Lightweight
"Becky!"
Rebecca lifted her eyelids slightly. The speedometer read 90. The clock read 6:30.
"Becky! Wake up a minute."
"No. I told you- I get to sleep until El Paso." Rebecca squeezed her eyes shut and rolled away from Tiffany. The seat belt caught against her throat.
"Becky! Will you look at this?"
"Tiffany. I've seen the sunrise before." She reached up and tucked the seat belt under her shoulder.
"Shithead! Will you look already?"
Rebecca sat up and grimaced. "What?"
"Just look!" Tiffany was leaned forward over the wheel, scanning across the horizon.
Rebecca turned. The desert was steeped in shadow. The sky was dark purple clouds. Except for the power lines, the world was flat and empty.
"Tiffany, I'm going back to sleep."
"No! Just wait for it."
Rebecca looked out the windshield. A thin sliver of sunlight outlined distant mountains. The sky above was a progression from black to blue, but the clouds overhead were advancing towards the dawn. Rebecca sighed.
"This is just--" She stopped. Lightning flashed, connecting Earth and sky. The world was lit like day. Thunder rumbled low and Rebecca could feel it shake in her bely. She blinked as the afterimage faded from her vision.
It was dark again.
Tiffany pointed. "There! Did you see it?" She turned and smiled wide.
Rebecca yawned. "Very nice," she said without enthusiasm. "Remember that summer when you got lost in the woods?"
"I do."
"Remember how my friends spent two hours searching for you?"
"What about it?"
"Well-- Jesus!" Rebecca put both hands on the dashboard. "Will get in your lane?" The car lurched.
"Up there. Watch. Watch." Tiffany pointed. Rebecca looked. One of the dark clouds appeared to glow from within as lightning arced back and forth through it. The sky flickered. The car veered off the road.
"Get in your fucking lane."
Tiffany glanced at Rebecca and shook her head. Her eyes and the car returned to the road. "It's amazing. Lightning all around, but no rain."
"Oh, it's coming."
"It's going to be beautiful."
"Just stay in your lane."
"There's no one around us."
"Stay in your lane. Do you want me to take the wheel?"
Tiffany ignored her. She watched as more lightning zig-zagged on the horizon. "What were you going to say about that camping trip?"
Rebecca sighed. "Nah. Forget it."
"No. What is it?"
"Forget it. Do we have any bagels left in the bag?"
"Were you going to tell me not to get in trouble? Were we going to have a big sister - little sister moment?" She grinned at Rebecca.
Rebecca turned away and looked out the window. Distant sheets of rain fell from the clouds, moving in their direction. "I was going to tell you not to fuck up college."
"Aww. I'm going to miss you, Becky."
Rebecca was silent. She chewed on her lip. She was thinking about their mother. Mom didn't get up and down stairs too well any more. She cried and cried when Tiffany said goodbye, pressed her big frame against Tiffany's lithe body.
"Hey, remember how you didn't put the crossbeam through the right holes and the tent collapsed in the night?"
Rain pelted the car. Tiffany turned on the wipers.
Rebecca lifted her eyelids slightly. The speedometer read 90. The clock read 6:30.
"Becky! Wake up a minute."
"No. I told you- I get to sleep until El Paso." Rebecca squeezed her eyes shut and rolled away from Tiffany. The seat belt caught against her throat.
"Becky! Will you look at this?"
"Tiffany. I've seen the sunrise before." She reached up and tucked the seat belt under her shoulder.
"Shithead! Will you look already?"
Rebecca sat up and grimaced. "What?"
"Just look!" Tiffany was leaned forward over the wheel, scanning across the horizon.
Rebecca turned. The desert was steeped in shadow. The sky was dark purple clouds. Except for the power lines, the world was flat and empty.
"Tiffany, I'm going back to sleep."
"No! Just wait for it."
Rebecca looked out the windshield. A thin sliver of sunlight outlined distant mountains. The sky above was a progression from black to blue, but the clouds overhead were advancing towards the dawn. Rebecca sighed.
"This is just--" She stopped. Lightning flashed, connecting Earth and sky. The world was lit like day. Thunder rumbled low and Rebecca could feel it shake in her bely. She blinked as the afterimage faded from her vision.
It was dark again.
Tiffany pointed. "There! Did you see it?" She turned and smiled wide.
Rebecca yawned. "Very nice," she said without enthusiasm. "Remember that summer when you got lost in the woods?"
"I do."
"Remember how my friends spent two hours searching for you?"
"What about it?"
"Well-- Jesus!" Rebecca put both hands on the dashboard. "Will get in your lane?" The car lurched.
"Up there. Watch. Watch." Tiffany pointed. Rebecca looked. One of the dark clouds appeared to glow from within as lightning arced back and forth through it. The sky flickered. The car veered off the road.
"Get in your fucking lane."
Tiffany glanced at Rebecca and shook her head. Her eyes and the car returned to the road. "It's amazing. Lightning all around, but no rain."
"Oh, it's coming."
"It's going to be beautiful."
"Just stay in your lane."
"There's no one around us."
"Stay in your lane. Do you want me to take the wheel?"
Tiffany ignored her. She watched as more lightning zig-zagged on the horizon. "What were you going to say about that camping trip?"
Rebecca sighed. "Nah. Forget it."
"No. What is it?"
"Forget it. Do we have any bagels left in the bag?"
"Were you going to tell me not to get in trouble? Were we going to have a big sister - little sister moment?" She grinned at Rebecca.
Rebecca turned away and looked out the window. Distant sheets of rain fell from the clouds, moving in their direction. "I was going to tell you not to fuck up college."
"Aww. I'm going to miss you, Becky."
Rebecca was silent. She chewed on her lip. She was thinking about their mother. Mom didn't get up and down stairs too well any more. She cried and cried when Tiffany said goodbye, pressed her big frame against Tiffany's lithe body.
"Hey, remember how you didn't put the crossbeam through the right holes and the tent collapsed in the night?"
Rain pelted the car. Tiffany turned on the wipers.