New Beginnings

‘If you could go anywhere, right now, where would you go?’ Lacey gazed up at the midnight sky. The moon light danced on her skin. The lights from our small town paled in comparison to the view I had tonight. She was a rare combination of beauty and wit. You could feel her soul on fire. She had outgrown this town years ago. The only thing keeping her here was her grandmother.

Today was her grandmother’s funeral.

‘I never thought much about it.’ I replied, stroking her hair. I never thought I would leave Harrison. My family owns a restaurant that has been a staple in the community for generations. I sort of figured I would work there until I die. I wasn’t a dreamer like Lacey. I didn’t have the imagination she had. She made you believe that anything was possible; I admired that.

‘Seriously? Jess, this can’t be it. Our story cannot begin and end here. I won’t let it. My grandma knew that I was meant for greater things. She had the same shine in her eye without the strength to do somethin’ about it! She’s probably rolling over in her grave already knowin’ that I didn’t leave the second her funeral was over.’ She took a long pull of the joint she had been holding. The embers glowed red, illuminating her face for a moment. A tear rolled down her cheek. My stomach turned. I hate to see her this upset. I looked up at the stars in sky. It was beautiful here. The lights from Harrison sprinkled across the valley while the stars burn brightly above.

‘I want to be where the city lights consume the stars’, she said. I want to be the star. I want to be somewhere that my soul ignites. I was made to be looked at. To dance. To sparkle.’ Moving her body to the rhythm of the song on the radio, I gazed upon my future. She spun around and around, laughing and crying till she collapsed with a sigh on to the blanket beside me. ‘Come with me. Let’s write our own story.’ She threw her leg over me, straddling my waist. She graced my face with a few soft kisses. Her eyes fixated on mine. She was captivating. It was pointless to try and resist. I was going to do whatever she said.

‘Are you going to tell me where we are going?’ I said, smiling up at her.

‘Las Vegas, baby!’ She screamed while she unbuttoned my shirt.

As soon as the sun peaked over the Ozarks, we hit the road. We didn’t pack much, but we had a lot of love and determination in that car with us. As we crossed the state line from Arkansas to Oklahoma, Lacey yelled out the window of my 68’ El Camino, ‘So long Arkansas! If I see ya again, it will be too soon!’ She giggled as she settled back in her seat. ‘Born to be Wild’ by Steppenwolf was blasting out the speakers. Lacey put on some over sized sunglasses, the ones like the movie stars wear. Her long legs stretched out, feet on the dashboard tapping to the beat. Her glitter adorned toes sent tiny prisms of light that danced around the interior of my car. She was perfection. This moment was perfection. I inhaled deeply trying to hold this moment in my memory forever. I never felt freedom like this in my life.

  Route 66 gives you plenty of time to daydream. As we drove down a paved straight line through vast, empty desert landscape; my thoughts began to wander. I thought about a future with Lacey. I could see her on stage as a Vegas Showgirl. Red sequins and feathers surrounding her beaming face. She would search for me through the crowd of flashing cameras. When our eyes met, she would blow a kiss, just for me. I thought about opening a bar. I always wanted to own a western themed bar that had specialty cocktails named after famous cowboys. Maybe call it ‘The Watering Hole.’ Yeah, that sounds catchy. We could-

Before I could finish that thought, I was snapped back into reality by the sound of one of our tires expiring. ‘What was that!?’ Lacey was startled awake from the sound.

‘One of our tires blew. It’s ok, I can change it.’ I reassured her, pulling off the side of the road. Honestly, I had never changed a tire, I just didn’t want her to worry. As I popped the trunk and said a prayer under my breath, A beat up grey Buick pulled up next to us. A man got out, lit up a cigarette and walked to the back of the car. He was a nice-looking guy, looked like the type of guy that may have changed a tire or two in his time.

‘Need some help, friend?’ he asked. It was getting late, we only seen a handful of cars in a hundred miles.

‘Yes, in fact, I couldn’t be more grateful for your timing. I never changed a tire before.’ I said, embarrassed.

‘Well, don’t you worry I can change a tire with my eyes closed.’ He winked at me. Something about the way he smiled at me made me uneasy. ‘Where were you two headed?’ He asked while he jacked up the car.

‘Vegas. We are startin’ a new life, one worth talking about. One day you will see my name in lights. Then you can tell everyone about the time you changed Lacey Lane’s tire.’ She giggled. Dammit Lacey; don’t tell strangers your name, I thought to myself. I was feeling uneasy. We needed to hurry up and get back on the road.

‘Yeah, we have people waiting on us there, we really need to get going.’ I murmured to him hoping she wouldn’t hear.

‘No, we don’t Jess. What are you talking about?’ She licked her sucker and starred at me. She did not have the same distrust I had for our new friend, apparently. He pulled the old tire off and looked up at me with that same smile. It gave me shivers.

‘So, Jess, which is it? Are you all alone in the desert with a stranger and no one waiting to hear from you? Or are you a liar? Because neither one paints you in a particularly good light, now does it?’ He chuckled and shook his head. He turned his attention to Lacey. ‘Honey, you don’t want to start your new life with a liar, right? Or somebody who would put you in harm’s way?’

‘Am I in harm’s way?’ She said nervously looking at him with big, innocent eyes.

‘Well, honey. That depends on how much you struggle. How loud you scream. If you’re a good girl I won’t hurt ya. I think it’s time you know what a man feels like.’ He took off his jacket that revealed a handgun tucked in his waist band. He looked at me, his smile was replaced by menacing scowl. ‘If you move, I will shoot you.’ He started taking of his belt.

An hour ago, we were singing along to the radio and dreaming of our future. How could I have been so stupid? Why did I never learn to change a tire? I thought about how Lacey’s eyes sparkle when she smiles. I couldn’t let that sparkle be taken away. I had to do something.

I grabbed the tire iron off the dirt and swung as hard as I could. My eyes shut tight, I imagined her up on that stage. Cameras flashing, so many people fighting for her attention. Our eyes meet, her eyes sparkle; I feel complete. I screamed out as the tire iron hit the back of his head. I swung it again, this time blood splattered across Lacey’s cheek. He fell to the ground, a large pool of blood forming a halo around his head.

‘What do we do?!?!’ Lacey cried out repeatedly as I wiped the blood from her face. I held her face in my hands and looked her in the eye.

‘We keep going. We don’t let this define our journey, Lace. Time will pass and this will feel like a bad dream. We choose, that at this exact moment, to start a new beginning. We have to keep going.’ I hoped that my eyes told the story that I needed her to hear.

She hugged me tight, shaking all over. I stroked her hair and held her close, gazing up at the stars. One night ago, we were just a couple of small-town girls with big dreams. In love and looking for adventure. As the glow of the Vegas skyline peaked over the mountain pass, I looked up at the fading stars. The hesitant and meek girl I was yesterday had been replaced by a strong and confident woman. I smiled and hit the gas, speeding towards our future.