[cl] 32. Road trip
[Set in Shelter. feel_theburn, momslittlethief, gramslilpicasso, and dads_lilhacker are all used with permission and love.]
It was quiet.
Too quiet.
It had been quiet ever since they crossed over the state border. There had been a dispute earlier in the day about who’s turn it was to choose what CD to play, and the three Westen children in the back seat were looking very put out about it as they continued the drive back to Miami to visit their grandmother. Cole was squished in the middle between his two sisters and they had a tendency to overrule him more often than not. After the latest argument, however, there was a strong order to be quiet and a promise to let their father sleep-at least until they managed to get through South Carolina. For the most part, they had done as they were told, but it still didn’t make the silence any less disturbing.
Sara-Rose was sketching as best she could in a moving car, Cole was sitting between them with a video game, and Lizzie was curled up on her corner, reading a book. They were both quiet for a long time, before Lizzie started humming under her breathe.
“What’s the matter with the clothes I’m wearin’ … ”
There was a moment, before Sara-Rose hummed with her, not even looking up from her notebook. “Can’t you tell that your tie’s too wide.”
Bela watched through the rearview mirror as Cole looked up, glanced between his sisters, then sighed and went back to his game. There was some more quiet, before Lizzie spoke up again.
“Maybe I should buy some old tab collars.”
“Welcome back to the age of jive.”
“Mom.”
Bela sighed, before looking over at her daughters through the rearview mirror. “Girls, we said there’d be quiet.”
The girls rolled their eyes, but fell silent again. For … about five minutes.
“Where have you been hiding out lately honey.”
“Can’t dress trash until you spend a lot of money.
“Everybody’s talkin’ ‘bout the new sound funny but it’s still rock ‘n’ roll to me.”
“MOM!”
“Girls-”
“Oooooh, it doesn’t matter what they say in the papers, cuz it’s always been the same old scene.”
“There’s a new band in town but you can’t get the sound from a story in a magazine-aimed at your average team.”
“Budda-buh-budda-buh-budda-buh-budda-buh-bah!”
The song was now starting to get synchronized dance moves thrown in and Cole was starting to hide in the seat a bit. Bela knew exactly what her daughters were doing, but Cole hadn’t lashed out violently yet nor had they disturbed their father, so she just let them be for now.
“How about a pair of pink side winders and a bright orange pair of pants.”
“You could really be a Beau Brummel baby if you just gave ‘em half a chance.”
“Don’t waste your money on a new set of speakers, you’ll get more mileage from a cheap pair of sneakers.”
“It’s the next day, new wave dance craze anyway, it’s still rock ‘n’ roll to me!”
Lizzie gave her brother a grin, before leaning in closer. “Do we need to go into the drum solo? Because we will.”
Cole glanced back and forth between them, before groaning. Loudly. “FINE. You can listen to your stupid music.”
His sisters erupted into cheers, enough to startle Michael awake from where he was sitting in the front seat. “What? What happened?”
“Your daughters are far more manipulative than you give them credit for,” Bela sighed, glancing over at him from the road for a second, as Lizzie leaned closer and held a CD over her father’s shoulder.
“Daddy, put this in please?”
Michael blinked, confused, but took the CD anyway and went to stick it inside the CD player. Cole just leaned back in the seat with a heavy sigh.
“Mom?”
“Yes, love?”
“I want earplugs for Christmas.”
Bela smirked. “Whatever you say, sweetheart.”
641 words
It was quiet.
Too quiet.
It had been quiet ever since they crossed over the state border. There had been a dispute earlier in the day about who’s turn it was to choose what CD to play, and the three Westen children in the back seat were looking very put out about it as they continued the drive back to Miami to visit their grandmother. Cole was squished in the middle between his two sisters and they had a tendency to overrule him more often than not. After the latest argument, however, there was a strong order to be quiet and a promise to let their father sleep-at least until they managed to get through South Carolina. For the most part, they had done as they were told, but it still didn’t make the silence any less disturbing.
Sara-Rose was sketching as best she could in a moving car, Cole was sitting between them with a video game, and Lizzie was curled up on her corner, reading a book. They were both quiet for a long time, before Lizzie started humming under her breathe.
“What’s the matter with the clothes I’m wearin’ … ”
There was a moment, before Sara-Rose hummed with her, not even looking up from her notebook. “Can’t you tell that your tie’s too wide.”
Bela watched through the rearview mirror as Cole looked up, glanced between his sisters, then sighed and went back to his game. There was some more quiet, before Lizzie spoke up again.
“Maybe I should buy some old tab collars.”
“Welcome back to the age of jive.”
“Mom.”
Bela sighed, before looking over at her daughters through the rearview mirror. “Girls, we said there’d be quiet.”
The girls rolled their eyes, but fell silent again. For … about five minutes.
“Where have you been hiding out lately honey.”
“Can’t dress trash until you spend a lot of money.
“Everybody’s talkin’ ‘bout the new sound funny but it’s still rock ‘n’ roll to me.”
“MOM!”
“Girls-”
“Oooooh, it doesn’t matter what they say in the papers, cuz it’s always been the same old scene.”
“There’s a new band in town but you can’t get the sound from a story in a magazine-aimed at your average team.”
“Budda-buh-budda-buh-budda-buh-budda-buh-bah!”
The song was now starting to get synchronized dance moves thrown in and Cole was starting to hide in the seat a bit. Bela knew exactly what her daughters were doing, but Cole hadn’t lashed out violently yet nor had they disturbed their father, so she just let them be for now.
“How about a pair of pink side winders and a bright orange pair of pants.”
“You could really be a Beau Brummel baby if you just gave ‘em half a chance.”
“Don’t waste your money on a new set of speakers, you’ll get more mileage from a cheap pair of sneakers.”
“It’s the next day, new wave dance craze anyway, it’s still rock ‘n’ roll to me!”
Lizzie gave her brother a grin, before leaning in closer. “Do we need to go into the drum solo? Because we will.”
Cole glanced back and forth between them, before groaning. Loudly. “FINE. You can listen to your stupid music.”
His sisters erupted into cheers, enough to startle Michael awake from where he was sitting in the front seat. “What? What happened?”
“Your daughters are far more manipulative than you give them credit for,” Bela sighed, glancing over at him from the road for a second, as Lizzie leaned closer and held a CD over her father’s shoulder.
“Daddy, put this in please?”
Michael blinked, confused, but took the CD anyway and went to stick it inside the CD player. Cole just leaned back in the seat with a heavy sigh.
“Mom?”
“Yes, love?”
“I want earplugs for Christmas.”
Bela smirked. “Whatever you say, sweetheart.”
641 words