"Do you think we'll be there in time?" Annette didn't care but she felt as though she should say something to break the awkward silence in the car.
"No." Paolo answered. Annette waited for him to say something else. He didn't so she just continued staring out the window, watching the world pass by outside the car.
They had been traveling for two days, stopping only briefly at a run down motel on the outskirts of some city to catch a night of sleep. Yesterday had been Annette's birthday but the occasion passed by without so much as a balloon. She didn't expect anything more but still, she felt sad looking back at the day.
Paola barely knew her. She knew nothing at all about him, other than he kept a suitcase of pressed suits and found an iron daily to make sure he looked presentable. She didn't know why that was so important to him. It wasn't as though they would be meeting anyone else. Still, it was what she knew.
They were nearing another burned down town. Annette could see the smoldering ashes. In the distance, she thought she saw someone standing in the shadows. Paolo kept his eyes fixated on the road.
"I wonder where we are?" Annette mused. Paola didn't answer but the silence was stifling so she kept on, "Maybe Topeka? Are we near Kansas? I never went farther than Nevada myself. Never saw much of a point. California was my home. I never thought I'd have to leave."
Paolo crooked his head slightly but kept silent.