Her head lightly vibrated against the glass of the passenger window as they flew down the highway. Only two hours on the road, seven hours to go. An eternity had passed since the return trip had begun. Over a week ago, they had made the trip north to her visit the in-laws for the holidays. The first nine-hour drive had taken everything she had. She had exhausted all of her ammo: updates from work, war stories of shopping for relatives, and chit chat about the weather. She had nothing left to give.

Now, she stared blankly out the window trying to disengage from the situation that surrounded her. Occasionally, she resorted to pretending to doze off. Unfortunately when she faked sleep, he began to sing softly and off key to the mixed CD he had customized for this trip. The disk was filled with uninspired tunes like “On the Road Again,” “Life is a Highway,” and “Every Day is a Winding Road.” He was particularly proud when “Another White Dash” played. He leaned across the middle console and lovingly patted her on the thigh. The gesture was sweet but contrived. She smiled politely back at the driver, slowly batted her eyes, and fought the urge to recoil from his touch.

She knew she had to bide her time, and she had done it well. Suffering through one more holiday for their families, she told herself, “Why ruin the season for everyone? Let them all have their celebration.” She motivated herself by remembering this would be the last such trip she was obligated to make. She had resolved not to close another year with that man. In fact, the ax had to fall before the fourteenth of next month. She couldn’t bear the unwanted bouquet of flowers, the awkward candle-lit dinner, and the feeble attempt to pleasure her afterwards. Besides, it would be cruel to allow him to go through all the effort and romantic gestures only to learn they were wasted. God forbid, he might even make another mixed CD for her!