Progressing through Life: December 2009

A woman is driving down a long stretch of highway, with only star and the cars headlights to guide her way. She is quietly concentrating on the road as the music plays at a level almost too loud for comfort. She takes the last drag off of her cigarette just before she tosses it out the window. The cigarette hits the wind it swerves back into the car and lands on a pile of papers in the back seat. The woman catches a glance of the smoking papers in her rearview and throws her head around to catch a clear view of the action taking place. A horn honks in the distance, she focuses back on the road and swerves to avoid a creature of the night a little to late. Seconds later her tire blows and the car begins to stumble upon the gravel and she safely brings it to a stop on the side of the road. As she begins to calm her breath a few tears far from her eyes in the thought of what could have been. Flashers on she exits the car to retrieve the spare in the trunk only to reveal that has lost it's air. She takes a look to the sky. "Couldn't you just give me a little break.?" She stomps her foot on the ground and then takes a seat on the ground placing her head on the bumper. She laughs a little at the circumstance that she has just found herself in. She takes a peak around the car to see if anyone is coming only to reveal pitch black.

The events that took place earlier in the week begin to wash over her. The wedding where she got reminded of how alone she was sitting next to the family of strangers. Wondering how it felt to know that you wanted to be with someone for the rest of your life. The issues with work and the people that continue to treat her like she hasn't anything to offer but the motions she goes through daily. Then the most substantial, the breaking of her heart once again to the same man only years later.

She stands up and dusts off a bit with still a little hope of lights in the distance from cars to the rescue. With the time of night and the lack of civilization, she realizes that the only chance she had at being saved was from the honking car that saved her life. She walks to the car to retrieve her bag trying to salvage her back seat at the same time. It's useless. She finally grabs a borrowed hoodie from an old friend that she can't seem to part with and locks the car. She stands there for a second a wonders if she should wait for someone to save her from this stranded road. ANd she plays out all the potions in her head." I could be saved but then I could also be raped and pillaged and left for dead only further down the road. A knight could come rescue me on his horse, but then he would probably be to good looking and would rather have a boy to play hide and seek with than her. Or she could just walk down this road and make the journey on her own. It's so much more comfortable, she's being doing it all her life so what another couple of hundred miles. It's not the best feeling being alone, but she really has no other options." So she decides to hold on to the stars and let them guide her through the night. One foot in front of the other. The memories with always be there and the hope of what she thought would be. So she walks into the night relying on herself as she has her whole life.

jaime