‘Finally!’ Derek thought to himself.
He had emerged onto the open highway leaving the chaotic traffic behind him. Now he could relax in the open space all around him.
‘Time for a little music!’
Derek told his car to start playing life is a highway by Rascal Flatts.
The car did nothing.
He said it again.
Nothing.
Derek cautiously checked his phone to see horror of horrors… IT WAS DEAD!
All the podcasts and music he downloaded specifically for this trip gone, unavailable to him, out of reach.
‘It’s ok, it’s ok’ he reassured himself ‘I’ll just put up the radio’.
Derek switched on the radio and white static noise blared through the car.
He changed channels.
There was a momentary respite before WHITE STATIC NOISE again blared through the car stereo.
‘No no no no!’
Derek’s worst nightmare was coming true.
A three hour car journey to simply sit there with his own thoughts!
No, he needed something to drown out the noise in his head.
Derek started jamming the stereo buttons.
Anything!
But the radio refused to pick up a signal.
‘That’s it’ Derek thought ‘I’m pulling over and buying a phone charger I can plug into the car.’
Derek will not be alone with his thoughts today.
Thomas Duggan 