Night Drive

Clouds gathered as witnesses. The wind held its breath, stilling the humidity in the air. The garage door to a house rumbled open. A car snailed itself onto the top of the driveway, lights flicked on, waiting for a gap in the traffic. Night traffic wasn’t as busy as day. Soon, the car made a right turn and became one of the red and white lights in the darkness. 

The driver, Cali, sighed inwardly. Her eyes were enveloped in a certain blankness, her arms slightly out of strength. Once the car took her on the highway, she inched her foot on the gas with no hesitation. She wiped her nose, her pale face showing every few seconds under the streetlights. A checked chessboard. A lady of shadows. 

Normally, her husband would’ve grabbed the roof handle by now, but today, he didn’t seem to be bothered by her speed. He slouched in the backseat, without a care in the world, sitting as a silent presence.

Cali felt bitter, her hands tightening on the steering wheel, her ring pressing into her skin. 

“I gave you everything you wanted.” 

Her husband stayed quiet. 

Not taking her eyes off the road, Cali pushed for the radio. “The Time of My Life” began playing, halting Cali’s retreating hand. But soon, it was back on the steering wheel. They used to dance to this in the living room. She used to sing to this in the shower. The songs, the intimacy of the dances, the feeling of youth… He watched the film with her on Friday nights after work, a glass of sherry in hand. 

“You never get bored of this, do you?” He had asked once. The reply was obvious— Cali was never bored of many things. 

Raindrops appeared on the window. Splat, splat, splat… Soon, the sound stabbed the window with more consistency. 

“What else do you want? Tell me.”

Still, no reply. Cali was used to this type of treatment. The cold war. They had it often. More and more often.

“Driving in the night… in the rain…” She muttered with a clenched jaw. “I can’t believe I indulge you in this.”

She heard him shifting in the backseat, but silence reigned soon enough. She could get nothing from him. Not even a breath. She let the song accompany her and contemplated whether she should loosen her fingers and let the steering wheel decide their fate. But the car continued steadily along the road. 

“Do you remember meeting in the rain?” Cali stifled a laugh. “Though, it was less violent than this.”

Thunder cracked in the distance. 

“I was walking Po. I went to shelter myself under the folly up the hill. You scared me when you appeared from behind.”

She waited a beat, then laughed.

“You were drenched. Top to bottom.”

She heard him shuffle behind her. Perhaps uncomforted by the memory. For Cali, the memory was a fonder thing to think about.

“I gave you my jacket. You teased that it should be the other way around in the movies. I said this is not the movies.”

Cali moved her feet to the brakes when a car sped past her, beeping. Cali didn’t muster the usual energy to curse. 

“You had this… casual confidence about you. It was attractive. And your eyes? They were the most ordinary colour, but they were meaningful. They were on me when I talked. They searched for things with warmth.

“I was really glad to see you again a few days later. You had your hands tucked in your pocket and I have to admit, I found some pleasure in seeing you draw them out with a sense of urgency— or nervousness, I’m not sure.

“I lied when I told you I usually walk this way. Ever since I met you that day, I always walked Po to the folly. Hoping to meet you.” 

Cali moved her head to the rhythm of the sax, a strained smile on her face.

“What’s the point in talking about the past? Well, damn you. I don’t think we’re ever going to have a conversation like this again. Just listen to me like you used to.”

Cali indicated and took the exit. She worked her way down a road, the view of lit households faded into thick, looming trees. A flicker of streetlight struck the single tear running down her face, “I truly loved you, Aiden. There were other men. But I loved you like no other option existed.”

Cali wiped her cheeks and turned off her lights. The car moved through the gates like a giant, black hound, invisible in its surroundings.

“People used to come here for tea. I mean…” She shrugged. “I guess I could understand. You loved walks around here.”

Cali slowed the car down and parked it by the curb. She slumped back on the seat, breathing. She tapped the door and sang with a slight quiver, “I’ve… had… the time of my life… And I owe it all to you.”

Her glance flicked to the front, “Old Jenkins is here. I’m going to see him. I’ll be back.”

Cali grabbed the gloves in the cupholders and slipped them on with a surgeon’s precision. She opened the car door with a slow, attentive pull and got out. 

The rain grew smaller, but the night was chilly. She did not bring her jacket, but it didn’t matter. It’ll grow warm soon.

She half-climbed back inside and grabbed the shovel, taking it out with an alarming calmness. She didn’t want it to hit anything in the car. She pushed the door close but so gently it only made a slight click. It was not completely shut. Something reasonable drivers would not tolerate.

She walked down a slightly angled grassland, with stones of granite and marble standing in rows. They watched her pass without a word.

She stopped at a particular spot. A wooden cross indicated a recent burial.

“Jenkins,” Cali said. “Good to see you again. I know you won’t mind. You always complained about loneliness.”

Cali drew her shovel into position and began to dig. The wind hissed by her ears in unsettled whispers. 

Cali kept digging. 

To accompany the breeze, she hummed the song on the radio.

Inside her car, after the many twists and turns of the journey, the corpse flopped completely onto the backseat.