“Turn here,” she instructed him.

Johnny shook his head as he pressed on down the blank stretch of highway.

“Where are you going?” she bitched at him.  “We’re already lost.  How much further do you need to get us from civilization?”

Johnny continued onward as he bit into his lip.

They sat in silence.  He didn't know what to do…but he’d never admit it.  She had various ideas about what they should do next, but was trying to not get any further into it with him.  Trapped inside of the black sporty coupe hurling across the blacktop with no direction, she was disgusted with him and hated that she shared the same air with him.  

Finally Sara couldn't sit silent any longer.  “Johnny how far do you plan to take this?” she asked.  Reaching over she turned the radio dial down to barley audible.  “You can’t possibly think that we’re on the right road?  Do you?”  She had given him an opportunity to have an opinion…even if she had no intention of hearing it.

Johnny clenched his jaw stretching to the buttons on the navigational system.  It was still not working.  “They said this place was outside of the city.”

Sara looked at her reflection in the window.  She felt perfect.  Her hair and makeup were both done professionally.  Her gown fit like a glove.  She felt like a princess that would never make it to her ball.  She hadn’t wanted to go to this benefit, but agreed for Johnny.  He treated her to the pre-party maintenance which felt, at this moment, like a complete waste of time.

“Johnny please turn the car around.” She asked of him one more time.

“And go where?” he asked demanding her for direction that she too didn’t have.

“Let’s just go back to the last thing that we can identify in the directions and we’ll figure it out from there.”

“We did that.  We turned at the farmer’s market.  It hasn’t told us to do anything else since then.  What good will going back do?”

“I don’t know!” she yelled.  “But I am dressed up!  I'm pretty damn it…and no one is going to see it because you’re so stubborn.  And so…stupid!” she yelled like an impetuous child.

“Oh that’s great.  Very articulate Sara.”

Sara was flush with anger.  She sat quietly as she collected herself.  “Turn the car around.”

“Fine.” He agreed as he forcefully pressed his right foot on the brake stopping the car in the middle of the road.  “Where would you have me turn around Sara?” he asked angrily. 

To their right sat an algae ridden still creek.  To the left they found a steep ditch. 

Once again they found themselves in silence.  Sara reached up and played with her small diamond pendant that lay against her heavy chest.  “Let’s just find a place to turn around and go home,” she suggested.  “You already paid for the plates, so the benefit still gets the money.”

Johnny silently placed the car back in motion.  Once again they were driving in the darkness into the middle of God knows where.  The skies slowly began to open as one drop fell to the windshield.  Then another.  Moments later the rain began to fall down around them.  Johnny looked up at the sky through the windshield and rolled his eyes.  Sara noticing the rain became even more upset.

“This is just perfect.  Even if we do make it to this place, the rain will ruin my dress…my hair…”  Sara continued to complain, whining about the time and money spent in preparation.  How she would spend her Saturday night driving around looking for an event she would never arrive at. 

Johnny unwilling to listen to her tragic life any longer turned the radio back up.  Free Bird was just starting out.  Eleven minutes of Skynyrd, he thought… if it could only drown her out. 

“Do you even care Johnny?” he heard her ask in between cords of the guitar.  “I know you go to these kinds of things all the time, but this was a big deal for me.”

Johnny could hear the desperation in her voice.  He realized that he had built her up and let her back down all in one evening.  As they reached an open field to their left he pulled the car off to the side of the road.  He cut the engine.  Sara was silent as she wondered what he would do next, hoping he could somehow save the evening.

Johnny turned the key back towards himself to keep the radio playing.  He unbuttoned his over coat and opened the car door.  Sara watched intently fidgeting with her bag that lay in her lap.  She waited safely inside as the tall, dark and handsome movie star walked around the front of the coupe.  He opened her door and outstretched his hand.  She looked at it in wonderment.  Was he going to leave her on the side of the road, she wondered.

“May I have this dance?” he asked through squinting eyes, as the rain drizzled down his nose. 

Sara looked upon him as if he were crazy.

“Come on.” He called out to her.  “I’m getting wet out here,” he then laughed.

Sara took in a deep breath and placed her perfectly manicured hand in his.  Placing one stiletto heel on the soggy ground she stepped out of the car as the spike of her shoe began to sink. 

The rain beat down on her. 

They stood in the wet field so close to one another…hands joined…squinting to see each other in the dark, raining night.  Suddenly Johnny stepped away.  He moved quickly back to the car.  Reaching in he turned up the volume so they could hear it more clearly.  Walking back over to his date, he took her hand, placed the other around her small waste and they danced.  With seven full minutes left in the song, Sara and Johnny danced as close as two people could be.  The rain fell hard…but they forgot to feel it.  All she could feel was his hand on her lower back.  All he could feel was her warm breath…and his heart pounding in his chest.