Celebrating Freedom Day

Jenny woke to a beautiful day for the drive out to the Black Rock Desert, the first day of their great adventure. Jenny chose this day because it would have been Lisa’s wedding day. After all, she was Lisa’s bridesmaid. She wanted her friend to replace the dream of marriage and the nightmare of being dumped. She wanted her to share a dream of freedom and friendship. 

She had to admit to herself that she would have missed Lisa’s constant friendship if she’d married. It happened to her all the time. As people started coupling up, they withdrew a bit into their dyad leaving her on her own.

She wondered how Lisa would be this morning. Sometimes she was still stuck in that post-breakup depression and Jenny would find her still in bed. If that was the case, she’d have to coax her out.

It turns out that Lisa is up and dressed. Her backpack is packed and waiting by the door. When Jenny arrives, she bounds down the stairs.

Morning, Lisa shouts down to her.

Jenny studies her friend’s face. The smile seems forced, like a photographer surprised her, yelling.  cheese or something equally ridiculous. Still fragile, but she’s trying.

Lisa throws her pack into the space behind her seat and jumps up into the passenger side.

We’ve got to make a few stops, Jenny says as she pulls her brother’s oxidized red, high-clearance truck out of the parking lot.

First stop, an antique store on Wells Ave. 

Pick your favorite wine glass, Lisa says. It’s your first Celebration of Freedom present.

Lisa gives her a sidelong look, but she picks a glass. Jenny picks one too.

Next stop, the liquor store for a bottle of champagne.

Finally, on to Interstate 80, from Reno, out almost to Fernley.

They turn north on Highway 447 at Wadsworth.  The bedroom community on the outskirts surrounds the abandoned buildings of its railroad past. Some of those newer houses are part of the Paiute reservation, but a growing number are homes for people priced out of Reno.

The road through the desert stretches ahead of them. They’re headed out to that part of Nevada where the people are few and gathered into small towns or isolated cabins or trailers. 

It’s nearly 80 miles to Gerlach so they turn on the satellite radio and sing.

 

The desert is fairly flat here, but they can see mountains off to the east and to the west. It’s already warm and it’s going to get hot. The sagebrush and the cheatgrass look thirsty and almost match the sandy-colored earth.

Lisa looks over at her friend. Jenny is wearing cutoff jeans and a tank top, revealing her muscular arms and legs. Not what she would have looked like had the wedding been today. Her dark brown hair would have been done up into a glamorous French Twist. It hung loosely around her shoulders now. The green of the dress she picked would have brought out the green of her eyes. She would have looked beautiful but, Lisa thought, not as wonderful as she looked today. Today she’s Lisa’s superhero, rescuing her from the darkness of her apartment, her depression.

Lisa thought of her wedding dress, tucked into the closet at home. The strapless dress would have shown the freckles on her shoulders. Her push up bra would give her the cleavage that her ordinary underwear would have trouble defining. She’d looked forward to walking down that aisle, surprising all her friends and Martin with how sexy and glamorous she could be. 

Now, she was back to being just a skinny redhead, still looking like a kid in her brown shorts and faded gray tee-shirt. She put her sandaled feet up on the dash, leaned back, and sighed. 

Jenny points out the town of Empire on the left. The gypsum mine was quiet and they couldn’t see anyone moving in the little town. 

Did you know that it’s a company town? Jenny asks. The whole town is owned by the mining company. 

I wonder if people can own their own houses, Lisa asks.

Jenny doesn’t know. 

A few more miles pass, and they pull into the little town of Gerlach. 

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That’s good, Jenny says. I can see Bruno’s sign from here. 

It’s midafternoon and the only restaurant in town is nearly empty. They order ravioli and red wine. Not exactly hot weather food, but Jenny said she read that it was their specialty. 

The food and wine make them lazy so they roll down the windows, find some shade at Water Tower Park and close their eyes for a few minutes.

Back on the road again. One more stop before the Black Rock, Jenny says. As she veers to the left at the Y in the road.

Soon they’re stirring up the dust on the long dirt driveway to Planet X Pottery at the foot of Granite Peak. It seems an odd place for a pottery shop and gallery, but people have been traveling out there for years for John Bogard’s craftsmanship and artistry.   

Jenny watches as Lisa wanders through the grounds with her hands behind her back. 

Don’t want to break anything, she says. It’s all so expensive. 

But soon she picks up a coffee cup, the sage green color reminds her of the tiny cups she and Jenny used at tea parties they had when they were little girls. She studies it, then puts it back down. 

When Lisa goes into one of the gallery rooms, Jenny buys the cup and a similar one and hides them in her bag. 

Time to get going, Jenny says, or we’ll be too late to set up the tent while it’s light.

They head back to the Y and to the Block Rock.

They find a spot on the edge of the playa and pull all of their stuff out of the back of the truck. They open the pop-up tent and throw their sleeping bags inside.

They set up their chairs just in time to see the sky tinge pink as the sun goes down.

Jenny rifles through their staff to find the wine glasses. She pops the champagne cork and pours.

Here’s to you my girl, Jenny says. A toast to a whole new adventurous life.

Well, I have to believe you, Lisa says as they down the bubbly spirit. I’ll have to be ready. 

You are girl! Jenny says as she pulls out a little cake. White frosting with red lettering that reads Congratulations on Your Freedom. 

The women refill their glasses and eat the cake with their fingers.

The darkness approaches, covering the sky with a blanket of stars. The Perseid meteors streak overhead and they point them out to each other. 

They finish the champagne and open another bottle of wine.

Lisa calls for fire.  They build it so it crackles and sparks into the sky.

Lisa goes to the truck and comes back with a small box. She opens it and shows the extravagant engagement ring to Jenny.

Then, to Jenny’s surprise, she throws it into the fire. 

Now, I’m ready. She says and leans back against her friend.