Soaking up some summer sun won’t fix everything, but it does make life feel a bit less heavy. There’s something about sitting outside by the pool while your family splashes and laughs, taking a dip yourself when your skin feels too hot.
I didn’t realize how long it had been since I’d seen everyone, pandemic aside we’re all a little guilty of not making time. Some days it seems we have plenty of it to spare; then there are the days when you wake up, blink, and it’s suddenly time to call it a night and burrow under the comforter until tomorrow. How does it feel easier to travel hundreds of miles and a handful of states away to witness a wedding when visiting most of your family only means driving to the other side of town? I don’t know.
As we wound our way down the highway into North Carolina I was once again reminded of how big this world is and how much I miss being away from the commotion of the city. I could never live in a place where my closest neighbor was a mile away or where you peer out of your living room windows at night into near complete darkness to set the record straight. I don’t like wondering what might be looking back at me. It’s peaceful looking out on the ragged treetops without a skyscraper in sight though; a change of pace sharing breakfast at a mom and pop place called Nana’s where the service comes with a smile and yes ma’am or no ma’am. You know it’s good when they’re out of biscuits and gravy for the day and it isn’t noon yet.
Elkin, NC is what you see when you imagine small town America; historic, repurposed buildings and a blending of the old and the new as we move further into the 21st century. It’s almost what I see as I write the book I’m working on, and I couldn’t help but stare out the window as we drove through the town center, trying to draw out some inspiration. It made me think maybe it really is as charming as some people claim, growing up in a place where you know almost everyone you pass on the street. One look at the quaint antique store with beautiful furniture sitting outside and I was already asking my mom if we could squeeze in a quick stop before we headed to Virginia.
I think we live in a world divided when it comes to road trips. When I was a kid we weren’t a flying in an airplane family. If we were going on a trip we packed our bags and loaded them into the trunk of the car, fully equipped with snacks and packages of lunchmeat in an Igloo cooler next to a loaf of bread to make sandwiches. At the time I exclusively ate bologna with a healthy squeeze of ketchup on top (and I was a picky eater). These days a bag of chips and a bottle of water do just fine; rest assured I haven’t eaten the aforementioned bologna sandwich in many years. I packed two books to read on the ride and mom contributed her 80’s playlist of the greatest hits from her time in high school.
Each time we drove through a tunnel carved into the middle of a mountain I thought about the generations before us who travelled almost the same routes, before you could go through instead of going around. The country is still wild in many places and lush with trees as far as the eye can see. Roads run through and interrupt what I know was once serene landscape. My mom told us stories of what it used to be like traveling route 10 toward Logan before West Virginia upgraded the highway. If you rolled the window down and reached your hand out you would have been able to touch the jagged rock on the side of the mountain. Some stretches went without a guardrail to guide cars away from the edge
The roots of my family wind into the ground in the heart of West Virginia’s coal mining country. Last night I sipped on Pinot Gris and watched my grandma kick around the dance floor with her younger brother and sister to the best kind of country music. My mom reminisced about the parties my great grandma used to throw in the basement with music you could dance to and spiked punch my mom’s younger cousin was always trying to get his hands on. I wish I could have been to one of those parties, but the stories bring me happiness all the same. To see my family so full of life, smiling from ear to ear, turning in circles in celebration is a gift.
As we stood shoulder to shoulder in the parking lot, sparklers in hand waiting for the happy couple to make their exit, I wanted the night to last just a bit longer.
The Rummy Writer 