Where Does That Highway Go?

Day 109

I drove straight through the day—through Delaware, along the entire Jersey Turnpike, across the George Washington Bridge (a $16 toll), through a sliver of New York and into Connecticut. I stopped in Bridgeport, a town I used to visit fairly regularly; my friend Jake went to Sacred Heart University, where the evil Bobby Valentine is the athletic director. I ate lunch at the Merritt Canteen, king of the greasy counter-service burger joints, then set out on the familiar path back home.

Slowly but surely, things came back into focus. The convenience stores finally sold seltzer; the Massachusetts and New Hampshire license plates re-emerges; other cars were cutting me off for logical reasons, instead of the arcane nonsense I endured on Mid-Atlantic highways. By the time I reached the Worcester suburbs, my radio presets were coming in. I instinctively slipped back into my usual channel-juggling, filling the last hour of nighttime driving through New Hampshire until I pulled into my driveway.

I guess that’s it. After twenty thousand, two hundred and ninety-seven miles, I’m back where I started. Time is a flat circle. I suppose I could look at this as simply a much longer reprieve until the next adventure—kind of like the idea that you never stop clapping. My life is a cosmic round of applause, mostly empty space with occasional pops of excitement. But I shouldn’t be rambling like this! I have to return to society like a good boy, and such strange thoughts will not do in polite conversation. Don’t worry—I’ll find another place for them eventually. Thanks for reading, and happy holidays.

Home.

2 Comments

  1. Grandma

    One last comment: First of all, I am glad you are safely home. And I must tell you I really enjoyed reading your blog all along the way. It was sort of like a virtual adventure for me. You will be busy now with the holidays. Then what? Only you know and can make it happen. These past months were a wondrous chapter in your life so far. Thanks for sharing them with us. Love, Grandma

  2. Julian Malcolm

    Glad you are home. I hope you had fun. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

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