Preacher Man

Chapter 3

It was difficult... It was just too difficult to comprehend... This morning, I went to church with my girlfriend of six years... And now the girl of my dreams, literally, was sitting beside me, and my girlfriend was packing her stuff, and when I get home, she won't be there...

She hadn't just given up on me... She had given up on us.

I can't even begin to process my feelings... Tired, angry, and relieved, all at once. How is that even possible? This girl, well... This woman, is stunning. I look over at her. She's singing to the radio, her eyes slightly closed, a small smile playing on her lips.

...Man, I went from craving alcohol, to craving her lips on mine. I shook the thought out of my head. It hasn't even been three hours of you knowing her yet, doofus.

"So um... Where do you want to go to eat?" I asked, trying to get away from my own mind for a bit.

"Hmm... There's this small little diner that welcomes in visitors, but to be honest, it has the best food around for a good price." She said, smiling.

"Oh really? What's it called?" I asked, curiously.

"The Driver Era." She replied.

"Wow... That sounds amazing. Do you know why they call it that?" The Driver Era. Something about that name just rolled off perfectly. I don't think that I've ever even heard that phrase, but for some reason, it provided this immediate peace... A certain attraction.

"Well, I talked to the owner and asked him the same thing... His response was something like, "Have you ever just turned on the radio while driving, and there is this certain song that just sets the mood perfectly? Well, that's The Driver Era. Multiple people come in as tourists or visitors, and you can just tell when someone who has been driving for hours, has had this epiphany, listening to the music, looking at the scenery... They've found where their spirit and the earth connects for a split second. They're away from every worry. Everything feels perfect. No matter what the genre is, or the song is, or the weather, or even the place... Everyone has their own driver era... And we are here to welcome everyone who has that experience." She smiled as she remembered his wise words.

I stared at her in awe, just realizing that a simple life task... Could help you to find yourself.

She kind of looked over at me a gave out a little laugh, " What?" She asked.

"Nothing... It's just that, hearing that, just gave me my own epiphany." I chuckled a bit.

She said, "Well, anything is possible when you connect with something that means everything to you."

I stopped and stared at her for a bit, but I couldn't stare for long, I'd end up in a trance. "Haha, so um, yeah, where is this place?"

She gave me the directions, and before I new it, we were at this beautiful place... I was at this beautiful place, with a beautiful meaning, and a beautiful girl...

Maybe this is where my epiphany begins...

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Laura and I talked, and laughed, and ate, and it was all good. I hated having to leave this beautiful place... I hated having to drop her back off at home... I hated the idea of going home alone.

So here I am, at 9:00 PM, alone... And feeling the cravings seep in. My brain wanted alcohol. My heart craved to be able to forget. My taste buds...? They never wanted to remember. I was shaking... I felt this cold sweat come over me. I kept looking for Tori. She wasn't there. I looked for Laura... She's at home.

I had no one to control me... I also had no one to save me.

I jumped into the car for the second time that day. I looked at myself in the mirror. My eyes were filled with panic...

You shouldn't be doing this.

Do it, you've done it before.

Tori wouldn't be happy.

Tori gave up on you, you have no one to control you now.

Think about Laur.

Laura is a girl who you've known for less than 24 hours, a girl from a six year relationship couldn't save you... What makes you think that she can?

The beat in my head picked back up... This incredibly anxious beat.

I was driving through the city, just looking at myself
My conscious telling me that I should just turn this car around
But man, I got these demons and they telling me to go
Further into the night so the further I go.

I kept driving until I found the local bar.

Maybe this is my epiphany... Maybe The Driver Era is the journey from one's past, to reaching their destination...