Something About Vegas
Storms
He paced the hot, sticky room while he waited for her to get ready. It was still early and already he was sweating even though he had just showered. This was going to be another day of strain between them, he could feel it brewing. This weather that they were in for would not help matters any. He heard the shower turn off and checked his watch; she wasn't kidding about being quick.
Dressed with her hair pulled back, she set about getting her things together, while at the same time, ignoring him. She declined needing assistance, so he glanced over the paper and waited. He missed her chatty, perky self, the one he always claimed annoyed him, but he wasn't expecting to see that Calleigh today, not if her current mood and attitude towards him was any indication.
"I'm ready. We can leave now," she informed him without so much as a glance in his direction and headed out the door with her bags.
"OK. We'll put the bags in the car and walk over to the coffee shop for breakfast," he replied to her back, beginning to feel aggravated by her mood, but trying to keep those feelings at bay.
"I'm not hungry, but if you are, that's fine," she said impatiently, tapping her foot irritably, standing by the car.
"You should eat something or at least get something to take with you in the car. You can get a better cup of tea than the one I made you," he suggested, forcing a half smile and opened the trunk for her.
They walked silently to breakfast. She was still pensive, unsmiling and ignoring him. He wondered what was on her mind, but figured he already knew the answer to that. They sat quietly, both avoiding the gaze of the other. Calleigh was cheerful, chatty and friendly with the waitress who came to take their order, which meant her bad mood was reserved for him alone. He attempted to make small talk once the waitress left, sharing with Calleigh his earlier conversation with the motel manager. It was probably best to stick to safe topics, like the weather, he imagined. Unfortunately, the weather news didn't make for pleasant conversation. He ate his eggs without much of an appetite, while she picked at a muffin with little interest.
"Do you think the storms will be a problem for us driving today?" she asked absently, gazing out the window at the darkening sky.
He shrugged. "I don't know, depends on how bad they are. Looks like this whole region is under a severe thunderstorm warning, as well as a tornado watch. Could slow us down a bit," he told her. She sighed heavily. "Don't worry, I don't mind a little bad weather, but to listen to the motel manager, we should all stay indoors today," he chuckled, a feeble attempt to lighten the mood.
"You were up and out early this morning," she remarked casually and for a split second she allowed her true feelings to show on her face. He could see hurt and disappointment there.
'So that is what's bothering her,' he realized with clarity. The door had opened and this was his chance to try to explain and smooth things over.
"Cal, about that..." he started, only to be interrupted by their overly eager waitress, who had just made an unwelcome appearance by his elbow.
"Can I be getting you some fresh coffee, Sir? He shook his head, irritated she had chosen that particular moment to come over. "Will there be anything else I can get for you kind folks, a different kind of muffin perhaps, Missy?" the waitress remarked after eyeing Calleigh's picked at muffin.
"Just the check please," Calleigh chirped, her drawl more pronounced, a wide smile plastered across her face.
"Of course, I'll have that right at 'ya," she replied before leaving.
"Cal," he tried again, regarding her with concern, this time only to be interrupted by Calleigh herself.
"I'm heading to the restroom and then we can get going," she informed him, smile still intact, disregarding his attempt to talk. It was clear, the door was now closed. She had let her guard down for only a moment and his opportunity to talk to her was gone.
'Damn it!' he said to himself. 'She's not making this easy. I should have talked to her as soon as I got back to the room, maybe she would have listened and understood. I didn't want to leave her this morning. Damn it! Now she's never going to talk to me.' He slammed the money on the table and waited by the door for her.
They walked to the car, each surprised by how the sky had changed since they had gotten up. The distinct anvil shapes of large, ominous storm clouds could be seen clearly. It was apparent they were in for some rough weather. Low rumbles of thunder could be heard in the distance and the wind was picking up slowly, but hadn't yet had an effect on the oppressive heat. He offered to drive the first leg and she was amiable to that. He put the radio on softly to a station he hoped she would like. Their conversation focused on the drive ahead.
"How far are you hoping we get today?" she asked after they had been on the road a few minutes.
"Well, we should be finally out of Kansas in six to seven hours and it would be another eight or nine hours from there to, say, Nashville, TN. That might be a lofty goal, but I don't mind driving, if that's what you're worried about. I just can't honestly tell you how much the weather's going to affect the drive," he told her with a shrug.
The first of the day's storms soon hit and as veterans of Florida's many thunderstorms, they weren't impressed. The ride was a bit slow at times, but uneventful. The second storm, however, coming on the heels of the first, did get their attention. Tim estimated the wind gusts to be 40 or 50 miles per hour and the lightweight vehicle he was driving swayed badly on the road, which didn't inspire confidence. He wished they were in the Hummer. The rain came in torrents, decreasing visibility and slowing the drive to a frustrating crawl. At times, the road ahead of them looked to have a dark gray curtain spread across it. The 'curtain' was, in fact, a heavier band of rain and it was heavy enough to impair visibility. Those times, Tim had no choice but to pull over to the side of the road. The lightning surrounded them, striking and lighting the sky on both sides of the road simultaneously. It was an impressive display of nature's fury. The thunder was booming and omnipresent. The lone bright spot was the almost nonexistent traffic.
The morning turned into early afternoon with little relief from the storms as they and the cold front were both moving in the same direction. At one point during their drive, they each thought they saw the distinct shape of a tornado in the far distance and although neither could be certain, it did heighten their anxiety just a bit. These storms were definitely capable of such destruction. They stopped for lunch after about five hours on the road, still a ways from the Kansas border. Calleigh wasn't yet acting herself, but she was at least trying to be pleasant and attempting conversation.
"Driving to Miami was probably not a great idea, " she volunteered as they walked back to the car after a quick and unappetizing lunch.
"You had your reasons. On a nicer day the drive wouldn't be so bad. I'm not tired of driving," he answered, a weak attempt to reassure her, even though he recalled telling her this was a poor decision when she had originally conceived of the idea back in Denver.
'Thanks for coming with me. I know it wasn't what you wanted to do, but I'm glad I'm not making the drive alone," she told him as they continued walking, turning her head to glance at him.
"Not a problem, I wouldn't have deserted you," he replied, not wanting to say too much and scare her off.
"Do you think we should just get to Kansas City and catch a flight home?" she asked him, her voice sounding unsure. "Although, I doubt we'd get a flight today," she added motioning to the sky.
"It's up to you, we can play it by ear," he responded, not missing the uncertainty he heard in her voice. She volunteered to drive, but he insisted, even though the rain had turned to a light sprinkle for the time being.
The break in the weather lasted under an hour, not allowing them to make up much distance. Two and a half hours after lunch, with the newest storm upon them and faint tornado sirens heard in the distance, Tim decided that he was in dire need of coffee. The wind was fierce, the sky as black as night, the rain a downpour with brief pockets of hail and lightning all around.
They were still in Kansas, the small city of Abilene, when they pulled off the road. Tired of terrible rest stop coffee, Tim searched for a better venue to wait out the latest storm. He found a diner, not far from the highway and to his delight, they had a vast array of tempting pies to choose from, immediately whetting his previously non existent appetite. Calleigh elected for tea only, showing no interest in the selection of homemade pies. They sat quietly and waited for their order, listening to the storm rage outside.
The order was up promptly and Tim enjoyed his first good cup of coffee in days. He watched Calleigh sip her tea, her eyes distant while she glanced out the window and occasionally at him. She seemed downcast and he could see the tension of the past couple days etched on her face. She was soaked, they both were, just from the short walk to the entrance and she looked an overall mess. What surprised him was how beautiful he found her, even under these conditions.
"Calleigh," he said softly, "it hasn't been that bad." She cast him a skeptical look from across the table. "OK, the driving today hasn't been pleasant, but the trip overall has had it's moments. Think about it, I went to Vegas, a place I normally hate and I had a good time. I even got married," he offered with a smirk. "I experienced an interesting, once in a lifetime, I hope, flight to Denver. I'm slowly driving across Kansas, seeing places I've never dreamed of, with a beautiful woman by my side and right now, I'm eating pie, which is really delicious, in Abilene, Kansas, the spot where the famous Texas cattle drive met it's end. I read that on the menu and all this during a tornado watch, no less. And to think, Delko says I don't get out enough," he deadpanned.
He watched her while he spoke. Her eyes, first serious and scrutinizing, softened, while a small smile tugged on her lips and then before his eyes she dissolved into a fit of giggles. Her body relaxed and he could see the strain melting off her as she gave in to her laughter.
"I imagine you'll be wanting pie now," he stated with a smirk, to which she eagerly nodded, still giggling. He motioned the waitress over. It was hard for Calleigh to look at him after that without smiling or worse, dissolving into more giggles. All the while she kept muttering about how pathetic his life must really be to be able to find the good in this trip they were on. Finally, after a couple of days of tension and strain, she was back to being Calleigh and that made him happier than he thought possible.
tbc
