"We wanted to leave an hour ago…" Brock, complaining, as usual, from the couch where he kept checking his watch.
"Don't even start, it's usually you making us late for stuff. When I know we're going to be away from home I like to make sure we have everything, unlike you who has been sitting there not helping." I said as I dropped a few bags in front of him. He took a deep breath.
"I was helping but you told me I didn't know what I was doing and I was just in your way…"
"Well you were! And you have no clue what to pack…" He rolled his eyes, but decided he'd better let me have the last word. I went back into our small bathroom in our bedroom to double check. I counted in my head how many outfits I packed, soap, pillows, toothbrushes, snacks for the ride… Check, check, check, check and check. I smiled and walked back out to the living room where Brock was still sitting there. I rushed over to the bags and grabbed a majority of them.
"Don't worry! I got it…" I said with a sarcastic smile. I put our little toiletries bag in my mouth and started to walk out. He chuckled and stood up, taking the bag out of my mouth. "Thanks…"
"You know, we could always just carry a few bags and come back more than once…"
"Nah…" He grabbed the rest of them and we set them in the truck.
"Do we really need all this stuff? We're staying for 2 weeks not 2 years…" I just rolled my eyes and went back in the house to check all the windows and lock up the house.
"Hope you got everything." I said, sliding into the passenger seat.
"Yep. You got the keys, right?" I looked at him with wide, pissed off eyes.
"You've got to be kiddin me…" His hands flew into his pockets and we both started looking for them. "I am going to kill you… The one thing I asked you to be responsible for…"
"You never told me!"
"You offered to drive first, that usually means grab the keys!" I sighed and jumped out of the truck. "C'mon!" I shouted at him.
"What're we gonna do? The house is locked and the keys are inside." I turned and gave him a dirty look.
"Thanks, genius." I mumbled. "I left the spare bedroom open and I need a boost. And now we'll have to lock this since the neighbors are probably seeing this…" I pushed the window up as far as I could reach, then Brock pushed it up a little further for me. He bent down and put his hands out for me to use as a step. I stepped up on his hands and grabbed the window, pushing myself up. I felt Brocks hands on my butt and I rolled my eyes as I continued to struggle.
"What're you doing?"
"You looked like you needed some help…"
"You aren't even helping! You're feeling!" He laughed, then pushed me up. I quickly shut the window, locked it and went to the kitchen to grab the keys off the counter. I, once again, went out, locking the door behind me. "You better have everything now." I warned as I walked past him, setting the keys in his hand. He smiled and got in the drivers side.
"Why'd we have to leave at 3, well now 4, in the morning anyway?"
"Well, I wanted to be there by 10, now we probably wont make it till 11 and that's without stops… If you get tired tell me, we can switch off. I know we both didn't get very much sleep so just wake me up." He sighed and looked worried. "What?"
"I hate wakin you up…"
"Why?"
"Cuz… you look so peaceful and I always feel bad. And you get cranky…" I shook my head and closed my eyes. He turned on the music softly. I woke up to the sound of a child talking and a mother yelling. I scrunched my face because of the bright sun, stretched out, making joints all over my body crack and pop from sleeping in this super comfortable car, then realized we weren't moving. I looked at the time and looked at Brock who was passed out in the seat next to me. I sat my seat up and looked around. A truck-stop parking lot… It was almost 9. I waited till the only other car in the parking lot left, then I wailed on the horn. Brock jumped and flung himself forward, sitting straight up.
"What time is it?" He asked, groggily. I looked at the time and his eyes followed mine, then he looked at me with an apologetic smile.
"Yeah…" I said.
"Well on the bright side, more time with me." I rolled my eyes.
"Where the heck are we?"
"Don't get mad." That instantly made me mad.
"Where are we?" I asked through my teeth.
"Huntsville." I felt my jaw drop.
"You only drove an hour?! An hour?!" I put my hands on my head and calmed myself down.
"Well I got tired…" He whined.
"I said wake me up, you mo-ron!" I yelled and slapped his arm. He rubbed where I hit him and frowned.
"I couldn't, I know you're exhausted…"
"Well I'm sure mama's gonna have a heart attack if we don't call her. Give me some change…" He handed me a couple quarters and I walked to the phone.
"Hello?"
"Hi mom…"
"Reba?"
"No, your other daughter. Yes, Reba."
"Whats wrong with you?"
"I'm gonna kill your son-in-law…" She laughed.
"What now?"
"Well we left the house at 4, I know, an hour late… And guess where we are…"
"Where?"
"Take a wild guess."
"Well, by now you gotta be about here. Maybe an hour and a half away…?" I laughed.
"Huntsville."
"Texas?!"
"Yes, momma. Texas."
"That's not very far from you guys."
"I know, but my idiot of a husband decided he needed a nap and he didn't want to wake me up." She laughed.
"Alright, so you guys will be a little late. That's okay."
"No, because we only have so long to visit everybody."
"Honey, take this driving time and spend it with your husband. Make it fun, don't be mad at him the whole time. This isn't just about seeing us, y'know. He took the time off of work so you guys could get away, not so you could come see us." I sighed.
"I miss everybody though…" I whined.
"I know, darlin. Maybe he did it on purpose so he could get some time with you before having to put up with your crazy family!" I laughed.
"Alright, we'll see you when we see you."
"I love you honey."
"Love you too momma." I hung up and walked back to the truck. "Did you get enough sleep? Are you good to drive or do you need me to?"
"I'll be fine. What'd she say?"
"She said she'd see us when we get there."
"She isn't mad at me, is she?"
"Not at all."
"Alright, good…. Cuz I feel really bad."
"No, you don't."
"I do too!" I smiled and rolled my eyes.
"Okay, Brock." We drove in silence for a while until I pulled his hand off the steering wheel and held it. I saw him smile and I smiled too. "No fighting, no arguing, no disagreeing, nothing. Okay? I really just want this to be a stress-free, happy, couple of weeks." he nodded.
"I agree."
"And if we do disagree on something, then we need to just let it go." He looked shocked when I said this.
"Did you just say that!? You of all people?!" I laughed and nodded.
"Yep! And if we do end getting into a little argument, just don't let it happen around my parents, or brother. Especially my brother, that's just another thing he'll hold against us."
"Alright, but lets just try not fighting at all, okay?" I smiled and nodded. After a few more minutes of silence I decided to break it again.
"I do love you, Brock. A lot." He turned and looked at me for a few seconds, then turned his attention back to the road.
"Where'd that come from?" I shrugged.
"I just know I've been cranky lately… Probably PMS, its almost that time, y'know…" I mumbled the last part. He smirked.
"I know."
"And I know you've been working your butt off, to go and do stuff like this and make me happy, and I cant thank you enough. I really couldn't have asked for a better husband."
"Did you take some happy gas from the office or something?" He asked with a smirk. I chuckled.
"No, but maybe I should next time I come see you at work." He laughed.
"No, I've seen how you are when they give you that stuff. Remember when you had to get your molars pulled..." He laughed at the memory. I yawned and shook my head, then unbuckled to get us a snack from the back.
"Where the heck did you put the chips?"
"They're back there somewhere, now hurry up before you get me pulled over." I rolled my eyes and continued to look until I found them.
"Alright, you'll have to tell me where to go cuz I-"
"Turn right here!" I shouted. He slammed on the breaks and looked at me with wide eyes. I laughed at his freaked out look. He shook his head and slowly turned down the right street. I chuckled quietly and patted his arm. "Sorry, honey. I thought you remembered." He leaned forward and squinted down the street.
"This their road?" I shook my head.
"Next left, then you'll see it… since it's the only house for a mile." I looked around at all the familiar fields that I grew up playing in and smiled. He turned on our street and I saw Brock smile after he looked at me.
"Excited?" I nodded and grinned from ear to ear when I saw my horse walk out of the barn. "She got fat!"
"She looks so old…" I said, sadly.
"Still beautiful though." He pointed out. I nodded again.
"So beautiful…" I agreed. "Think I could still ride her?"
"Oh yeah... She ain't that old."
"Shes almost 19..."
"She has a few more years in her."
"Shes old and fat, and I think I've gainned some weight too… I don't wanna work her too hard." I said as we pulled into the long, gravel driveway of the house I grew up in. I took a deep breath and smiled at the sight of my father working out in the barn.
"She'll be fine." We parked next to my dads truck and out came momma, running out the screen door and onto the big porch that desprately needed a paint job. She ran down the 3 stairs off of the porch and over to me with her arms open. I smiled and we hugged each other tightly. I let go, but she kept huggin.
"Momma… its only been 4 months." I said in a voice that lacked air. She pulled back and smiled.
"I know, but it feels like its been longer. JV! Get over here, your daughter is here!" She shouted at my dad. I looked over and saw him walking over to us. I hugged my daddy as my mom hugged Brock.
"Come on in, guys." He said.
"Mmm… whatchya cookin?" Brock asked when we got closer to the door. I sniffed.
"Roast." I answered before she could. They all 3 looked at me like I was crazy. "Am I right?"
"Yeah." Momma said.
"Okay, then whats with the looks?"
"Now you see why I always took her huntin with me, shes got a nose better than our dog did." Brock and momma laughed.
"Let me show you your room." Momma said.
"What?" Me and Brock asked at the same time.
"Momma, we got a hotel."
"Since when do y'all stay in hotels?" Daddy asked.
"Well, we don't wanna be in your wa-"
"You arent." he said in a grumpy voice. "Why waste the money when you got a perfectly good place to stay, for free?"
"Well we jus-"
"No."
"JV, shes a big girl who makes her own dicisions…" Momma reminded him.
"Well that's just stupid."
"Honey, you can stay wherever you wanna." My mom reassured me. I looked at my sad daddy, then at Brock.
"Where do you wanna stay?" I asked Brock. He shrugged.
"I don't care…"
"Well, how bout we stay here a few nights, then get a hotel for a few nights. I'm sure yall will be sick of us by then anyway." I said with a small smile.
"You stayed here 18 years one time and we delt with ya, I think we can handle 2 weeks." Daddy said, still being grumpy.
"JV. You let them do whatever they wanna do. It's their vacation." He huffed and puffed all the way to his recliner. I looked up at Brock.
"Guess we should go get our bags then." I said. He stopped me before I went anywhere.
"I'll get the bags, you find the number to our hotel and tell em we cant make it for a few nights." I nodded and did as he told me. Brock brought the bags that we needed into our room, then came and sat by me at the dining room table as momma poured us both a glass of tea. Just as she set them down I heard the screen door slam. I looked around my mom and felt my heart drop to my stomach.
I know the chapter before this was kinda boring, sorry. Hope this ones a little better. There'll be drama in the next one though. PLEASE REVIEW. I love me some reviews. :D