In the countryside of Kyle's farmhouse, the young man could feel the tension as he sat across his mother.
Today was the day he would leave for his road trip.
Usually, he and his mother would converse while they ate breakfast together. But today was different.
She had seemed very hesitant, but acknowledged that Kyle had been an independent young man.
Still, there were so many reservations. Kyle could see it in his mother's face.
"Alright. What's buggin' you so much?" He finally spoke up after the silence had finally pestered him enough.
His mother sighed, swirling the spoon in her bowl. "It's always hard when a child leaves their parent, you know that."
"I've told ya, mom. There's no point staying in this dump. I wanna see the world. I've got all my money saved up. I wanna meet new faces. See new things. Experience new experiences. Classic case of wanderlust. I'll come back to ya." Kyle insisted.
"But.." she sighed. "I'd hate to sound like a broken record. But you know it can be unsafe out there.. on the road. You don't even have anyone to go with you, out there all by yourself. You know how many things could happen?"
"We've talked about it!" Kyle threw his hands up defensively. "Look, I've got it covered, remember? I've got so much money saved up. I've got two phones. Two! Good connection, by the way. I'll have money for gas, for food. I promise I'll be okay."
"But.. what if something happens to you? What if this road trip winds up... killing you?" His mother choked out the phrase, clearly not wanting to bring up such an idea. She had a lump in her throat already.
"C'mon, mom. Kansas is.. you know. Notorious for being... you know. Boring! I've.. I've gotta do this, alright?" He sighed. "There's no point in living if I'm living like I'm dead. Gotta take a chance on in a while in life."
His mother paused, thinking on it for a while. "It's just.. I know you want to find your brother."
"I told you, if I find him, that's just a bonus. It's not why I'm doing this." Kyle argued, though he knew that wasn't true. If anything, findng his brother was the goal and everything else he was discussing was the bonus. But he had to convince his mother.
"It's just.. we haven't seen or heard from Michael in over seven years. It's not healthy to be this obsessive, to go on a road trip just to try and find him. How is that even going to work? Are you just going to drive around until you find him? It's nonsensical, Kyle." His mother responded.
"I told you that's not the reason! I miss him a lot, though. And I find him along the way, then it'd be nice! But it's just.. a bonus. Like I said." Kyle sighed, hoping his acting skills were adequate enough.
His mother sighed, rubbing her arm in a stressed out manner. "..Okay, Kyle. I'll believe and trust you. But don't you do anything stupid or dangerous to try and find your brother. Do you hear me?" She raised a brow further.
"You have my word, mom. I promise." Kyle said seriously, leaning in to show the sincere look in his eyes.
"..Alright, honey."
His mother seemed to believe it, and he was content with that.
...
Kyle had packed everything now. He took his sweet time. This was an emotional moment for him. He had been on vacations with his family before, but never anything like this.
He came downstairs with his backpack on, a duffel bag wrapped around his shoulders.
His mother seemed to have been waiting for him, slunk slightly against the table.
She slowly stepped over to him, adjusting the backpack on his shoulders and giving him motherly touches. "Are you sure you wanna do this?" She asked with the softest voice imaginable.
Kyle nodded slowly. "I'm sure."
"I.. I just. I was hoping you'd think about college after you finished high school.." She admitted lowly.
"College isn't gonna go anywhere for me. It's not for everybody! This is what I wanna do, mom." Kyle told her. Clearly, his mother hadn't given up on her reservations. This frustrated the boy, admittedly.
"Okay, okay." His mother sighed. At least she wasn't forcing him to do anything, he mused. "..What about your band?" She questioned next.
"I told them before last night, they get it. We're still gonna work on our stuff over the internet and stuff, we'll be alright." Kyle insisted.
A long bit of silence overtook the room. And now, his mother had tears in her eyes before she hugged him tightly.
"Just.. be safe, alright? I love you." She whispered in his ear, kissing his cheek.
"I love you, too." He whispered back.
Part of him wondered if the reason she was so scared was because one of her children left her before.
He pulled back, looking at her face now. "I'll be back. I promise."
She gave a slight smile in return. "..Okay." Those words seemed to comfort her, and they hugged tightly once again
Slowly, Kyle stepped away, hand lingering on her arm and slowly pulling back. "I'll see ya soon, okay?" He gave her a reassuring smile.
She gave a small wave, and Kyle returned it. He stepped outside almost immediately after. He couldn't dread on the temporary goodbye now. He had to focus on his primary objective.
...
Outside, Charlotte was waiting for him.
"Hey. What.. are you doing here?" Kyle wondered, a bit surprised to see her.
"I came to see you before you left." Charlotte smiled simply, shrugging. "Listen. I know I can't make you change your mind. And that you feel you need to do to get closure. So.. I'm settling with seeing you again before you leave." She smiled slightly.
"Well.. thanks. I really appreciate you being so understanding." Kyle smiled. He appreciated the contrast between Charlotte and his mother. He was thankful his mother cared, but it was nice to hear the intense understanding Charlotte had always given him. Perhaps that was a big reason their friendship had lasted so long.
Charlotte smiled in response to him, clasping and rubbing her hands together as she looked at him. "So.. how long are you gonna be gone?" She titled her head, as if nervous to even ask.
"I dunno... as long as it takes." Kyle said in a softer tone, emotions churning as he studied the blonde's face. "I told my mom it'd be a month at most so she wouldn't freak out. But we'll see." He chuckled slightly.
"Right.." Charlotte chuckled, looking down at her feet and seemingly not knowing what else to say. "Well... good luck. And have a safe... Journey."
Kyle squinted. "Is that a pun because I sang one of their songs last night?"
"Yup!" Charlotte laughed, throwing her head back. "I know how much you hate puns. Just had to." She teasingly nudged him.
"Ha ha. Very funny." Kyle scoffed, smiling despite himself. He'd really miss this banter with his best friend. But he couldn't dwell on it now. If he thought about it too much, he'd never focus on his goal out on the road.
"I'll see ya around, Charlotte." Kyle smiled at her, slowly stepping off his porch and waving. The blonde gave a similar wave to his mother.
He just turned around next, putting his backpack and his duffle-bag in the trunk of his camo truck.
He got inside, driving off. And so began his road trip.
