Drive Me into the Sunset

Drive Me into the Sunset

April Thornton pulls a dress from her closet and holds it up next to her. She frowns and hangs it up. April is a tall, auburn hair beauty with green eyes. She just received a meeting with a powerful producer in Hollywood for her script. She dances with glee with another dress. The break arrived in the form of her agent four days ago.

She sticks her head out her Manhattan apartment and shouts,” I am awesome.” Her long hair she shakes and holds an air microphone and sings. The night is long as April can’t sleep from the thrill in her heart. She glances at the clock and sees 5 am and she jumps up and showers and prepares for work.

April steps off the elevator at Speck and Johnson advertising where she works. The other staff greet her. She enters her office and hears a voice behind her. She hesitates turning for Kyle Peeks stands in her door. He is handsome and bold, yet not April's type. “Hi, Kyle I need to get busy.” He smiles.

“I was wondering can we go for a couple of drinks to celebrate your meeting.” She sighs and peers at him. He’s handsome she knows, but he carries too much baggage for her. She swipes a few files up into her hands and moves towards him.

“That’s sweet of you Kyle, but I am weighed down with work till late tonight. Kyle is disappointed. “I need to tell you I don’t need a relationship now for my life is complicated. He turns to go. She starts out behind him. He stops suddenly. She runs into him. The files slam to the floor.

“I am sorry.”

“It’s my fault,” he chimes as he bends to pick the papers up for her. He gathers them and places them neatly into her hands. April’s eyes dance around the room as anger rises in her. “Let me make it up to you and drive you to the airport.” She starts to respond. “I really would like to give you a ride.”

“I plan to grab a taxi as I can’t miss this flight.”

“You won’t miss it for I will be on time to get you.”

She pauses and thinks a few moments. “OK, be at my apartment at 6:45, no later.”  He smiles wide at her.

“At your service Miss Thornton.” He turns and dances out the door.

April dresses and applies a touch of makeup. She rushes through her apartment and grabs her script from her desk and throws it in a large handbag. Her suitcase is by her front door. Her cell rings and Kyle tells her he’s waiting downstairs in the car. She grabs her suitcase and out the door she goes.

Kyle grabs her suitcase as she darts out the apartment building. They hop into his car and take off. Kyle maneuvers through traffic. Sometimes it’s slow and then at times a pocket breaks open and he can speed up. April sings to herself. Her cell rings.

“Hello, yes I am on my way to the airport. “ “Yes, yes, I am excited. Soon I’ll have my name roll through the credits of my movie.” She laughs. “Yes, when I arrive I’ll give you a call.” She ends the call.

“That was my agent, Cindy. My heart beats with a wild call to movie history. She sings loud. Kyle watches her and his heart is sick. He wants her to be his girlfriend. He joins her in the song. They ride with exuberance. The traffic opens and he drive onto interstate 678. He races along with other traffic.

“You’re a star in the making.” She glances at him. A popping noise emanates from the engine. They listen and it pops louder. The engine light comes on and April screams.

“What’s the matter with your car?

“I don’t know.” He searches for a place to pull over.

“I shouldn’t have listened to you as now I will miss my plane.” What are you going to Kyle?”

“I need to get off the highway.” He slows as vehicles shoot past him. He finds a grassy area and slows and pulls off to get to it. The wind from the flying cars rock his vehicle. He stops on the grass and the car sputters and dies.

He opens his door. “Why did I listen to you as you ruined my life?” He peers at her with sad eyes.

“I am sorry I wanted to help you. I also wanted to be near you. “She slaps him on the arm.

“Mr. be assured I never want to lay my eyes upon you again.” She glares at him. “I’ve lost a movie deal, and probably my agent because you wanted to be near me.” She slaps him again, “

Kyle slips out of the car and raises the hood. He finds a hose blown off the radiator. He sighs. He pulls his cell phone out and calls a parts house. He talks them with for a few minutes and gets back in the car.

“Did you fix it?” She cuts him apart with her eyes.

“No.”

“No, what do you mean no?” she fumes and slaps at him again. He catches her hand and stares at her.

“You can’t be hitting me.” “I need a new hose for the radiator and it will take a couple of hours to get one.”

April screams and snatches her door open. “I hate you, but once I liked you, now I hate you.”

She pushes out and stands and her slacks are wrinkled. She marches to the edge of the highway and sticks out her thumb. Kyle sits in the car sad, and he watches her.

In a few minutes a pickup truck stops. She glances inside and rough, strange man peers back at her.

“The man ogles her. “You need a ride darling? April backs away shaking her head. She whips around and rushes back to the car. The man drives off.

“I called a taxi and Uber and it will be way over an hour to catch a ride.” She laughs hysterical and slaps his dash.

“Since a little girl I wanted to write scripts and see my movies on screen. I worked hard and wrote this script and rewrote many times. It was optioned and sold and now my dream is gone.” Kyle rubs his face. April hops out and paces through the grass. She drops to the ground under a tree and sulks.

Two hours later a truck pulls up and it’s the man with the part. Kyle greets him and the man offers to put it on. He does and fills it with coolant and Kyle pays him and the man leaves. Kyle ambles over to April. She ignores him. Her cell rings and she answers it and listens.

No, no, no, my God. She gets off the cell and trembles and cries. Kyle steps up to her and she leaps into his arms and weeps. She cries and drowns his shirt with tears.

I am sorry, I am sorry Kyle, I am sorry for hating you.”

“What’s the matter?” She glances into his eyes and her expression pleads with him.

“Forgive me.” “That was Cindy and she was worried I got on the plane. It went down in the mountains and all are presumed dead.” Kyle hugs her as she cries.

“You desire for me and the car breaking down saved my life.”

“I don’t know what to say.”

“You have me here just hold me.”

They hug for a long time. “What do you want to do now, go home?”

She kisses him on the cheek. “No Kyle, no, I want you to drive me into the sunset as I am alive.”