Glitter in the Air

"What time is it here?" I asked Jake as we stood around the baggage claim area. Waiting for the conveyor belt to bring our suitcases around.

"Almost six, I already have a hotel reservation, so after we get our luggage, we'll get the rental car and get something to eat. Sound good?" as if on cue my stomach growled, making him chuckle, before striding quickly over to the conveyor belt and grabbing our suitcases that were coming around. He grinned at me before rolling my suitcase in front of me.

"Thanks." I told him smiling softly back at him. Maybe it was the sun shining outside, or the fact that i wasn't in Philly anymore, but I was suddenly in a good mood. And I know what you're all thinking, how can she be in a good mood when your mom just died? You have no other family left. Well, besides your dead beat father, who you can't stand. I suppose my answer to that is, I didn't love my mom, not at all. At least, I haven't for a long time. I still have scars and fading bruises from all the things she's let happen to me, or caused at her own hands. I love the memories of her that I have. Back before the drugs and the booze, back when we were a little family, just the two of us, and we were happy that way. But I haven't been happy in the last eleven years of my life, and now that I'm as bitter and cold as I am, I can't see myself changing anytime soon.

Jake and I walked outside and into the rental car lot right outside the doors. Jake pulled a key out of his jeans pocket, I wasn't sure where he got that. I don't remember him picking up a key or anything. But then again, I've kind of been caught in my head all day, not paying attention to anything anyone was doing. I trailed behind Jake, checking out all the expensive looking cars around the lot.

"Here we are!" Jake exclaimed from a few yards in front of me. He was standing in front of a light blue ford fusion. I caught up to him and he grabbed my suitcase, unlocking the car.

“You can go ahead and get in.” he told me, so I walked over to the passenger side of the car and slid into the hot leather seat. I turned and watched him lift up our luggage effortlessly and stick it in the trunk. Slamming it shut he walked back over to the driver side of the car and got into the drivers seat, turning the car on. As he started to pull out of the lot he muttered something to himself before turning the air conditioning full blast. We pulled out onto the interstate in silence. It was quiet for a minute before I reached forward and scanned through the radio stations until I found one that I liked. I sat back, relaxing in my seat, I looked over at Jake and he was glancing at me from the corner of his eye.

“What?” I asked him, smiling, still in my good mood.

“Nothing!” he said quickly, almost as soon as I asked him, which caused me to laugh.

“No really. Why are you looking at me like that?” I asked him.

“Nothing really, you just seem like you’re in a much better mood now that we’re here. Have you changed your mind about not wanting to meet your Dad?” he looked at me questioningly.

“What? No!” I told him, “It’s just, I’m glad to be out of Philly, it’s a weird feeling you know?” I struggled to explain to him. He just nodded his head. Seeming to think about what I just said.

The rest of the car ride was filled with silence, not the awkward kind where no one knows what to say, but the kind where you’re both content enough and don’t feel the need to say anything. Almost twenty minutes later, Jake pulled into a McDonalds parking lot, looking over at me.

“This is okay right?” I just smiled and nodded my head at him. I honestly couldn’t remember the last time I had gotten to eat out anywhere. And I was starving. We both got out of the car and walked into the place, and walking up to the counter.

“What do you want?” Jake asked me.

“Uh, a number four, no onions. With a Dr. Pepper to drink.” I told him, salivating over the smell of the food. He nodded his head and placed our order, which came up a minute later. He took our tray and I grabbed the drinks, we found somewhere to sit near the windows.

“Thanks Jake.” I told him, unwrapping my cheeseburger. I meant it too, I was really going to try this being nice thing, Jake was going above and beyond, doing all this for me.

“Are you going to want to meet him?” Jake asked curiously, he didn’t have to say his name or anything, I knew who he was talking about immediately. I sighed.

“To be honest, I don’t know. He didn’t want me back then when Mom used to write him letters, or when we went to his concert that one time. He’s only going to take me in because he has to you know?” I explained to him around a mouthful of food. Making Jake roll his eyes at me.

“I don’t know Hope, I mean maybe he never actually believed you were his kid. He could have thought your mother was some crazed physco fan.” He tried to reason with me.

I just shrugged my shoulders in response, we ate our food quickly. Jake stood up and threw away our trash.

“We should get going to the hotel, we’ve got a long day ahead of ourselves tomorrow.”