I am 16, Lindsay is 15 in the Spring of 1999. We are in the Jeep with the top down, its warm, sunny, and we don’t have a care in the world. Lindsay is wearing her tee shirt and cheer shorts with her hair pulled back. Lindsay has a car, but we prefer to be around each other as much as possible so instead of her driving to cheer practice I am driving her to and from. I’ve got my hand on the manual gear shift and Lindsay has hers on mine with her tiny little fingers barely woven in mine.

The wind is blowing, the cars on the road are contributing to the soundtrack of our ride and we have the music on just enough to hear over the cars. I have more than enough music to choose from but Lindsay has her own ideas of what to listen to. The norm is Blink 182 when I get to choose or Barenaked Ladies which is kept on heavy rotation. Lindsay decides to reach into her music collection which she keeps in my car and pulls out a new one. It’s country which is not a favorite of mine, but she insists so the CD goes in.

The music starts playing and its a more upbeat country songs and a female voice follows the intro. Lindsay’s voice quickly follows.

Baby, what do you say we just get lost?
Leave this one horse townlike two rebels without a cause.
I got people in Boston.
Ain’t your daddy still in Des Moines?
We can pack up tomorrow.
Tonight, let’s flip a coin

Still holding the note with the artist, Lindsay being her adorable self digs to find a quarter in the change cup, pulls it out and the chorus kicks in.

Heads, Carolina Tails, California. (Lindsay holds quarter in hand and flips both sides over)
Somewhere greener, somewhere warmer.
Up in the mountains, down by the ocean. (Lindsay points up, then down)
Where? It don’t matter, as long as we’re goin’ (Lindsay shrugs shoulders, turns to me and motions back and forth with index finger)
Somewhere together. I’ve got a quarter. (Lindsay points to self and holds up quarter)
Heads, Carolina Tails, California. (Lindsay holds quarter in hand and flips both sides over)

I smile, look at Lindsay adoringly as much as I can while still driving and the song continues.

We can load what we own in the back of a U-haul van.
Couple modern day Moses’, searchin for the promised land.
We can go four hundred miles before we stop for gas.
We can drive for a day, and then we’ll take a look at the map.

Heads, Carolina Tails, California.
Somewhere greener, somewhere warmer.
Up in the mountains, down by the ocean.
Where? It don’t matter, as long as we’re goin’
Somewhere together. I’ve got a quarter.
Heads, Carolina Tails, California.

We’re gonna get outta here if we gotta ride a Greyhound bus.
Boy, we’re bound to outrun the bad luck that’s tailin’ us

Heads, Carolina Tails, California.
Somewhere greener, somewhere warmer.
Up in the mountains, down by the ocean.
Where? It don’t matter, as long as we’re goin’
Somewhere together. I’ve got a quarter.
Heads, Carolina Tails, California.

O—oh, California! Carolina! California!

We pull into the drive way, I turn off the engine and we hop out of the Jeep filled with love, energy, innocence and everything that goes along with being two kids in love where nothing else matters but being with each other.

I walk her to the door, kiss her goodnight, and walk back only to find myself listening to the song again.

From then on I always made sure to have a quarter in the car.

Gabe

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9Z7AUBLQ1A?rel=0]