Eternal.

Chapter Ten

 

It was raining driving home at 9:00 Friday morning. The pats of the rain pelting the roof of my Sonata made me think I was going to find it all dented. I was going to try to get up early enough so I would be able to be at school today, but I work up at 5:58 and remembered I was still at Alex’s house, and decided to forget it, and I went back to sleep. My mother will be disappointed I skipped school again.

When the traffic light turned green I sped up the motion of my windshield wipers and pressed lightly on the accelerator. Just straight ahead was the on-ramp to the highway going southbound. My bumper just passed the white line on the road when a car straight ahead made me halt. A cat coming from the left turned right in front of me onto the highway. I slammed on the brake the second I saw it cut me off. I banged a fist on the steering wheel in this sudden agitation. The car jolted as I pressed hard on the accelerator.

On the highway I could feel my tires didn’t have good traction. This two-wheel drive is only good on ideal weather. The sky was a foggy mist and bullet-like raindrops pelted the windshield like a baseball bat. My windshield wipers were already the fastest they could go. It seemed a storm was on its way quick. “Damn why is it raining so much?” I whispered to myself. I watched cars drive up past me throwing up mist from the wet road. “Rain only comes when someone is really very sad.”  Aiden’s voice sounded like lightning and thunder next to me. I sucked in my breath and turned my head all the way around to look at him next to me. He sat in the passenger side to comfortably. His knees pointed at me and his arm was over the shoulder of the seat, his stomach lay open in front of me. Behind him cars drove smoothly off the road down a ramp that was titled EXIT 46, just out of Winchester and into Torrington. A sound started coming from underneath my tires, it sounded like a cheese grater cutting up my tiers. The passenger side door was close to the guard rail. I looked in front and realized I had driven myself into the brake down lane, and that sound was coming from the grated part of the road.

“So who’s very sad?” I asked running fingers through my hair looking up at a clear lightning bolt in the dark-grey sky. The rain drops seemed to have gotten smaller and were flying sideways with the wind. Aiden spoke slowly against a crackling voice of thunder. His voice was an octave lower than the low boom outside my window. “A whole village.” He said. I laughed with a sudden elation. I somehow gained a confusing energy from the storm, or maybe it was a feeling of high from Aiden’s presence. I felt him looking at me as I laughed a little louder and pressed down more on the accelerator. “Must you speak so poetically?” As I smiled and looked in to my rearview mirror, Aiden rested his hands tensely on his lap. “You write poems don’t you?” He looked straight out the window; his burgundy hair covered his eyes. “Sometimes” I said as a soft cloud of thunder sounded in the car. “Write one now.” He looked at me. I was now halfway to Waterbury. Another flash of lightning and the rain softened, and thunder as soft as your mother’s voice. “I only write on paper.” I objected. “You come up with the words in your head right?” He asked. “Yeah but—“ I slowed the speed of my windshield wipers. “So, come up with words then.” He gestures me to think. Taillights of cars shined reflections on the wet road. I think hard. For a minute there was silence. Half of my brain conjured up meaningful words, the other half of my brain focused on information signs and the cars driving next to me. I strangled myself for words just like I do every time I go to write.

I can’t say a word

If I do the world will end.

I’ll be the cause

I’ll be the blame.

I recited words to Aiden. When I was finished I glanced at him, he seemed to enjoy it until I stopped. I looked at the sky above the highway, the dark clouds began departure, and I noticed the rain had just stopped.  “Go on” Aiden’s voice sounded hungry for more. I would close my eyes and truly feel the words but I couldn’t. I passed a sign that said EXIT 38 before I began muttering my poem again.