The two avoided eye contact as they ducked their heads to get into the front seats. Lyla searched her pockets for her headphones, then quickly jabbed the radio button when she realized she had forgotten them. The mountains in the distance got closer and closer until the snow at the peaks could be clearly seen from below. Cindy wanted to comment about the beautiful colors of the fall sky, but held her tongue in fear of being ignored
After an hour of silence Lyla sat up and turned down the radio volume.
“Are you going to keep driving this slow the whole rest of the way or..?”
“Talking or not, this is our last hour together until Thanksgiving so I’m not in any rush.”
“I’m not coming home for Thanksgiving,” Lyla hesitantly whispered.
Staring straight ahead with a puzzled look on her face, Cindy searched for words. “We haven't even gotten to Evergreen yet and you're already planning on staying there forever? You don’t even know if you like it yet!”
“It’s far away and nothing like New York, I think I’ll be just fine.”
Cindy struggled to hold back tears. She knew that her and her daughter had not always gotten along, but she didn’t realize how much her daughter wanted to get away from her.
The wind from the open window tossed Lyla’s hair around, she looked carefree and relaxed, like she had not just broken her own mother's heart. To Cindy, the wind felt like a storm, slapping her in the face, her eyes stung as it got harder and harder for her not to cry.