So I'm updating from my phone while driving to Alabama, which is kind of weird. I feel Run and his bathtub, but not as enlightening.
Something I quickly discovered upon embarking on this trip is that driving can be quite boring, especially in the SE and especially on I-20. JP worked all day, and though I stayed busy with an exam, homework, grocery shopping for my brother and packing the car, I felt obliged to drive for at least the first part of the trip.
Talk about a snoozefest.
After learning on NPR that someone recently discovered Neptune's days are shorter, hearing all of JP's work stories, calling both of our parents, and listening to indie music, I begged my husband for a better source of entertainment.
Did you ever have car games as a kid? We didn't. I read books and my brother played video games or annoyed me (usually the latter). So we settled on 20 Questions, and let me tell you that game is hard. Then we changed it to 10 Questions - People We Know. Still challenging but more fun, this went on until dinner. After filling our bellies with Chick-fil-A, we switched seats and I caught up on my Mormon mommy blogs. I tried reading for school but that is also boring. Then I remembered!
Years ago, before we were even dating and Jonathan was checking out SC as his new possible home, a Harry Potter book came out. JP was driving his beloved Honda Civic Hatchback (read: manual drive; read: I cannot drive) and requested me to read the book aloud. I had not done such a thing since kindergarten but felt, like today, obliged to fulfill his wishes. For hours, I read. I read so long my mouth was dry and my throat hurt. Five years later, it's an extremely fond memory I have of our friendship.
Feeling nostalgic as the passenger-wife, I picked up a book from the floorboard -- Fifty Best American Short Stories. I'm a sucker for short stories, and even more so for 20th century American writers, so I asked my husband to turn off his Tegan & Sara song so I could read.
I quickly scanned the Table of Contents and picked out a favorite, Mr. Bradbury. Such an imaginative, thought provoking writer, he is wise beyond the times, even now. With a Southern lilt to my voice -- we are going to Alabama, afterall -- I read "The Other Foot," and decided this is going to be a great vacation.
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