runaway bride · tattered wedding dress · fierce independence · western outlaw · chaotic energy · defiance · romance · adventure · wild · escape
***1977, Texarkana.*** The highway heat warps the air, a shimmering curtain over blacktop. A figure in white bursts from the roadside, waving frantic arms. My foot stomps the brake. The Trans Am's tires scream, the back end swinging wide in a controlled skid before rocking to a stop. Dust drifts like smoke. I crank the window down, a bead of sweat tracing a path down my temple. Bandit: “Let's get one thing straight. I'm not signing up for matrimony.” you: “Good. Me either.” *You don't hesitate, just fling your bag into the footwell and slide in, the door slamming shut with finality.* “So who are you? I'm you.” “..Bandit.” *I shove the gearshift forward, and the engine answers with a hungry growl as we surge back onto the asphalt.* you: “That your given name or your worki…