The Last Journey

It was all in a days work as John approached his vehicle for the first time in a year, he gave it the full circle before attempting to go in. With time on his hands, the children were still in bed, wife Rosie was in the shower, John took the valued opportunity, to sit alone in his car with not a care in the world. Sitting comfortably, and carressing the interior leather seats with his hands, looking in the rear view mirror, the car still parked in the drive, both hands on the steering wheel, and using the motion of moving his hands up and down the steering as if it were moving, he looked again at the rear view mirror and then caught sight of his neighbour, watching him,

"Alright there John!" shouted out his neighbour, Craig.

"Yeah Craig, everthing is fine!" he shouted back.

"Of to work?" he asked.

"Not just yet."

John, removed his hands off the steering wheel and looked back to see Craig leaving, and stepping out of the vehicle, John starred at it, before returning back into the house, just in time to see the twins scampering about,

"Hey, you two, have you finish getting ready?"

They didn't answer but clampered back upstairs, they both knew what their father meant, Josh and Catherine were twins of a different kind, never taking anything serious, and always leaving things to the last moment with great astronomical results.

John made himself a coffee, and began sipping slowly, and each time he sipped, he would get a flash-back of his driving, the first time he sat behind the steering wheel, his father in the passenger seat, the conversation would begin,

"Mirror man! Don't forget your mirror!"

John would not never dare reply, only to nervously look as if he is looking in the rear view mirror. John took a second sip of his coffee and went into another flash-back, where he father would be saying,

"Mind the cyclist, man, don't want to end up in court, do we?"

Those words stuck to John for a long time, and now he is faced with the same dilemma, still not finished his coffee, reaching out for some cold water to cool it. He can Rosie about to come down the stairs, as she heads to the kitchen and looks at John,

"Are you alright...it'll be alright you'll see."

Rosie was always the reassurring type, that was one of the reasons why John married her, it was love at first sight when they met at university, she asked him out, he hesitated. They were married a year later, and the twins came shortly after.

John looked at Rosie and smiled, he knew he was in control of his own actions, but reassurred when she acknowledged him. As soon as the twins came down stairs, John was already out the door,

"See you guys, I'm off now."

John a while before he got into his vehicle, as he sat, thoughts came into his mind, and he saw his father once more,

"Alright son, this is it, you're on your own now."

John looked into the rear view mirror, turned on the ignition and into gear and driving slowly out of the drive and on to the main road, keeping his wits about him all the way.

It was a long drive to his office, there were traffic jams all the way, including the dual carriageway, until he reached last mile, it was plain driving from then on. He was almost tempted to speed it up a little but then he remembered, his last flash back came with his father in the passenger seat,

"Son, you don't to be doing that....oh no."

John lept out of his flash back and slammed on the brakes, only to miss, hitting a fox, it darted into the bushes. He breathed a sigh of relief and started back the engine. It wasn't long to go before he reached his place of work.

The road was long, no more turnings or bends and soon the business place would be seen in the far distant. The air was cool, in a cloud-less sky, and the traffic was limitless. John had the radio on smooth music as he listened, he could he his father utter the words in his ear,

"It just takes one obstruction...careful son!"

John sharpened his eyes, fixated on the road ahead, zooming past the fields of green, and local cottages spaced out, the cows on one half of the greenery, the sheep on the other half, no hills or turn, just a complete straight road all the way.

"Not far to go now son, you're nearly there." He heard his father's voice once more in his sub conscious mind, and as if to answer back, he realised it would be no use. John continued on, first in third gear, then back to second and shooting off in to third then fourth gear, the car felt smooth, the engine quiet, the exterior, an electric blue, tinted silver on the chrome edges. The vehicle was a classic in its' best. John drove his vehicle with pride, as though it were his last will and testament, nothing could part him from it.

The journey was coming to an end, the beginning of the business park could be seen clearly, John looked at his watch, he was on time, and all set to do what he had to do. The engine was cooling as the vehicle was gliding along the way, John turned the music off as the vehicle slowed down heading towards the main car park.

John parked his vehicle in his usual slot, and looked around the area, there weren't many cars parked that morning. He gathered his things and locked up. The office was only a five minute walk from the parking area. He reached the main entrance of double doors which automatically swung open, and swiped his card on to the barrier. The lifts were just around the corner, he got in and pressed the fourth floor to his department. The lift doors open to his floor, he was now ready.