The Drive Home

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https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1xoFCTtgr0ExDOmTMe9C5-5zV4euIJ7Mx
By Angie Bromeland

Dev sat in the backseat of the station wagon plunking on his guitar. He had hitched a ride home for the family potluck this weekend. It couldn’t have come at a better time. Dev was homesick. He thought of piling his plate with his favorite foods: Curry, rice, a dumpling. He smiled at the thought. Dev had been gone to college for two months already. Bunking with a stranger had been uncomfortable at first, but now he and his roommate, Tim, were becoming friends. Still, it wasn’t the same as being with family. The car stopped. Dev looked around at the gridlock and sighed. He didn’t want to rubberneck, but this was crazy. They seemed lost in a sea of hundreds of vehicles. “You alright back there?” Kelly, the girl who was driving, turned to Dev. “It looks like we’ll be adding some time to our drive with this jam.” Dev nodded. “Yeah, I’m OK. I’ve got my guitar,” he said. “Play us some music?” Kelly asked hopefully, as she used the mirror to apply some lipstick. “That’s the drawback to this car. My radio’s broken.” Dev laughed. “Better than the clunking sounds my car back home always made. But sure, I’ll play something.” He sat up straighter in the seat and pulled his guitar into position. He strummed the familiar chords. Kelly smiled and closed her eyes. “I know this one,” she said. She hummed along. Their windows were open. So were the windows in the cars next to them. Before long, the people in the cars around them turned their radios down so they could hear Dev’s guitar. They danced in their seats and sang along. Dev smiled. It would be a while before he got home, but he knew this was a good place to be, too.

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