Page 22 of Missing Pieces

I look over at him in confusion trying to figure out what the hell he could be talking about when it hits me. I know exactly what we are doing. And I start to get excited. I have always wanted to go off-roading but living in cities my whole life has never given me the opportunity.

We drive to the outskirts of town and turn onto an old state highway. We pass a few cornfields before we reach a stop sign. The road to the left is clean and paved, but the road to the right is muddy and rough.

“This is my friend Brett’s dad’s property. He owns all this farmland but this back area doesn’t drain right and gets too wet when it rains. He and his dad tried to fix it when we were younger, but it never worked out, so they said fuck it and let it grow out. It’s always been our go-to spot for off-roading and parties.”

We turn onto the road and right away I can tell it’s going to be a bumpy ride. Easton was probably happy I had this dress on and agreed to come out because I am sure my boobs will be bouncing all over.

“How much land do they own?” I ask as I look over the neverending fields to the right and the huge expanse of open land and forest ahead of us.

“They have about seven hundred acres. About seventy of ‘em they can’t grow on.”

As we bounce down the dirt road, mud splatters the windshield. “Seems like a big waste of space. They really can’t fix it?”

He turns the wheel in a hard left causing a huge spray of mud to splash over the windshield. “Nah. Costs too much money. Plus his dad thought it better we had land to hang out on while we were teenagers. Knew it was safer we were drinking and partying here than somewhere they didn’t know about. Always made it back to their house.”

I grab on to the dashboard as we fly over a huge bump. “Don’t tell me, you guys had like cornfield parties and used your headlights to light up the field?”

He glances over at me and laughs. “Solo cups and all. You know we country boys like to have a party.”

“So all those country songs are true. Dirt roads and field parties and dancing under the stars?” I ask my curiosity getting the better of me.

“Someone here listens to country music?” he questions me with a grin.

“It’s catchy,” I mutter.

“There’s hope for you yet,” he says just as we go through a huge puddle completely covering the windshield with mud. He turns on the wipers and I can’t help but laugh as we hit another puddle right after and the whole thing is covered again.

We drive around the “back seventy” as he calls it for thirty minutes before we pull out onto another road and coast down the highway. I roll the window back down, wanting to feel the wind in my hair, and catch myself smiling in the side mirror. I’m caught off guard because it’s the smile of the carefree girl I used to be, the one who didn’t care what others thought and was always looking for fun. It felt good. I don’t know how long it had been since I felt this way but it was a feeling I missed and one I wanted more often. Maybe if I stayed here longer than anticipated, it would be a feeling I could experience all the time.

“You should smile like that more often.”

I look over at him only half surprised he was watching me. I feel like he usually does. “You put this smile on my face. I haven’t had this much fun in who knows how long.”

His face cracks into a huge smile, “I knew I could put a little country in you!”

I smile then look back outside, one arm hanging out the window letting the wind flow along my hand. The country is beautiful, and these roads bring a sense of peace to my mind.

We drive around for another hour before we make it back to my place. We both jump out of the truck and I start to walk toward my house when he stops me. “Wait, you need to see the best part about off-roading.”

I turn around and look at the truck. It is completely filthy. There is barely any of it that’s not covered in mud.

“Best day for that is right after a rainstorm. Fresh mud, dirty truck. It’s like a work of art,” he says. I look over at him and see he’s staring at the truck like it’s a thing of beauty. I turn back and try to picture it. I guess the country hasn’t grown on me enough yet because all I can think about is how long that thing is going to take to get clean.

I shake my head and walk toward the door. I unlock the door and turn around because I can feel Easton’s presence right behind me. “Thank you for today. I really needed that.”

Easton grins from under his cowboy hat. “That’s why you need a truck. Think of all that fun you could be having.”

I point to the filthy thing and I say, “That’s going to take a long time to clean. I’ve been in this town almost a month and have not seen a carwash. Not even at the gas station!”

“That’s the other half of the fun. Cleaning that baby up and getting’ her shiny again.”

“Yeah, probably just to get it all dirty again,” I mumble under my breath.

Apparently, he heard me because he answers, “That’s the point.”

I don’t really know what to say after that and feel a moment of awkwardness. So I do what I kept telling myself not to do because I know he won’t let me live it down and it’s exactly what he’s wanted me to say, “Hungry? I can make us some dinner.”

Okay so that wasn’t really what he wanted me to say, but I chickened out. “Starving,” he answers.

So I say it, those three little words I hope I won’t regret, “Wanna come in?”

---