Jeep

“I’m wondering how

You wound up with me now

In the back of your Jeep down

Underneath this perfect sky”

He sang timidly, his voice barely audible over the ringing sound of his guitar. If he had been able to find the courage to look up, he would have seen the amused smile on her face at the impromptu song. “The sky really is perfect tonight, isn’t it?” she sighed as the sound of the last chord trailed off into the quiet of the night. She rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes for a moment. He shuddered as a chilly breeze moved through the open tailgate. “Cold?” she asked as she wrapped her arms around him and pulled him in tight, inviting him into the warmth of her oversized red hoodie. He shuddered again just so she would hold on to him for an extra moment. He couldn’t remember a time when he felt so content. “Really, how did I get here?” he wondered out loud. He looked about as if in a dream world. He looked at the checkered picnic blanket beneath them, the untouched sandwiches next to two glasses of Merlot. He looked out at the field they parked in- so vast he could hardly make out the tree line, and he looked up at the thousands of stars visible overhead. “Because I found you, remember?” she replied.

His mind wandered back through the events of what would become the most wonderfully surprising day of his life. He had always felt uncomfortable around people. He never seemed to be able to figure out just what to say or how to fit in. When the world became too much, he would often take his guitar to the edge of the water to write songs and escape. That’s where she found him.

“Do you mind if I listen for a minute? I love acoustic guitar!” The cheerful voice startled him and he whipped his head around to find a young woman standing feet from where he was seated cross-legged under the shade of a small tree. She had thick dark hair pulled back and the biggest, most expressive brown eyes he had ever seen with small happy wrinkles on either side. She wore running shoes and a tank top. From the sweat on her face he could tell she had stopped her workout when she heard him playing from the nearby trail. He thought everything about her was beautiful. “Um, sure” he replied sheepishly as she sat down across from him, back towards the river. “I’m Lyla” she said with a casual wave. “Ben” he replied as he tuned up his guitar. “What would you like to hear?” he asked. “Just whatever you are working on” she replied as she closed her eyes and turned her face toward the sun. “Anything genuine.”

Hands shaking with nervousness, he strummed a chord and sang

“Rocky roads on rolling hills

Whispers through the trees

Ripples over quiet brooks

And summer’s melodies

Though the days grow colder now

It’s not hard to find

Peace of mind”

“That was perfect” she said as he finished the song. He blushed. “Hungry?” she asked. Ben was surprised at the sudden invitation. “There’s a great place right by the park and I’m starving!” Lyla had an excitement and energy about her that instantly broke down his familiar social anxiety. “I’d love to” he replied.

Over lunch, they talked about dreams and goals, compared worst dates, and laughed at embarrassing situations they had experienced. As they paid the check, Ben looked at Lyla longingly, expecting that he would never see her again. “Hey, I don’t want to take up your whole day, but any chance you’re up for an adventure tonight?” she asked. He replied with the calmest “yes” that he could muster, trying to downplay his excitement. “Great! Meet me at the park at 7! I’m in the green Jeep. Oh, and don’t forget your guitar!”

At home, he frantically rummaged through his wardrobe. “Too casual.” “Too fancy.” “Too tight.” “Too trendy.” He finally settled on a pair of jeans and a dark blue button up shirt. For the next three hours, he nervously checked his clock dozens of times. He arrived at the park first, early as usual, and decided to walk off his nerves. At 7:08, just as he was starting to wonder if she was really coming, he saw a green Jeep whip through the parking lot and suddenly turn left parking two spaces from his car. “Get in!” she shouted over to him. He grabbed his guitar and jumped into the passenger seat.

“OK, we have to make a stop!” she said as they pulled into a small strip mall. There was a liquor store next to a small deli. “You grab some sandwiches; I’ll grab the wine!” “What do you want?” He asked. “Get us two Reubens…Trust me!” she called out over her shoulder as they parted ways. “What the heck is a Reuben?” he thought as he went in the deli to order. He wasn’t big on trying new things, but she had an effect on him. “Hi I’ll take two Reubens, please.”

As he returned to her Jeep, she was already busy taking the top down. “You drive!” she shouted and tossed him the keys. “We just met!” he laughed as he entered the driver’s side door. She turned on reggae music and sang and danced in the passenger seat, stopping every now and then to give him directions. He didn’t mind at all that her singing was not exactly in tune. In fact, somehow it was relaxing, even, beautiful to his normally picky ears.

They stopped first at an old train bridge high above a river. “This is where I watch the sunset!” They climbed up the large concrete steps, each one four or so feet tall, and reached the top just as the sun fell below the tree line, scattering orange and white over the blue sky. The only sounds they could hear were the birds chirping and an occasional car passing on the road behind them. They watched ospreys diving for fish in the dwindling light, as a beaver passed underneath the bridge. “This really is a peaceful place” Ben thought aloud with a gentle content sigh. “Come on, I have something else to show you” Lyla said, as they returned to the Jeep and headed out down the quiet back roads.

“Let’s go see the airplanes take off!” she shouted suddenly. “Turn left up there!” They parked on the side of the road next to a tall chain-link fence. “OK, just wait.” she said. A few moments later he heard the roar of a jet engine as a plane flew directly above the Jeep. “See?!” she exclaimed. As he wondered why she ever thought to watch planes take off in the first place or how she even knew to park there, another plane flew overhead. “Woo!” she exclaimed. The way she could find happiness and interesting things in places he had overlooked hundreds of times inspired Ben. He felt like he had spent his entire life looking at the world all wrong. He had driven by that train bridge a dozen times, but never watched the sunset. He had flown from the airport many times, but never thought to watch the planes taking off from below. They turned the engine off and watched the planes, enjoying each other’s company without a word.

Suddenly Lyla broke the silence. “We need a drink. Come on there’s a field up there!” she gestured toward the road. “Just drive to the middle!” The Jeep bumped and tilted as they drove over sticks and dirt mounds to the middle of the field. “This is the best star watching spot in the county!” she confidently exclaimed. “Jump in the back!” They climbed over the seats and sat on the picnic blanket looking up at the stars. “How many do you think there are?” she asked. “Oh, somewhere around ten billion trillion” he quickly replied without thinking. Instantly embarrassed, he cringed as he waited for her response his astronomy interests, expecting the “nerd” or “loser” that he had grown accustomed to hearing. “I like that you know that” she said, smiling as she poured two glasses of wine. Ben was taken back by her casually kind reply. She crawled back putting her hand on his. Ben felt as though his heart was beating so loud and fast that Lyla must be able to hear it. “What is that bright star there?” Lyla asked pointing. “That’s the planet Venus” Ben replied quietly, trying not to embarrass her. Lyla laughed. “Oh, now you see why I need you!” she quipped. “Will you play your guitar for me again?” she asked. “I want a song about me!” she joked with a giggle. That is how Ben ended up on this checkered picnic blanket in the back of a Jeep in a field with his guitar singing to a strangely wonderful woman he just met this morning.

“You really did find me!” Ben said as he finished recapping the day’s event in his mind. “Welcome back” Lyla replied with a laugh noticing the focus returning to his eyes. “You know Ben (this was the first time she had actually spoken his name), it doesn’t matter what happens tomorrow, I’ll always remember this day. There’s something about you that makes me feel like…” her voice trailed off. “Feel like what?” Ben asked. “Forever” she whispered quietly, leaning in close.

He picked his guitar up once more. With her head resting on his shoulder, he strummed a chord and sang out, his voice slightly shaking:

“Never forget

The moments like this

The feel of your lips

When you whisper in my ears

The smell of wine

Under the night sky

And I’m wondering why…

This feels like forever.”