The Road That Lay Ahead

PRELUDE

Mike takes a look at himself in the rearview mirror and brushes his golden hair with his left hand, his right still steering the wheel. Anna is sitting beside him in their convertible BMW. She is wearing a bright red dress with white polka dots on it, a pair of oversized sunglasses covers most of her face, a straw hat adorns her brunette hair, and a floral scarf sits wrapped around her neck. She looks pretty as a picture, sitting next to her husband. He is wearing a beaming yellow shirt with white stripes on it, the weather is perfect for shorts, and he has white ones on, brown suede loafers pressing down the clutch, and a big Rolex watch sparkling on his left wrist brings the outfit all together. Mike is focused on the road. 'American Pie' by Don McLean plays on the radio. Mike cranks up the volume and begins to sing along. Anna raises her head, looking out at the scenic views. She takes in the sun, the breeze runs past her cheeks and brushes her hair, she takes a deep breath in, something about the fresh country air makes all the troubles seem so far away. Anna is soon disturbed by Mike's tone-deaf singing. She takes another deep breath, but this time she lets out a huge sigh, as though she were gearing up for what lay ahead. Or simply preparing herself for failure once again. Anna takes a small silver flask out of her purse and sips whatever is in it.

‘Geez, Anna, it's only 10 o’clock, the trip hasn’t even begun yet!’

‘Well, it has for me!’

‘Dr Ralph said you needed to chuck that away. That was the first step to this.’

‘The first step to saving this sham of a marriage?’

‘I can’t help you if you don’t want to help yourself,’ said Mike.

‘Help? I think you’ve done enough!’

‘Can we not do this? We’re here already, can we give this a try?’

‘Works for me, but the flask stays.’ Anna takes another sip.

The car begins to make a whirring noise.

‘I told you the car needed to be looked at before we set out on the road. You never listen to what I have to say.’ Said Anna.

‘And I told you the car is fine; I drive it to work and back every day. If there was something wrong, I would’ve known.’

Mike cranks up the volume even louder and continues driving. Anna takes another sip and admires the scenery. The car makes a few more whirring noises and comes to a halt. Mike tries to restart the car, but it makes a squealing sound. Anna is tempted to say, ‘I told you so.’ But she decides to remain seated in silence and continues to sip her drink. Mike gets off, opens the hood, and investigates. He realises Anna was right, but he is too proud to admit it. He tells Anna to stay seated while he goes looking for help.

They are 30 miles away from home and on their way to Las Olas for the weekend. Mike has planned an all-inclusive getaway at the ‘Hotel Gran Vista’. The only thing Anna is looking forward to is lying on the sunbed in her pink polka-dotted bikini with 'unlimited cocktails' by the pool. Mike wants whatever can keep Anna busy and away from him. They have been married for 7 years, with no children. Anna wants a family and someone to love. She cannot seem to comprehend what Mike wants. All she knows is he doesn’t seem to want her. He has been distant over the last couple of years. Anna can't remember when it all began.

© 2025 by Leanza Dsouza