Hitched

36

“Francis, wake up!” Marco yelled. “You’ve got to drive. I can’t keep my eyes open.” He pulled into a service area. Marco tugged on Francis’s shoulder. “Wake up!”

Francis blinked his eyes open. He had been hoping this was all a bad dream. It wasn’t. Marco was a mere foot away, and by this time neither one of them was a pretty sight. “Where are we?”

“ Pennsylvania.”

“We haven’t even hit the Midwest yet.”

“We’re making progress.”

“I need caffeine.”

“Go get it. I have to go to the bathroom.”

In the coffee shop, Francis bought a large cup of joe and a couple of jelly donuts. He brought his purchases back to the car. Marco was already asleep in the backseat, drool dripping out of the side of his mouth. Even when he’s sleeping, he looks like he’s up to no good, Francis thought.

A moment later, Francis pulled out onto the highway. Marco’s cell phone was in the well next to the driver’s seat. I’ll call Joyce again in a few hours, he thought. Hopefully, she’s sleeping and when she wakes up she won’t be mad at me.

But deep down he knew that his goose was cooked.