as parents of four children, my mom and dad were probably quite wise to do most of their long-distance car travel at night. this was long before the days of car seats and mandatory seat belts, so they made comfortable beds for us across the back seats and even in foot wells, and we set off after dark. i never really understood how they could stay awake.
i loved these car trips. i remember seeing the flashing of street lights through the window above me and feeling the rhythm of the car moving along the highway. i found the closeness of my siblings comforting and the car journey exciting. but my favourite thing about these night-time car trips was listening to the drone of my parents' voices, sometimes combined with a stranger from public radio, as they talked to each other in the front seat. i never could hear what they were saying, but the timber of their voices and the knowledge that they were right there helped to lull me to sleep.
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