Groovin' Through

As relieved as he was that this was all coming to an end, a shred of him was disappointed that it wasn't going to continue on.

The car had broken down some time ago. But he wasn't really too sure when exactly. Or why for that matter. All he remembered was driving along, through the gently rolling hills, listening to his tunes. Grooving out. The beats of the music were really speaking to him today and he made sure to give them his full attention. All around him the world was blazing by. Just a mere blur - streaks of color outside of the car. He had one hand firmly planted on the wheel and the other drifting up and down out the window, matching the rhythm that was pumping out of the stereo. Completely dialed in. He remembered thinking how wonderful everything looked. Brighter than usual. The radiance of the sky melting into the vibrance of the grass. The road ahead of him seemed to stretch on forever. Even as he drove on, he swore it was never going to end - like he was driving on a treadmill. By now he was sure the pills he had swallowed before he left his apartment were finally taking affect.

And then the car began shaking and shuttling. At first he didn't think about it. It had happened before. It wasn't the newest vehicle, nor had he taken the best care of it over the years, but usually it was just a quick cough. This time it was different. A death throe. He could feel it travel up the shaft of the drive train and into his hands. Rattling all the way through his arms. Deep under the hood he could hear the motor pop and few times and then the smoke started. Billows of it pouring out from the grill, blocking his view. To make things worse, it started to back up into the car, seeping in through the vents. Burnt rubber and melting wires.

 What an absolute buzz kill.

As he got out of the car, he couldn't believe how hot the sun was. For the entirety of the drive up until this point, he had the windows down - the air whipping by him, wicking away the sweat that had been forming on his brow. Between the music and the constant air flow, he had hardly paid attention to it. Now that he was standing directly under it, it licked at his skin. Sizzling away the perspiration. All he wanted to do was crawl under his car and hide from it. But he couldn't even if he wanted to. His legs felt wobbly. Knees tingly. So he started walking.

And here he was. It had to have been a couple hours - even though it had only seemed like a few minutes in his own head - where he had been since leaving the car. He had barely noticed the world around him as he trudged along the shoulder. As the sun had slowly begun to fall from the sky, his shirt had completely soaked through with sweat, hair matted against his face. Lips dry. Skin already turning pink. All he wanted was his music. His body kept wanting to grooving to the beat that wasn't there and he felt like he was neglecting it. And the heat waves ahead of him, dancing off of the asphalt, kept calling for him to join them. It was absolute torture.

But off in the distance he saw something shine against the hill, snapping him back to reality. A reflection on a windshield. Holding his hands up, waving them back and forth, he began running forward, shouting out. He had to get their attention. Had to get out of the sun. Maybe they had water. Some food.

Or even better, a working radio.