"This drive is a little more than that."
"Not by much. Besides, this way we get to relax in the comfort of our own vehicle, stop when we need to stretch our legs or eat. We're not waiting on anyone else. We're in the driver's seat. When you fly, you're at their mercy the entire time."
An imaginary lightbulb went off above Jenna's head.
"You're a control freak, aren't you?"
Chuckling, he didn't deny it. "If I could fly the damn plane myself, I would."
"Do you have a pilot's license?"
"No, but that wouldn't stop me."
"You'd honestly try and fly a commercial jet? For real? Like if the pilot and co-pilot both passed out or something and the flight attendant came over the loudspeaker looking for volunteers who could fly a plane, you'd jump up?"
"Absolutely."
"That's the craziest thing I've ever heard. You'd kill everyone because of your need for control. You should seek professional help. Or a flight instructor."
"Someday I'm going to learn to fly. It's on my bucket list."
Bucket list?
"I'm intrigued. What else is on this bucket list? Skydiving? Climbing a mountain?”
"I'll only tell you about mine if you tell me about yours."
This was the playful Knox she'd come to know in the last few weeks. She adored this side of him. He was so much fun to be with.
"I'm not really sure that I have a bucket list," she confessed. "I've never written one up, but I guess there are things that I want to do. There's a lot of the world that I haven't seen yet so I want to do that. Except on a plane. I don't want to drive everywhere like you do."
Laughing, he shook his head. "What's with the obsession with flying? Can't you just sit back, relax, and enjoy the journey? I’m an excellent driver and I'll stop every time you want to without complaint. This is going to be great."
He sounded so enthused, really happy. He hadn't sounded like that since she'd told him the truth.
"You do have a point about having to hurry up and wait at the airport," she conceded. "Although I just usually take a book to read. I haven't really been on any road trips so I don't have anything to compare it to."
This time he did take his gaze from the road, although only for a split second.
"Wait...you've never been on a road trip? Ever? I don't believe that. How could that be? Didn't you go on vacations as a child? What about college? No spring breaks in Florida?"
"When we went on vacation we always flew. And no, I didn't get any wild spring breaks in sunny locations with my friends. I think my longest road trip was two hours. I went to visit a friend for her birthday."
"Then you're in for a treat," Knox declared, giving the steering wheel a playful slap. "There's nothing like the freedom of the open road. Seeing things that you can't see from an airplane window. By the end of this trip, I predict that you will be a convert."
"Are you going to take me to that giant ball of twine?"
"A giant ball of twine? I hadn't planned on it, but maybe you should put that on your bucket list."
They'd completely veered from the bucket list topic.
"You still haven't told me what's on your bucket list."
"You haven't either. I told you it was a mutual deal."
"I did so. I said I wanted to travel."
"Everyone says that. What else do you want to do?"
"I don't know, but maybe if you tell me your list, I'll get some ideas." She pointed out the windshield where it was still dark. It was going to be awhile before the sun even came up. "You and I are going to be sitting in this car for thirteen hours, Knox. Was there another topic you wanted to talk about instead?"
"I don't want to climb a mountain," he replied with a huff. "I do want to get my pilot's license. I'd also like to hike the Appalachian Trail someday."
Now they were getting somewhere. Only twelve and a half hours - give or take - to go.
Midmorning, Jenna had broken out her stash of granola bars but they hadn't stuck to Knox's ribs very well. By noon, his stomach was growling and so was hers. They decided to take an exit to a mid-sized town that had one of those restaurants that was supposed to be country homemade cooking and served breakfast all day. Breakfast was Knox's favorite meal of the day and he couldn't wait to eat.
The restaurant was about half full and they were seated immediately by a smiling lady who handed them each two menus - one lunch and one breakfast. Jenna opened the former while Knox went for the latter. He didn't need long to choose. He'd pretty much already decided when they'd selected this venue. Jenna, on the other hand, was frowning as she perused the offerings.
"Don't like what you see?"
If she said she wanted to go somewhere else, he wasn't going to be happy about it. He'd do it, of course, but he wasn't going to pretend that he agreed. He really wanted that bacon that he could smell in the air.
"No, its fine," she said with a shake of her head.
