Ride

K. Kortez
K. Kortez
Sep 4, 2018 · 11 min read

Should I wait outside? Yeah, probably, but it’s cold and musty. If I wait outside I’ll have to get a bigger coat, but then the car ride will be uncomfortable and sweaty. Plus, I won’t need the coat once she drops me off; the perks of working indoors. My hoodie is perfect for shielding me from the cold on the short walk from the house to the car and thin enough as to not become a warm nuisance during the ride. I might be overthinking it. But I guess I already made up my mind. I’m waiting inside. I really should wait outside though. I moved to this house recently and people seem to have trouble finding it. She’s already a couple minutes late. I’ve never been late to work before, and it pains me physically to look at the time because I would’ve left ten minutes ago if I was driving myself. The latest I’ve ever left to work is only three minutes from now, and I really cut it close that day. Honestly, it was a miracle I made it on time that day. It made me believe in God again. A little. That day. I guess I can tell you how I got stuck getting a ride to work while we wait, it might help distract me.

I was setting up some lights and my camera to begin recording a video, looking out the window subconsciously glad I didn’t have to leave the house today. My phone buzzed me back into reality. It was my boss, which was already strange because he never texts me (unless I text him).

Randy:
Can you drop by my place to pick up the equipment before you go set up for tonight?

I was perturbed and confused. This isn’t gonna sound very dramatic, but I clicked on the Chrome app as quickly as I could and logged into the company website faster than I thought possible. Pretty much the equivalent of a car chase in a movie, right? It definitely felt like it. I clicked on the “Master Schedule”, and there it was, I was scheduled to work tonight. But it made no sense.

Me:
I didn’t know I worked tonight, I checked the schedule Saturday or Sunday and it was blank for today. I was scheduled for Monday but then I got an email that I was canceled for that day. But I never got an email about tonight. I don’t have a car for tonight. I would’ve planned to have it, but like I said, there was nothing on the schedule for today when I checked.

I wasn’t lying. I never lie. I really did check and I swear it was blank. And I seriously don’t have a car tonight, my sister took it for a camping trip. She did offer a solution that would allow me to keep it, but I really didn’t wanna leave the house today. So that was that!

Randy:
I can arrange to get you a ride, would that help?

It felt like he was calling me on my bluff, even though I wasn’t bluffing. Not really. Yes, alright, I did technically have access to a car if I truly wanted it, and I wasn’t about to let someone drive all the way to the West side to pick me up just to drop me off on the South East side. It’s a thirty minute drive from where I live to where I work, minimum. I wouldn’t even ask a friend to do that for me.

Me:
Yeah, I guess that would work

I thought Randy might be bluffing. It seemed like a lot of effort to get me to a job where I don’t do much, and where I’m easily replaceable. I’m not being down on myself. I left for half a month and they had no trouble replacing me. So, I was all in. No way Randy would actually find a ride for me. No way!

Randy:
Perfect! Danielle will pick you up. She’ll text you.

And that’s how I got stuck getting a ride to work.

I’ve seen Danielle a few times where I work, and she dropped off the equipment once at my old place, but I’ve never really had to talk with her. She’s not even here yet and I’m already nervous about being able to sustain small talk for half an hour. She’s not even here yet. Where is she?

**bthhzzzthht**

My phone. It’s her.

Danielle:
I’m here

She’s definitely not. I’m standing at the opened entrance to my house. I guess I never really did make a choice if I should stay in or out. But she’s definitely not “here”.

Me:
Don’t see you

I guess it’s time to walk out, she might be close. Oh gawd, I hope she’s close. It’s already so late. Not sure which direction I should walk, though. I’m walking anyway. Should I call her? I mean, yes, I should. But is it absolutely necessary? What if she picks up and crashes her car? I’ll definitely be late to work then. I’ll wait another minute.

Oh, okay, there she is. I think that’s her. I can’t see through the glare on the windshield but the speed of the car and the way it moves feels like an invitation for me to get in.

I was right. It’s her. Thank goodness.

“Hello!”, I tried to sound excited but it came out droll. I need to work on my “hello”.

“Hi”, that was definitely worse than my hello. She’s gonna have to work on that.

I guess that was it though, she’s not talking. Should I talk? I can ask her how she’s doing or something. I hate small talk but I feel rude when I don’t say anything. Usually people say things to me and I’m competent enough to respond. I’m not great at it, and it feels like I’m failing a final exam every time I do it, but I somehow manage to survive at the end. There is no exam this time though. Or is this the exam? Is this a more advance exam where I’m suppose to lead? I most certainly haven’t gotten high enough marks on my previous exams to warrant this more advanced one. I already failed at my “hello”. That’s like misspelling your own name at the top of the page.

Even if I wanted to say something, too much time has passed. It’d be weird if I just started talking out of nowhere. I guess it’s weird anyway. What would I say though? It’s too late to ask how she’s doing, that would feel way too forced at this point. I wonder what she’s thinking. What if this is an exam for her too? Are we both failing? Is she thinking about what I’m thinking? Maybe she’s just not interested in talking to me. My “hello” WAS pretty droll, and…oh, gawd. She hates me! That’s why she’s not talking to me. She totally hates me because she has to drive me to work. We’re not friends. We’re not even acquaintances. And she has to give me a ride to work. DURING. RUSH. HOUR.

Wait, she just passed the exit I usually take.I should probably tell her. At least mention it. She seems like she knows where she’s going though, if I correct her she might hate me even more. I haven’t spoken a word to her since the droll “hello”, and I’m not about to break the silence only to tell her that she’s doing something wrong. She might not be wrong anyway, this is probably just a different way to get there. I would get my phone out to confirm with Google Maps, but I would feel rude taking out my phone; like I’m ignoring her…even though neither of us is saying anything.

At least we have good music. My taste is very broad, and I enjoy almost everything. But she’s listening to top 40 music, and that’s what I listen to the most. That could be a conversation starter. But what would I even say? “Nice music” comes to mind, but that will probably sound more stupid out loud than it does in my head. I already failed at “hello”, do I dare try TWO words? People like compliments, and I know this is her music, it says ‘bluetooth’ on the screen. No way! Gasolina by Daddy Yankee just started playing. This is the perfect time to say something. Is she Latina? I guess I know less about her than I thought. That song was popular worldwide though, so it might not be an indication of her roots at all. I should still say something about it. I definitely won’t get a more perfect opportunity.

Where are we going though? This route doesn’t feel right. I’m horrible with directions, so I have no clue if we’re going the right way. I just know this is not my way. Not even close. But maybe she knows a faster way.

Nope. Definitely not. Holy crap, there are so many traffic lights this way. My way is a highway most of the way. I should have said something. Now it’s not a question about whether or not I’m gonna be late, but about how late I’m gonna be. It’s not my fault though, and my boss knows that. It’s out of my hands. I have no control. I hope my boss knows that. The people waiting on me definitely don’t know that though. I can’t go in and say, “sorry I’m late, it was Danielle’s fault”. We don’t have that kind of rapport. We don’t have any rapport at all, to be honest. Danielle is their friend anyway. Throwing her under the bus would only make me look worse. I hope I’m not too late. I should probably check Google Maps to see how close we are. I can’t though. Taking out my phone would be rude.

Another red light, of course. What? Wait, she can’t. She is. Danielle just took out her phone. She…well, can’t look directly at it, don’t want her to think I’m snooping. But yeah, those are text bubbles. She’s texting. I can recognize text bubbles, even with just peripheral vision, apparently. Green light! She’s going, but she’s not putting the phone away. We’re moving and she’s still typing. Does she want to kill us? Maybe she’s texting Randy to tell him we’re gonna be late. Maybe she’s texting her girlfriend to tell her how creeped out she is with my silence. My peripheral vision isn’t good enough to make out the words. I guess this gives me permission to take out my phone, but I’m too afraid for my life right now to take my eyes off the road. I know I have no control over the car, but looking out and pressing my foot against the floor when she needs to break makes me feel better. My heart is racing. I want to hold onto the roof handle. That usually makes me feel a lot more safe. But she might take it as an insult to her driving. Our non-existent relationship can’t handle an insult right now.

What does it say about me that the fear of upsetting someone is stronger than my desire to not die in a car crash? It definitely could happen. She’s had to slam on the break twice already. I wonder what people would say about me at the funeral. Who would even show up? I would like to be cremated. I wonder if someone has ever snorted a cremated human, like cocaine. I don’t want to die though. Still not sure what happens after we die, but I definitely want to be in this world as long as possible. Some people think it’d be a curse to be immortal. I don’t. That’d be amazing. No time to get into that now because I’m on the edge of life and death as we speak.

Oh no! She’s speeding now. Like, really really fast. She just passed two cars that were going very fast, and she’s passing another. I really should do a Fast and Furious marathon. I keep saying I’ll do it, but I never do. I get why some people don’t like the franchise, but I happen to love it. It’s basically become a superhero franchise, and I think if more people would see it that way, they would enjoy it more. Maybe not. I wonder if Danielle likes the movies. I would ask, but the only reason I’m thinking about it is because this feels like a Fast and Furious scene that ends in a huge car wreck. If she’s a fan of the movies, she’ll definitely make the connection and might take it as an insult.

She just took a turn and slowed down. She looks confused. She clicked on an app. It’s Google Maps. I think she’s lost. I would say something, but it doesn’t feel like the right time to mention that she took the wrong exit. Also, I have no idea where we are. Her eyes are glued to the phone and we’re still moving. At least we’re going much slower now. If we crash I’ll probably survive. I hope I can still walk, but if I had to choose I’d definitely choose my arms over my legs, and I’d choose my eyes over any limb. I should get my eyes checked. My eyesight is getting worse. It’s probably just an aging problem, but sometimes I worry that I’m going blind. This job doesn’t give me coverage for eye exams though, so let’s just hope I don’t go blind.

What is she doing? She’s parking, but this is not where I work. Oh gawd! This is where my boss lives. I forgot we had to pick up the equipment. Actually, I didn’t forget, I just assumed he would drop it off at the building. That would make more sense than having Danielle pick it up. I still think there was a faster way to get here, but I’m glad I didn’t say anything about the exit. She just got out of the car. The equipment is sitting by Randy’s door. I should have gotten out to get it, but I was too busy thinking. It feels like it’s too late now. Yeah, she’s already throwing it in the trunk.

**ppphhhtttt**

She slammed the trunk shut incredibly hard. The car is still shaking. Is this her way of telling me that I should have gotten out of the car to get the equipment? Maybe she’s just releasing tension from the awkward car ride or having to drive during rush hour. Maybe her trunk is faulty and it needs to be slammed really hard in order for it to close properly. My sister’s car has that problem.

Oh! She’s going fast again. It feels faster than before, but I’m sure it’s not, because we’re going through a residential area now. It’s definitely faster than she should be going though, that’s for sure. Wait, I know this road. Yes. We have to turn left soon. We’re close. She turned right. I guess we were driving from the opposite side I usually drive from. Yes. We’re almost there.

We’re here! Two minutes to spare! I’m usually 15–20 minutes early, but at least I’m not late. At least I’m not dead.

“Thank you”, I say as I grab the equipment from the back, and speed walk towards the building. She said something back, but I missed it. I was too distracted analyzing the tone and cadence of my “thank you”. It was actually pretty good, a hundred times better than my “hello”, that’s for sure. I wonder who’s gonna give me a ride home.

K. Kortez

Written by

K. Kortez

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