6 – Wherever You Go

On their way through West Virginia, Ben looked out the passenger window and called, "Hey, stop, stop."

Felicity craned her neck to look where he was pointing. She saw a knot of bathing suit-clad kids standing on the sidewalk waving hand-painted signs. "Why?"

He grinned at her. "It's Sunday. Mickey wanted us to wash The Baby on Sundays, remember?"

She giggled and turned the car into the shopping center parking lot. "You want a bunch of kids to wash The Baby? God, he'll kill us."

Ben chuckled in unison with her. The group of kids circled the Cadillac, armed with hoses and buckets. Felicity parked it where they directed her. She and Ben got out.

Ben opened his wallet and thumbed through the bills, handing a few to one of the girls. "Thanks."

The girl nodded and started hosing down the car. Ben stepped back and crossed his arms. The kids washed the car and began rinsing it. "So, Indianapolis?"

"Yes. Indianapolis. Motor Speedway and Basketball Hall of Fame," she agreed with a definitive nod. She raised an eyebrow and looked askance at him. "Guy stuff."

Ben laughed. "What's wrong with that? We got to see your art museums and the hospital."

"And we got to see your Air and Space Museum," she shot back loftily.

"Yeah. My one thing and your—How many is it?"

She scowled playfully. "It's not my fault I pick all the good places."

He uncrossed his arms and glared. "Okay." He strode toward the girl with the hose. Bending toward her ear, he muttered something Felicity didn't catch.

She made a face. "What are you—?"

Ben turned around with the hose and aimed the nozzle at her with an evil look. "What were you saying, exactly?"

Felicity yelped and flew around the car to a boy holding another hose. "Quick! Lemme have it!" She snatched the hose from the startled boy and aimed it over the car at Ben, firing the nozzle full-force. Water splashed up the front of Ben's T-shirt, soaking him. Some of the girls cheered her on.

"That's it!" Ben hollered, letting fly with a spray of water that drenched her from head to foot. The boys in the group applauded and whistled.

With a shriek as the cold water ran down the back of her neck, Felicity fired the hose at him again.

Laughing, Ben crouched at the corner the car and shot another spray of water at her.

"Get him, get him!" shouted one of the girls. Other female voices rose in agreement.

The boys booed her, rallying behind Ben. Water rained down from both sides. Kids whooped and ran back and forth, dodging water and splashing buckets of it at each other.

Felicity jumped up from the other side of the car to grab a full bucket from the girls. "You are so dead, Covington!"

Ben flashed a devious grin, dropped his hose, and came charging at her.

Shrieking again, Felicity hopped backward.

Ben snaked an arm around her middle and her bucket went sailing away through the air as he swung her around. Her arms and legs flailed loose and she gave a belly laugh. Chuckling himself, he set her back on her feet and they looked at each other. Both were dripping with water and suds. Felicity's hair was plastered to her scalp. Ben's stuck up in wet spikes.

He grinned and took her hand, twining his fingers through hers. "This could be a new look for you."

"Yeah, you, too." She giggled again.

They turned together to look at the car. Soap suds from their water fight dripped down the hood. "I guess we should have them wash it again," Ben rumbled, scratching his head and making his hair messier in the process. He started to take out his wallet.

"Forget it," said one of the boys, waving a hand dismissively. "We'll wash it again for free. This is the most fun we've had out here all day."

Ben smiled. "Thanks." He turned to Felicity and raised his eyebrows. "Double washing. I bet even Mickey never double washes The Baby."

Felicity dimpled, surveying their waterlogged appearances. "I think we're going to have to air dry before we get back in."

Ben looked around the shopping center. "Why don't we pick up some groceries for the road? We still have a way to go, but if we drive all day, we could be there by tonight."

"Wait. I've got to get a picture of this," she said, laughter bubbling up again. She opened the car door and grabbed her backpack off the seat, extracting her camera. She came back and stood beside Ben, holding the camera at arm's length pointing back at them. He bent lower so that they stood cheek to cheek with matching grins, and she took the picture. "I am making so many copies of that when we get home, and everyone we know is getting one," she snickered.

He hooked his arm around her shoulders. "I don't think so."

"Oh, I do," she retorted, giving him a knowing smirk.

Ben tugged her closer and planted a kiss on her lips.

- - - - -

They made good time through Ohio with Felicity driving. Halfway through the state, Ben saw her getting tired and took over. He drove with one hand resting on the steering wheel and the other holding hers. They didn't speak much, but this time it was a comfortable silence, rather than the charged ones of the past couple days. Instead of feeling they should fill the silence with words, they were content to let the radio do it.

Their exit was coming up soon. Felicity stirred. She raised her head and opened her eyes, blinking owlishly. "Where are we?"

"Still on the road," he murmured. "You can go back to sleep, if you want."

She came fully awake with a stretch. "No. I don't want to miss any of our trip."

He smiled at that. "You're not missing much but long stretches of asphalt right now. Unless you count what's left of the Twinkies we bought."

"Eugggh," she replied, casting a glance at the grocery bag on the floor by her feet. "Do you know what kind of shelf life those things have? Forever."

"Don't knock my Twinkies," he shot back.

Stifling a giggle, she rummaged in the bag for an apple and crunched into it. "Do you want me to drive again?"

"No, we're almost there. Can you get the directions to the hotel out?"

Setting the apple down in her lap, she picked up their travel book and flipped through it to find the sheet of looseleaf tucked inside and read off the directions.

"The Basketball Hall of Fame is actually outside the city. What do you say we see that in the morning and catch a race at the Speedway in the afternoon?"

"Sure," she replied, picking up her camera from the seat of the car.

"Hey, let me see that," Ben said.

With a puzzled grin, she handed it over. "What are you going to do with it while you're driving?"

"Hold the wheel."

"What?"

"Hold the wheel, hold the wheel."

Felicity scooted closer and grabbed it.

Ben grinned and held up the camera. "Say cheese."

She gaped. "What? Ben, you're nuts! Take the wheel!"

The car veered. Ben laughed and steadied the wheel with one hand.

"You're crazy," she beamed.

Ben snapped her smiling picture. "You don't get to take all the pictures on this vacation, you know."

Still giggling, she snatched her camera back from him. "I'm starting to think you driving is a very bad idea."

"Oh, first you knock my Twinkies, now you knock my driving. See if I take you on any more cross-country trips," he scolded.

"You will need me with you to fold the road maps," Felicity retorted, indicating the haphazardly folded map on the seat. "Wherever you go, you need an expert map folder." She picked up her apple and took another bite.

"Wherever I go, you will be my official map folder, then," he informed her.

She snickered and took his hand again.