bridges » david dobrik

4

Nevada was breathtaking. It was wide, open expanses of desert with sharp, jagged rocks pulled out of the earth seemingly haphazardly. The more David and I drove, searching for any building that wasn't abandoned, the more beautiful it got. The sun began to set and the sky became a cotton candy mix of blues, pinks and oranges that had me wishing we were in any other situation than the one we were in at that moment.

Nevada probably would've made a better impression if we weren't stranded with five hundred dollars, no phones, and no GPS.

We passed a few gas stations where we could have stopped to grab maps or literally anything that could have helped us, but we didn't stop. David was following the road signs that lead to Las Vegas; he said if he could get us there without a GPS, he could get us home. I didn't know David very well, but I had learned in our day together that he was extremely cocky. I had no doubt that if he thought he could get us home, he would do everything to prove himself right.

The sunset quickly that night and with it dark out, we both found ourselves tired, cranky and annoyed. Well, David found himself tired, cranky, and annoyed. It had been a long time that I had been anywhere remotely scenic, and seeing the bright, twinkling stars dancing as we drove made me feel like I was in a coming-of-age movie about a runaway girl. I loved it.

"We should stop at the next motel we see," David commented, no hint of a question in his voice. I figured it wasn't up for debate, not that I cared. I was tired, but I'd feel like shit letting David drive and just sleeping. "Unless you want to drive."

"I might run us off the road," I joked, but David didn't laugh. I had seen a few of his more popular Youtube videos, and I had a hard time believing this was the same person I saw laughing while shooting his friends with paintball guns. He didn't seem very fun or interesting. He just seemed like a dick. I awkwardly added, "So yeah, we can stop whenever you want."

We drove another five minutes until we arrived at the place I least expected, the Clown Motel. I knew it was somewhere in Nevada, but I hadn't expected to pass it on our journey to Las Vegas.

"Is that—?"

"Yeah, we're stopping," I nodded quickly, squealing as David made a sharp turn into the parking lot. "Oh my god, I'm so excited."

"You like clowns?" David asked, eyebrows furrowed in a mix of confusion and disgust.

"I like to scare myself," I shrugged, climbing out of the car without a second thought. In the dark of the night with only a flickering street lamp lighting the parking lot, the motel was rather intimidating. Through the dimly lit lobby windows, I could make out several clown figurines inside, but I thought that would make it all the more fun. "Let's go."

"Don't I get a say in this?" David protested, but still followed me up to the door with no hesitation.

"You didn't have to stop," I pointed out, swinging the door open and giggling at the jingle it made. "Oh, wow."

"What the fuck?"

The interior of the Clown Motel is just as I always imagined—filled to the brim with every kind of clown doll, figurine, or life size dummy you could find. Though the place was pretty well lit, the deep yellow bulbs gave it a very ominous feel. I was waiting for something to jump out at us, but the only exciting thing that happened was that we got a room.

"How can I help you guys?" the little old man behind the wooden desk asked. "We don't usually just get perusers this time of night."

"We need a room for the night," I spoke up with a grin, approaching the desk. "For two. The cheapest one you have, preferably."

"Are you two on a road trip?" he casually asked as he perused his books for an opening.

"You could say that," David rolled his eyes as he spoke, obviously not finding the situation half as fun as I did.

I got it. He did crazy things with crazy people 24/7, and this was probably nothing but a bump in the road to him. He was missing days of work and unable to film anything because of our situation, but still. Did he have to rain on my parade? Couldn't he have a little fun?

"We have a room for you," the man dug through a drawer in the desk and pulled out a little silver key engraved with the number 208. "It's going to be fifty two dollars."

David pulled out the money and settled it with the man while I looked around the place. I was still curiously searching when David huffed, "I'm gonna go take a shower. I'll leave the door unlocked."

I didn't much care for his attitude, and the man behind the desk seemed nice enough, so I just shrugged him off. I could ask all my questions and have some fun without him.

As I glanced at the tiny, unique statues, the man said, "Is it hard being stuck in a car with him?"

"I'm having fun," I laughed in response, checking out some of the hats for sale, even though we sure as hell couldn't afford them. "He didn't want to come, so he's in a bad mood. I've never been to Nevada, though. I'm loving it."

"That's how it was with me and my wife," he pulled his wallet out of his pocket and opened it to show a faded, crinkled picture of a younger looking man with a beautiful woman. "We were married fifty six years when she died. She loved to go on the road, and I hated it, but I still did it because I loved her."

"What was her name?" I asked, chin in the palm of my hand as I spoke to him.

"Roberta," he smiled fondly, as if reminiscing. "We always joked that we were meant to be because my name is Bob and her name was Roberta."

"That's sweet," I smiled at him. "She's beautiful."

"She is, isn't she?" he folded the picture back up with a shaky grin. "Are you headed to Vegas?"

"Yeah, we are," I told him. "Well, that is if we can get there. David's sure he can get there with just street signs alone, but... I don't have too much faith in him."

"You kids aren't using a GPS?" he tilted his head in confusion.

"No. Our car doesn't have one, and we don't have any phones on us," I answered. "We're relying on good, old fashioned maps, but we haven't even stopped to buy those yet."

"We have a few extras," Bob reached down to the bottom shelf of a bookcase behind him and pulled out a folded up map of Nevada.

"Wow, really?" I asked, grabbing it and unfolding it. "Do I owe you anything? David has the money, but I'll go get it."

"You can keep it," he smiled. "You have made my night. Most people come, take pictures of the clowns, and leave. You have true compassion in your heart, young lady. It's going to get you far."

I couldn't say that if I had my phone, I wouldn't have just taken a picture and left, but still. The thought was nice.

"Thanks, Bob," I slid the map into the waistband on my Nike Pros. "You're an OG."

"I'll pretend I know what that means," he joked and I laughed out loud, taking one last look around the office and noticing that it was well past midnight on one of the many clocks. "I have something else for you, since you don't have your phone."

"Yeah?" I replied, tossing my knotted blonde hair over my shoulders. He reached into a basket behind the desk and pulled out two disposable cameras, placing them on the counter. "Take pictures of your journey. You never know when they'll be the only thing you can look back on. Now go on, your boyfriend's waiting."

I didn't have the heart to tell him that David and I were strangers in a compromising position, not hopelessly in love like him and Roberta, so I waved with a quiet, "Goodnight, Bob."

credit to bob cronk photography for the pic!! he takes some cool ass pics, especially of some oddball spots in nevada

i want some ramen but i literally only have the cheddar cheese kind and it tastes like knockoff kraft mac and cheese mixed with chicken ramen and its disgusting i cant

have a nice day guys!! do something good. xoxox abby

also this is off my update schedule but consider it a bonus chapter or something bc i love u guys!! thank u for reading