She did not notice when the car stopped, but she did not look uncomfortable hearing his voice as he gently shook her:
– I’m really sorry to wake you up, but I thought you’d like to see this. It took me a while to find a nice spot to pull up, but it was worth it.
– Where are we? – she asked in a husky voice.
– See it for yourself – he answered, leaving the car.
She picked up her glasses on the cup holder and stepped out of the car. He had parked not far from the road shoulder, close to a hilltop. A couple hundred meters below them, a river flowed through a huge lake among the mountains they had been crossing throughout the day.
An astonishing orangish dusk was falling behind them and, on the other side of the valley, a dark cloudy storm approached, forming a rare full-circle rainbow where the fading sunshine met the upcoming rain.
– Thanks for waking me up! – she said, getting the camera on the back seat. – That’s terrific!
– Isn’t it? – he sounded anxious – But I’m a bit worried. The next city is 80 km away, but we would have to drive through that storm. There’s a small town 20km back where we could stop over. Should we go back?
She grinned, reminding him the first time he saw that smile. It was no longer than a year ago in a place not so different from that. He was sitting on a cliff at the coast, also waiting for the sun to set. After some time watching the open sea, he barely noticed when she approached him:
– My friends were wagering on what you have been daydreaming about.
He steadily smiled as he turned towards his thought-breaker:
– What’s your guess? I might help you to win that bet.
– I don’t have a guess. – she replied, looking nervous – It’s New Year’s Eve and you’re alone in a place some call the Paradise. You’ve been staring at the ocean for the past 20 minutes, so I’m rather worried about what you intend to do.
He laughed before answering to her concerns:
– Don’t worry about me, I’m just a guy too far from home…
– … trying to find a meaning for your life or something like that – she interrupted, faking a high-pitched voice, then changing it back to her pleasant tone – You’re not the first one that comes here with this baloney – she sounded disappointed.
– I really hope you didn’t put any money on this – they both laughed as he continued – I’m sorry to disappoint you, but I don’t believe life has a meaning or something like that – he emphasized – we’re supposed to live, and that’s it. What I’ve been trying to accept are its uncertainties. I know I can’t control what’s gonna happen, but I can’t get rid of the feeling that I can. And you might have helped me.
– I wasn’t so wrong though – she was smiling again, looking surprised with what she had just heard – But why do you think I have helped you?
– I’ve been driving westwards for the past week or so, with no destination, stopping over random places at dusk. I had never heard about this town until I crossed its boundaries about an hour ago. I wasn’t expecting this so-called paradise, and even less, that I would have this conversation with someone, but I swear you I’m not that boring all the time.
Both laughed again, turning their faces to the horizon as the sun set. They remained in silence for a couple of minutes, contemplating the sun as it fell beyond the sea.
– Would you mind joining us and bore me telling the story behind this trip or are you already planning to go back? – she asked, seeming eager for his answer.
– Why go backwards when the uncertainties lie ahead? – she asked, settling the camera back on the backseat – That’s what you’ve told me the day we’ve met.
He laughed speechless. She was right, and that was the reason they have planned this trip: to look for new experiences. They hugged each other, watching the rainbow vanish as the sunlight was fading away and the dark clouds were slowly approaching.
In silence, they stepped into the car and got back on the road. He did not drive much further before turning on the headlights as the first raindrops hit the windscreen. The wipers movement seemed to follow the rhythm of the quiet song they were listening to as she fell asleep again.
The contrast between the dark clouds and the soft indoor lights made him notice his reflection on the side window. The rhythmic vibration of his phone’s alarm reminded him it was Friday, and most of his colleagues were already leaving the floor.
He took off the headphones just in time to hear his friend Mark crying at him:
– Daydreaming again? You’re lucky Marta isn’t here, or you would be granted a couple of extra hours on our last working day before Christmas. Don’t forget to turn the lights off when you leave. We’ll meet you at the bar.
He nodded packing his things. Ten minutes later, he picked up his coat on the hook and stared at his image mirrored on the window once again. It vanished when he turned off the lights before closing the doors.
