Chevy Van

 

 

Chevy Van

Written by: Sandra Ferrara Gentry

2007

 

 

  

 

 

 Introduction

"I gave a girl. . . a ride in my wagon. . . she crawled in. . . and took control . . . She was tired. . . her mind was a draggin’. . . I said get some sleep and dream of rock and roll. . . Just like a princess, she was layin’ there. . . moonlight dancin’ off her hair. . . she woke up and took me by the hand. . . she’s gonna love me in my Chevy Van and that’s alright with me. . ." 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Chapter 1

 

 

 

 Eli turned 19 a week ago. After two years of busting his a*s for an unappreciative boss, life long friends deserting him for college life or joining the military and enduring his father’s constant belittlement, he decides to pack up his chocolate brown Chevy Econoline Van and head to California. Los Angeles to be exact. "That’s where the real money is." If he had a dollar for every time he made that statement, he’d be rich already. His ambitions and gut instincts are telling him, that L.A. is the place to be.

 

But first, he’s got to bust out of this God forsaken town. Big city lights and the hustle and bustle of a boom town is seducing him like a lonely mistress."I put her out. . . . in a town that was so small. . . you could throw a rock from end to end. . . A dirt road Main Street. . . she walked off in bare feet. . .it’s a shame I won’t be passing threw again." Wiping the sweat from his brow, he continues his impassioned singing. Threw the distorting shimmering heat, he spots a sign that says, "Leaving the great state of Texas." "Good riddance," He laughs sarcastically, leaving his past behind him with his passing of the highway sign. A few minutes later, he passes a sign that says, "Welcome to New Mexico". It occurs to him that he has been driving for nearly four hours, and he should pull over for a few to stretch out his long, cramped, runner’s legs. He pulls into the next rest area and finds a parking spot near the restrooms. He takes the keys out of the ignition and slides them into his right front pocket. He raises himself up onto the balls of his feet and stretches his long arms towards to sky. He lowers his heels and walks towards the restrooms with a renewed sense of pride. " I did it! I finally did it!" he says, jumping and swinging his arms enthusiastically.

 

 

 

 

 

 

After using the facilities, he walks over to the row of sinks, taking a hard look at himself in the dirty, distorted mirror. While he runs the events of the past week threw his head, Eli bends over and splashes his face with water, then grabs the brown paper hand towel from the dispenser and dries off. "That’s better," he says, throwing the used paper towel into the garbage can, walking towards his van. He spots a soda machine and reaches in his pocket for some change to get a small bottle of Coke-a Cola. He finishes the soda in three gulps, then reaches in his pocket for more change. "Damn it!" he growls

. "Gotta check the ashtray for some more change."

 

He walks over to his van and opens the door. He rummages threw the pile of trash and eight track tapes, finding more than just loose change. A pink backpack on the front passenger seat. Startled, he snaps his head towards the sound of a giggling female. There she is... perched upon the vinyl bench seat in the back of his beloved van, just like a dream. . . just like the song. Eli is stunned by her beauty. She isn’t just a pretty face; her legs are so long and tanned, they reach all the way up to her pink satin gym shorts. Her stomach is flat and perfect. Her pink and white satin halter top hugs her breasts like a glove. Her tanned skin glistens almost as much as her perfect, white teeth, behind her shiny, lip-gloss covered lips. Her dark eyes and long, straight, chestnut hair shining like beacons, beckoning him.

 

"You might wanna pick your jaw up off the floor and climb in. It is your van, after all."

She speaks with the voice of an angel. He shakes his head, shutting his mouth. Still in shock at his beauty in his back seat, he asks the inevitable question, "What are you doing in the back of my van?" She pretends to be offended by his question. "I could leave if you don’t want me here. . ." He quickly rebuts , " No, no. That’s not what I meant. I mean, um, like, is there something I can do for you?" He asks squirmishly, never having been in the company of such beauty.

"Well, since you asked, there is something you can do for me."

 

Eli anxiously awaited her reply. " I need a ride." "Where ya headed?" He secretly hopes she’ll say L.A., but knows that is pushing it. "Anywhere far from here. I need to get out of this boring old place. Anywhere, West." "I can do that," he says proudly, clumsily climbing into the front seat and starting the engine. "Um, before I, um take off here, I was wondering, did you wanna, um, like sit up here, in front? You know, like to tell me which way to go?" His tongue stumbling over his racing thoughts. She smiles coyly , enjoying his apparent nervousness, then jumps in the front seat.

 

She points him in the direction of the famed Highway 66. She tells him, that she’s always wanted to take a wild ride on "the 66". Eli is more than happy to oblige her, again wiping the sweat from his brow. He offers her some of his sandwiches and snacks, but she politely refuses. The unyielding sun, thankfully begins to set. Eli mentions to the beautiful, dark stranger, that they need to find a spot to pull over for the night. She asks him to keep driving for at least another hour or so. He isn’t sure why, but he agrees without question. She mentions that, her mind is "dragging". Eli finds this to be too cliche’, but he runs with it anyway. " Get some sleep. And dream of Rock and Roll. . ." The dark stranger smiles broadly, kicking her beautiful bare feet upon his dashboard. She lays her head against the door and window frame and fades off to sleep.

 

As the full moon cast it’s eerie glow upon the remote desert highway, Eli watches the dark stranger as she sleeps. He tries to catch his breath when, he notices how the moonlight dances along her beautiful dark hair. She truly looks like a princess in the pale moonlight. . . " just like the friggin’ song! " He can hardly compose himself. "Keep your eyes on the road, Son. You better slow this vehicle down !" Eli raises his foot off the accelerator, bringing the van back to the legal speed limit. The dark stranger awakens, demanding Eli pull over into the scenic view parking area. Slightly confused, he asks her why. She gives him a predatory look, grabbing his hand , smiling as she leads him to the back of the van.

 

Eli follows her lead, as first they sit, then lie down on the shag carpet that lines the van. She moves close to him and begins caressing his face with her long, tan fingers. Eli’s heart races, as he begins to fall under her bewitching spell. She leans towards him and kisses him like no other. He is stunned, surprised and confused all at once, but seizes the wonderful opportunity, presented to him in such an engaging manner."Rock me gently, rock me slowly. Take it easy, don’t you know? That I have never been loved like this before. . ." rings out over the radio as the two strangers make love over and over, in the remote and sultry desert.

 

Morning comes and the two of them are in desperate need of a rest room and some hot food. Eli pulls into a quaint, Mom and Pop kind of café , in what looks like the middle of nowhere. AS soon as Eli shuts off of the van, the dark stranger pops out of the van and says she is heading to the rest room to freshen up. She tosses her pink back pack over her right shoulder, entering the establishment. Eli locks his doors and follows her inside.

 

He tells the waitress he needs a table for two and heads to the restroom himself. While splashing cold water on his face, Eli looks in the mirror, realizing that his mass of blonde curls needs some tending to. He grabs his toothbrush and comb from his back pack. While combing threw his nest of matted curls, he notices the string of hickeys across his neck. A s**t-eating grin rips across his face. An orgasmic shiver twitches his entire body, while he relishes the thought of the her lips touching his neck. He sticks his head under the running faucet, trying to quench his burning desire for her. Cupping his hand and filling them with water to rinse out his mouth. Realizing his thoughts raise another personal issue, he steps into the stall and takes care of the morning wood.

 

 

When he finishes up, he walks out to find her sitting at their table, again, looking like an angel, with two cups of coffee and two lumberjack size breakfasts. His blue eyes smile, "A woman after my own heart." He grins the entire walk towards the table, despite the judgmental stares from the other patrons at his hickey necklace. " I’m hungry, and I figured you could use a little extra meat on those bones. . ." she says smiling. Eli smiles back, telling her she is right. After paying the check, they get back into the van, as she once again, takes control.

 

She tells Eli to head south, towards the I-10. Eli smiles, obeying his beautiful stranger. They jump on 1-25 heading south, then jumping on the I-10 heading West. Listening to his 8 track tapes when there is not a radio station to be found, they laugh and talk, totally enjoying the ride. He knows in his heart, she is the one. They hit the I-10 by Las Cruces about dinner time and decide they need to eat again.

 

After a two hour Mexican feast, Eli and the dark stranger jump back into the van, heading towards Arizona. He stares at her, admiring her beauty, studying the shape of her face and her body. He loves everything about her and it is beginning to show. Her bewitching spell has him in a choke hold. Within a few short hours, they find themselves in a desert, somewhere in southeast Arizona. The dark stranger insists Eli stop right there, in the middle of no man’s land. Eli tries to convince her that idea is not only impractical, but straight up insane. Still, she insists he stop immediately. Eli doesn’t want to upset her, so he does as she asks. He pulls along side of the highway, stopping the van. The dark stranger opens her door, jumping out of the van, and begins to run, with her pink backpack in hand. Eli doesn’t understand what is going on. He in turn, jumps out of the van, running to catch up with her.

 

"Hey, wait up ! Slow down. Where do you think you’re going?"

demands a breathless Eli. "This is the end of the line for us. It’s time for me to go my own way and you go yours," she flatly replied. "I don’t understand. Don’t you want to come to L.A. with me? I mean, I thought. . ." "That is your problem, you thought wrong !" Stopping to get her point across, she continues, "Look, I appreciate you taking me this far, but I’ve gotta do my own thing. . . and you’re just , well, extra baggage that I simply cannot drag around with me" She spins around, walks away, leaving a stunned Eli, speechless and jaded. Tears roll down his cheeks, as he stands in the cold, harsh desert, watching the best thing to ever come his way, disappear into the night. When the dark stranger is visible no more, Eli mopes back to the van and starts to drive. After what seems like hours of hysterics and B-movie drama, he snaps out of his self pity mode, shaking off her bewitching spell. He is headed towards his future. He is more determined than ever; he is going to make it big, showing the world and the dark stranger, that he is no loser.

 Eli sings passionately with the radio over the rushing summer wind, at a hot 50 miles per hour. The year was 1975. Eli is speeding down a lonely, stretch of highway. The heat rising from the pavement, creates a blinding, silvery shimmer. Everything looks hot enough to melt under this relentless Texas sun. "Her young face. . . Was like that of an angel. . .her long legs. . . were tan and brown. . .better keep. . . your eyes on the road, son. . . better slow . . .this vehicle down. . ."

Author's Note

Again, the site refused to cooperate with my format ideas, so please pardon the format. Thank you for reading me :)

Reviews

[Mystic Dreams]

This is good...held my attention even though it's not the genre I'd normally read. Don't know if there could/should be more conversation between Eli and his mystery beauty...he hasn't even got her name...just to give a bit more detail. Only other thing I noticed was the slipping between past and presence tense which confused me a bit a first.

Hugs, Mystic

[The Viking]

Sorry it's been so long since I took the time to read this. Life is turbulent these days. Anyways, I like this story a lot. There's enough description to set a scene, but it moves quick enough to hold interest. It's definitely a fantasy because if I was on a road trip and some insanely hot chick appeared in my backseat with the only desire for a one night stand and a ride to somewhere already on my way, I would be in Heaven. Ha ha. In a perfect world maybe. The only things I'd change is in a lot of places you spelled "through" like "threw" and that was beginning to bug me as a reader. The "s**t-eating gin" I think could be worded a lot differently. It didn't really fit with the description of the character to this point. That's just me. Anyways overall, very good. I look forward to reading future chapters.

[Celtic Cat]

Excellent!! I'm so glad my memory stinks cuz I didn't know how this was going to end...although I know I've read it before!! : )
Man....you're making me want to head west again...but I've just put down payment on a nice big anchor, I mean house. Small house. Big commitment!
This was as fun the second time around as it was the first, and I'm so happy to say I don't know what's coming next....so I'm off to find out!!!

[BrightEyes]

I like the incorporation of the song lyrics into this story - and how you used them to create the tale. I don't know why - but Eli seems to come off a bit younger than his 19 years. Perhaps a little detail about him that would bring him up to age. Anxious to see where he goes from here.

laura