Ska Music

It's rare that I ever post my own writings for people to read, but I think I've gotten somewhat big-headed that I've become proud of my work. So here's a short I started writing quite a few months ago, and just finished :)

"She sat in the passenger seat, nodding her head silently along to the radio. The song that was playing didn’t interest her in the least, however she feared turning it off and facing the ever more awkward silence between her and the man sitting in the driver’s seat. This was the first time they had ever been alone; on top of that, they were stuck together in a tiny 4-door sedan on the highway. She found herself roped into a road trip with him to Alabama, where he currently resided. She didn’t think of the repercussions; it was the first time she ever acted on a whim. Boy was she paying for it now. After two years of texting back and forth night after night, their relationship seemed pretty solid. However, being face-to-face with him was proving the difficulty of reality after an almost-anonymous relationship. They hadn’t spoken in what felt like hours. The excitement of meeting in person after the two-year hiatus had worn off. Now, she faced the toughest challenge yet- the decision to retire listening to the radio and attempt meaningless conversation. Stiffly, she picked her arm up and moved her hand so her fingers pushed against the button on the radio and the music shut off immediately. She sat back in her seat, eyes shifting back and forth. Inconspicuously, she eyed the man (let’s give him a name…) Marcus and took in his physical attributions- his muscular arms, short brown hair, beautiful brown puppy-dog eyes hiding underneath his glasses resting on his small, pug nose, and the tiny bit of stubble on his chin, growing in after this morning’s shave. She also took in how he gripped the steering wheel with his left hand, his right resting on his thigh. He sat in a somewhat laid back, comfortable position despite the awkward tension in the car. His eyes never left the road, not even as she moved for the first time in what felt like hours. She cleared her throat, as she often did in quiet situations, and let out a loud exhale. She opted to stare out the window, but what was there to look at? Vast empty fields the stretched for miles and miles; is this what Alabama looked like? Great, she found something else to regret about this trip. Behind her, she heard the whir of the CD player, and whipped her head around to see Marcus inserting a CD with a smile on his face. She couldn’t understand how this didn’t feel just as awkward for him as it did for her; sure, he was MUCH more happy-go-lucky than her, but there had to be things that bothered him as well. The stifling silence in the far too small car must be making SOME impact on his mood. But oh, no. She scowled behind her blonde hair at him for his chipperness, wishing she could feel the same.
Then, it began. The CD he inserted began to play with a loud introduction of trumpets and trombones, leading into a sick guitar riff. The girl couldn’t contain the smile the stretched across her face; this band…this music always seemed to break her out of any funk she found herself falling into. She turned her head over to face the boy, who had an equally wide grin on his face, glancing away from the road for a moment to lock eyes with her. Marcus’ hand was beating on his knee to the song, and the girl couldn’t help but tap her feet along. Simultaneously, the boy and the girl found themselves joined in harmony, singing the lyrics along to the song as loudly and proudly as they could. In that instant, the girl forgot all about her anxiety she had built up in the car and allowed herself to let go, grinning ear-to-ear and losing herself in the music. It was the music, the Ska music; it always brought the boy and the girl closer together. In that instant, her eyes finding the boy’s once more in the tiny car, cruising 80 miles an hour down the highway, heading to and unfamiliar destination; having the music to always bind them, she knew that it was going to be all right."