Down Memory Lane

Kari Michaels just quit her job. Again. Mel would be here any moment and Kari dreaded revealing the news to her older sister. If Mel knew, she’d never agree to their road trip and Kari needed this trip.

             Their plans had been in the books for eight months, since their mother’s funeral. Kathy’s dying wish was for her daughters to reconcile and visit their favorite vacation spot from when they were children and still best friends.

             Kari had her doubts about the reconciling part, Mel always seemed so disappointed in her. If she added the little tidbit about quitting her job, Mel would feel justified in her opinion. According to Mel, Kari did not live up to her potential, but how could she live up to a sister who made all the right choices and wasn’t afraid to point that out?

             Kari put her bag in the hatchback of her car and looked at the time. It was unlike Mel to be late. Moments later, Mel pulled up in her sporty SUV with her long blonde hair all blown out and her make-up perfectly applied.

             “You’re late,” Kari couldn’t resist pointing out.

             Mel just shook her head and didn’t take the bait. 

             “I’m here now,” she said, looking as if her mind were elsewhere.

             They had agreed to take Kari’s little Toyota because it was so much better on gas mileage, so Mel put in her two large suitcases, which sat next to Kari’s one overnight bag. Melissa Michaels was high maintenance whereas Kari tended to be make-up free and down to earth. They were like oil and water – the two sisters, but it hadn’t always been that way. When they were kids, they’d been best friends, preferring each other’s company over their friends.

             It wasn’t until their teen years that they began to drift apart. It was about the time Mel had met Greg, who she later married. That summer her sister had changed. Mel hadn’t always tried to be perfect. Kari could recall her sister’s infectious laughter and adventurous spirit. Kari missed her.

             “I’ll drive first,” Kari said, getting in.

             “Sure,” Mel responded without an argument. Normally Mel liked to be in control and in charge.

             “Should we get Slurpee’s for the road?” Kari half joked, remembering how their mother always began their trip with Slurpee’s.

             “Let’s do it,” Mel smiled, which was the last response Kari expected.

             What was up with her sister?

             They hit the convenience store and came out smiling, with their large drinks. Maybe this trip would be better than she thought.

             “Remember when that guy cut off mom and she got so mad she threw her Slurpee on his pristine white car?” Kari recalled.

             “And then he chased us for a few miles before Mom lost him,” Mel added, laughing.

             “Mom always had such road rage,” said Kari, taking a large gulp of her cherry cola Slurpee.

             “We were lucky,” Mel pointed out. “I don’t think I’d do that nowadays. People are likely to have guns.”

             “Yeah, but it was fun then, when we didn’t know any better.”

             They got on the beltway heading south, each content with their own thoughts, as Kari maneuvered around the busy traffic.

             “I brought some of Mom’s Cd’s,” Mel said, taking them out of her large designer handbag.

             “Whatcha got?” Kari wondered, surprised by her sister’s sentimentality.

             “Neil Diamond, Elton John and the Eagles,” she held up the albums.

             “Oh, Mom loved Neil the most,” Kari said, unused to going down memory lane with Mel, who always seemed to be looking forward.

             “Neil it is,” Mel said, sliding in the Cd. Neil Diamond’s deep, sultry voice crooned through the speakers.

             Kari was immediately hit with nostalgia. It felt like having their mom in the car with them.  Kari blinked away her tears, not wanting Mel to see her so vulnerable, but Mel was looking out the passenger window, deep in thought.

             Had Mom been right? Could this trip bring them back together again? For the first time in years, Kari felt hopeful.

             The traffic made the Outer Banks feel so far away, but Kari couldn’t wait to dip her toes in the sand and explore the little cottage they used to stay in. Would it be the same?

             Melissa cracked her window and let the warm, summer air blow her beautifully styled hair into a mess. Kari couldn’t recall ever seeing her sister so relaxed.

             “So how have things been?” she asked, sensing a change in her.

             “Fine,” Mel answered, distractedly. She turned up the volume, virtually cutting off further conversation. 

             This puzzled Kari even more. Mel loved to talk about her perfect job and her perfect life. She wasn’t usually this closed mouth. Most of her conversations revolved around Greg, but so far, she hadn’t mentioned her husband once.

             Kari let the songs and the memories flood her as the traffic let up. 

             “I have to pee,” Mel spoke up after a while. 

             “Me too,” Kari laughed. “I think there’s a rest stop coming up soon.”

             “Remember how Mom always made our stops a game?”

             “To see who could be done the fastest,” Kari recalled.

             “It wasn’t until years later that I realized she hated taking the time to stop. She wanted to keep going,” Mel said.

             “Then why did she ever give two kids Slurpee’s at the beginning of the trip,” Kari laughed, pulling into the rest stop.

             “I don’t know,” Mel laughed too. “Who could figure Mom out?”

             When Kari was finished, she checked out the vending machines, wanting something to munch on. 

             “Beat you,” Mel teased, leaning against the car. “What took you so long?”

             Kari held up her bag of chips.

             “Aw, you’d better share,” Mel whined, trying to snatch the bag.

             “Maybe,” Kari said, holding the bag away from her sister. This trip was going better than she had thought. 

             As they got back on the highway, Kari sensed a camaraderie with Mel, as they shared the snack. 

             “How was Greg taking it being on his own for the week?” Kari asked, as she stuffed a chip in her mouth. Her brother-in-law was a control freak, and always seemed to like Mel waiting on him. 

             Mel just shrugged her shoulders like she could care less. Now Kari knew something was up. Normally Melissa worshipped the ground he walked on. It had been that way since high school when the popular jock had first taken notice of her.

             Kari didn’t want to push her sister for more details. She didn’t want to disrupt the peaceful mood they were in, so she changed the subject.

             “How about the Eagles?” Kari asked, after Neil Diamond had played through.

             “Sure,” Mel said, changing the Cd.

             After a while, Mel turned to Kari. “He wants a baby,” she said, looking so vulnerable and unsure of herself. There were worry lines around her sister’s perfect features.

             “And you don’t?” Kari asked, shocked. “I thought you wanted a baby.”

             There was a long pause before her sister answered in a soft voice.   “Not with him.”

             “What?!” Kari almost shouted. She was dumbstruck. “What’s going on, Mel?” she asked, now clearly worried.

             Mel let out a nervous laugh. “My life is a mess,” she confided. “I’ve made so many mistakes,” she sighed, looking like she was about to cry.

             “Melly, what’s going on?” Kari asked, reverting to her sister’s childhood nickname.

             “I wouldn’t know where to begin,” she admitted. “High school? I should never have married Greg. Or let him talk me into changing colleges to be near him. I don’t know who I am anymore. I don’t know who I am without him?”

             “You’re still my beautiful, adventurous, smart sister,” Kari told her.

             “I haven’t been a very good sister in a long, long time,” she sighed, again. “And I’m sorry.”

             “Well, we’ve both lost track of things,” Kari conceded. “But that’s what this trip is for, right? To get back on track?”

             “Yes, it’s what I want,” Mel answered.

             “Me too,” Kari said, glancing at her sister.

             “I hope it’s not too late?” Mel asked. “I’ve pushed you aside for so long.”

             “It’s never too late,” Kari stated with assurance. “Plus, it makes what I have to tell you seem small potatoes.”

             “What?! What’s going on with you?”

             “I quit my job again,” Kari admitted, waiting for the other shoe to drop. Waiting for her sister’s caustic remarks.

             “Well good,” Mel said, instead. “You can do better. They didn’t appreciate your talent,” she said, with certainty.

             “Who are you? And where is my sister?” Kari joked.

             “I’m so sorry, I always made you feel like you weren’t doing enough,” Mel confessed. “You’ve stayed true to yourself all these years. Where I’ve let someone else dictate my life. I’m the last person who should be giving advice.”

             “What are you going to do, Mel?” Kari asked.

             “I’m leaving him,” she said, with tears in her eyes. “I should have done it a long time ago. I think when Dad left, I just wanted someone else to take over, so I gave Greg full range. Isn’t that awful?” she said, disgusted with herself.

             “We were just trying to survive back then,” Kari pointed out. “We all handled the divorce in different ways.”

             “I suppose you’re right. But now we can make up for lost time,” Mel told her.

             “And this is just the beginning of our vacation. We have all week.”

             “We have all our lives,” Mel corrected her. And they did.