the start of my novel
Birds of Vegas
Chapter 1
“The Spark”
She never felt freedom like the day she flew away. Blazing in a mix of tanning lotion and studded sunglasses down a black asphalt highway. The engine of his sports car roared and rattled under the high sun. She knew she was heading west even before he told her. The t tops of his car sat in the dust of the garage back home, behind the old refrigerator. The open topped car, two small duffle bags in the trunk and loud music blaring made the two quite the adventurers. Even with the oddly large sunglasses that they wore, they had to squint to see into the horizon they raced toward.
She was a city girl, no doubt. Although she was raised in the suburbs of Chicago, she so struggled to be the big city girl she so desired to be. She jumped a train to the city every chance she got, leaving the gated neighborhoods and shopping malls behind her. In the city, she could sit on the black iron benches of any park, writing for hours. She liked to watch the pigeons because you could always count on pigeons being there. They never flew away in the winter like the geese and they were plentiful, unlike the rare, exotic parrots she saw during spring break trips with her family. She always admired the way they weren’t afraid of anyone. Not even the hot dog venders who threw water at them when they herded around a fallen hot dog bun.
However, within the clutches of her parents and the conformities of her high school, it was a stretch to call her a city girl.
Her life before that drive had been narrow and structured. Good grades, stable home and always in by curfew. She was what every mother is proud of and every father could tell his business partners about. But she was sick of that life, the normality. That’s why he was so perfect for her, she thought. He was everything she wanted in her life. The day she met him, the motivation to fly away sparked.
He was a Texas boy. Raised in Dallas, fled to Vegas and some how ended up just outside of Chicago. His parents were just about as crazy as hers and had made him into an emotional wrecking ball. He bottled it inside and never told his story. Until she forced him. She forced her way into his heart and into his mind. That’s mainly why he stayed with her. She was the best and worst thing to happen to him in a long time. Although things weren’t always easy, he made something of himself at his family business and managed to get by just fine. He was only 20 with a long life ahead of him. He had her. She was in love. He still just loved his cake.
They were together for nearly a year at that time. He was three years her senior. It was no matter, most of the time. Considering the circumstances of both of their vastly different young adulthoods, they were surprisingly strong together, despite being complete opposites. She was overly emotional and he hid deep inside of the lobster shell heart. She was loud and out spoken, always voicing her opinion; while he was shyer and more passive when it came to an attack. Her wild and vexatious blonde curls contrasted her deep tan and strawberry glossed lips. The fiery green-gold eyes seemed to penetrate even the hardest of souls. It was obvious she could see more than just anyone. He liked the way her eyes were always searching. She hated it. She stood very tall for a woman, always in heels. She used to say, “If I’m taller than everyone anyways, I might as well be even taller…” She was glamorous and fabulous, clad in furs and designer clothes, but only a touch of make up, highly unnatural for her type. He had olive skin and thick, black hair. His eyes were nearly as black as his hair. She always teased him about the dense forest of hair which grew on his arms and legs. Far more conservative than she, he was not a fan of shopping, but when Christmas came around, you can be sure that she gave him the classiest clothing she could find. And he wore the pink pinstriped shirt she bought and the jeans that cost more than most of his clothing combined. To please her, he claimed. Secretly, he liked it, too.
They barely ever got along. In fact, they fought nearly everyday. But they had one thing that mattered most in common. They were crazy about each other. The more crazy the made each other, the closer they became.
Then life became too much for both of them.
So, the day after her high school graduation, they flew away.
Just like the geese she watched in the sky, flying south in the winter. They had to fly away.
Chapter 1
“The Spark”
She never felt freedom like the day she flew away. Blazing in a mix of tanning lotion and studded sunglasses down a black asphalt highway. The engine of his sports car roared and rattled under the high sun. She knew she was heading west even before he told her. The t tops of his car sat in the dust of the garage back home, behind the old refrigerator. The open topped car, two small duffle bags in the trunk and loud music blaring made the two quite the adventurers. Even with the oddly large sunglasses that they wore, they had to squint to see into the horizon they raced toward.
She was a city girl, no doubt. Although she was raised in the suburbs of Chicago, she so struggled to be the big city girl she so desired to be. She jumped a train to the city every chance she got, leaving the gated neighborhoods and shopping malls behind her. In the city, she could sit on the black iron benches of any park, writing for hours. She liked to watch the pigeons because you could always count on pigeons being there. They never flew away in the winter like the geese and they were plentiful, unlike the rare, exotic parrots she saw during spring break trips with her family. She always admired the way they weren’t afraid of anyone. Not even the hot dog venders who threw water at them when they herded around a fallen hot dog bun.
However, within the clutches of her parents and the conformities of her high school, it was a stretch to call her a city girl.
Her life before that drive had been narrow and structured. Good grades, stable home and always in by curfew. She was what every mother is proud of and every father could tell his business partners about. But she was sick of that life, the normality. That’s why he was so perfect for her, she thought. He was everything she wanted in her life. The day she met him, the motivation to fly away sparked.
He was a Texas boy. Raised in Dallas, fled to Vegas and some how ended up just outside of Chicago. His parents were just about as crazy as hers and had made him into an emotional wrecking ball. He bottled it inside and never told his story. Until she forced him. She forced her way into his heart and into his mind. That’s mainly why he stayed with her. She was the best and worst thing to happen to him in a long time. Although things weren’t always easy, he made something of himself at his family business and managed to get by just fine. He was only 20 with a long life ahead of him. He had her. She was in love. He still just loved his cake.
They were together for nearly a year at that time. He was three years her senior. It was no matter, most of the time. Considering the circumstances of both of their vastly different young adulthoods, they were surprisingly strong together, despite being complete opposites. She was overly emotional and he hid deep inside of the lobster shell heart. She was loud and out spoken, always voicing her opinion; while he was shyer and more passive when it came to an attack. Her wild and vexatious blonde curls contrasted her deep tan and strawberry glossed lips. The fiery green-gold eyes seemed to penetrate even the hardest of souls. It was obvious she could see more than just anyone. He liked the way her eyes were always searching. She hated it. She stood very tall for a woman, always in heels. She used to say, “If I’m taller than everyone anyways, I might as well be even taller…” She was glamorous and fabulous, clad in furs and designer clothes, but only a touch of make up, highly unnatural for her type. He had olive skin and thick, black hair. His eyes were nearly as black as his hair. She always teased him about the dense forest of hair which grew on his arms and legs. Far more conservative than she, he was not a fan of shopping, but when Christmas came around, you can be sure that she gave him the classiest clothing she could find. And he wore the pink pinstriped shirt she bought and the jeans that cost more than most of his clothing combined. To please her, he claimed. Secretly, he liked it, too.
They barely ever got along. In fact, they fought nearly everyday. But they had one thing that mattered most in common. They were crazy about each other. The more crazy the made each other, the closer they became.
Then life became too much for both of them.
So, the day after her high school graduation, they flew away.
Just like the geese she watched in the sky, flying south in the winter. They had to fly away.