living on a dream

An October ice cold wind blew in on the day Shan wanted to go on his camping trip.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Henry squinted as if they should put it off for another day, like May. Winter felt as if it were setting in.

"We are so going." In fact, he pulled out of the school parking lot at lunch. There was no going back. He was looking forward to this. The state park here, would not do. A part of him wanted to go North, maybe check out Mount Rushmore, but instead, he headed south. It wasn't long until they were in Kansas City, but the rain was coming down hard. Even ice.

Shan kept driving as if he'd been a truck driver in another life, and there was Henry along for the ride. Not once did he question Shan. Instead, that smile of Henry's, only gave Shan more confidence. He got on the toll road and out drove the rain in no time. Soon they were on the rolling prairie that went on and on for some time as they made it through Kansas. By five o'clock they were in Oklahama.

"How far are we gonna drive, man?" Henry was still smiling as if this was some epic adventure they were on.

"We're almost there." Suddenly, Shan felt the importance of Texas. If they'd gone this far, they could go to the place he remembered. His favorite camping trip with his Dad came to mind. It was some place near Austin. That's where his Dad was originally from.

His dad was so different when he was kid. Kind of a free spirit. Maybe that's where he got it from. Still, his dad was different now. Not at all laid back, anymore.

"You're sure?" Henry was curious. They'd only stopped for gas and bathroom breaks which were also smoke breaks for Shan.

"Yeah, it'll be great." Of course, he drove on. It was getting dark, and there was Dallas to get through. Maybe he was living on a dream in the back of his head, but it wouldn't be right if they didn't make it to the Llano River.