Road Trip

Outside the car window, everything disappeared in a blur – trees, mailboxes, cornfields, small towns, even state lines – as Sasha journeyed across the American Midwest with her Mom and younger brother. It was an unexpected trip; Mom had packed up all of their stuff last evening while they were at sleepovers at friends’ houses and Dad was out drinking like usual, then when they had both returned this morning she told them to jump straight into the car, overnight bags and all, and they were gone.

As they passed through yet another quaint village with gorgeous old buildings, the type of place that gave off warm cozy vibes, Sasha asked if they were going for a weekend trip in one of these towns. Before her brother was born, very once in a while, her mom used to spontaneously decide that they were going out for a mother-daughter day, and they would find a town that they’d never been to before, walk around and explore it, not returning home until after the sun had set, her mom wistfully sighing as they drove back, saying she wished they could stay the whole weekend.

Her mom wiped away a rebellious tear that escaped her eye, also wiping away some of the makeup covering a bruise, and replied that they were going to see Gramma and Gramps in Seattle. They’d made the road trip as a family across the country a few times before throughout Sasha’s life, but they had always broken up the long drive with small detours to sightseeing locations, taking at least an hour to stretch their legs – this time, with the exception of the occasional stop sign and a fast food lunch, her mother’s foot never left the gas pedal.

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This story was written in response to this week’s Six Sentence Story prompt from Denise (GirlieOnTheEdge): blur