By Jacquelyn Raeves

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One trip that tests their relationship, will Connie and Alex survive?

Twenty five year old Connie daydreams about the end of her day. She fidgets with her braids that are pulled back into a bun, and with the zipper of her sweater as her teacher says the last words. 

Twenty eight year old Alex pulls up in his second-hand black Honda and his vision shifts from his watch to the building where Connie is. He steps out of the car to get a better look at the college. Alex is 6 feet tall with curly hair, he’s wearing a white turtleneck and white sneakers, he sits on the hood of his car as he watches the students pass by. He’s just been offered a job in Boston, and his interview is tomorrow. 

After what seems like hours, Connie finally shows up. Without greeting her, Alex gets into the car. Connie is confused at Alex’s jumpy behavior. 

“Hi, Babe! How was your day?” Connie asks.

“You’re late,” Alex responds.

“I’m sorry, the professor wouldn’t stop talking. But do you have my bag?” Connie looks around in search of her bag.

Alex’s eyes go wide with the realization that he forgot the one thing he was supposed to bring. 

“Alex. I need my bag. There are specific items in there that are necessary for me to have a good trip.” 

Alex starts the car knowing he can’t reason with her and heads back home. At the house, Alex offers to get her bag, Connie refuses and she heads inside the house. 

Alex honks and yells at her to hurry up. 

“So where is that huge bag going?” 

Connie laughs, “In the car obviously,” and crudely throws the bag into the back seat.

Her bag barely fits in the back, Alex gets out of the front seat and starts shoving the bag in different positions to try and make it fit. It ends with the bag in a weird position under the seat, but somehow still resting on the cupholder.

The ride to Boston is a quiet one. Connie is too engrossed in her phone to make conversation, and any attempts Alex makes at small talk fall flat.

Alex and Connie are both jolted forward. Alex gets out to get a look at the tire, and he notices it’s flat. His nerves are wracked with anxiety. He takes out his phone and starts to call roadside assistance, pacing back and forth. Upon noticing the current situation they were in, Connie puts her phone down and makes her way to the boot of the car. She pulls out a spare tire and the tools she would need to change the tire. As she’s changing the tire, she doesn’t speak to Alex and he’s too lost in his anxiety to notice what she’s doing. She asks him to pass her the wrench. He realizes she’s fixed the tire. Alex hangs up and is in shock. 

Connie simply says, “No need to thank me.” 

When they get back in the car, the mood is more pleasant and they exchange looks at each other and reminisce on the past.

At the hotel, Alex and Connie start to apologize at the same time.

“I think I overreacted. Sometimes I don’t know how to act in situations like this. I just want to make things work between us.”

Alex says, “If you really want to make this work, then let’s make this official.”

“You say that now, but what happens if I’m not a good girlfriend? What if I mess up? What if I hurt you, I’m not good with people or with relationships.”

Alex holds her hand tightly,  “It’s ok if you’re not good at that stuff, we’ll figure it out together.”

They hug. 

The next morning, Alex is getting ready and he’s panicking. He spills coffee on his shirt and asks Connie to help him. They get into an argument, and Connie reveals that she’s not supportive of his new job venture. She doesn’t think she’ll move to Boston and this job will tear them apart.

Alex is angry and leaves the room asking her if last night meant nothing.

Connie throws herself on the bed and is in tears. Her mind is racing with doubts about her actions, maybe she overstepped, and maybe she should’ve been more supportive. Suddenly she decides that she needs to leave on her own, and she starts packing her bag when suddenly, Alex comes back in. He looks disheveled and wants to talk. 

Connie starts, “I’m sorry, I know this means a lot to you and I really want to support you but I don’t see myself living here.

“I know, it was wrong for me to try and move you all the way over here. I was being selfish.” 

“But what about your interview,”

“I thought about what you said and I walked around for a bit, and I realized you were right, I’m not working in Boston, I’ll try to make it work in New York.”

Connie is overjoyed and they share a warm embrace, promising to keep working on their relationship.

Process

The Road Trip was workshopped and written alongside my mentor. We created this story in a day together testing theories and stories to make it work. We started by developing the characters, then came up with the title and that mapped out the story.