It was shortly after 10 pm and the white highway lines of Interstate 84 whizzed by the car as Kathryn, Maria and I drove home from our company's conference. If it weren't for a wedding on Saturday morning back home, we'd have been out on the town in New York City.
It was a hot, humid August evening, and while the sun had been down for hours, the air was still uncomfortable. We had the air conditioner on full blast, and while it made it tolerable, it couldn't be described as comfortable.
We were all dressed for the weather. I was in my usual jeans and Red Sox t-shirt. Maria was in white shorts with a loose-fitting lavender t-shirt, while Kathryn was (as usual) dressed for attention. She wore tight black shorts and a tighter red and black sleeveless shirt.
"God, it's awful back here," Kathryn complained from the back seat. "The air conditioning doesn't reach back here worth a damn. Who the hell buys a minivan BEFORE they have kids?"
"Quit your bitching," I answered with a laugh. "If this wasn't a minivan, with all Maria's shopping bags, we'd have to strap you on the roof."
"AT least it'd be COOLER up there!" Kathryn snapped back with a laugh.
"I thought you'd be right at home in the back seat," Maria laughed.
"OK, well there is one upside to a minivan," she conceded.
"You betcha!" Maria answered. "Why do you think we bought it?"
Kathryn gave Maria a funny look. We all knew there was no way Maria would ever agree to any type of sexual activity outside the confines of a bedroom.
Normally Kathryn would have let it drop, but she was irritable because of the heat. "So, Wild Thing, how much have you used the back seat of this thing for something other than groceries?" she said with a subtle challenge to her voice.
"Well I haven't logged the thousands of hours YOU have," Maria snapped. This wasn't the usual playful teasing, there were feelings behind these words.
"Woaw woaw woaw!" I interrupted. "It's already past 10 and we still have more than three hours together. The LAST thing I need is two women cat fighting, at least without a pool full of Jell-O."
Kathryn chuckled weakly, but Maria was still angry. She was very sensitive to Kathryn's criticisms over her lack of sexual spontaneity. Maria was much more conservative and Kathryn's teases sometimes hit a little too close to home.
Things went quiet for a minute or two when I felt like I had to break the silence. "Look, we've been in the car for a couple hours since leaving New York. I'll find a place where we can get out and stretch." I said.
I had barely finished speaking when a roadside sign advertised a rest stop just a mile ahead. "How's that for service?" I laughed. "We'll stop in, hit the bathrooms, stretch our legs and maybe grab a soda."
As I pulled off, I had to drive around for a couple of minutes. Unlike many rest stops which are not much more than concrete outhouses in a parking lot a few feet from the highway, this rest stop was a short drive from the highway. In fact, you couldn't see the highway from the parking area. It was also surrounded by trees. The moon was bright and the stars were shining.
We headed inside to use the rest rooms. Kathryn and Maria headed to the ladies room without having spoken a word since their argument.
By the time they left the restrooms a couple of minutes later all was apparently forgiven and forgotten. In fact, Maria was even smiling a little. I breathed a sigh of relief as I had been dreading three hours of hostility as we walked outside.
"Oooh, look at the stars, hon," Maria said with a little excitement in her voice. She pointed to a sidewalk. "Let's walk a little bit."
