Val is hugging her pillow to her chest with an overnight bag in on hand when Penny looks up from the tune ups she’s doing on the van, uncertainty written all over her features. Penny straightens in return, eyeing her girlfriend for a moment before asking, very carefully:
“The trip, or the means of getting there?”
“The means, mostly. I definitely want the trip.” That much is true. She then sighs, slightly exasperated. “Why won’t you just let me orb us there?”
“First of all, it’s not all about the destination – part of it is how you get there.” She then turns back to the van to continue the tweaking she’s doing. “Second of all, while Vegas may be a big walking town, it’s still going to look a little weird if we show up without any means of transportation whatsoever.”
“You think spending hours watching miles and miles of desert go by is an important part of the trip?” Val still seems skeptical and Penny sighs, before placing her wrench to the side and making her way closer to her.
“Do you trust me?”
“Of course I do.”
“Then take a deep breath, and trust me. I’m sure I will absolutely make it worth your while.”
Val takes another exasperated breath, looking over the site of the van for a moment, before looking back to Penny again. “Are you sure the van is going to make it?”
Penny rolls her eyes and pushes Val forward. “Get in the damn car.”
* * * * *
The thing about road trips is that Penny has spent most of her adult life living out of the back of her van. It’s nothing to do with a lack of means – in fact, she and her brother have a great deal of means – she just likes the freedom it gives her, not to be bound to a particular place at any given time. It wasn’t until Val came into her life that she started to value the importance of walls and an apartment.
Just because she started valuing that doesn’t mean she hasn’t missed the road and the freedom it provides. And as soon as they hit the highway on the way from San Francisco to Vegas and the buildings and signs of civilization fell away, it is almost like coming home again. Val, on the other hand, passes out almost as soon as they’re going a consistent speed and doesn’t wake until Penny pulls over for lunch.
“Wake up. I want to show you something.”
There’s a bit of a grumble as her girlfriend rouses, rubbing her eyes and glancing out the window. “Where are we?”
“Middle of nowhere,” Penny replies casually as she reaches back behind them to where the cooler with the food is. “Look.”
Val glances from her to the front window of the car and as she does, her eyes widen some in surprise. “Whoa.”
Rising up ahead of them are a series of red tinted mountains set against a clear blue sky. The rock formations are banded with various shades of red, showing the wear of the world and the majesty of it, all at the same time. Sure, there were tumbleweeds and signs of decay all around them, but there’s still plenty of beauty to go around as well.
“See what I mean?” she says with a smile as she hands her a sandwich. “There’s plenty to see out here.”
Val nods as she takes the food from her, before leaning back in her seat to study it all some more. “I guess there are still things of this world I have yet to appreciate.”
“You’re welcome.”
Val rolls her eyes, before taking a bite of her sandwich. “I still think we should have orbed there.”
“Oh, come on.”
“There’s still no promises that this thing isn’t going to break down on the way there.”
“You wanna bet?”
The terms are too personal to mention here, but safe to say Penny did win – the van didn’t break down on the way to Vegas.
It does, however, break down on the way home, but that’s a story for another time.
i'll never look behind me | charmed | 698 words
Val is hugging her pillow to her chest with an overnight bag in on hand when Penny looks up from the tune ups she’s doing on the van, uncertainty written all over her features. Penny straightens in return, eyeing her girlfriend for a moment before asking, very carefully:
“The trip, or the means of getting there?”
“The means, mostly. I definitely want the trip.” That much is true. She then sighs, slightly exasperated. “Why won’t you just let me orb us there?”
“First of all, it’s not all about the destination – part of it is how you get there.” She then turns back to the van to continue the tweaking she’s doing. “Second of all, while Vegas may be a big walking town, it’s still going to look a little weird if we show up without any means of transportation whatsoever.”
“You think spending hours watching miles and miles of desert go by is an important part of the trip?” Val still seems skeptical and Penny sighs, before placing her wrench to the side and making her way closer to her.
“Do you trust me?”
“Of course I do.”
“Then take a deep breath, and trust me. I’m sure I will absolutely make it worth your while.”
Val takes another exasperated breath, looking over the site of the van for a moment, before looking back to Penny again. “Are you sure the van is going to make it?”
Penny rolls her eyes and pushes Val forward. “Get in the damn car.”
The thing about road trips is that Penny has spent most of her adult life living out of the back of her van. It’s nothing to do with a lack of means – in fact, she and her brother have a great deal of means – she just likes the freedom it gives her, not to be bound to a particular place at any given time. It wasn’t until Val came into her life that she started to value the importance of walls and an apartment.
Just because she started valuing that doesn’t mean she hasn’t missed the road and the freedom it provides. And as soon as they hit the highway on the way from San Francisco to Vegas and the buildings and signs of civilization fell away, it is almost like coming home again. Val, on the other hand, passes out almost as soon as they’re going a consistent speed and doesn’t wake until Penny pulls over for lunch.
“Wake up. I want to show you something.”
There’s a bit of a grumble as her girlfriend rouses, rubbing her eyes and glancing out the window. “Where are we?”
“Middle of nowhere,” Penny replies casually as she reaches back behind them to where the cooler with the food is. “Look.”
Val glances from her to the front window of the car and as she does, her eyes widen some in surprise. “Whoa.”
Rising up ahead of them are a series of red tinted mountains set against a clear blue sky. The rock formations are banded with various shades of red, showing the wear of the world and the majesty of it, all at the same time. Sure, there were tumbleweeds and signs of decay all around them, but there’s still plenty of beauty to go around as well.
“See what I mean?” she says with a smile as she hands her a sandwich. “There’s plenty to see out here.”
Val nods as she takes the food from her, before leaning back in her seat to study it all some more. “I guess there are still things of this world I have yet to appreciate.”
“You’re welcome.”
Val rolls her eyes, before taking a bite of her sandwich. “I still think we should have orbed there.”
“Oh, come on.”
“There’s still no promises that this thing isn’t going to break down on the way there.”
“You wanna bet?”
The terms are too personal to mention here, but safe to say Penny did win – the van didn’t break down on the way to Vegas.
It does, however, break down on the way home, but that’s a story for another time.