"Umm, ok?" I scoffed as we drove off, following the directions the old man had given us. Dad's grip on the steering wheel tightened with each wrong turn. "Ugh, lost again!" he cursed under his breath.
"Rob? That nice man just gave us directions, and yet we're still not there. The broker is going to go nuts!" Mom's voice cut through the tension, sharp and irritated. Dad recoiled a bit and tried harder to focus.
"Wait a second darling, we can find it, I'm sure of it." he drove further into some trees, but they all seemed hauntingly similar, and I was afraid that we might get lost in the forest and there was no way to contact us.
"Robert, are you sure this is the right way?" Mom urged him again after the umpteenth U-turn.
"You should just go back to napping, Mom. Dad doesn't need a backseat driver," I muttered.
Mom's gasp was sharp, and her glare could've burned holes through steel. "Tristan! You've been testing my patience since we started this ride. If you say something else, you can get out of the car and walk to the house yourself!" she bellowed.
I bit my tongue. I needed to get there, and Mom had a reputation for keeping her promises. Dad continued to struggle with the seemingly endless sea of trees.
"I don't know anymore," Dad sighed, his face sullen. "Maybe we should go back and ask that man for directions. I don't know what else to do."
"No, we're not asking the weird old drunk with the shotgun again. Does nobody get bothered by a shotgun?" I retorted.
"Trish, they live in a town surrounded by forest. They need to have protection," Mom replied, her voice dripping with exasperation.
"Way to advocate for gun rights, Mom. Very proud of us," I shot back sarcastically.
"Trish, you can get out of the car," Mom signaled, her tone leaving no room for argument. She wasn't kidding.
"Are you serious?" I yelled.
"I'm sorry, young man. You've been warned twice, yet you constantly demean me. You need to learn the consequences of your actions," she stated coldly.
"CONSEQUENCES? DEMEANING? Oh please, like you're perfect yourself," I snapped.
"Out!" she pointed furiously to the car door. I looked at Dad and Kiara, but they stayed silent, their faces etched with pity and protest.
"Fine, f-ck yourself!" I shouted, opening the car door. Mom gasped and scolded me furiously, but I was beyond caring. She had essentially told me to get lost if I wasn't obedient. She clearly didn't care about me.
"Bye," I spat, slamming the door behind me and walking off in a random direction.
"Trish, you need to come back and apologize!" Kiara screamed from the car, but I ignored her. I'd do anything for her, but not this. Mom had ruined my big day and probably my big plan. Her love was selfish.
The car stayed for another few minutes before driving off. I stood there, in the middle of nowhere, with no people in sight, wondering what to do next.