Getting Lei'd

Chapter 3

3

We drive and drive. I try to relax and just enjoy the high-speed ride, but I can’t keep my mind from returning to the fear that Baggy’s driving is going to kill us all. The fact that the woman has never been in an automobile accident (a detail that she loves to remind us of whenever the opportunity arises) is simply shocking. I’m guessing that she has caused an enormous number of fender benders in her wake. She just careens on too quickly to notice.

“Jive Talkin’” by the Bee Gees comes on the radio, and Baggy cranks up the volume. She and Ruthie are singing and bebopping to the catchy tune as if they don’t have a care in the world. I try singing a little and nodding my head to the beat, but I feel silly, so I stop.

A new song starts and Baggy turns the blaring radio down slightly. I use the decreased volume as an excuse to ask again where we are headed, since I don’t know how much longer I can endure the near-constant fear of riding in a car with Baggy at the wheel. If we go too much longer, I’ll probably develop a killer migraine.

“What? I can’t hear you over the banging tunes!” Baggy yells over the still-loud music. I adjust the volume down further and repeat my question.

“We’re cruising,” Baggy answers cryptically.

I consider asking her to pull over so I can get a sweet tea. Even though I don’t really want one, since my stomach is kind of churning, it seems like it would be a good opportunity to change drivers.

In the end, I decide to continue taking my life in my hands. I don’t really feel like taking the wheel, and my sister’s driving isn’t much of an improvement over Baggy’s.

I clear my mind as much as I can under the circumstances, close my eyes, and let the whipping wind wash over me.