On The Road With Danny Concannon: Outside Kings, IL
"Time Delineation"
Episode: 365 Days
I'm lost without your light
So I drive, I don't know why
But I drive, from exit to exit
Someday I won't be lost
Someday I won't miss you
Someday I'll understand
But for now you're taking over me
I've lost my direction
Where do I turn?
"Exit To Exit" Ryan Carabra
9:57 PM
These are the times that try men's souls… The harder the conflict the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly – Tis dearness only that gives every thing its value.
Thomas Paine, The Crisis (December 19, 1776)
All Danny could see was white. Nothing but whiteness and the occasional flecks of blackness from the night sky, and then there was the occasional white light of the oncoming cars, making things more difficult as they passed by the car. It was like driving in a wind tunnel, an encircled white darkness, a black hole of sorts, thank god he wasn't claustrophobic - not yet. It wasn't about using your eyes anymore. He'd left that sense miles back. This drive had to be all about trust. He could only drive and trust the road was ahead of him. Trust that the path was clear and trust not to look back.
Danny was tired, but determined, he didn't want to stop, he was already behind schedule by two days and when it came to the primaries, being behind by two hours was bad let alone two days. There could be no more stopping for Danny now. He'd already missed New Hampshire, he'd make up New Hampshire closer to the start of voting, but he wasn't about to miss another story. Still Danny, ever so often, found himself debating in his mind if he should just pull off the side of the road, before he got himself killed. But as long as Danny could see even a shred of the road, he'd keep on. Stopping was never an option for Danny.
It had been three weeks since Danny had seen CJ's face in a paper, months since he had seen her face on television - how strange that was - and not much less than that that he had last heard her voice. Danny's cold turkey actions were beginning to take its toll as he tried to drive farther and farther away from CJ in his mind's eye. Her face may have faded from his thoughts like an old picture, yet somehow it only made her image haunt him even more.
Danny adjusted the radio for a weather report.
"…Pundits are giving positive approval to President Bartlet's State of the Union last night—his last before the end of his second and last term which ends just one year from today. In other news, the Ohio Valley is being crushed with a massive snowstorm. Record breaking snowfall has been reported in Missouri, Arkansas, Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio. The storm even surprised Tennessee with low temperatures and rapid snowstorms. The unpredictable weather seems to be debunking all predictions by completely changing its direction and now entering the Ohio Valley area. Good news is Tennessee is officially out of the woods and back to sunny, clear weather.."
"Now you tell me." Danny said dryly, cursing himself for not having patience lately, he should have just waited out the storm in Tennessee. Everything seems on the edge of his skin lately.
"And all air-travel resumed this afternoon."
"You had to rub it in." Danny joked to the radio as he made a turn very carefully.
"….officials are asking for people stay off the roads and travel outside for emergencies only. The storm is expected to go on through the night again with no sign of stopping—" Danny switched off the radio. The snow didn't look like it was letting up from his end either.
"What are you doin' Concannon?" Danny spoke to himself as he leaned forward, trying to get more sight of his surroundings. "This is stupiddddd," he muttered under his breath. "No, I'm fine, I'm fine." He leaned back and calmed himself down. "Piece of cake." Just then Danny heard a loud honking sound and saw the huge light of what could only be a large semi truck coming his way. "Whoa!" Danny quickly maneuvered his hands around the wheel, turning himself off to the side of the road. The sound of kicked up snow and rubber seared through the car as Danny came to a complete stop.
The lights of the truck sped past the car and quickly sped away, leaving Danny in darkness. Danny took a breath followed by another, trying to calm himself. He leaned in and put his head on the driver's wheel. It had been a tough couple of months.
"That's it." Danny looked to his left and checked for signs of another car. "Next place I see," Danny pulled back onto the road, "I'm stopping." Within minutes Danny saw a small sign "INN AND BAR NEXT EXIT." His eyes focused on the word Bar and he laughed as he turned into the dirt and snow path. "You picked it, not me," he joked to the fates.
Danny pulled the car up to The Thomas Paine Inn and Bar noticing two satellite trucks right away. It would seem he wasn't the only journalist stranded.
Danny walked into the lobby, causing a chime to ring from above as he entered. He looked around and undid his scarf from his neck, and stomped the snow off his boots. A large, short woman behind the counter took his attention.
"We don't have any more rooms left." She said as Danny walked up to the counter.
"Actually, I don't need a room." Danny took his gloves off and held them with one hand.
"Well, we don't have any. All full."
"Yeah….well..." Danny tried not to get upset or laugh "I just need a place to sit out the storm. I saw you have a bar…"
"You can't stay here. No rooms. You can go to the bar?"
"Ahh, yeah….where would that bar be?" Danny really needed that bar.
"You don't sleep?" Her voice was stern while she folded her arms and leaned on one foot.
"I gotta get back on the road as soon as this clears in the morning."
"You need sleep to drive." She said looking at the luggage under Danny's eyes.
"I'll be fine." He leaned one of his elbows on the counter.
"Well, we don't have any rooms." She said stoically.
"Yeah, I think I heard that. The bar?" She gave him a look. "I won't drive until the morning—I swear." He paused. "I just need a drink . . . now." He waited for an answer, but got none. "Just one… or two… Yeah…" Danny was just so tired.
"Bar's in the building next door. The sign fell off."
"Okay." Danny started to leave.
"Which means you need to go outside. Ya can't enter through here."
Danny turned to the woman and opened his mouth as if he was going to comment, but decided not to make the woman mad. "Yeah." He gestured with the gloves he had in his right hand. "I got that, thanks."
Danny walked into the bar taking in the noise and people. In the background a faint folksy Shawn Colvin song played on the jukebox.
Another round of blues. Several miles ago. I set down my angel shoes. On a lost highway
For a better view. Now in my mind's eye. All roads lead to you…..
Danny ran his hand over his face and took a breath. The warmth inside hadn't made Danny look any better, he was still worse for ware. He placed his gloves in his pocket and blew on his hands to warm them.
"What can I get ya?" The bartender asked Danny placing a coaster in front of him as he stood in what looked like a fake historic, but still not that new, bar. The walls and pretty much everything else had a brownish color to them. It had everything but the obligatory moose's head on the wall for ambience.
"Guinness." Danny shook the snow from his coat. He took his notebook and pen out of his pocket and checked some notes before flipping it closed onto the top of the bar. Danny picked up the paper coaster in front of him, looking at the name of the bar which was printed all over it. He felt the urge to flip it over. Danny looked deep in thought and suddenly for no reason found himself writing three numbers on the back of the coaster in front of him: 365.
"You want me to start ya a tab?" The bartender asked placing the drink glass over the numbers on Danny's napkin, covering them from view.
"Nah—I'm good." Danny clicked his pen closed and put it in his pocket. The bartender started to walk away, but Danny caught his attention. "Hey, you hear when this storm's gonna clear up?"
"I heard two days."
"Two days." Danny tried to hold in his mad laughter. "Yeah… great." Danny ran his hands around the glass.
"Who knows it could be safe for drivin' tomorrow. These storms are never predictable. Maybe be clear by the morning."
"I'm hoping." He took a breath. "How long you think it'd take me from here to get to Iowa?"
"Iowa. From here?"
"Yeah."
"I'd say maybe three days. If you don't stop."
"Three days, great." Danny leaned down on his arms. "I must have been a cockroach in another life."
"These are the times that try men's souls." Danny heard a voice and looked up finishing the quote.
"The harder the conflict the more glorious the triumph." Danny turned his head to the left to see someone he recognized, Gray hair and full beard, but it was him: Del Graham
"Del?"
"Danny Concannon." Del laughed and put out his hand. The two shook hands. "Look what the cat dragged in," he said.
"What are you doing here?" Danny was agog.
"I'd ask you the same question. Long way from Washington."
"Long way from Arizona."
"Iowa?" Del asked as he lit the end of his cigar. "Me too."
"Yeah. Damn snow…But, you're the last person I thought I'd see here. " Danny leaned his arm on the side of the bar.
"You, know…" Del took his drink and walked closer to Danny, setting it down next to him and ashed his cigar in the ash try in front of him. Danny could see he was wearing a Hawaii type shirt under his parka. "I always like to stop by this whole monkey circus. It's more fun at the beginning. After California it's like a going home with a drunk girl at Mardi Gra." He paused and took a puff off his cigar. "Predictable." Personally I always thought they should just let them all loose in the woods—get a twelve gauge, who ever comes out still breathin' win's the nomination. "
"Presidential Roulette." Danny smirked, knowing his old friend so well. "You still packin'?" Danny asked.
"Yeah." Del reached into his side pocket and fumbled around for a while until he pulled out a cigar and handed it to Danny. As Danny pulled the wrapper off the cigar the sound of a lighter was heard sliding over the bar. Danny cupped the lighter around the end of the cigar and then within seconds had flipped the lighter closed and slid it back to Del, who stopped it with his own hand. "Hey, so how do you know that quote?"
"How do you know the quote?" He grinned at him.
"I use it in my classes." Danny rubbed the cigar between his fingers and stared at it.
"You teach classes?" Del lifted the cigar out of his mouth.
"Lectures—I'm beginning to. I did one class for a few weeks."
"And I thought that week I was an editor was the worse sell out in this place." He leaned back and lifted his drink.
"Hey, if it weren't for those five days, I'd never would have met you."
"Yeah, and I'd have five days of my life back. Come on, Danny. You learn nothin' from me? I'm supposed to be your damn mentor aren't I?" He took a drink.
"Something has to help pay the bills. Politics' don't pay as well as it used to. Nothing pays as well as it used to." Danny grumbled and took a drink.
"Well, I always say politics ain't worth a dime."
"You use that as your slogan when you ran for sheriff, did ya?" Danny took a drink.
"Well…..now I mean.."
"Then what are you doin' here?" Danny pressed him.
"I write politics. Fiction or not. I'm stuck on this stuff."
"Oh..yeah.." Danny humored him.
"I told ya. I'm here to see a dogfight. Anythin' else ain't worth my ink. "
"You workin' on another book?" Danny ashed his cigar on the edge of the ashtray.
"Might be." He rubbed his fingers around the cigar. "There's always something I can fabricate from good old' non fiction friction." He took a puff and leaned back. "Odd's are mine'd be better then any of the crap they write about on the national page." He took a puff. "Course all those yahoos want outta me now is drugs books—I hate to tell them I gave up drugs about the time I stopped eating carbs."
"It's really funny—you know that quote." Danny looked ahead and took a drink. "Real funny—.
"You look like crap, you know that."
"You look worse." He smacked it back to him.
"I'm old, I'm supposed to look like crap." He chomped on his cigar.
"You're only twelve years older than me!"
"Take it from me, I'm old"
"You're not old. If you're old, I'm old."
"You're not old, kid."
"Funny, 'cause I feel old." He shook his head.
"You really wanna know why I know that quote, huh?" He eyed Danny and leaned in.
"I just find it strange—it is one of my favorite quotes…. "
"How I know it and just happen to repeat it to you?" He paused. "At this moment in time."
"Yeah..."
There was a pause as Del leaned in closer and smiled.
"You wanna know why I know the quote, huh?"
"Yeah…"
Del paused again before speaking.
"It's hanging behind you, Danny." Del pointed with his cigar to the plaque behind Danny's head. Danny turned his bar chair and saw the plaque. "We're sitting in the Thomas Paine Inn."
"Oh... yeah.." Danny felt stupid. He lifted his drink off the coaster, revealing to Del the numbers he'd written.
"Three sixty five, huh?"
"Yeah." Danny took a drink. "Just a number I got in my head. I've been writing it on things lately. Napkins, coasters, crossword puzzles. Just a number I can't get outta my head…"
"Three sixty five." He bemused almost to the heavens. "Three hundred and sixty five days. One calendar year. A delineation of time…" He paused and looked at his cigar. "What's got time on your mind, Dan?"
"No reason." Danny took a drink. "It's just a number."
"Yeah…" He didn't seem to believe Danny. He looked at his worn and tired face, his thin body and face, and Del could see something was going on. "Time is never just a number." He looked Danny's over. "Speaking of time. What happened to you? You look like crap."
"Road does that to you."
"Road does that to you."
"I don't know, Del….." Danny didn't look at him, as his melancholy mood took over his tongue. "I think it all just changes you. It has to for a time. Bein' on the road. I've been on the road for so long I don't know what dry land looks like anymore. It's like some tunnel vision bridge tunnel….away from everything just drifting with out of contact." He paused and lifted his drink. "It's like being in a black hole." He took a huge gulp from his beer glass and finished it off with a puff from the cigar. "I feel like I'm in a black hole.' He laughed at himself.
"There's no time in a black hole. No delineation of time. No movement. You can't go forwards and you can't go back. It's just darkness. Nothing, but darkness. No air, no breath. No nothin'. You may feel like time is passing, but nothing. It's a……well it's a black hole." Del wanted to be sure Danny really meant what he said.
"I feel like I'm in a black hole." Danny's voice cracked, his head was now leaning forward onto his hands.
The days were finally catching up with Danny. Del couldn't see his face, but he knew the words meant a lot to Danny. Danny took a breath and blew off his emotions and lifted his head. Danny took a drink.
"I don't know, Del." Danny kept on talking as if Del wasn't even there. He just needed to talk. " I don't know. I used to be this happy-go-lucky guy. And I know that's still me, but I feel less and less that guy each day. And more like a person I don't know if I like—I don't even know if I understand anymore…I use to look at people—see the way they treated each other and I just didn't get it. No matter what I went through I just thought you needed to treat people the way you want to be treated. To a point. You mess with me you mess with my friends-you get it. But lately…lately… I'm doing more of things I don't like. More of things I would have never done—six months ago—two years ago. I see myself doin'it and can't stop myself. It's like I'm over my body just watching…like my body is driving the car, but my mind is outside watching the car just drive off course—drive into the distance. I'm not myself all the time. I snap at people in a way I never did before, I just don't have the patience for things anymore. I curse, I can't sleep and I just feel angry for no reason. No reason at all. And I know it's not age 'cause I see it in kids younger than me. I saw it years ago. I figured I was just a different temperment- cut from a different cloth. But I think I get it now. I get it. It just took me longer. All those years I saw people not caring—people bein' flippant toward what's right-the meanness in the world—that anger I feel inside of me—the anger I feel inside of me now. It was….It was…. it just took me this long to get it…it took me this long to get my heart broke. I really have my heart broken. See that was it. It took me too long- And for the first time I think I get it. And my life was never perfect. I'm not saying I never had troubles, but I've always been a strong guy, I've soldiered on and I'll keep doing it.—no matter what, I won't let anything stop me, but sometimes things just push you down and you finally you can't take it anymore. The world's just full of broken hearts trying to make the everyone else feel just as broken as they do. I get it now-" Danny started to choke up again. "I don't want to be that. "
"I think you need some sleep, Danny."
"I can't sleep." He held his emotions back in.
"You can't sleep, or you won't sleep? Staying up—trying to get from one place to another-fighting a deadline. We do what we have to—but lack of sleep can make you crazy—lack of sleep can make all your feelings inside just multiply. Depression, lust, hurt, yearning—not acting like yourself."
"It's not fake. I feel this way."
"I don't doubt you do."
"It's real—it feels real. And sure, I'm tired, but I have things to do and the more I work—the more I don't have to think of what time it is, or the day of the month, or how many miles and how many hours I have to go-"
"Or time of the year."
"Yeah."
"What's the numbers, Danny?"
"Huh?"
"The numbers. I don't think you felt like opening up to me special…I haven't seen you in four years and you just opened up to me like a steamed clam in Red Lobster..so what's with the numbers, Danny?" Danny didn't answer. "Sometimes people just need to talk Danny, I know what that's like. The road is lonely I get it.,. I get it. And personally it's the reporter in me that really needs to know—otherwise I could…"
"It's kind of an anniversary."
"Anniversary?"
"Three hundred and sixty five days from today."
"To today."
"To today."
"Yeah."
"You're lamenting over an anniversary that hasn't happened yet?"
"In a sense…yes." Danny laughed. "Maybe I am just sleep deprived."
"Yeah, you need sleep, Danny boy." He leaned in toward the bar and both men looked off in thought."This about a woman?"
"Yeah." Danny lifted his glass.
"Yeah..." Del said with a breath and both men took a simultaneous drink. "Women can do that." Del took a puff of his cigar and let it out slowly. "My guess is you're not still with this woman?"
"You could say that…"
"You have some kind of understanding…?" Del tried to get an answer, but Danny was all of a suddenly silent again. "Okay, listen…I'm not one of those guys who you can sit and talk to….be a shoulder….usually that guy's you…I was never good at being, givin' advice…if that's what you're askin' – you need me to be a real ear…..I'm sorry, I'm not. You know me, I'm one of those guys who at least cares…you're my pal….you're a good guy.. …not many good guys left in this world….I always count you in as one of those….but man, I don't know…I'm better with dialogue than I am listening to monologues."
"No…no…" Danny hit Del on the shoulder. "Don't worry…I'll figure this one out myself."
Del looked into Danny's eyes."I still say you look like crap."
"I look like a reporter." He put the cigar in his mouth. "An old reporter." He smirked
"What exactly happened between you and this gal? I feel like you're not telling me something…" Danny leaned back and started laughing. "Again I'm lookin' for some dirt—that's all." Del joked.
"What happened between me and her?" Danny leaned toward his drink and then looked off into the darkness, taking the cigar out of his mouth. He pictured CJ in his head, the only picture of CJ he had, it was fading like the newspaper clipping once held in his wallet, but it was there. He rolled his fingers around the cigar. "What happened between us?" Danny spoke in a daze. "Sometimes I just don't know." He paused as the bartender came by and refilled Del's drink. Danny put his hand out when the bartender approached his glass. "I'll have a scotch." He looked over at Del, being nostalgic. "I once kissed her next to a fish." Danny put his cigar in his mouth.
"You did what now with a fish?" The bartender heard as he rested Danny's drink next to him. Danny looked at the bartender, but before he could answer, Del interupted his train of thought.
"That such a good idea?" He motioned toward the drink.
"I think it's a great idea." Danny downed half the drink like it was shot. "Ahhh." He took a breath. "Doesn't look like we'll be out of here until the mornin'." He finished the rest of the drink. "Takes more than this to get me drunk anyway." He laughed.
"I wasn't talkin' about drivin." The two men locked eyes.
"Hey, Del." The bartender leaned in.
"The bartender knows you." Danny laughed.
"I always introduce myself to the bartender." He joked while the side of his mouth chomped on the cigar. Danny laughed back with him. "Yeah, Sam..?" Del leaned in toward the bartender.
"I'm sorry to do this…"
"No…noo. What's goin' on?" Del ashed his cigar and held it between his fingers. Sam leaned in again, as did Danny toward the conversation, as he could tell he should be privy to it.
"We're not usually like this-but with the storm we got a lot customers in here we don't usually have, so I'm gonna have to ask you to either put the cigar out or go outside."
Danny and Del looked at each other and spoke together with out a thought.
"Outside."
Danny and Del had been sitting on the porch for who knew how long. Perhaps it was the small amounts of alcohol fermenting in Danny's system and the large amounts in Del's, but neither felt cold sitting there, drinking, smoking and watching the snow fall down.
"This is a good cigar." Danny said as he stared at the cigar.
"Cubans, my friend." Del spoke holding the cigar in his mouth as he lit the end. "See, this is what makes the time worth passin'." He took a breath and leaned back on the wicker couch.
"Yeah." Danny sighed.
Del stood and walked forward letting out smoke as he went. He leaned against one of the wood pillars and looked back at Danny. "I never thought about time much when I was younger—hell even when I was your age…" He paused for a moment. "I guess maybe that was just when I first started to see I couldn't do everything anymore. I couldn't walk up as many stairs, couldn't push myself as much as I thought—no matter how much I wanted to. " Danny looked at him. "I don't mean you…I really do mean me…but take it from me, your body can sometimes tell you things your brain never will."
"I think I'm good." Danny took a drink.
"But I think I've made my piece with time. Without time where are we? Wine won't age, time has to go on. Nothing in life can be savored without time. Even when it seems to inch like a snail it's always worth the wait. Time delineation, my friend. That's what the world's all about. Everything is just a delineation of time. Waiting is always worth the wait—cause if you can get through to the end…wow that apple tastes so much better, the beer tastes so much better, it all tastes so much better." He paused and took a smoke. "Time just passes. Passes by in an instant, and when it doesn't it's torture, but it's all worth it. You just have to own up to it. You have to know how she's treating you… you let time walk all over you-you go against her will-you may not get to the other end of it. I know that the hard way. I raged against her, I ignored her signs. Don't be that way—don't rage against her- she'll throw you to the way side." He took a sigh. "It's all just a Ddelineation of time. Demarcation, definition-it's all just time." He took a drink.
"How much you had there to drink, Del?" Danny leaned on his arm and held his cigar away from his face.
"Yeah… I don't know I lost track somewhere around fourteen." He took a drink. Danny took a puff off the cigar.
"Don't worry 'bout me, Del. I've been in the tall grass before…I'll find my way out. I just need to keep going forward… I'll sweat my way through it. It's just this cold weather… once I get outta this…I'll be good."
"If you say so." He took a drink. "I say we have a toast." He walked toward Danny. Danny stood. "To good beer and loose woman."
"Ahh…To the election cycle."
"And long legged woman." He grinned
"Here, here." The two men clinked glasses.
"It's finally getting too cold for me. I'm goin' inside to see who I can annoy for fun." Del took a step toward the door.
"With the cigar?" Danny motioned toward him. Del look at him, his eyes a blaze.
"How you think I'm gonna annoy 'um." He put the cigar in his mouth. Danny walked over to the wood pillar Del had been leaning against and looked out into the black sky filled with a rain of snow.
"You comin'?" He asked when he noticed Danny wasn't coming
"I'll be right there."
"Suit yourself." And Del was gone. Danny looked at the snow some more and wondered how something so beautiful could be so deadly. .
Danny took a breath and ashed out his cigar. He finished what was his third drink for the night, a rarity for Danny, but he knew very soon he'd be back out on the road.
Soon Danny set himself back down in his previous seat with a sigh. He watched the snowfall, but wasn't thinking of snow. And like a soft song in the distance, Danny found his eyes slowly dropping as the snow sent his eyes closed. He opened them again to see the snow and then closed, opened, then closed. Fluttering between awake and sleep Danny tried to fight it, but the sleepiness took him over.
The last thing Danny remembered was closing his eyes, but when he opened them again he was no longer outside, as his eyes slowly started to notice the inside of the lobby.
"Come on, Danny, we're clear to go." Del walked passed him.
"Ahh..yeah..yeah.." Danny said groggy and stood up. He felt awake, but something felt weird. He had felt this way on and off, but something seemed odd to him. Danny hadn't drunk enough to really make him drunk the night before, yet he felt as if he had a hangover. He had finally gotten some sleep and he still felt groggy.
"You comin', Danny?" Del asked by the door.
"Yeah…I'll be right there."
Splash. Danny stood with his face over the sink in the small bathroom for one, splashing what was the coldest water Danny could get onto his skin. He breathed through his noise as the cold water shocked his skin, but not his brain. Danny took another breath and grabbed a towel and dried his face. He leaned his hands on the side of the sink and took a moment to get himself together. He had to get himself together. He looked up and looked at himself in the mirror. He did look thinner, which at his age was a good thing, but he looked tired, he looked worn and he saw a man he wasn't yet familiar with. Danny ran his hand over his face and beard and took another breath. Time sure was leaving a mark on his face. Suddenly Danny's image in the mirror started to fade in and out. Danny didn't get it at first as his eyes began blurring again and his body lost its balance and he fell backward, almost hitting the corner of the wall, but Danny regained his control. It really took him by surprise and Danny stood there unsure whether to be scared or not concerned at all by the moment. He heard a knock on the door and a yelling of something Danny couldn't hear.
"I'll be right out!"
Danny took another breath and felt he was okay, but his body didn't show it.
Danny walked onto the porch and leaned against the post, taking his time. He watched as the string of reporters who had stayed the night engulfed the parking lot, jumping into their cars and vans. There were about ten counting, Danny, but the small parking lot made it looked like even more.
Danny made his way to his car. The sun was just about to rise and when he shut the door it was like he was still in the night before, trapped in the silent coldness of his car. The door slam reverberated through the cabin. Danny sat for a moment, his breath standing in the air like steam, before disappearing into the thin air. He started the car. He heard a knock on the door and Danny lowered the window to see Del looking quite cold as he leaned his head low toward the window.
"In case I don't see ya, man. I wanted to wish you luck."
"Thanks." Danny nodded his head. "Send me a copy of your book when it comes out."
"I told ya I'm back to reportin'." He leaned in and rested his hand on Danny's shoulder for a moment. "It was nice to see ya, Danny. I'll see ya soon."
"Yeah." He nodded his head and while Del walked away, Danny raised his window.
Still Danny rested his hands on the wheel, but he didn't move.
He was just tired. Travel was trying on a man and traveling in the snow was even worse. The black hole, the tunnel Danny felt it was in, away from the outside world was weight on him. Still Danny held onto the wheel, he was late, but Danny wasn't out of the game. He'd been slowed, but he was even more determined to catch up. He took a breath and turned his head to see out the back window and backed his way out of his space.
Doors were heard slamming and cars backing up in the snow. One by one the cars and vans all made they're way out of the parking lot, from far above it must have looked like a caravan, soon disappearing into different lanes of traffic and different directions, on the way to the next story.