Night - Trips 1989

The night trips were his secret. Every Friday that summer, he’d drive without a map, chasing the red glow of radio towers or the promise of a 24-hour diner. He never told his friends. They were busy with fireworks and keg stands. Leo was busy memorizing the way streetlights painted the dashboard gold.

“Then let’s fix that,” she said, and she ejected Disintegration from the tape deck. She dug into her duffel bag and pulled out a bootleg cassette with a handwritten label: “The Smiths – Louder Than Bombs (Side A only).” night trips 1989

Tonight, the road was empty except for a semi-truck that looked like a silver whale. He passed a billboard advertising “LaserDiscs: The Future is Here.” He passed a shut-down drive-in where the skeleton of the screen stood against the stars. The night trips were his secret