Coming and Going

The minute I hit 95 South, I was struck by a feeling of freedom like nothing I had ever experienced before. Sure, that was the point, but I didn’t expect to feel so free from my life so soon after leaving. Instead of thinking about it, I cranked up the radio and put the windows down, savoring that feeling as much as the wind that whipped through my hair.
Less than two hours earlier, I had finished stuffing everything I could fit into my old black Malibu, strapped my yellow lab mix into her special seat belt and locked the door behind me. After one last glance at the house, I put the car into gear and pulled out of the driveway without looking back.
I drove for five hours before pulling into a rest stop. Jada jumped out of the backseat as soon as I unhooked her short red leash, happy for a chance to finally stretch her legs. As I walked her around the grassy square, I soaked up the North Carolina sun, which seemed twice as warm as the one I had left back in Maryland, and thought about what was coming next. “What do you think, Jada?” I asked. “Should we stay here in North Carolina?” The only answer she gave me was a lick in the face, and I laughed for the first time all day.
Back on the highway, I drove for another two hours when the gas gauge started pointing closer to empty. I turned down the radio and started reading road signs. “WELCOME TO FALLS LAKE” was the first sign I saw. I took the exit and found an old Exxon station next to a tiny diner. After letting Jada stretch her legs again, I went into the nearly empty diner and sat down at a table in the corner. A woman who looked to be a few years older than me came over with a pot of coffee and poured me a cup before I could even request one. "You look tired" she said, sliding into the chair across from me. She poured herself a cup of coffee and sat the pot in the middle of the table. "Where are you coming from? Been on the road long?" she asked.
"About seven hours" I told her. "I left Maryland this morning". "Really?Where are you headed?". She laughed when I admitted that I didn't know, then decided that I must be starving and brought a menu.