The Run

165

Orlando, Florida

"Come on, Minnie Mouse," he says when they park the car at Walt Disney World Resort, and she laughs wholeheartedly for the... She has actually lost count of how many times she's laughed so easily, and it's not like it scares her, it's still just a little bit weird. Yet, she embraces it because there's still a fear in the back of her head that this mood won't last long.

As she makes her way to him, feeling the Florida sun warm her skin, she thinks of one of the last times he made her laugh like that. The one time that made this road trip take a whole new turn. They were still in San Antonio, four days earlier, and she had woken up alone in the motel room. It was surprisingly late, around eleven in the morning, and she anxiously waited for Josh to come back. He always woke up in the early hours of the day, and if he had to go for groceries or else, he always left early and came back before she even woke up. But not this time.

She took a shower then nibbled at an apple before actually checking the door. Yup, locked, she thought with a smile. It had unnerved her the first time she noticed he always locked her in whenever he left, but now she kind of just brushed it off like it was part of the plan. She didn't really mind anyway. Still, she did curse him for not leaving a note to let her know he would be back soon, and after another hour, she was starting to believe he had actually left her for good without so much as a look back, when she heard the engine from outside.

She didn't even get the chance to look out the window when she heard the key turn in the locket and Josh entered with a... smile on his face? Emmie was frozen in place, the sight surprising her too much, and he took that chance to approach her.

"Alright, close your eyes."

"What? Wh-"

"Just close your eyes, okay? You trust me, right?"

In all honestly, she wasn't sure she could trust him a hundred percent just yet, but right in this moment, with that light shining in his eyes, she would probably have said yes to whatever he had asked. So she shrugged, "I guess so," and closed her eyes, letting him guide her towards the door and into the outside. He placed her in a very specific spot, checking from time to time that she still couldn't see anything, before his hand left her arm.

"Ok. You can look now."

She opened her eyes... and she had to laugh. She just had to. Not only because she was confused by what was in front of her eyes, but also because Josh's proud smile was begging for hysteria. Oh, and mostly because, instead of the black SUV Josh previously drove was a brand-new Recreational Vehicle.

"What the f-" she let out, laughing so much tears were already welling up in her eyes. "What did you do? WHY did you do that?"

Much to her surprise, Josh chuckled too, not losing the smile. "Hear me out, okay?" he said, opening the side door to let her in. "I know this looks weird, but-" he reached out a hand to help her onto the high step, "I've come up with a new game that's going to last us for quite some time."

She looked up at him quizzically, all the while inspecting her new home: on her right, a tiny window gave view to the driver and passenger seats. On her left, a not-so-wide open space, a bench seat taking most of the length of the vehicle. Emmie could see from the way it looked that the seat could be turned into a bed. In front of it, a kitchen and all other amenities of a complete house. And at the very back, a small door gave way to a bathroom.

She turned on herself, then plopped onto the seat. "A game, you said?"

Proudly, almost like a child who had come home from school with an A, he sat down at her sides and began his explanation. "Last night's discussion made me think a lot. Mostly the fact that you've never been to Disn-"