Chapter 15 The Baggage
They hit the road at first light, now less than 300 miles from Los Angeles. Omar feels a smile stretch across his face as he hears the lights of Hollywood start to call his name. His fresh start was finally becoming a reality, one mile at a time.
Omar’s phone buzzes as Bills name flies across the screen.
“We need you to come in early. ETA?” Omar grips the steering wheel tighter and ignores the text. He’d rather be excited about his new chapter and not think about work.
The night seems to restore Jasper, if only temporarily. He clutches a roadside brochure, staring holes right through it as if he were enchanted in a spell. But behind his blue eyes, there’s a glow a bit more from sadness than intrigue. Because sadness is also intriguing.
“Whatcha got there, Dad?”
“Our final stop.” Jasper nods, still pouring over the pamphlet.
Omar’s eyes cut to Jasper. He didn’t like the word “Final” — it was, in fact, too final. Omar feels a bit of uneasiness grow in the car and rolls down the window, daring the warm breeze to lighten the mood.
His stomach clenches. “Stop? You mean, like a pit stop? Because, with you know, being wanted and all.”
Jasper rolls his eyes.
“We got on the road, didn’t we?”
“Yeah… but that doesn’t exactly make you free.”
Jasper puts the brochure down and turns to Omar.
“But this place will.”
Omar scoffs, stealing a quick glance at the brochure. “What is this place, some kind of magic rehab center hidden in the sticks?”
“That’s exactly what it is.”
Omar jerks his head back and takes on a serious, albeit, annoyed tone.
“What do you mean?”
“You know all that baggage you carry?”
Omar turns and looks at the backseat and notices Jasper’s bag.
“Yeah?”
“No, yah dummy, all that shit you carry, Monica, your past… that baggage. The emotional kind.”
Omar nods and frowns. It was too early for this philosophical shit.
“All that stuff is behind me, back in Ohio. That’s why I… we… left.” Says Omar rather mutely.
“Is it?” Jasper asks.
Omar taps his fingers impatiently on the wheel.
“…Yeah.” Omar sighs.
Jasper looks down.
“You know I can tell when you’re lying, right?”
Omar exhales. “Look — I’m over it… trust me.”
“It’s okay if you’re not… that shit has to feel heavy,” Jasper chides. “Hell, it made you drive across the damn country.”
Omar rubs the back of his neck, hoping it will smooth out his annoyance.
“Trust me, those things we all run from. Our failures, our disappointments those things are all baggage… we got to stop carrying that shit.”
Omar’s eyes bug out of his head.
“Time heals all wounds.” Omar mutters. “I just need time… and distance.”
Jasper shakes his head.
“Take it from me – time doesn’t heal, it numbs. Acceptance, that’s what heals. Accepting your life, and your situation, even if you don’t like the outcome. Because if you accept it, it no longer has power over you, you made peace. Fuck time, it only delays what you need to do – accept.”
Jasper nods and continues.
“I’m sure you still think about her, hell, we all do with past relationships. It’s normal.”
“Dad, stop.”
“No… I’m just saying…”
“Stop.”
“But…”
“Just STOP!”
Omar pants as his chest rises up and down.
“No,” Jasper insists “You gotta quit letting that stuff hold you back. You gotta quit running from your problems.”
Omar stares out the window, focusing on the endless stretch of road ahead, anything to avoid eye contact. Talking about his failed relationship felt like giving a speech naked: cold, raw, and embarrassing. But his father’s words chipped away at him like water pouring on rock, eroding resistance one mineral at a time. After some more consideration, Omar balls his fist then releases the dam of his emotions.
“I can’t not think about her… we… we had our lives planned together. Every time my mind wanders it always goes to her. I can’t, I won’t forget about her.”
Jasper sighs.
“Look — I know I wasn’t there as much as I needed to be, but you need to know this. Sometimes relationships don’t work out — it’s a fact of life. Hell, they mainly don’t work out — that’s why it’s called dating. But it doesn’t mean you close yourself off from the world. It doesn’t mean you compare everything new to everything old. And it doesn’t mean you run away when things get tough. It means you gotta be brave enough to think optimistically, because who would let one bad experience encumber a lifetime of joy?”
Omar tries to focus on the road, but his father’s word seem to melt what was left of his shield.
“Even love that burns out,” Jasper continues, “leaves embers. You keep the good memories, but Omar, you have to accept your situation and move on. Otherwise you’re just gonna be chasing a ghost.”
Omar nods, shakes his head, and stares straight, feeling exposed.
“I’m sorry you were hurt — it sucks, but it’ll get better… it always gets better.”
Omar wipes a tear from his eye and focuses on the road. The car continues to roll forward for another hour or so, in deep silence. The hum from the road and the wind pouring in the windows seemed to calm them both down.
Somewhere along the ride, Omar’s mind slowly starts to wander and replay his entire relationship with Monica. But this time, he was observing the experience and not living it. And the damning thought that maybe, just maybe, things weren’t as good as they seemed, enters his mind. Perhaps he was over-romanticizing the beauty and forgetting the bruises. Maybe they weren’t compatible, maybe their relationship was born out of convenience. Just maybe, he had it all wrong. Omar wipes his face. Right as he reaches the peak of acceptance, Jasper leans over the dash and points towards the exit, “Pull off here.” Omar snaps out of it.
They pull off the highway and follow a snaky road deep into the California countryside. Gone were the relics of roadside America, the McDonald’s, the mechanics, and the motorists. In came the country. God’s country with all its natural California wonder. Rolling hills, baked a golden brown by a searing sun, twisting oaks guarding the road, and way off in the distance, the jagged teeth of the Sierra Nevada’s cut into the clouds. Omar scans the horizon and thinks, this is what the California fuss was all about.
After about 20 minutes of twisting and turning into the countryside, a brilliant building stands out, towering among the rocks. Jasper leans forward and points.
“That’s where we’re headed,” Jasper gruffs. “This is our final stop.”
Omar turns to Jasper, and could see the water in his eyes. He quickly looks away and grips the steering wheel.
Deep down, Omar wonders what version of “final” Jasper meant and feels a cold feeling crawl up his spine.
“You’ll drop all that baggage here.” Jasper adds.
“I will too.”
What the Hell, sharing another chapter from my new book. This is chapter 15.
For context, my book starts off with Omar leaving on a road trip after his relationship with his fiance fizzles out. Omar is the son. Jasper is the father and Jasper also has terminal cancer. They had a rocky relationship but Jasper joined Omar on the road trip to repair it before he passes. Please let me know if you like it, and just wait till you read these things in order! Happy Memorial Day! As always, I really do appreciate all your feedback, you have no idea how much this helps me.
Liked it!
Thank you so much!
Everyone is invited to come and appreciate humanity together! Work together to solve the social problems of humanity.
https://socialproblemsolutioncom.wordpress.com/
Yes! Keep going …..
Thank you sir!
I hope Omar finds Monica is true and wants nothing more than to save him from his father. Maybe she didn’t know what the world had done to her. If he wanted to talk to her, he totally should because she found the yellow sun and discovered another dragon egg. The yellow sun needs their protection and Monica is the true locus of control.
Nice work! Happy Memorial Day! 🙂
Thank you so much!!
I liked it. It’s good.
Thanks so much
Seems like a good story to me. Keep going, man!
Thank you so much!! Really appreciate you reading as always
“Even love that burns out… leaves embers.” Love that.
Thank you so much! I like it too
Great post. 😊
Thank you so much for reading as always
My pleasure.
I’ll say this, I read my emailed blog posts while I eat my lunch and this one sucked me in when I didn’t mean it to. Great work!
I am so happy to hear that best news all day thank you
You should write a book! I enjoyed it.
Thank you! Yes this is actually chapter 15 of my book – so happy you enjoyed
Again, that road is well utilized by you as a symbol pointing to all roads that we walk with our baggage in town. I love that last bit about the “cold” feeling wandering up the spine. A great invitation to feel the same. Please share the next chapter too.
Thank you so much! I just might! The next chapter is about my B plot which I haven’t shared here yet, but essentially because Jasper and Omar did a bunch of crazy shit they have the cops chasing them and the next chapter is about the cop
I’ll take Jasper’s advice (your advice). Thank you for sharing.
Thank you so much for reading, happy you enjoyed – I’m going for funny, heart and a little bit of self help so hopefully it hits the mark
It definitely did! Thank you!
A very interesting read! Keep it going!
thank you so much! and will do
“Look — I know I wasn’t there as much as I needed to be, but you need to know this. Sometimes, relationships don’t work out — it’s a fact of life. Hell, they mainly don’t work out — that’s why it’s called dating. But it doesn’t mean you close yourself off from the world. It doesn’t mean you compare everything new to everything old. And it doesn’t mean you run away when things get tough. It means you gotta be brave enough to think optimistically because who would let one bad experience encumber a lifetime of joy?”
I don’t subscribe to ur blog yet, this’s the first time I’ve read ur post and it’s really impressive at that passage. it makes my day, thankful.
So happy you enjoyed – thank you so much for reading
This post is truly delightful. Thank you for sharing it.
So happy you enjoyed!
Great write
Thank you so much!
Do you ever think about blogging it out in order? You’ve got lots of interested readers. I’d love to read it in full. I’d review it too. Here’s a link if you want to see some of my reviews. Also, any of these authors would love to have you read their work. All are free on WordPress except the first one, the Kent Wayne one. He’s ubiquitous on WordPress and he does freebie deals all the time-plus you can read his on a Kindle. Well, enough said.
Thanks so much! Possibly! For me – I just wanted to tease the book while getting feedback – but happy to see the feedback has been good -I also want to give people something to looo forward too – but the fact people can read and enjoy out of context means the world to me
Also – post your link! I may take you up on that
Thanks you sir
Wow, I really like this. And I see where it is heading.
Omar and his father Jasper are on a road trip, heading towards Los Angeles in hopes of a fresh start for Omar. However, their journey is not just physical but emotional, as both men are grappling with their pasts and the baggage that comes with them. Jasper, clutching a brochure, seems to have found a final destination that promises healing and acceptance. Omar, initially skeptical and burdened by memories of a failed relationship, begins to confront his unresolved feelings through candid conversations with Jasper. As they drive deeper into the California countryside, they approach a mysterious building that Jasper believes will be the place where they can finally let go of their emotional baggage.
As Omar and Jasper approach the enigmatic building, they encounter an unexpected hitchhiker: an alien interplanetary creature stranded on Earth. This creature, a being of immense wisdom and unique powers, offers them insights into their own struggles. The alien’s perspective on life, loss, and healing adds a profound layer to their journey, pushing them to confront their issues in unprecedented ways.
Thank you so much Chuck! I will neither confirm or deny / time will tell!
Great post!
Thank you so much!!
Best way to get over emotional trauma is to talk to yourself driving in your car or when you’re alone and meditating. Just put it out there
Forsure I do the same thing
Wow. I want to be very honest and say this storytelling book📔 is very entertaining and remarkable Anthony.
Also, I encourage you to keep writing the next chapter and the next chapter, the magic will happen one day.
Lastly, I like the characters here , that is Jasper and Omar. I enjoyed reading this and I like it. There is some truth in this and I liked what Jasper said to his Dad and that he needs to stop running from his problems, he must face them..
A great weekend to you brother Anthony✨✨👏
Thank you so much for the kind words my friend! So happy you enjoyed – have a great weekend
You too my brother. Take care Anthony✨💖🙏🙏
Thanks my friend
Wasn’t what I expected. I thought I was going to get advice. But I guess in a way I did. And I loved it. At the end I thought “What? Don’t leave me hanging!” But it was the perfect cliff hanger. Great writing!! Let us all know when it’s out.
Thank you so much for reading and the kind words! I will be sure to! Nearly done just doing my finial edits
your style of writing is light and I like how you switch into reflection to reveal some more details about the conversation between Jasper and Omar, to inform-intrigue the reader about the subject they are talking about…