I thought this road trip was off to a pretty good start. With all my previous experience, I thought I had most of the kinks figured out. But then again, I was alone when all of these other trips occurred. If something went wrong, it was pretty easy to pivot and adjust. But with a group including three other individuals, with their own perspectives and ways to solve a problem, it’s only natural that chaos shall follow.

“I told you we should have grabbed gas at that last station” exclaimed Corey

“Yeah, easy for you to say. You weren’t the one responsible for paying the next fill up. Did you see how much they were charging for gasoline?” Replied Shawn

“Wow, 10 cents a liter more than the gas station previous. Were you hoping somehow the gas would drop to below a dollar per liter at the next station?” Chirped Ashley sarcastically.

“Unlike some of you, I actually care about the budget that I’ve laid out for myself” fired back Shawn.

“I didn’t see you taking into account your budget when you bought that 4 pack of Modelo tall cans yesterday evening” said Corey.

“My beer consumption has a separate budget specially laid out”

“Well, none that really matters now that we’re stuck on the side of the road, in a desert, with an empty tank of gas.” I said.

“Fuck this. I’m going for a walk” replied Shawn, as he cracked a beer and started walking along the road.

“Where the hell does he think he’s going?” Asked Ashley.

“He does this sometimes. It’s his way of clearing his head and removing himself from the situation before he blows a gasket” explained Corey.

“Okay. Well, let’s think for a moment. How far was that last gas station 35 or 40 kms? So that means, it would take about 8 hours to get there. And another 8 hours back. And I’m not even sure they would be open by the time we got there.” I said out loud.

“What if one of us ran there? I feel like walking would take forever. But if we send our fastest runner with some cash, we could pay for a jerry can and hopefully bum a ride back to the vehicle” offered Corey.

“Pete, you’re a pretty fast runner right? You just finished a half marathon a few months ago, and you’re always talking about how you love running around your town” said Ashley.

“I guess so. I don’t know if I would call myself a runner, but I do enjoy running along the trails back home. But it’s also shadier, with a cool breeze from the ocean… and most importantly, I’ve got music to keep me motivated” I replied.

“Well, you can take my water bottle with you. And my very fashionable sun hat” offered Ashley.

“And I’ve got some killer noise cancelling headphones that’ll put you right in the zone for the most important run of your life” said Corey

“And what happens if I get hurt along the way or the gas station is closed?” I ask.

“… That’s a risk we’re willing to take” scolded Corey.

5 minutes later, I’m suited up in my makeshift running gear and ready to hit the road.

Everybody roars with laughter.

Ashley takes out her phone and snaps several photos.

“Oh my god. This is priceless. One day when you’re old and shriveled, you’ll look back at this moment in time and wish you could relive these days” said Ashley through tears of laughter.

“Remind me to resend everyone the photos of you from Jake’s BBQ last summer” I quickly replied.

Ashley’s mouth opened wide “You wouldn’t!”

“I would. So no social media post. Keep this amongst ourselves. I’ve got a reputation to uphold” I said defiantly.

“Ya ya ya. Just get going would ya? It’s already 2pm and I’d like to make it to our next stop in time for sunset” said Corey.

I do a few quick stretches and begin blasting Turnstile’s “Glow On” record to really get myself in the zone. Within minutes, I’m sprinting down the road.

“Think he’ll make it?” Asked Ashley.

“Yeah, I do. But I’m sure he’ll hold this over our heads for at least the next few days. We better buy him dinner tonight. That’ll shut him up” chuckled Corey.

“Dinner? Why would you buy Pete dinner? Also where’s he going? Is he trying to obtain his daily step count or something?” Belched Shawn, followed by the sound of crushing his empty beer can.

“Where the hell did you go?” Said Corey.

“I went for a walk. Drank a beer. Came across a gas station 5 minutes down the road. It was great. Clerk’s gonna drive a jerry can over in a few minutes, and we’ll be back on the road in no time” said Shawn proudly.

“That’s great! What about Pete? Should we go get him?”

Everyone begins shouting to try and get the attention of Pete, who can still be seen in the distance sprinting and playing air drums to his favourite Turnstile tune.

“Ah, forget it. I’ve only got three beers left anyways. How about we enjoy these cold beers and go fetch him in a bit” suggest Shawn.

“Great idea. Besides, Pete doesn’t really drink anyways” offers Corey.

“Yeah. Plus I think deep down, Pete would appreciate obtaining his daily activity” admits Ashley.

“Exactly. So let’s really take our time and enjoy this cold, refreshing beer. We earned it.” Smirked Shawn.

“Cheers” says Corey as he lifts his freshly cracked Modelo

“Cheers” echoes Ashley and Shawn.