The First Hour

December 25, 2009

We are at a Best Western in Albuquerque. We finally have internet (and Food Network!!!) Merry Christmas. Expect many updates while we can.

Orion packing the Prius, before the exits

Hour One

Jenny is following Orion down rainy 280 in her red nail polish Prius (chosen for it’s color) to help drop Orion’s car off at his Aunt’s house. Orion mentioned earlier that they would need to take 101/580/680 (at the time it all made sense somehow) to get to his Aunt’s house in Milpitas. Jenny, who hates following and being followed for that matter, wonders why Orion passes the 101/380 turn off as he would need it to get to any of the aforementioned freeways. She tells herself to trust Orion and that he must know the way, after all, he’s been there before. She knows she’s about to go on the longest car trip of her life with that man in the bumper stickered Toyota Tercel in front of her. For their sake, she’ll have to learn zip her lips and temporarily lose the key.

5 minutes past 101/380 and nothing.

10 minutes past 101/380 and nothing.

Jenny starts to stew. “Calm down” she tells herself, “Don’t be a bitch. Don’t pick up the phone. It’s illegal to talk and drive anyway.”

15 minutes past 101/380, still nothing.

“Fuck this shit” she says as she picks up her phone and hits the “Boyfriend” contact. Of course, he doesn’t pick up. It goes to voicemail, “Clickity Clack, Clickity Clack, Howdy Partner, This is Orion blah, blah, blah…”

She waits the requisite minute and hits that “Boyfriend” contact again. The rain clouds part as he answers. Jenny tries so hard to be nice sometimes. Usually those are the times when she should lay it all out there unafraid of hurting feelings because you know what, she’s smart and to put it nicely, he makes mistakes. She simply could not indulge this one any longer. She uses her best special ed teacher voice and gently asks him if they are going the right way. She reminds him of the 101/580/680 comment he made earlier, hoping this will give him the bolt of brains he needs to get them back on track.

He doesn’t bite. He reassures her they are going the right way. “Montague Expressway” he says, “We just need to look for Montague Expressway.” Oh, she’s been looking alright…

5-10-15 minutes go by. By now, she’s screaming in her car. Pounding the steering wheel with angry little fists. If he knew the names she was calling him, he’d be smart to cancel the trip. This is reason she asked him earlier for an address. She has technology on her side—an iphone, a GPS, and an internal compass that knows when something isn’t right. All she needed was an address. She’d just plug that shit in and be there. Jenny adores Orion because he doesn’t need those things. She thinks its sweet in an irresponsible way. She wants a little of that to rub off on her, but this is not the time.

A phone call. Bruce Springsteen singing “For You.” Orion is lucky to be tied to Bruce with a ringtone. The happy association probably makes Jenny feel a little nicer toward Orion. It’s like he has a Bruce shield protecting him from her missed exit wrath. Orion tells her they missed the 101 exit.

Eye roll. Ughhhh. Duh. Another eye roll. She tells him she knows. She called him earlier about that. Ohhhhhhhhh. He gets it. He finally gets it. They each pull off the freeway into a residential section of Sunnyvale. He gets out of his car. She refuses to leave hers. An address. She needs an address. Orion can get lost as much as he wants, but Jenny will not. He calls his Aunt. It wasn’t so hard. She programs her technology. They meet again. At the right place. Christmas cookies and banana bread in hand, he climbs into the Prius.

680 N to 580 E to 5 S. They are finally on their way.

Orion during.

Jenny after.