Road trips, marriage and ... ABBA

Dearie and I drove last October to Karleeforneeaah (my Schwarzenegger impression).

It was an early Friday morning - 1:30ish.  And Vrrooooomm. Engine started breaking the silence and still of the night. Dashboard panel lights came on. I scanned the gauges like a Boeing pilot before take off. Check. CD player/changer clicked a few times. Check.  CD #1 immediately emitted sound waves through the Boses: "E tau i lagi le alofa, ae moe i ao o'u mana'oga...." ("Love reaches for the heavens while my passions sleep in the clouds")  Wow. Is that deep or what? Methinks it's platonic love. Do Samoans have or believe in such a concept?

I like and enjoy going on long road trips. I especially enjoy driving in the early morning hours. I used to do that in Samoa. From kua (outbacks) to town - though for only 2-3 hours, and not 13.

Anyway, all six CD slots were loaded. #1 Evaeva. #2 Easy Listening #3 ABBA #4 Disco/Reggae Mix; #5 Five Stars #6 Samoan Mix. Trip was 12-13hours. Been there done that - many times; I might as well have "King of the Road" in one of those CDs. We backed out of the driveway and in a matter of minutes we were on the freeway heading south to the city of angels - LA. (Incidently, LA also stands for my village/district in Samoa...Se ioe ...)

Two hours elapsed and the bright contiguous city lights had already been swallowed up behind us by time and distance. We were in the middle of small towns and long stretches of farmlands. The clock on the dashboard panel read 3:25 am. The sporadic and scattered points of light from distant farm houses dotted the dark landscape and the shadowy outlines of hills and mountains rose ubiquitously on both sides giving us a sense of topography and distance.

The inside panel of the sunroof was retracted and the glass reflected the panel lights. I wanted to see the stars, so I retracted the glass. Immediately, the cool fresh morning air seeped in. It felt invigorating and refreshing. I tipped my face up to greet the intruding airflow and momentarily I experienced a throwback to Samoa and the fresh morning air of the Le Mafa Pass and the mountains as the bus or pickup truck would meander through hairpin curves and bends.



Le Mafa Pass

 Fernando was now playing, augmenting our setting and situation, especially this verse:

There was something in the air that night,

The stars were bright, Fernando

They were shining there for you and me

For liberty, Fernando

"Liberty" ... We felt it - a sense of freedom. The trip was more a pleasure one. It was a short respite to relax and unwind. It was a stress relieving, liberating and therapeutic experience.

I try to avoid the ABBA songs because they bring back a lot of memories of Samoa when Dearie and I were "dating". That was the music we listened to. The memories are wonderful but nostalgic and lovesick. Yearning for the past certainly gets overpowering and overwhelming sometimes. But there are times that I enjoy reminiscing those bygone days. That morning was one of them. We laughed, giggled and talked over the songs - Honey Honey, Ring Ring, Waterloo, Mamma Mia, I Have a Dream, etc. We remembered and linked certain places, our then whereabouts and events with the songs.

At one point, it was just ABBA and me. My "Agnetha" had fallen asleep. It was quiet even at 80-90 mph. I listened, hummed and sang along. Later, I wanted to wake her up, so I did the usual driving over the rumble strips, though now she would not fall for my annoying shenanigan. At first, she would sit up and immediately go to a bracing posture. Now she would just wake up and ask: "Where are we?" to which I give my usual response "In America - still" ... I cherish our road trips. Very very much!

At yet another point she woke up to Celine Dion's duet with Clive Griffin of "When I fall in Love".  She said: "Se ka gi pese e ala ai kagaka ae aua le ka ga pese e oso ai le fia moe." (Play the songs that would keep a person awake and not ones that induce sleep.) ...LOL!

This trip was like many other road trips we have taken. It was fun especially for spending time by ourselves -laughing, reminiscing, talking about life, family, kids, grandkids and our future plans. Sometimes a minor disagreement gets in the way, but it's all good! It's life, especially married life. In fact disagreements can make the road trip experience all the more memorable especially when pulling over at a certain milepost for a make up hug and a kiss. ...and while passions remain in the clouds, love reaches far for the heavens.

Marriage is like a road trip with all its bumps and dips, yet you still have a destination that's worth the while. And it's not just a dream either - it's reality.

I have a dream, a song to sing

To help me cope with anything

If you see the wonder of a fairy tale

You can take the future even if you fail

I believe in angels

Something good in everything I see

I have a dream, a fantasy

To help me through reality

And [our] destination makes it worth the while
Pushing through the darkness still another mile. .....

And speaking of "another mile" ...I think we're due for another road trip ......Vrrroooooooom!