Chapter 18
Hazel
A part of me is scaredabout this move for him. What if it doesn't work out? Or, the Kaser's decide they don't want us anywhere near Jake? I guess it's good he's keeping his house here, so he can always come back. Cambridge isn't a place for everyone, and unfortunately there are many stuck up individuals that live amongst me. It's more about what you have to show, than anything else. A new car every year, what you wear, and how nice your house is and how many you have? I've actually had a neighbor ask me if I am ever going to buy a house in the Hamptons? Apparently I'm good at playing the type, but that doesn't interest me at all. What I do isn't about the money, it's about helping the people who need it the most.
I show up at Aiden's and it's spectacular. He wasn't kidding about cleaning the place.
"Ready for today?"
"You know it," he replies. "Just gotta finish packing up these boxes. Whatever I can't fit in my truck, my brothers will ship to me."
I guess maybe I haven't been paying attention or something, but why would they need to fit in his truck? We are flying back today. "Are they driving your truck out there too?"
"You're comical. No, I'm going to drive out. No sense in flying when I'm going to need my stuff and the truck. Might as well drive and enjoy the scenery on the way."
It's only a four hour flight nonstop from Dallas, but instead, he wants to drive? I pull my phone out and map out how long it will take if driving. Holy crap. twenty-eight hours without any stops. It's going to take us almost two days to get there.
"You are more than welcome to drive with me, but I know you have to be back to work on Monday. Might be too much. I'm planning on doing some stopping for cool stuff on the way."
He's got a point. If we leave today, we will get back sometime on late Saturday, early Sunday. However, I haven't been on many road trips and being stuck in a car with him might be sort of fun. I pull the map back out and look at what is on the way. Nashville is some place I plan on visiting someday, as I'm an avid lover of country music, and everyone says it's a great place to travel to. I wonder if he would be interested in that being a stopping point. It's about a ten hour drive, so it would fall into the category where we could stop in for the night and explore possibly.
"So, what if I want to drive with you, are you against Nashville? It's the only place on the way I'd like to stop."
"Anything for you. Remember I don't have a job waiting on me, so we can stop anywhere you want," he says, taking my face into his hands and giving me a sweet kiss.
Saying goodbye to my dad broke my heart, but soon enough he will be coming out to stay. Jeremy won't be able to handle it by himself for long, not with how much care he is going to need once it gets worse. It scares me knowing the next time I see him, he might not remember me at all, but I'll be back for Thanksgiving and Christmas.
We finish putting everything from his closet into boxes, and carry them out to the truck. The whole backseat is filled to the brim with boxes and we can't fit anything more. The rest will have to be shipped or picked up when we come back out for the holidays.
He takes one last look at the house before shutting the door, and locking it. It's a big deal for him to move across the country and leave everything he's ever known. I know he is trying not to let me know how it's affecting him, but he doesn't have to hide it from me. I'll understand.
"All aboard. Let's get this show on the road. It's already nine in the morning. If we make good time, we can be in Nashville by eight tonight. We can get something to eat and look at whatever else you want. Sound good?"
"Wonderful," I reply.
He starts to back out of his driveway, but a call comes through from the Kaser's.
"Hello?"
We are both shocked to see their name pop up, but want to know the reason they are reaching out. It seems weird since we haven't heard from them since the park and they took Jake home suddenly when we were having fun. It's been bothering me trying to figure out what we did.
"He's got a little league game on Wednesday and asked if we would invite you," Veronica says.
Aiden answers. "We'd love to. Wouldn't miss it. Text me the details. I don't know my way around that town yet, so I'll have to use Maps for everything."
"See you Wednesday. Have a good morning," she says, before hanging up.
We look at each other, and smile. So maybe, I read too much into them leaving and nothing is wrong at all. Surely, they wouldn't be inviting us to his game if they didn't want us around.
"Let's get the hell out of here. Nashville, here we come."
It's interesting to see everything on the way, it's so pleasing. Arkansas has so many mountains and it's so red and orange from Fall. Sometimes, you can go forever without seeing a single house, instead nothing but fields of trees. We play music, so I pair my phone to the truck, and put on a Road Trip playlist on Spotify. What's a trip without some old school music to bring back your teenage years, right? You know, the guilty pleasure songs, that everyone sings when they come on, but they weren't the popular ones when they were first released. Shania Twain comes on, and of course, I know every single word. That woman is amazing, and still singing. I'd love to attend a concert of hers one day. Right now, it seems she is only doing them in Las Vegas, and not a fan of going there. It's a tourist trap with two long streets chalk full of hotels, casinos, and attractions that cost way too much money. My mother, Regina, once surprised Donald by taking him on a last minute vacation about a year after I came to live with them, and all they did when they got back was complain about how much money they spent and how unpleasant the experience. The one thing I remember from that conversation was a salad that cost $26. Who the hell charges that much for a salad? No thanks. Although, most restaurant in Cambridge are that away.
Aiden hasn't been talkative, but honestly I think it's because we have been enjoying the sights, and all the colors that surround us. It's peaceful, and the windows are down enjoying the wind through my hair. We have been driving for about two and a half hours, and the gas light came on. This truck definitely doesn't get as good gas mileage as my little car. I can fill up and get like three-hundred-and-fifty miles before I have to fill up again. He only gets about one-hundred-eighty miles. I see a gas station coming up on the right, and it's a little mom and pop looking one, and for some reason it creeps me out. It's an old tin building, in rough shape, but who knows when we will see another gas station. The next major city is Little Rock in Arkansas and we still have about two hours before we hit that. So, if we gas up here, we won't have to stop again until we hit there.
The tires hit the gravel, and it crunches underneath his tires as we come to a stop beside a gas pump. "I'll pump. Take this and pay for gas and snacks. I'm getting a little hungry but no time to stop and eat an actual meal."
"Anything specific?"