“Stop that,” he says, flipping his phone open, then shut.

“Stop what?” she asks, staring at him.

“You know what.”

“I’m not doing anything,” she says, stretching her arm across cracked beige leather.

You’re gritting your teeth.”

“Really? You can hear that?”

“The guy in the car next to us can hear it, and its driving me nuts,” he says, eyes never leaving the highway.

“Sorry.” She props her knees up on the dashboard. “How close are we anyway?”

“Still about an hour out, you can take a nap if you want.”

“Why, so you can call her again?”

“No, so you can stop gritting your teeth at me,” he says, turning the a/c on.

“It wasn’t at you, it’s just a habit, and I’m sure you’ll just sit here and drive all by your lonesome without any conversation.”

“I’ve been doing it for the past three hours, what’s one more?”

“Sorry,” she says, shutting the a/c vent in front of her, “it’s not my fault your radio is busted and your a/c smells like your dog.”

“It’s not my fault you don’t have a car and I have to drive you home this weekend.”

“Whatever,” she says, “you wanted the responsibility remember? This is part of it. Why’d you check you phone? Did she call you?”

“No, I was checking what time it was,” he says, dropping his cell phone into the black cup holder between them.

“Sure.”

“And for your information, I haven’t spoken to her since then.”

“Sure.”

“Fine, don’t listen to me. You haven’t been for the last three weeks.”

“Speed up, you’re going too slow,” she says, leaning over his dashboard.

“I’m going the speed limit.”

“Well it feels slow. Are you sure your speedometer isn’t broken too?”

“I’m sure.”

A black mustang speeds past, dust trailing behind it and clouding the road with grit. She gazes out the window.

“You see, that’s a real man right there,” she says “speeding past a shitty car in his nice one. Probably has a girl wild after him.”

“Well, he does now,” he says, turning the windshield wipers on the dirt-smeared window, smearing it worse.

“Oh no, babe, I’m all yours, forever and ever.”

“Cut it out.”

“I still can’t believe you said that line, biggest load of shit ever.”

“Look, I said I was sorry, that it’ll never happen again, what more do you want from me? Chemical castration?”

“It’s a start,” she says, dropping her knees, leaning her seat back.

“I was being sarcastic.”

“Really? I thought it was the first good idea you’ve had in three weeks.”

“Stop it,” he says.

“What!?”

“You’re doing it again.”

“Ugh, fine. I’ll just take a nap, maybe when I wake up you’ll have grown up.”

***

“What are you looking at?” she asks him.

“Nothing.”

“It’s her isn’t it?” she says, raising her seat.

He hands over his phone, glancing at her face as she takes it.

“What’s this?” She aims the phone at him.

“What does it look like? A mirror perhaps?”

“No, a mirror shows the present. What, you trying to get on my good side by reminiscing?”

“You don’t have a good side.”

“That’s not what you used to say, stud,” she says, tossing the phone into the backseat.

“Knock it off.”

“What?”

“You’re gritting again.”

“I am not! All the time with the nagging and the complaining, I’m surprised you even found someone else, even if she is a slut.”

“Look. Seriously look at me. Have you ever seen me like this?”

“What, stupid?”

“What do you think I do at night?”

“I have an idea.”

“I don’t sleep, I told you everything. Why do you have to be like this?”

“Because you betrayed me.”

“I know, I know. But I’ve apologized so many times. I just don’t think I can anymore.

“Then don’t apologize, be a real man.”

“HOW!? How do I be a real man? Tell me, please God tell me how.”

“Slow down, you’re speeding,” she says.

“Maybe my speedometer is broken, maybe we are going too slow.”

“Just slow down, alright.”

“But I want a girl wild after me too.”

“Stop it,” she says.

“Stop what!” he yells

“You know what.”

“I’m not doing anything, not anymore.”

The engine whines as the car rounds a turn. He unbuckles his belt and reaches into the backseat for his phone.

***

“What seems to be the hold up, officer?”

“Accident, Lieutenant.”

“How many cars involved?”

“A black Mustang and another car with two kids. Mustang blew his engine rounding the curve, other car blew into the back of him.”

“Injuries?”

“The mustang driver and the other driver’s fiancé are on the way to County, sir.”

“And the other driver?”

“Well, you see that wet patch of road, sir?”

“Yes? What about it?”

“Well, sir, it hasn’t rained here in three weeks.”

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