The Accidental Road Trip

1. The Escapist and the Elevator

Escapism: the tendency to seek distraction and relief from unpleasant realities, especially by seeking entertainment or engaging in fantasy.

Or, in other words, it's really just fancy avoidance.

Soft acoustic music plays through my car speakers as the aspen grove shimmers with white bark and bright green leaves. Sunlight flickers through the shadows, dancing along my windshield. I drive slowly up the mountain as I pass through the forest with my windows down, allowing the mellow wind to tangle in my hair.

I remember AP English my senior year of high school, how the term "escapism" described Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger because the main character continuously uses sarcasm and fantasy and travel as a way to avoid reality. I used to hate that book, mostly because it seemed impractical for someone to just not face their problems; after all, I've always had my fair share of complicated past and brooding history. But now, I mostly find it ironic.

Escape is what I crave most.

Not that my life is terrible- I love where I am, especially in this moment as I drive through the grove. The aspen trees leave a clearing to my left, displaying a perfect view of the green valley below that is surrounded by more rocky mountains. Framing the picturesque scene are blue and pink beardtongue wildflowers and evergreen trees as the peaks nearby still have some patches of white. The road, not wide enough to fit two lanes, is winding and dangerous as cars could be coming from just around each corner, yet there are places to pull over and enjoy the view.

I pass the clearing and head into another forest, this time hearing the familiar rushing of the creek. I park my car on the side of the road and grab my notebook, eager to find my Happy Place. Climbing over rocks and through some trees, I finally find the small waterfalls that are each barely two feet high. One small cascade spills over towards the other one, creating a fairy-like sanctuary. A large, flat rock sticks out of the water below and I carefully step off the ground and onto the rock.

This has been my Happy Place for years. I've moved around a lot in my life, and I haven't even lived in Utah since I was four years old, but my family loved to visit friends every year growing up. My mom, who lived here with my dad when they got married, found this area and would drive my sister and I up the canyon and to this creek. We were young, but it became a tradition that we kept even after moving.

The last time my mother took me here was to drop me off for college, leaving me in Utah without my family and away from home. My Happy Place is sacred, though, and I would never bring anyone other than my family.

I bring my legs to my chest and close my eyes to listen to the rushing water. The waterfalls are an arms-distance away, providing the perfect soundtrack to my thoughts. Opening my notebook, I flip past the dozens of sketches and rantings to find a blank page.

➳➵

I don't know how I ended up here, in an elevator playing cards with stolen pizza and furniture we dragged in from the hallway. At a college dorm party.

Okay, that's not true; I ended up here because of my best friend.

"Bullshit," Parker announces, starting Aiden in the eyes after he places a face-down card on the table. Yes, we may have taken a small side table and two cushioned chairs. And yes, this is a very spacious elevator, especially for an apartment complex for college students.

Aiden raises an eyebrow with a smug smile, flipping the card over and watching as Parker frowns, sulking in her loss. She takes the whole pile of cards in defeat before grabbing another piece of borrowed pizza.'

The elevator dings, opening the doors to show two very confused girls.

"Come on in, we don't bite," Aiden says, but he's too busy analyzing his cards to look up at them. He and I are sitting in separate chairs with a table in between us as Parker sits on the arm of my chair. It's my turn, but I hate this game. I suck at lying.