Travel The Road

What made you who you are? tell me what your story is.

Progress on the road was barely being made. With all the stops along the way, their total distance added up to 14 hours. Joe was positive Colorado was coming soon, but for the next few hours, they'd still be in Kansas.

Juliet drowsily kept her head resting on the Joe's back and he had no complaints. She was warm and the way she held him felt nice. He hadn't been held in a long time, let alone by a girl. And never one as beautiful as Juliet.

It is the East, and Juliet is the sun

Joe smiled to himself, his eyes scanning the distance. The scenery was boring, but they would occasionally come across beautiful old farmhouses that had most certainly once been large for their time. Joe found himself wishing he had a camera with him to capture all the images.

Simply to keep his brain occupied, he imagined all of the things he would take photos of. The haystack on the right side of the highway, the birds perched atop telephone wires, the wetness of the dew on the grass in the morning, a cat sleeping soundly beside a dried up pond.

And Juliet. Endlessly Juliet. He would capture her eyes, the vast deepness within them. He would keep her brilliant smile with him with a simple click of the camera.

He absentmindedly wondered when it had come to this. When did his infatuation had become this dramatic? It must have been passing so many hours with her alone.

Suddenly, he felt her nudge his back. He slowed, glancing at her over his shoulder and she leaned forward, bringing her mouth near his ear. The simple gesture sent his mind reeling.

"Pull over," she commanded.

Joe furrowed his eyebrows, but nevertheless began to inch toward the side of the highway. Another farmhouse was visible in the distance and he pulled over beside a field full of blossoming corn stalks which undoubtedly belonged to the house. Juliet hopped off the bike and Joe silenced it, having no need to wake the residents within the nearby home.

The sun was beginning to rise somewhere far, far away, casting an eerie blue shadow on the earth below. When Joe looked to Juliet, she had a broad smile on her face.

"Welcome," she said, "To Aunt Marie's."

[&&&]

"Jesus," Aunt Marie had exclaimed upon discovering Juliet sitting beside Joe on her front porch swing, where they had beeen waiting for the last two hours. Juliet had insisted on waiting for Marie to wake up on her own and Joe didn't mind, especially when Juliet leaned her head on his shoulder and began to lightly doze.

Marie was young for her age. She had golden blonde hair with a gentle wave, a few strands of grey weaving throughout. Crows feet were appearing at the creases of her light blue eyes, but no wrinkles were visible quite yet on her clearly aged face. She wore a blue robe over a yellow nightdress and a cup of coffee was held in one hand, a cigarette in the other.

Marie, Juliet had informed him, was her mother's younger sister, younger by two years almost to the exact date. She was aging rapidly with lonliness from being widowed by her husband and left with a newborn baby just two months after he died. She had inherited the farm house from her parents and Juliet, though she would not admit it, found comfort in being someplace that had once been important to her mother. He could read it in her eyes.

"What are ya'll doing here?" she asked breathless, taking in the appearance of both teenagers on her front porch. Juliet stood, stretched, and made her way to her aunt, who embraced her tightly. They had not seen each other in years, forbidden by John.

Joe stood as Juliet did and silently watched the interaction between the two. After Juliet let go, Marie's eyes immediately shot to Joe and narrowed. "You're that boy on the television," she stated. "That Jonas kid."

Joe, unsure of what to say, simply nodded. Marie accepted this and turned back to Juliet. "You look like you went to hell and back," she commented, making her way to the railing to carefully situate herself upon it, artfully holding her coffee in a position to where it did not spill. She took a sip, then sat it down beside her before pulling a lighter out of her robe's pocket and lighting up the cigarette.

She took a long drag, flicked the ashes into a flowerbed behind her, and let the blue haze make its way out of her mouth before speaking again. "What brings you two here?" she asked before placing the cigarette to rest between her teeth.

"Joseph and I are going on a roadtrip," Juliet replied. Marie nodded before taking another drag.

"And that man allowed this?" she asked, simultaniously blowing the smoke out. Juliet shook her head. Marie smiled. "That's my girl."

Joe watched in amazement as she finished her cigarette with expert speed, putting it out by squishing it on the chipped white paint of the railing before flicking it into the flowerbed. "Lets get you two some breakfast," she said, hopping down and grabbing her coffee. Joe didn't miss the glance Marie sent him from the corner of her eye and apparently Juliet didn't either. She sent him another glance over her shoulder as she followed her aunt inside the house. He trailed behind her.

The entire house smelled of stale beer, cigarettes, and car fumes. From behind a rocking chair, Joe spotted a tabby cat, watching him with aprehension before disappearing again. The light blue couch in the living room looked extremely uncomfortable, as if it had never been used but was made thirty years ago. The green recliner appeared to be just as old and even less used. He made note of the large television in the corner with a small screen, mixing static with the picture. The antennae had aluminum foil wrapped around its tip. Marie led them into the kitchen.

A rather large suitcase sat on a stool situated near the island in the middle of the kitchen. Marie picked it up with her fingertips and dropped it onto the ground as she passed. "Have a seat," she ordered. Juliet obliged and Joe awkwardly stood beside her, taking in the mess that was the kitchen. A half-eaten Poptart sat on a folded up paper towel beside a near-empty orange juice glass. Various textbooks were scattered around the kitchen, among a stack of papers and a few large boxes. Marie noticed him examining the room.

"My daughter graduated early. She's heading off to college," she explained. Joe blushed, embarrassed he had been caught, and nodded in response once again. Marie stopped what she was doing to look at him. "Do you speak?"

Joe was taken aback by this sudden rudeness. Juliet, however, simply smiled. "He ususally doesn't shut up, but we had a pretty late night last night."

Marie sent him one final look before bending down to grab a skillet from a cabinet beside the oven. She busied herself preparing ingredients from the refrigerator, not daring to look back at the two teenagers awkwardly watching her from the center of the room. Juliet broke the silence first.

"So how's Steph? Besides the early graduating, I mean."

Marie paused for a moment before proceeding to flip the bacon sizzling in the skillet. "Scared. She's never known anything outside of town, you know. College is kind of freaking her out right now, but I'm making her go."

Juliet pursed her lips in empathy for her cousin, but in sympathy for her aunt. She could make out Marie mumbling to herself, "I won't let her make the mistakes I did."

When Steph left the farm, Marie would be left alone to deal with things herself. She had no husband, no other children, no sister to comfort her. Marie was just as scared as Steph, the difference was what Marie was willing to sacrifice for her daughter.

"Alright," Marie announced, turning with two plates full of bacon and eggs in her hands. "Bon appétit."

She sat them gently on the flat island surface before them before turning to pull up a chair for herself. Joe noticed she didn't offer him a seat and shuffled from one foot to the other as he devoured a piece of bacon awkwardly. Marie watched him suspiciously.

Juliet began cutting her eggs into pieces, eating each bite in turn. There was no sound but the scrape of fork against plate. Marie's eyes were relentless on Joe's rugged face and he never failed to notice.

Juliet finished her plate first, leaving behind only six bites of egg and a piece of bacon. Silently, she stood, using her fork to usher the leftover scraps of food into her napkin. She then proceeded to fold it neatly before crossing the room to throw it in the nearly overflowing trashcan.

"You kids tired?" Marie asked. It was the first words she had said since they had begun eating. Juliet stretched, arching her back and lifting to the balls of her feet. "Just a little," she admitted sheepishly. Marie smiled. "I'll get Steph's bed cleaned off, then."

Reluctantly, she turned to look at Joe. "You'll have to take the couch."

He did his best not to flinch, remembering how the couch looked as hard as bricks. He'd take what he could get. "Sounds perfect."

[&&&]

Joe's eyes opened reluctantly against the harsh sunlight flooding in through the window beside the couch. Despite the stiffness in his back, he had slept fairly well and though he had feared getting his days and nights reversed, the position of the sun in the sky outside told him it could be no later than two or three o'clock, an improvement over their previous sleeping schedule. He began to push himself up, but paused at the sound of voices, carried in the breeze to his ears from the kitchen just beside the living room, where he was currently laying.

"I don't trust him. His picture's all over the television."

The voice unmistakably belonged to Marie. He suddenly understood her hostility toward him as he strained to listen.

"He made a mistake, he's trying to fix it. He knows he doesn't belong here."

Juliet's voice, this time. He pressed his lips together, unsure how to feel about her words. They were true, he didn't belong here. But maybe he wanted to. Juliet certainly belonged here, somewhere between wildflowers and dirt roads. Living this way, so far out of it all, had never made much sense to him until he met her, until she showed him how beautiful it all could be. Or, perhaps, how beautiful she could make it be. Joe doubted there was any place Juliet wouldn't fit in. She had a kind of radience city girls envied, without the attitude or lies. She was a different kind of perfect than he was used to, and it was refreshing.

"So what about you? What are you going to do?"

This voice was one he had never heard and he assumed it was the voice of Steph, Juliet's cousin. It didn't sound trivial, as if waiting for Juliet to break down and confess that Joe had kidnapped her, the way Marie sounded. The tone was light, neutral, as if she didn't give a damn either way but was rather making conversation.

"I..." Juliet trailed off, unsure of how to respond. What was she going to do? Would she stay with him, adapt to his world? Or would she leave, finding her own niche to fit into? Or even worse, decide to return home to John, who would undoubtedly be angry beyond reason?

"I'm not sure yet," she finally said. Joe hadn't noticed he had been holding his breath until it all came whooshing out of him at that moment. The party in the kitchen was oblivious.

"He somehow convinced me to leave behind everything I've ever known, and the more time I spend with him, the more it seems to make sense. So I don't know what I'm going to do, but I know I don't want to go back."

Joe couldn't help the smile that found its way onto his lips, not only from relief that Juliet didn't want to go back home, but from the words that finally answered the question of what she thought of him, behind the facade. Maybe it wasn't the clearest answer, but he would take it. It was enough to calm his thoughts, at least for a little while. And so what if she wasn't sure if she wanted to stay with him when they finally arrived in California? He still had an entire day and a half to change that. He would change that. He desperately needed her, more than he would ever like to admit to himself. And he would start by proving that he could be like her, that he could fit in here, even if he didn't necessarily want to.

Steph began to say something in reply, but it was quieted as Joe finally stood, being sure to make enough noise to alert them of his consciousness before heading toward the kitchen. The women were all seated in a semi-circle around the island, glasses of iced tea in their hands.

"Joe, this is my cousin, Steph," Juliet introduced with a half-smile before taking a sip of her iced tea.

He looked to the girl Juliet was gesturing toward, sitting beside her in a bar stool. Her white blonde hair hung past her shoulders, fading where it met a pocket on her plaid blue shirt. They complimented her eyes, which were focused outside the window at that particular moment in time. Her jeans were tucked into a pair of cowboy boots, a clod of dirt gathered at each of her heels. It took her a moment to realize her cue, and by then she knew she was late, but made it up with a smile and offering him a glass of iced tea. He accepted, just realizing exactly how dry his mouth was. His voice came out as a hoarse whisper.

Steph smiled briefly in his direction before pushing out her chair and making her way across the room to find a glass. Juliet gestured for Joe to have a seat beside her and he obliged, careful not to look Marie in the eyes. She was watching him again.

Steph was back in a flash, setting the glass before him. He thanked her quietly before taking a sip.

"Well, it was nice to meet you, however briefly," she said with a sigh before turning to her mother. "I'm going to finish up outside."

"What do you have to do?" Joe asked. Juliet looked at him curiously beneath the curtain of dark hair she had let fall between them. She must have showered earlier; her hair smelled like strawberries.

Steph turned to him, cocking her head to one side, as if amused to see where this would go. "Some neighbors dropped off fresh hay this morning. I have to unload the extra bales and lay the others out in the barn for the horses."

"Do you want help?" he asked.

He smiled as Juliet almost choked on her tea. Marie's eyes widened.

"Absolutely," Steph replied, a grin spreading across her face. Joe stood, preparing to follow Steph out the door, but Juliet grabbed his arm. "Can I talk to you for a second?" she asked quietly. Joe bit his lip, perplexed.

"Sure," he replied. Steph was already outside, half-way across the large open field behind the house. He could plainly see the barn in the distance, a trailer full of hay backed up near it. He led Juliet outside to the back porch. Marie stood up behind them and made her way to the living room.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"What do you mean?" Joe replied, confused.

Juliet ran a hand through her long hair, a habit Joe hoped she wouldn't break anytime soon. Though she was plainly angry for some reason, he found himself once again caught up in her, ignoring her every word, yet focusing intently on the sound of her voice. Her brown eyes were wide as she spoke, gesturing wildly around her. A breeze swept over the field, picking up a single blade of grass to get caught in her hair. Without hesitation, he reached forward, gently pulling it from her hair. The look on her face was priceless and he chuckled at her.

"Haven't you listened to a word I just said?" she asked, infuriated. He laughed again.

"Honestly? Not at all. You tend to get worked up over stupid things," he replied, suddenly lighthearted.

"Didn't it ever occur to you that John might check here for me? That spending more than a few hours here is risky?"

Joe bit his lower lip, finally tearing his eyes away from her to look out into the vast openness of the foreign land around him. She had a point and he was less than willing to admit it. He'd just been offered an opportunity to prove himself to her and she was snatching it away from him with her logic. He sighed, turning back to her. "What if we only stay a little bit longer?" he asked.

Juliet rolled her eyes at him. "What's this really about? You don't want to be here. Just this morning you were complaining about how everything looks the same and how eager you were to get out of here. What's gotten into you?"

Joe looked away again, suddenly vulnerable. He obviously couldn't tell her he'd overheard her conversation about him or that he wanted to show her he could belong with her in some different world. Both of those reasons were way too embarrassing.

"Is it her?"

Joe paused, shooting his eyes back to her, puzzled.

"Who?"

"Steph.

Joe almost jumped back in surprise. Steph? He'd met her a total of ten minutes prior to this conversation. How had she come to that conclusion? Then it hit him and a smile broke across his face. He couldn't help but voice his realization aloud.

"You're jealous," he stated with a tone of wonder.

"You're delusional," she snapped, and that's when he knew he was right.

"You are, too! You're jealous!"

He almost danced with glee despite her glowering stare. If she was mad before, she was absolutely furious now. "Whatever, I don't even care. Do what you want," she shook her head, as if in awe, but Joe was positive that her easy surrender was further proof of his correctness.

She was half-way up the steps when she paused upon hearing his voice. Unsure if she heard right, she turned to him. "What?"

Joe was already walking away, toward the hill where the barn was waiting. Over his shoulder, she heard him.

"You have absolutely no reason to be jealous. She's pretty, but I prefer brunettes."

Juliet hurried the rest of the way inside, positioning her hair in hopes he wouldn't see her blush.