I missed the turn on purpose. Didn’t tell anyone. The road was empty enough to forgive me. There’s a petrol station with one light still on. A dog asleep beside the door. A man smoking alone. I buy something I don’t need just to stand there for a while. He says, “Long night?” I say, “Something like that.” The GPS keeps asking if I want a faster route. No. There’s a town ahead I’ve never seen. Three streets. One church. A blue sign leaning sideways. Someone’s kitchen window is open. Someone is laughing inside. I drive slower. Take me somewhere I don’t have to arrive. Take me somewhere the clock can lose me. I’ve spent enough years trying to get there. Tonight I’d rather pass through. At four in the morning every road looks honest. No traffic. No witnesses. No reason to pretend you knew where you were going. The sky starts getting pale behind the hills. I could turn back now. I don’t. There’s coffee in the cup holder, cold enough to throw away. I drink it anyway. The GPS recalculates. Again. Again. Again.
