(Sequel) Journey Story 1

In the previous article,
a close-knit, cheerful family was depicted♪

To everyone who read the article,
thank you♡

Although we are a close family,
it's not like that all the time,
and small squabbles are an everyday occurrence. lol

Now, please enjoy a different perspective from the same day♪😊

I had been feeling unwell.
I told my husband that I might not be able to go
to our daughter's university visit, which we had both signed up for.

My husband also said, "It can't be helped, I'll go by myself,"
intending to go alone.

The next morning, I felt 180 degrees better. I asked my husband,
"At this rate, I think I can go, so I think I'll come along after all..."
"What time are you leaving today?"

"Oh, you're coming? If you can go, it's better to have two people than one, so that helps."
"Decide whether you're going or not soon."

"Oh... yeah... alright, I can go, let's go!"

"We're leaving at 11, so hurry up."

I was a bit rushed...

"Wait, the tour is from 13:00 to 16:00, so we don't need to go that early, right?"
"If we arrive at 14:00, we'll have plenty of time to look around, right?"

"What?! We won't have enough time!"

"Huh? How much do you want to look around? It shouldn't take that long to see everything, right?"

"Ehh~~ I want to take my time looking!"

"But I still have laundry to do and it takes time to get ready..."
"Is it not okay if we arrive at 14:00?"

"It's not that it's bad, but I want to go soon!"
That was what was insisted...

"Ah... well then... it's difficult to finish by that time, but I'll do my best to finish getting ready as soon as possible..."

I gave in.

(Good grief...)

While getting ready, I thought, I'll just ask if the daughters want to come along too! So I sent messages to each of them.

My husband, who finished getting ready early, is relaxing on the sofa while playing with his phone.
He was just waiting for me to finish getting ready.

(Yikes... as if to say 'I'm already done'...)
(It looks like he's putting a bit of pressure on me without even helping~)
(I'll just pretend I didn't see that~)

I was doing my best to finish as quickly as possible while doing various things like contacting my daughters, doing laundry, and getting myself ready.

"How much longer until you can leave?"
"It's already 30 minutes past the time we were supposed to leave, can I just wait in the car?"

"Ah... sorry... it took time because I was contacting the kids..."
"I think I can leave in about 10 more minutes... you can wait in the car."

(Ugh, he's rushing me~)
(Go right ahead, if that makes you feel better, please go ahead and wait in the car~)

I didn't let that get to me, and I continued getting ready without panicking or rushing. However, I did hurry a little bit to choose my clothes and prepare.

Since I'm just recovering from an illness and going out for the first time in a while, I don't know the temperature or how to adjust for it...
I stepped out the front door, realized it was wrong... and changed my clothes 2 or 3 times, which took up time right as I was leaving💧

After finishing getting ready, I sat in the passenger seat, and

"We're an hour late leaving..." my husband muttered.

He wasn't angry, but the lack of composure caused by the delay was clearly showing in his driving. Since this happens all the time, I knew it immediately.

(Oh boy... here we go.)
(His driving is rough, his breathing is shallow.)
(His impatience is showing.)

The delay in our departure time was actually 45 minutes.
Since I go to my daughter's house often, I can estimate what our arrival time will be.
We'll arrive around 1:30 PM, so we'll still have plenty of time for the tour since we're only 30 minutes behind schedule.
There's nothing to be anxious about.

(I really don't want to be a passenger while he's driving so impatiently.)

"Hey, are you feeling a bit rushed? We're fine on time, you don't need to be that stressed."

"..." He focused on driving in silence.

I tried telling him, but... his driving remained rough.
I think he realized it, but he wasn't trying to change it.

"Let me drive, I want to drive."

"Shut up! I'm not switching!"

(No, no, I just don't want to be in the car while you're driving like that.)
(I think my husband realizes it too, but he doesn't want to be pointed out.)
(I get it, but still...)

"No, it's just... your driving feels like you're rushing..."
"It's scary, so I want to drive. Can we switch?"

"Shut up, it's annoying when you say things like that from the passenger seat."

"Yeah, that's exactly why."
"If I stay in the passenger seat, I'll get scared and end up saying things, which will just annoy you, so that's why I want to drive."

"No! I'm scared of your driving, so I'm not switching."

(He always has an answer for everything... *sigh* honestly.)

.... A moment of silence.

I came up with a brilliant idea.

I want a drink, so I'm sorry to bother you when you're short on time, but could you stop by a convenience store?
It's just for a drink, so it'll be quick, can we stop?

If it's just that much, sure.

That's what he said, but
he drove right past the nearest convenience store.

!!

Wait, why didn't you stop?

Because it was a hassle to go to the opposite lane.

What?! It's a road without a center line, isn't it?
Even though the road is only about one lane wide? It's a hassle to go to the other side?

Since it's an intersection, oncoming traffic might be a bit of a nuisance, but you could just wait a second and zip in! Even after turning right, you could just turn left and pull in immediately! There wasn't even that much oncoming traffic! Is it really that much of a loss? The convenience store is right in front of us!?

What is that excuse...

And then I told my husband.

There won't be any convenience stores for a while from here.

Is that so? Did you want to stop quickly?

Yeah, I thought if I bought a drink and reclined in the back to sleep, I wouldn't have to worry and wouldn't be scared, so I was planning to ride in the back.

Then, switch drivers with me.
I'll go to the back.

What!?
Wait, wait, wait!???

"No, that was my idea that I came up with because you wouldn't switch driving with me."
"Why are you taking that idea? Isn't that mean?"
"Are you being contrary? lol"

"..." No answer.

I stopped at a convenience store a little further ahead.
When I bought a drink and came back, they had climbed into the back seat. How brazen!

Sigh~ I'm speechless. You should have just switched from the start~.

I'll head to the driver's seat and enjoy the drive~♪
Ah~ good grief...

It's fine, it's fine.
If it means I don't have to ride with a stressed, impatient driver~✨
Goal achieved👍

The air in the car is freezing, but I don't care~♫
My heart is at peace, feeling like I'm in a flower garden~ I'm relieved~♪

And so, without any conversation, we headed to our destination in silence. lol😄

..to be continued..

..thank you for reading..

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