The ribbon of pavement winds steadily ahead, in and out of an unwavering presence that humbles us all. The Texas humidity and our skepticism roll away as we rise higher among the mountains and drift farther South. Hushed birds, not flapping as though on schedule, but soaring between layers of heat and wind sail against a vast blue canvas. Torn from my mind and back on to four wheels by the familiar scent of cigarettes and hunger, heaving silently forward in uneven waves from the seat behind me. He cries; his broken breath and running nose consume the recycled air of which the three of us share. The four sympathetic eyes of my sister and I locked mutually ahead; while the perpetually clenched knuckles of his battered disposition regain color with a long awaited exhale.

About the Author

Chloe Zola

Chloe Zola is a broken-legged college sophomore torn between an art and a writing major. Her home is in Minnesota where she spends her time playing soccer, hiding from the cold, and contemplating exotic vacations.