ON THE ROAD
“Apurale, Gustavo. Ya vamos tarde.”
It’s still dark when I wake up. I check my glow in the dark watch. The neon green says 4:42am.
I packed the night before knowing I’d be gone all summer. My dad is already loading up the last of the maletas in our van. It’s big and black, and has nice teal stripes on the sides. He paid extra to have some guy put a TV in it. It doesn't work too well but I packed Shanghai Noon anyway, we always watch movies with my primos. One last look in my room, see you soon. My mom is helping my sister, I always carry my own things.
I hop into the van, double check: Gameboy, pat my pocket, yep. CD player, pat my front backpack pocket, yep. I bought a 16 pack of AA batteries. I’ve been on these trips before, I know how many batteries I need. As I see my dad lock up our home, I snuggle a blanket into a ball so I could rest my head against the window. Our house is really close to the expressway, in a couple of hours the city lights will become dark and the sun will rise on the cornfield horizon. I’ll… yawwwwwwwn… just… ahhhh… take… a quick…
I really like the cornfields.
The rows and patterns look neat. My Papi Tirso is a farmer. I think he farms corn or beans. There’s not a lot of cars anymore and the roads are skinnier. Just corn and fields and barns and cows. It’s really fun being with cows and chickens and cats and dogs.
My dad grew up with a lot of barn animals. I only remember pigs, chickens, sheep and cows. He says they used to have horses too. But these barns are different. I like that these are made of wood. The faded blue colors look like they’re really old. It’ll be a lot of farms for a while now.
I got good grades and my dad bought me a Gameboy Color. You have to hold it in the shadows so you can see the screen clearly. It’s an adventure game where you explore the world and collect many different creatures. The more you collect the better chance you have of beating the game. I haven’t got to the master level but I will by the time we come back.
We’re not in farms anymore, we’re in another city.
We crossed this really cool bridge over the biggest river I’ve ever seen. Your momma soooooo fat she asked for a water bed and they put a blanket over the MISSISSIPPI river. I remember learning that in school. Why are kids mean to each other? M-I-S-S-I-S-S-I-P-P-I. It’s so big it’s kinda scary to drive over it. They seem so powerful. What if we fall? What's holding up this bridge?
It’s 9:31 AM. I’m starting to get hungry. Hopefully, we drive to McDonalds or go to a gas station. AMOCO is the one I see most. I thought fire was supposed to stay away from gasoline? Anyway, I also like going inside gas stations. They’re all different. I like seeing all the different flags and keychains. Plus I always sneak in good snacks when my dad fills up the gas tank. Gatorade, cupcakes, Snickers, Twix, Milky Way, Sour Patch Kids—except those cut my mouth after I’ve had a few. The gas station people are all friendly, they all smile.
The gas stations now have a T with a white star. That's when I know I’m in Texas.
There’s also a lot of W Burger. My tia lives in Dallas. Sometimes we visit her, but this time we’re not. My dad just wants to get there already. He’s been driving this whole time.
In Dallas, the expressways swirl and twirl above you like the cars are flying. They also have a neon green skyscraper that’s pretty cool. There’s also a ball building with lights, it’s kind of weird.
It’s 6:23PM. Doesn’t feel like a long time when you take naps. We have to get off to get food at Walmart. A lot of people look like cowboys. I like cowboys. Their hats, their bandanas, their vests, their horses. I like the football team too. There’s a lot of football stuff here. It sounds funny when the people say “Howdy” and “Ya’ll”.
My dad has everything he needs. I saw a Space Jam CD, and I’ve been holding it. I love the movie. I don’t ask my dad for things because he gets mad. But sometimes if I hold it until he's paying he’ll buy it for me. I wonder what kid of music it has.
“Cuanto cuesta.”
“Quince dolares, pa. Por favor.”
Usually silence means approval.
“Para que te entretengas hasta que lleguemos a Laredo.”
My dad’s the best.