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sleep and get back on the road by 8:00AM the following morning.
    Though I had been relegated to the sofa for the night I was all right with that. It looked to be a comfortable sleep. Being a Sunday, I expected traffic to be light. Covering myself I drifted off to sleep.
     
     
    M y aunt’s delicious tasting country breakfast was more or less a sweet and delectable memory now as we exchanged hugs and bade one another goodbye. My uncle, a deacon at his church, delivered a short prayer for our safe journey, handed us two carryout containers of sandwiches and tossed salad my aunt had prepared for us, then Diana and I climbed up into the Navigator and drove off.
    Once we merged onto I-95 I set the cruising speed at 75mph and put on a CD of soulful 90s tunes. I was in the mood for some foot stomping music. I felt cheerful and was happy to get this show on the road, as they say.
    The first selection to play was Next Time by Gladys Knight. It was an upbeat song with a powerful kickass bass line. In time Diana and I found ourselves singing and bobbing our heads along with the chorus… next time, next time, next time, baby next time, ain’t the one to wait for , we sang. To my pleasant surprise, Diana had a great singing voice.
    Twenty minutes into our ride I turned the music down to check my phone. No messages or calls had come through since I left Orlando the day before. Diana checked hers and discovered four additional calls from Jack. This time she decided not to listen to his voicemails. But she drew quiet after that.
    “So, how did you enjoy your stay at my people’s home?” I asked in an attempt to engage her in conversation. I didn’t want her feeling distressed and looking sullen for the duration of the trip.
    “Sheldon, I really enjoyed myself,” she said perking up. “I just adore your aunt and uncle. They’re really good people. And I needed a good night’s rest.”
    “Well, I’m glad that you enjoyed yourself,” I replied, glancing over at her.
    “I’m just delighted that I had the opportunity to meet your family and enjoy myself,” she said, looking off into the distance. “I’ve been so depressed the past five months.”
    “Seeing you, I couldn’t tell that you were depressed,” I injected.
    “Oh, I’m pretty good at disguising it,” she replied pointedly. “But when I am alone, it comes tumbling down on me and all at once. The anxiety alone is enough to drain a person emotionally.”
    “I have to say, you hide it quite well. Listen, can I ask you something?” I said in an attempt to change the subject.
    “What?” she asked softly.
    “You never told me what you do for a living.”
    “You know, I don’t think I did,” she murmured with a blank look. “I am an aerospace engineer.”
    “Naah, you’re kidding me, aren’t you?” I gaped, unconvinced.
    “No, I am not kidding,” she said as she reached inside of her purse and pulled out an ID card with her photo on it and the company name Cobalt Aerospace Corporation – Associate Engineer – Diana Lynn Cannon. “I’m on leave right now. Three weeks of it, to be exact.”
    “Well, you don’t say,” I said smiling, delighted that she had peeled back another layer of her life for me to see. Yes, another dimension for me to ponder and explore. “And you thought that I was the brainy type.”
    “You are, but I can be brainy as well, when I want to be,” she said with a chuckle. “But I’m usually that way at work, not outside of it. They say some men do not like smart women.”
    “I don’t have any problems like that,” I said.
    “Thank goodness,” she came back.
    “Ain’t that something, an aerospace engineer,” I repeated with a wide grin. “Damn, I just don’t believe it. Actually, I thought you were going to say something like an orthopedic doctor, a heart surgeon, or X-ray technician.”
    “Your aunt didn’t doubt me one second,” she said.
    “Hey, I’m not doubting you whatsoever, I’m just surprised,