Road Trips
When I was little, we drove to Chattanooga every summer to visit my mother's relatives. This trip almost always took place in late July or early August. We'd drive south on I-75, making our way through the southernmost part of Michigan, and then began the long trek through Ohio. Ohio seemed to last forever; it seemed like one cornfield after another. The landscape begins to change right about the time that you get into Kentucky. You begin to see hills, and after a while, you start feeling your ears pop. Mountains. Not big ones, but where I'm from, there aren't any, so it's a big deal.
When we crossed a state line, my dad would say "You're in a whole different state! Do you feel any different?" I'd tell him, "Yeah, I think so."
The best part was the animals. We'd drive past a farm, and my mom would say "Look Anson, horses!" Or, "Do you see the cows?" Man, that was a big deal. One time I was really tired, and needed to take a nap. I told my parents to wake me up if they saw any cows or horses. They said they would. I woke up a couple of hours later, and asked if they saw any horses. My dad said "no." I asked if he was sure, because you know, he was driving. And sometimes my mom would fall asleep. I hated to think that maybe he was too busy driving, and mom was sleeping, and I missed the horses. Mom said she didn't fall asleep, and that if she had, it was only for a little while. And my dad assured me that he had been looking, and didn't see any.
I felt like they didn't know what the hell they were doing, you know? Sometimes they'd be talking, and not really looking out the windows properly. Dad would be driving looking at the road, and my mom would be reading or crocheting while she talked to my dad. I mean ... come on. You can miss a number of animals carrying on like that.
I realized I had to stay awake to make sure we didn't miss any. When I saw horses or cows, I'd tell them where to look. If my dad wasn't really paying attention, my mom would say something like, "Anson wants you to see the horses, Pete." And he'd say "Yep, I see 'em."
It was a good thing I could stay awake for so long; they probably would have missed a bunch of animals without me.
When we crossed a state line, my dad would say "You're in a whole different state! Do you feel any different?" I'd tell him, "Yeah, I think so."
The best part was the animals. We'd drive past a farm, and my mom would say "Look Anson, horses!" Or, "Do you see the cows?" Man, that was a big deal. One time I was really tired, and needed to take a nap. I told my parents to wake me up if they saw any cows or horses. They said they would. I woke up a couple of hours later, and asked if they saw any horses. My dad said "no." I asked if he was sure, because you know, he was driving. And sometimes my mom would fall asleep. I hated to think that maybe he was too busy driving, and mom was sleeping, and I missed the horses. Mom said she didn't fall asleep, and that if she had, it was only for a little while. And my dad assured me that he had been looking, and didn't see any.
I felt like they didn't know what the hell they were doing, you know? Sometimes they'd be talking, and not really looking out the windows properly. Dad would be driving looking at the road, and my mom would be reading or crocheting while she talked to my dad. I mean ... come on. You can miss a number of animals carrying on like that.
I realized I had to stay awake to make sure we didn't miss any. When I saw horses or cows, I'd tell them where to look. If my dad wasn't really paying attention, my mom would say something like, "Anson wants you to see the horses, Pete." And he'd say "Yep, I see 'em."
It was a good thing I could stay awake for so long; they probably would have missed a bunch of animals without me.
posted by Wordsmyth at
11:24 PM
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