by J. O Mantel
“Yeah I know, I just hope… ” she paused and sighed.
“Hope what?” He asked.
She turned her eyes to his; “Jake, I just hope that you don’t still have this idea that you and I can ever be more than what we are right now.”
Jake still wanted nothing more than to have Sienna, he wanted her and he wanted her to want him. He wasn’t going to give up, but he wasn’t going to show Sienna that he still had feelings for her.
“Like I said Sienna, I’ve been too busy with work. To be honest, I don’t have time for a relationship. So to answer your question, no, I haven’t been with another woman since Ronnie… or you” he said, staring at her.
She knew that look, she’d seen it many times before. It was that look of determination that he wouldn’t stop at anything until he got what he wanted.
“Jake, I don’t want to see you get hurt, or hold on to something that you can’t have.”
Jake ignored her and finished his meal. He called over the waitress and she handed him the check.
Sienna went to the bathroom one last time, while Jake paid for their meals. When she returned, they walked back to the car, and Jake headed for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum.
The museum was busy, there were people scattered in all directions. Sienna was grateful that she got the chance to sit down at lunch as her feet were swollen.
Their first stop was at the Chuck Berry exhibit, who was inducted into the hall of fame in 1986. Jake grabbed one of the brochures and read through the history. One of Jake’s favorite Chuck Berry songs was Johnny Be Good, and he was fortunate enough to have performed it several times at gigs. Even Sienna was fascinated with the exhibit. As they stared at the memorabilia, Sienna placed her hand on Jake’s shoulder; “Maybe one day, you and Lukas will be up here on display. You can bring your children along and be like ‘hey, that’s me up there.’ I think that’ll be super cool.”
Jake smiled at the prospect and then they walked to the next exhibit. Jake touched the glass of the Ray Charles exhibit and examined all the memorabilia. Sienna grabbed the brochure and read about his history, before the two of them moved on.
They had spent three hours in the museum and had seen the likes of Aretha Franklin, ABBA, The Everly Brothers, Buddy Holly, Roy Orbison, Beach Boys, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Stevie Wonder, The Doors, Etta James, Elton John and Johnny Cash.
They headed toward the exit and passed the final exhibition, Elvis Presley. Sienna couldn’t help but let out a giant squeal, while Jake, however, tried desperately not to embarrass himself.
Everyone knew Elvis, the king of Rock n Roll. Like most people their age, Sienna was surrounded by his music every day while she was growing up. Her mom and dad were massive fans and every weekend her mom would play his albums while doing the housework. Sienna would grab a pen and use it as a microphone, while she sang along to his music. Her dad still had all the original vinyl records sitting on his shelves, gathering dust.
You could ask any kid, and they all knew about Elvis, his career and legacy still lived on even today. For Jake, it was no different.
“I owe a lot to Elvis. If it wasn’t for him, my parents wouldn’t have met and I wouldn’t even be here right now.”
Sienna looked at Jake, her eyes wide open.
“What?” She gasped.
“I’m serious,” Jake said.
“And how did you come to that conclusion?” Sienna asked, gawking at Jake.
“Mom and dad met at an Elvis concert.”
Sienna looked at Jake as he continued his story.
“Love Me Tender was their wedding song.”
Sienna couldn’t stop staring at Jake. Her eyes widened and her mouth wide open.
“What?” Jake asked.
“Jake, that’s pretty cool. Not everyone can say that they’ve met Elvis.”
“Hang on, I never said my parents met Elvis. There’s a difference.”
“Who cares?! They were in the same room as The King. That’s more than most people can say.”
Jake smiled at her and they continued to look at the rest of the Elvis exhibit.
“So it’s kind of cool in a way that I’m here because of Elvis. I’ll be back in a second, I really need to use the bathroom before we leave.” They reached the end of the exhibit, he turned and headed for the bathroom.
Sienna was a little tired and her feet were killing her. She found a seat and sat down while she waited for Jake. After hearing his story, everything started to become clearer now. His mom and dad weren’t musicians, but they were huge Elvis fans. Jake was surrounded by Elvis’ music throughout most of his childhood, it was no wonder he wanted to be a rock star. She remembered the conversation she had with Lukas, when he told her about his past. He and Jake were so different, but yet ironically, they had so much in common. She looked up and saw Jake walk out of the bathroom.
“You look tired” he said, sitting down beside her.
“I am and my feet are killing me.”
“I’m sorry,” Jake said.
“For what?”
“Making you stand on your feet all afternoon. I didn’t even think.”
“It’s not your fault, Jake. You have to remember, I’m pregnant, with twins. Even the shortest walk, or me standing for five minutes is enough to make me tired.”
They walked outside the museum and Jake pulled out his phone. He made a reservation for the two of them at a nearby hotel, they got in the car and Jake drove off.
Sienna was relieved when they arrived at the hotel, she could go and pee again. Jake checked them both in and grabbed their bags from the trunk, while he waited for Sienna. When she returned, the two of them headed to their room.
When they arrived at the room Sienna noticed that there was only one bed. She turned and looked at Jake who placed their bags on the floor.
“Yeah, sorry. It was all they had left at such short notice. And it is only for one night.”
Sienna raised her eyebrows, and Jake knew exactly what she meant.
“I’ll sleep on the floor” he said, grabbing some linen, a blanket and a pillow from the closet.
Sienna relaxed with a shower and then lay down on the bed. Jake was exhausted, he lay on the bed beside her watching the television, his arm up inside his top. Sienna’s eyes wandered in his direction, but he didn’t notice.
“I’m starving,” Sienna said, suddenly.
“Yeah, me too actually,” Jake replied.
Sienna grabbed her phone from the dresser beside the bed, “I better call Lukas and let him know that we’ve arrived.”
“I think I better head out to the store and grab us a bite to eat,” Jake said, suddenly getting off the bed.
“You mean, you don’t want to say hello to Lukas?”
“And listen to the two of you be all sucky and romantic? No thanks.”
He put on his sneakers and opened the door. “I’ll be back soon,” he said, closing the door behind him.
Sienna stared at the door and giggled, she then dialed Lukas’s number and the two of them talked, while Jake wandered around trying to find them something to eat.
He returned about twenty minutes later with some Chinese take out. It was enough to satisfy their hunger and when they were done, Sienna lay on the bed, pulled up the covers and fluffed her pillows. Jake prepared his temporary bed on the floor, just past the end of the bed. He went into the bathroom and quickly changed into his boxers and a tee. As he settled in, Sienna flicked through the channels and found a movie that they both agreed on.
When the movie finished, Jake lay his head on the pillow and stared up at the ceiling.
“Comfortable?” Sienna asked.
“It’ll do,” Jake said.
“I’m sorry.” Sienna said.
“It’s okay, it’s only for one night. I’ll survive,” Jake replied.
There was a moment of silence as Sienna flicked off the lamp, she reached over and turned the radio on. Immediately, Jake smiled and be
gan singing; “I Don’t Know Much, but I know I love you…”
“Look at these eyes…” he heard Sienna sing from the bed.
The two of them sang the duet to Don’t Know Much by Aaron Neville and Linda Ronstadt as it played over the radio. They had joked around and sang along to karaoke before, or sang along to CD’s while doing housework, but this was different. For the first time ever, this actually meant something. Jake had told Sienna many times that she had an incredible voice, he even tried getting her to sing backing vocals with his band, but she refused and said she was never good enough for anything like that. But as he lay there and the two of them sang to one another, Jake smiled.
The song finished playing and Sienna switched off the radio. She rolled over and pulled the covers over her head.
“Goodnight, Jake” she whispered.
“Goodnight,” he replied.
With a big bright smile on his face, Jake rolled over and soon, he too, was sound asleep.
ROUTE 66 DAY ONE
Chicago to St. Louis -
St. Louis to Springfield, Missouri.
Jake and I arrived in Chicago sometime after 6pm last night. My constant pee pit stops kept adding to our travel time, but we finally arrived.
We were up at 6am, ready to begin the first part of our journey along historical Route 66. Jake checked the car, while I prepared some snacks for the journey.
One hour into the trip, I really need to pee. I went before we left, but I really need to go again. I’m too scared to say anything to Jake because I know he will get frustrated, especially after all of yesterday’s stops.
“What are you doing?” Jake asked, as his eyes wandered over to Sienna’s direction briefly.
“Nothing” she replied, quickly closing the diary.
“What’s that?” He asked.
“It’s nothing,” she replied, trying to hide the diary.
“Is that a diary?” Jake asked.
Sienna paused for a moment and then placed the diary back on her lap.
“Look, I know this is going to sound really corny but, I wanted to document our journey together. It’s the first time you and I have ever done anything like this, and it’ll probably be the last for a long time. I just want to make sure I remember every moment.”
Jake smiled at her and rubbed his hand on her shoulder.
“I don’t think that’s corny at all. I actually think it’s a great idea.”
“Really?”
He nodded.
As they continued to drive, Sienna looked out the window and scribbled some more things in the diary.
We’ve been driving for almost three hours now and I’m getting hungry. I also still need to pee badly. We’ve driven through most of Illinois, I know once we reach the Mississippi River that we’ll be in St. Louis, Missouri, but I just don’t think that my bladder will last that long.
“Sorry Jake, but I really-”
“I know! You need to pee, again” he said.
He drove a little further until they came to a diner by the side of the road. Sienna raced out of the car and straight to the bathroom. Jake walked inside the diner, took a seat at the counter, and one of the staff handed him a menu while he waited for Sienna.
He saw her approaching from the bathroom a couple of minutes later. She quickly made her way over to him and sat down on one of the stools.
“How much longer do you think until we get to St. Louis?” She asked.
“About an hour, give or take. So do you think your bladder can handle that?”
“Jake, it’s not my-”
“Sienna, I’m kidding. It’s a joke,” he said.
“It’s a little early for lunch, maybe we could just get a drink to go?” She said.
“You mean you’re not hungry?” Jake asked.
“I’m starving actually, but I think I can wait until we reach St. Louis.”
Neither of them had breakfast before they left the hotel, but they had been munching on the snacks Sienna had packed, so Jake ordered her a serving of pancakes and bacon and eggs with a chocolate milkshake. He ordered himself a Spanish omelet, a ham and cheese croissant and a juice.
“What about lunch?” Sienna said.
“I’m sure you’ll have room for more when we arrive,” he smiled.
The waitress placed their plates in front of them and they started on their meals.
“Excuse me,” Jake said.
“Jake!” Sienna said,
“Now that’s how it’s done,” she said.
“That’s not very ladylike.”
“Whoever said I was a fucking lady?”
Some half an hour later the two of them finished their meals. Jake was about to pay for their meals, but Sienna was quick and placed her credit card on the counter.
“What do you think you’re doing?” He asked.
“I got this,” Sienna told him.
“I don’t think-” but before he had time to finish his sentence, the guy behind the counter already swiped Sienna’s card through the register.
“Gotta be quicker than that, sunshine,” Sienna said.
Although she didn’t need to, Sienna forced herself to go to the bathroom before they hit the road again. If she could help it, she wanted to avoid another pit stop before they reached St. Louis.
After almost an hour of traveling, Sienna could see something up ahead in the distance.
“What’s that?” She asked, pointing to the curved shaped object ahead of them.
“The Gateway Arch,” they both said together.
“Do you want to stop and have a look?” Jake asked.
Sienna nodded. “I’d love to.”
Jake parked the car at a nearby parking facility, then they walked to the Old Gateway Courthouse and purchased their tickets, so that they could go to the observation deck at the top of the Archway.
“Are you sure you’re up for it?” Jake asked Sienna.
“I may be pregnant Jake, but I still have full use of both my legs. Even if I do get tired.”
When they arrived at the Archway, they entered the underground center and headed toward a waiting room, for people to wait for the arch trams, which took you to the observation deck at the top of the arch.
Sienna and Jake entered the tram, along with some other passengers. When they reached the top, they stepped off the tram and headed for the observation windows. As they approached the window, Sienna pinched Jake’s arm.
“Ouch!” He said.
“Sorry.”
“Are you all right? What’s wrong?” He asked.
Sienna went quiet and looked at Jake.
“Sienna?”
“Um, I’ve never told you this before but… I’m afraid of heights.”
“Just hold on tight, but not too tight, I still need that arm to play the guitar” Jake said.
They leaned over the railing and Jake wrapped his arm around Sienna, holding her tight. They looked through the windows at the view before them. Thirty miles east across the Mississippi River and southern Illinois, it was breathtaking. They moved a little further along and enjoyed the view from another angle of the arch. Sienna held onto Jake tightly as they walked through and eventually made their way back to the trams.
The trams returned them to the lower ground level, Sienna was relieved to have her feet back on solid ground. They slowly walked out of the arch and made their way back to the upper level and walked back to where Jake had parked the car.
After we left the Arch, Jake and I continued on our journey through Route 66. We were at the final leg of our trip for day one and we were spending the night in Springfield.
“What exactly are you writing in that thing?” Jake asked.
“Not a lot. I’m just writing down what we’ve done, where we’ve been and all that sort of stuff. One day we’ll look back on all this, and be grateful that everything was written down. Put it this way, it would make interesting bedtime stories for the kids,” she smiled and turned to Jake. He looked at her and re
turned the smile.
By the time they reached their hotel in Springfield, it was mid-afternoon. Jake grabbed their things from the trunk and they checked in. This time, Jake was fortunate enough to book a room with two single beds. Sienna grabbed her toiletries and headed for the bathroom, while Jake made himself comfortable on a bed. He flicked through the channels and stopped when Katherine Heigl caught his attention, Life As We Know It was playing.
Sienna appeared from the bathroom a few minutes later, she was covered in a towel and her hair was dripping wet. She sat down on her bed, wrapped her hair in another towel, looked up at the television, and rolled her eyes as she saw Katherine Heigl come into frame.
“Oh dear God” she said.
“What?” Jake said, looking at her.
“Seriously? Isn’t there anything better worth watching?”
“Sorry, Ryan Gosling is no longer showing,” Jake laughed.
As she went to move on the bed, Sienna let out a cry of pain.
“Oh my God, my back!”
“Are you all right?” Jake asked.
“My back is fucking killing me.”
Jake walked over, made himself comfortable behind Sienna and rolled up his sleeves.
“What are you doing?” She asked.
“Just turn around and shut up,” Jake said.
Slowly and gently, he pressed his fingers against her back and slowly massaged her spine.
“Ahh” Sienna sighed, as Jake pressed a little harder on her spine and slowly made his way upward.
“Better?” Jake asked.
“Much,” Sienna whispered, as she closed her eyes, and raised her head toward the sky. “How the hell did you get so good at this?” She asked.
“You observe interesting things in a gym. That, and the fact that I covered it all in my Personal Training course,” he said.
He continued to massage Sienna’s back slowly, occasionally hearing sighs of relief from her.
“I’m sure Lukas has better hands than I do” Jake said.
“Actually, Lukas has never even given me a back massage before.”
