapped it out of my face, and reached for the disinfectant in my bag while she laughed her face off. “Very funny, Anna.” I say, while rubbing the gel all over my hands and face.
“Oh cheer up, you grumpy. It’s only two days. Come on, Lucas booked us something awesome!” She said excited. I remained where I was, ignoring her skittish jumping around. “Oh come on. We’ll even let you fiddle your little device if you come along.”
I sighed, put away the disinfectant, and stood up to follow her. Sebastian’s new girlfriend was really annoying the crap out of me. His taste in women was terrible. Airhead Barbie. Complete with fake boobs, make-up case and a whole set of tiny pink dresses. I shook my head and stood up to follow Ana’s swinging hips. Only two more days. I might shoot her before the weekend ends.
