The plains are slowly rolling by
as we drive, stuck behind a trailer which happens to be going to the same place
we’re heading. Every time Emily swerves out to see if she can pass, speeding cars
whip by, zooming in the opposite direction. I feel a weight on my chest as we
hit the first little town, Thamesville. The whole point of this trip was to let
loose and try and forget about my Ex and that hideous part of my life. But here
I am, having a mini panic attack because my Ex and I had driven past this town
a handful of times.
It’s stupid really, feeling like
this. At least with the whole cheating ordeal made it a lot easier to hate
him and to remember that he really was an awful boyfriend. Yet, here, in the
middle of nowhere, where small houses and neighbors who know everyone in town, were memories of glorious summers. Four years of camping trips, once a
year, and something I always looked forward too. Even though my Ex and I would always
end up fighting about something or another, it was always a trip I enjoyed
taking every year.
The farm fields that spread
forever and all the blueberry picking signs planted themselves in my mind as we
drove in and out of the little towns, never once stopping to indulge in the
peaceful streets. We stopped at one store and picked up fireworks. Standard
issue. May 24 without fireworks? Please, they were a must have, and like last
year, I planned on shoving them into my belt and firing them off.
As we drove, the sun started too
hide behind the clouds and I could feel Emily glancing up at them every so often
getting a little antsy. We were both hoping for a sunny weekend. She drummed her fingers on the wheel and reached
over to change the CDs. It was her turn to have her songs playing. The smell of
fuel filled the car as she down shifted, still following the trailer.
I could almost smell the fresh
water as we turned onto the final street that leads right into Grand Bend.
Sitting forward and tapping my hands on the dashboard to the beat of the music,
the heart began to race faster with the song. All I wanted to do was get to the
hotel, unpack, walk next door and get beer and begin the weekend. Already I was
feeling better and I could see Emily getting more pumped as we got closer.
“Should we stop and get ice?”
Emily asked me as stores started to appear. Almost there.
“No, lets wait until we get beer.
We can’t really fit much more in this car.”
“Good point.”
We both looked at each other and
smiles peeled across our faces.
“Are you pumped?” I asked her,
even though I already knew the answer.
Traffic started to get a bit
heavier and more stores lined the sides of the street. No Frills, big, bright
and yellow, was packed already with weekenders.
“Should we get our shit now?”
“Emily, I just want to get to the
hotel!”
“But if we go now, we don’t have
to drive all the way back. Let just do it now.”
“Fine,” I honestly couldn't hold
in my excitement. I just wanted to start drinking, run around the streets and
be out until the break of dawn.
We pull into the midst of the
busy parking lot and Emily parks, crooked, and we hop out, stretch immediately.
Every leg muscle I have cramps, so quickly I shake them as Emily gives me a
weird look. Out of the corner of my eye, a very noticeable group of kids are
also getting out of their car.
When I say noticeable, I mean to
say is the group of them together was a strange combination. Two kids had their
arms covered with tattoos and their ear holes stretched past what would be
normal, like the earrings could be a small bracelet around a wrist. The girl
with them was tall and also covered in body art. She had half her head shaved,
hair done up like the one Dub Step DJ that’s been getting more popular by the
day. And then there was this clean cut Guido, aviators and a v-neck top, jeans
with sandals. His hair wasn't ridiculous like a standard Guido douche bag
though, but what was he doing in a group so opposite of style?
They entered the store right
behind Emily and I, loud and also excited to have made it into Grand Bend.
First things first, flip cups for Emily’s drinks and energy drinks for myself.
I planned on drinking beer, but I wanted to be able to stay up until dawn like
last years events. The lines were jammed and the strange group I had noticed,
were right behind us, talking over the commotion of the line up.
“These are almost bad as the ones
at Wal-Mart. They need to open another cashier,” said one guy with his arms
tattooed and bleach blonde hair.
“What? The lines in Forest
Glade?” His buddy laughed out loud.
“Well, fuck, this is going to
take forever!”
Just then, the odd one out of the
group, rounded to the corner. In one arm he held this massive jar of mixed nuts
and in the other, tuna cans from his chin to his waist. I thought he was going
to drop the cans with the way he was walking. It was quiet a funny sight to see
and apparently his buddy thought the same.
“What are you going to do? Eat
nothing but nuts and tuna, man?”
“Got to get my protein!”
I nearly burst out
laughing. Only because it would have been my exact response if it were me. Yet,
I wasn’t drunk yet, so I wasn’t about to make a funny comment to engage in
conversation. I give Emily a side look and she had over heard the conversation
too, smirking back at me. -Jessie
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