Throwback

To a Detour

Chapter Four:

Throwback- To a detour

I’d taken some risks in my life.

Just like any other teenage boy, I was a showoff. I wanted to act tough and prove myself. I’d paid for that too. Once I’d broken my arm jumping off of my roof on a dare from Angus Sharpton, my sworn enemy in grade school. I’d also gotten a concussion when I’d hit my head on a rock after tripping down a hill in the woods playing paintball. The worst had been the time I’d gotten two black eyes in a fight after school with Bobby Felton to see who was stronger.

I’d gone out of my way, broken bones, and brushed off more fears than I could count to be taken seriously. I’d always wanted to be the brave Shane McMillan. The one who did anything and didn’t even think twice about it. It was in my nature to want to be respected.

But through all of these experiences, nothing had prepared me for this. Leaving home. Leaving my safety zone and venturing into the world with someone I hardly knew. Not to mention I was doing it in secret, behind the backs of people I’d grown up with, people I loved.

But here I was at 4:00 AM on a Saturday morning, behind the wheel of my 1974 ford pickup with my hands gripping my knees so hard they were white. The window was fogged up from the cold night air meeting my hot car. In the back I’d tied down a few bags of clothes, toiletries, and essentials. In the glove department was $700.00 I’d saved up mowing lawns and doing other odd jobs for people in the neighborhood, all of it paid to me in cold hard cash. It was tied together with a rubber band and stuffed in a little brown wallet I’d always kept on me in case of emergencies. 

This was definitely an emergency.

Besides the credit card and my drivers license, that’s all I had. Scary as it was, I was determined to make it work with or without money. I wouldn’t be gone too long. Just long enough to clear my head and get away from town. Any normal human being was asleep in bed with alarm clocks off and curtains closed.

But I wasn’t just any other normal human being.

I pulled out the slip of paper she'd given me with her address on it. I was planning to pick her up there as quickly and quietly as possible. We’d drive to the end of town, take the nearest exit, and travel an hour or two south, ending up in the city. We’d stay at a motel and figure things out from there.

I leaned back and closed my eyes, trying not to panic. It was now or never, I said to myself, sounding a lot like Troy Bolton. Except this wasn’t high school musical. This was real life and I was leaving home, not even sure if I wanted to return. This was my future and I had no idea what I wanted to do with it.

I put my hands on the wheel and turned the keys until I heard the roar of my engine. I winced at its noise and immediately glanced back at my house anxiously. No sign of anyone. I took this as a sign from God to continue.

If I didn’t do it now, I’d never do it.

So with a whole new outlook, I exhaled slowly, letting out my worries with the breath and feeling my tight chest slowly began to empty itself. With one last glance at the place I’d lived my whole life, I put my foot on the gas and pressed down hard, turning out of my driveway and heading into a whole new chapter of my life.

                                                             ~*~

She was standing at the end of a narrow gravel drive, holding a leather tote and two large suitcases that were cluttered with stamps, tags, and bumper stickers. She was wearing a pink dress and her curls were pinned back into a neat bun. On her feet were two white ballet flats.  She looked different without her hair piled onto her head. She looked older, more feminine. She looked pretty too. Very pretty.