On the other side of the world, Lucy and Jay ditched a giant monster truck, abandoned and keyless.
They ducked behind a shed, racing for cover, finally choosing a parked, covered trailer full of hay.
Falling breathless into the sweet smelling pile, Jay and Lucy fell quiet, suddenly listening hard beneath the silence.
After a few moments clarity, and discovering no audio evidence that they'd been followed, Jay and Lucy each inhaled a breath, turning their heads in the hay to face each other.
They breathed the longest breaths.
Their wide eyes softened. Their cheeks smiled.
Their souls smiled.
Saturday, September 27, 2014
Friday, September 26, 2014
Chapter 60
Meanwhile, in their wake, a stunned management team stood, jaws open, watching the exhaust and scream trail float behind a rapidly minimizing monster truck.
The crowd, first baffled, then broke into cheers.
This was a planned stunt, they thought, by the most handsome and charming white boy ever.
He could drive MY truck, they thought.
Their roars eclipsed the entire fair.
The crowd, first baffled, then broke into cheers.
This was a planned stunt, they thought, by the most handsome and charming white boy ever.
He could drive MY truck, they thought.
Their roars eclipsed the entire fair.
Thursday, September 25, 2014
Chapter 59
Lucy and Jay bounced and bounded down ramps and across alleys, around fences, into tents, trying to escape.
The further they got from those who wanted them, the more they wanted each other.
The further they got from those who wanted them, the more they wanted each other.
Wednesday, September 24, 2014
Chapter 58
As the bodyguards opened the doors to jump out on the platform and surveil the encroaching estrogen, Lucy's nose flickered.
She tried.
She tried so hard.
And eventually she failed, in that terribly way that happens so often when you try extraordinarily hard to prevent something from happening, and then the very thing you were trying to prevent happens with the excessive combined force of the thing and your misdirected efforts.
BLASHEW!!!!
The end of her sneeze kept going so long you could hum a verse of happy birthday from mouth open (eyes closed, eyebrows up) to the choo.
This was the kind of sneeze that would disrupt an entire church service, and then ripple in echoes of laughter around the room.
Lucy and her sister would have laughed hysterically.
But Lucy opened her eyes post sneeze to see a body guard's face mere inches from her own. He had not yet shut the door.
His face shone and dripped in a most unusual way.
Just when Lucy realized it was actually her snot sliding down his forehead and nostrils, the bodyguard realized who had sneezed on him, and that she was hiding underneath Jay's seat, clutching his left shoe.
The bodyguard's face changed like a wind chime.
Jay, just in time, gunned the engine and sped forward down the exit ramp, leaving his bodyguards on their bums, eating his dust.
She tried.
She tried so hard.
And eventually she failed, in that terribly way that happens so often when you try extraordinarily hard to prevent something from happening, and then the very thing you were trying to prevent happens with the excessive combined force of the thing and your misdirected efforts.
BLASHEW!!!!
The end of her sneeze kept going so long you could hum a verse of happy birthday from mouth open (eyes closed, eyebrows up) to the choo.
This was the kind of sneeze that would disrupt an entire church service, and then ripple in echoes of laughter around the room.
Lucy and her sister would have laughed hysterically.
But Lucy opened her eyes post sneeze to see a body guard's face mere inches from her own. He had not yet shut the door.
His face shone and dripped in a most unusual way.
Just when Lucy realized it was actually her snot sliding down his forehead and nostrils, the bodyguard realized who had sneezed on him, and that she was hiding underneath Jay's seat, clutching his left shoe.
The bodyguard's face changed like a wind chime.
Jay, just in time, gunned the engine and sped forward down the exit ramp, leaving his bodyguards on their bums, eating his dust.
Tuesday, September 23, 2014
Chapter 57
A swarm of fan girls had grown antsy waiting for Jay to slow-poke it on over to the Chevy Main Stage, and were throwing beer bottles into the air, pulling each other's hair, and fighting for proximity.
As Jay arrived at the designated parking spot, his two bodyguards leapt onto the platform, jumped to the sideboards, opened the doors mid-flight, and launched themselves protectively into Jay's monster truck.
Lucy, hearing a door thump before opening, rolled herself forwards underneath the front seat in the nick of time. Jay felt her head brush against his boots, glanced in the rear view mirror, and sighed with relief.
"We're taking it up," the bodyguards said, buckling their seatbelts.
"Up?!" Jay careened his neck forward to look at the giant display of Chevrolets hoisted at various and incredible heights above ground on a platform behind the stage.
He swallowed.
"That way," the bodyguards said, pointed precariously to the right, and dramatically up.
Jay felt Lucy's hands wrap around his left ankle, and he tucked it closer to her as she closed her eyes.
He secured his seatbelt, tipped his brow to the orange-vested safety worker flagging him up a just-lowered entry ramp, and put it back in drive.
Lucy's face, absurdly close to the bottom of Jay's boot, suddenly flexed.
Oh no.
Her nose twitched.
Please God.
Don't let me sneeze...
As Jay arrived at the designated parking spot, his two bodyguards leapt onto the platform, jumped to the sideboards, opened the doors mid-flight, and launched themselves protectively into Jay's monster truck.
Lucy, hearing a door thump before opening, rolled herself forwards underneath the front seat in the nick of time. Jay felt her head brush against his boots, glanced in the rear view mirror, and sighed with relief.
"We're taking it up," the bodyguards said, buckling their seatbelts.
"Up?!" Jay careened his neck forward to look at the giant display of Chevrolets hoisted at various and incredible heights above ground on a platform behind the stage.
He swallowed.
"That way," the bodyguards said, pointed precariously to the right, and dramatically up.
Jay felt Lucy's hands wrap around his left ankle, and he tucked it closer to her as she closed her eyes.
He secured his seatbelt, tipped his brow to the orange-vested safety worker flagging him up a just-lowered entry ramp, and put it back in drive.
Lucy's face, absurdly close to the bottom of Jay's boot, suddenly flexed.
Oh no.
Her nose twitched.
Please God.
Don't let me sneeze...
Monday, September 22, 2014
Chapter 56
With the blind, narrow-minded, and big-mouthed cowardice common to most terrorists, the three sordid Mexicans crawled out of their gassy pickle-shaped tomb to retrieve the camera bag.
After Lucy bolted, they spotted the camera bag's stroller being abandoned by a spit-up covered mother.
No one was watching.
They made their move.
After Lucy bolted, they spotted the camera bag's stroller being abandoned by a spit-up covered mother.
No one was watching.
They made their move.
Sunday, September 21, 2014
Chapter 55
"Your parents told you that?" Jay managed to say, both hands on the wheel, one eye in the rear view mirror.
"No!" Lucy exclaimed, shocked. "They would never threaten me."
She described the two men to Jay, who grew increasingly irate.
By the time he parked the truck in front of the Chevy Main Stage, his blood reached two hundred and twelve degrees.
"No!" Lucy exclaimed, shocked. "They would never threaten me."
She described the two men to Jay, who grew increasingly irate.
By the time he parked the truck in front of the Chevy Main Stage, his blood reached two hundred and twelve degrees.
Saturday, September 20, 2014
Chapter 54
As the engine hum began to sound like a friendly rhythm, Lucy gathered courage to speak.
"They told me to stay away from you," she whispered.
"What?!" Jay shouted, letting go of the wheel to spin round and give her his full attention.
An exterior shriek reminded him he could kill someone... so he whipped back around to face forward, yanking the wheel to steer the truck off its collision course with a cotton candy cart.
Both white knuckle hands on the wheel, he let his voice go to her, eyes straight ahead.
"They said what?" he said, low, almost a growl.
Pause.
"They told me to stay away from you," she fought a wet frog in the back of her throat, rumbling and threatening to sob. "Or else."
His white knuckles turned red.
"They told me to stay away from you," she whispered.
"What?!" Jay shouted, letting go of the wheel to spin round and give her his full attention.
An exterior shriek reminded him he could kill someone... so he whipped back around to face forward, yanking the wheel to steer the truck off its collision course with a cotton candy cart.
Both white knuckle hands on the wheel, he let his voice go to her, eyes straight ahead.
"They said what?" he said, low, almost a growl.
Pause.
"They told me to stay away from you," she fought a wet frog in the back of her throat, rumbling and threatening to sob. "Or else."
His white knuckles turned red.
Friday, September 19, 2014
Chapter 53
Paralyzed by fear, Lucy lay in the back of the pickup truck.
Egged on by the crowd and his manager's evil eyes, Jay began to drive at two and a half miles per hour toward his intended destination.
It took everything he had not to veer off course, gun it, and take this fledgling love far far away from all this madness.
Egged on by the crowd and his manager's evil eyes, Jay began to drive at two and a half miles per hour toward his intended destination.
It took everything he had not to veer off course, gun it, and take this fledgling love far far away from all this madness.
Thursday, September 18, 2014
Chapter 52
Across the park, three fake Mexicans were in a pickle.
On strict instructions from their boss, they were to apprehend Lucy's camera, specifically its memory card, and destroy it.
They'd sweatily traversed the entire park before discovering members of Lucy's family in the greenhouse.
To monitor the exit and remain unseen, they clamored, one after another, into a large papier mache three dimensional pickle billboard directly in front of the greenhouse.
They poked minute holes through the eye-level pickle bumps and waited for their opportunity to snatch.
Unfortunately, with the ant-like activity inside the greenhouse, they could barely keep up with Lucy's whereabouts and which of the two identical strollers housed Lucy's camera bag.
After thirty minutes, the pickle began to overheat.
The three fake Mexicans began to breathe heavier.
The three fake Mexicans' stomachs began to rumble.
The three fake Mexicans had to make a decision about whether to ruin the pickle or abandon their posts for a bathroom stall.
Stupid Tex-Mex.
On strict instructions from their boss, they were to apprehend Lucy's camera, specifically its memory card, and destroy it.
They'd sweatily traversed the entire park before discovering members of Lucy's family in the greenhouse.
To monitor the exit and remain unseen, they clamored, one after another, into a large papier mache three dimensional pickle billboard directly in front of the greenhouse.
They poked minute holes through the eye-level pickle bumps and waited for their opportunity to snatch.
Unfortunately, with the ant-like activity inside the greenhouse, they could barely keep up with Lucy's whereabouts and which of the two identical strollers housed Lucy's camera bag.
After thirty minutes, the pickle began to overheat.
The three fake Mexicans began to breathe heavier.
The three fake Mexicans' stomachs began to rumble.
The three fake Mexicans had to make a decision about whether to ruin the pickle or abandon their posts for a bathroom stall.
Stupid Tex-Mex.
Wednesday, September 17, 2014
Chapter 51
Every time it rains outside her family's house, a familiar frog begins a peculiar trek.
Back and forth from one end of Lucy's street to the other, this frog hops, making a beeline down the exact center of the street.
He hops high, and he keeps going, back and forth, back and forth, until the rain that began has met its end, and then he disappears.
Lucy, laying in the back floor of a monster truck, felt her tears going back and forth, back and forth from her throat to her eyes.
She closed both, trying to keep it hopping back and forth, not spilling over. She clenched her fists, trying to figure out why that frog hopped.
Was he completely overjoyed? Was he frightened?
Was he waiting for his world to drown?
She opened her eyes, and saw Jay.
Back and forth from one end of Lucy's street to the other, this frog hops, making a beeline down the exact center of the street.
He hops high, and he keeps going, back and forth, back and forth, until the rain that began has met its end, and then he disappears.
Lucy, laying in the back floor of a monster truck, felt her tears going back and forth, back and forth from her throat to her eyes.
She closed both, trying to keep it hopping back and forth, not spilling over. She clenched her fists, trying to figure out why that frog hopped.
Was he completely overjoyed? Was he frightened?
Was he waiting for his world to drown?
She opened her eyes, and saw Jay.
Tuesday, September 16, 2014
Chapter 50
Lucy, still slightly asleep, was jolted awake as she ricocheted forward, then slammed into the seat back.
Jay whipped around to see what bird he'd flown.
It was his bird.
His alarm turned to joy turned to concern.
He put his monster in park, unbuckled his seatbelt, and began to jump over the seat back to rescue her.
Shaken to life from dream, she initially saw his face peek over in one of those glowing white orb lights of a dream.
She smiled.
As her brain woke up, her smile turned into dismay, and then into fear.
She put her hand up, motioning Jay to stop. He paused, poised to leap.
As the tears began to escape from her eyes, Jay's heart convulsed. He wanted to suction every sadness she had ever felt out of her heart.
He wanted to save her.
Jay whipped around to see what bird he'd flown.
It was his bird.
His alarm turned to joy turned to concern.
He put his monster in park, unbuckled his seatbelt, and began to jump over the seat back to rescue her.
Shaken to life from dream, she initially saw his face peek over in one of those glowing white orb lights of a dream.
She smiled.
As her brain woke up, her smile turned into dismay, and then into fear.
She put her hand up, motioning Jay to stop. He paused, poised to leap.
As the tears began to escape from her eyes, Jay's heart convulsed. He wanted to suction every sadness she had ever felt out of her heart.
He wanted to save her.
Monday, September 15, 2014
Chapter 49
Lucy started watching the rainbows inside her eyelids. Her stomach began to growl.
She squeezed her legs tighter to her chest, thinking about how her grandmother used to eat onions like apples.
Onion Rings would be awesome right about now. She smiled, seeing Onion Rings inside her eyelids now. With ketchup.
After a few minutes, the endorphins of imaginary eating began to kick in. The adrenaline fate left her nervous system ready for a crash.
She hugged her knees, smiled, and fell asleep.
Approximately nine minutes later Jay climbed into the cab, paused to wave at thirty television crews below, and buckled himself into the driver's seat.
He closed his eyes.
Sigh.
Grasping a hand-sized key with white knuckles, Jay said a prayer and almost strained a muscle trying to start the engine. It came to life with a lurch, a grind, a squeal, and a splat, the latter two being Lucy, bluntly awoken from her nap and thrown into the floorboard behind Jay's seat.
He slammed on the brakes.
She squeezed her legs tighter to her chest, thinking about how her grandmother used to eat onions like apples.
Onion Rings would be awesome right about now. She smiled, seeing Onion Rings inside her eyelids now. With ketchup.
After a few minutes, the endorphins of imaginary eating began to kick in. The adrenaline fate left her nervous system ready for a crash.
She hugged her knees, smiled, and fell asleep.
Approximately nine minutes later Jay climbed into the cab, paused to wave at thirty television crews below, and buckled himself into the driver's seat.
He closed his eyes.
Sigh.
Grasping a hand-sized key with white knuckles, Jay said a prayer and almost strained a muscle trying to start the engine. It came to life with a lurch, a grind, a squeal, and a splat, the latter two being Lucy, bluntly awoken from her nap and thrown into the floorboard behind Jay's seat.
He slammed on the brakes.
Sunday, September 14, 2014
Chapter 48
Lucy read thirty seven messages of love and gratitude and apology and condescension and nagging and regret from her mother upside down.
Whether it was her topsy turvy position, stuck upside down through a monster truck's sunroof, or the barrage of emoticons beeping into her brain via her eyes, Lucy suddenly felt flush with blood to her head.
She precariously tipped her feet upward, trying to dislodge herself from gravity with gravity.
If only she had the keys, she could turn on the engine, stretch for the control panel, and open the sunroof a little more so she could squeak through.
But the crowd like mice at the far end of the earth began to move from that busy corner of the truck pavilion toward hers, and Lucy worried.
No one was above her, but still: what if they saw her underwear?
She'd better squeeze.
Sucking in her insides until she felt inside out, Lucy closed her eyes and pushed.
Plop.
Landing in the backseat, she flipped her hair out of her face, hugged her phone, and curled up into the fetal position, eyes closed, to ponder her next move.
Where do you go when everyone wants you and nobody knows you?
Downtruck, Jay was thinking the same.
Whether it was her topsy turvy position, stuck upside down through a monster truck's sunroof, or the barrage of emoticons beeping into her brain via her eyes, Lucy suddenly felt flush with blood to her head.
She precariously tipped her feet upward, trying to dislodge herself from gravity with gravity.
If only she had the keys, she could turn on the engine, stretch for the control panel, and open the sunroof a little more so she could squeak through.
But the crowd like mice at the far end of the earth began to move from that busy corner of the truck pavilion toward hers, and Lucy worried.
No one was above her, but still: what if they saw her underwear?
She'd better squeeze.
Sucking in her insides until she felt inside out, Lucy closed her eyes and pushed.
Plop.
Landing in the backseat, she flipped her hair out of her face, hugged her phone, and curled up into the fetal position, eyes closed, to ponder her next move.
Where do you go when everyone wants you and nobody knows you?
Downtruck, Jay was thinking the same.
Saturday, September 13, 2014
Chapter 47
Lucy, meanwhile, still sobbing in a port-o-john, began to hear other things besides the ruckus of people outside the door.
A faint beeping from the area of her nether regions at first rolled off her ears like lint, and then, through its persistence, penetrated her ear drum like fire.
There was a beep coming from her bum.
Lucy let go of her face and wiped her tear stained hands on her dress, then froze to wait for a beep.
If only she had an echolocation device.
Wait.
Wait.
BEEP.
Beep.
Beep.
Lucy stood up, eyes still adjusting to the darkness of the room sans tears.
Beep beep beep.
It couldn't be.
But those men had said, "Or else."
That was a threat.
They meant business.
Who knows what they would do.
And this beeping, it sounded like something... not a microwave exactly, but something Lucy had heard somewhere before.
She suddenly had a flash of MacGyver's face across her brain. And then the A-team. And then Daniel Craig.
What was it they all had in common?
Think, Lucy, think.
BEEP.
A bomb!!!!
Bombs beeped. They beeped before they blew up and killed you!!!
Lucy hit the wall of the port-o-john so hard that it actually rocked on its axis.
Fumbling around in the darkness, she finally found the locked latch and released it.
She hit the ground like a beast, running on all fours at first, then after a collision with a Jay Walker and the Texas Rangers sign while looking back at the port-o-john to see if it had exploded yet, she rolled to her feet and ran.
She ran.
After a long time and a single breath, she made it to a Monster Truck display.
High, she thought. I need to get high, so those men can't find me and try to blow me up again.
Seeing a crowd gathered to one side of the massive outdoor pavilion, she scooted toward an abandoned corner with the largest most colorful truck, and climbed, tire tread by tire tread, until she was in the back of the truck.
And in Texas, when you say back of the truck, you don't mean back seat. You mean bed.
She laid down, face up, closed her eyes and caught her breath.
BEEP.
Lucy opened her eyes and saw white above her. Have I died? No, it's the tent. Yikes, it's a bomb. They knew I'd come here. How'd they know? I don't know. Get away, get away... Quick!
She leapt to her feet and, realizing she wouldn't be able to climb down fast enough, decided to await her fate in a fetal shaped ball in the front seat of the truck. At least it probably had an air bag to cushion the blow.
The doors were locked. She would have to jump for it.
An open sun roof on top of the cab let her try.
She jumped.
She soared.
She partially made it.
Her body hung through the sunroof, upside down, face first, butt out in the air underneath the big white tent, feet flapping in the breeze. She was stuck.
She sighed.
And then something fell from the sky. From above her head, near the roof of the cab, her cell phone slid out of her upside down pocket and clonked her on the chin.
Her cell phone.
It came to rest on the driver's seat, face up.
It beeped.
Oh, she thought.
A message from my Mom.
A faint beeping from the area of her nether regions at first rolled off her ears like lint, and then, through its persistence, penetrated her ear drum like fire.
There was a beep coming from her bum.
Lucy let go of her face and wiped her tear stained hands on her dress, then froze to wait for a beep.
If only she had an echolocation device.
Wait.
Wait.
BEEP.
Beep.
Beep.
Lucy stood up, eyes still adjusting to the darkness of the room sans tears.
Beep beep beep.
It couldn't be.
But those men had said, "Or else."
That was a threat.
They meant business.
Who knows what they would do.
And this beeping, it sounded like something... not a microwave exactly, but something Lucy had heard somewhere before.
She suddenly had a flash of MacGyver's face across her brain. And then the A-team. And then Daniel Craig.
What was it they all had in common?
Think, Lucy, think.
BEEP.
A bomb!!!!
Bombs beeped. They beeped before they blew up and killed you!!!
Lucy hit the wall of the port-o-john so hard that it actually rocked on its axis.
Fumbling around in the darkness, she finally found the locked latch and released it.
She hit the ground like a beast, running on all fours at first, then after a collision with a Jay Walker and the Texas Rangers sign while looking back at the port-o-john to see if it had exploded yet, she rolled to her feet and ran.
She ran.
After a long time and a single breath, she made it to a Monster Truck display.
High, she thought. I need to get high, so those men can't find me and try to blow me up again.
Seeing a crowd gathered to one side of the massive outdoor pavilion, she scooted toward an abandoned corner with the largest most colorful truck, and climbed, tire tread by tire tread, until she was in the back of the truck.
And in Texas, when you say back of the truck, you don't mean back seat. You mean bed.
She laid down, face up, closed her eyes and caught her breath.
BEEP.
Lucy opened her eyes and saw white above her. Have I died? No, it's the tent. Yikes, it's a bomb. They knew I'd come here. How'd they know? I don't know. Get away, get away... Quick!
She leapt to her feet and, realizing she wouldn't be able to climb down fast enough, decided to await her fate in a fetal shaped ball in the front seat of the truck. At least it probably had an air bag to cushion the blow.
The doors were locked. She would have to jump for it.
An open sun roof on top of the cab let her try.
She jumped.
She soared.
She partially made it.
Her body hung through the sunroof, upside down, face first, butt out in the air underneath the big white tent, feet flapping in the breeze. She was stuck.
She sighed.
And then something fell from the sky. From above her head, near the roof of the cab, her cell phone slid out of her upside down pocket and clonked her on the chin.
Her cell phone.
It came to rest on the driver's seat, face up.
It beeped.
Oh, she thought.
A message from my Mom.
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