Roswell, NM

Today’s drive started with Jay at the wheel in Lawton, Oklahoma. He and his girlfriend Reagan were on their way to San Diego on day four of an already long and eventful road trip starting in Chicago. The couple wanted to make the most of their days on the trip, not in the usual sense of “we-must-get-there-as-fast-as-we-can,” but rather a more “let’s-take-our-time” leisurely sort of way. They wanted to see everything the American West had to offer, small and large.

However, the adventurous feeling of the trip flattened just as the landscape around them did. Today’s drive, through the entirety of the panhandle of Texas, was going to be long and flat, with one stop planned in Lubbock for the Buddy Holly Museum.

On the way, there was a slight hiccup in one small Texas town, but it just ended up with a warning to take it slow and some recommendations from the cop about things to see along the way to Lubbock, none of them interesting. 

What was interesting was the Buddy Holly Museum. After a three and half hour long drive, it was everything Jay could have hoped for. The glasses, the pick in the guitar, the motorcycle, it was all there. Jay was enamored, and the place was bigger than they expected, so they spent a while longer there than anticipated. But they didn’t mind, they had all day. 

They stopped to get some food and then went to Prairie Dog Town, a plot of land specifically for prairie dogs. It was a recommendation made by Jay’s parents. It seemed, for some reason, that every recommendation made to them by a family member or friend or, as of today, a cop, was a let down. Maybe it was the timing of the trip in early January, or maybe the people they talked to just had awful taste. In this instance, it was probably the timing. It was cold, and the prairie dogs were probably snuggled up in their holes. Jay and Reagan saw only a few. And by that time it was late, late enough that Reagan was most likely going to be driving at night.

“But you know what’s close enough to here that will get us to New Mexico,” Jay smiled. “Roswell.”

A roughly two and a half hour drive through mostly flat Texas, but a portion through some mountains in New Mexico. The last portion, in fact, and it was already close to sunset. 

“We better get there before it gets super dark,” Reagan said. A midwesterner through and through, even driving slightly hilly terrain was unnatural for her.

“I know, we will,” Jay assured her. “I would drive, but I’m already high.” 

Reagan just glared at him. She didn’t care at all, and she knew they were going to split the day’s drive up, but she didn’t like that Jay took an edible without telling her. Now she had to drive, the only sober one. But it’s okay, she thought, I am an incredible driver and a strong woman. I can do anything.

Driving straight towards the pink sun setting over the stretch of mountains she’ll soon have to cross, she put on her actually kind of expensive sunglasses she got in a Lubbock CVS and played her music to stay awake. Soon enough, they were in New Mexico and the sun had set. The CVS glasses were off, and the music was turned down to a low volume. Not only was the road steep and unfamiliar, but there was also construction. They were near Roswell already, so Reagan tried to remain calm. But then the tire pressure light came on. They had already started the trip with a flat tire, and they were terrified of it happening again. 

“Oh shit,” Jay muttered. “Pull over right now.”

“No way,” Reagan countered. “It’s probably just the pressure change from going up in elevation.”

“Just pull into the next gas station, it’ll be quick.”

“It’s fine!”

They bickered like this until they got into Roswell, when the alien and UFO statues shut them up quickly. Big and small, there was seemingly an alien in everyone’s lawn on Main Street. They booked a room at just a random hotel off of Main Street, with one green alien greeting you as you walked in (“Thank you, sir,” Jay shook its three-fingered hand) and pictures of UFOs in the lobby. Rooms were easy to come by, and the attendant seemed happy to finally have something to do.

It wasn’t even very late, six in the evening, but it was dark and surprisingly cold to Jay and Reagan. They wore their winter jackets and hats as they tried their best to walk around. 

“Not very walkable here, is it,” Jay joked as they walked hand in hand. (Their tire ended up being fine, the pressure in it was just slightly higher than what it needed, and Reagan was happy she was right. All they had to do was fill it up.)

Main Street was long and wide, and businesses took advantage of the space they were given with giant parking lots and big overhead lights. They eventually had to just give up and drive around to see everything. 

The streets were empty and dark. Each statue had one spotlight facing up at them, so it seemed there were more aliens than people there. They stopped at the McDonalds on Main Street, and took a quick picture with the little aliens out front and then ordered their food in the empty restaurant. 

“Nothing extraterrestrial about it,” Reagan said about the food. “Just completely average.”

“Should we drive out of town a little and see if we can see some UFOs?” Jay asked. 

Reagan, in better spirits after the ego-boost from the tire and some food, quickly obliged. They hopped in the car and drove west towards the emptiness. They pulled over a few miles past the “Welcome to Roswell” sign and hopped out. It was incredibly dark looking west at the nothingness, and the city to the east of them wasn’t bright enough to blur out the stars.

“Look!” Reagan exclaimed, pointing up. “It’s Orion!”

Jay looked up but had no idea what Reagan was pointing at or talking about. Reagan tried to describe it to him. “Those stars are his belt. That star is his head,” she explained. Jay still could not see it. 

“Okay, the easiest to see are the three in a row for his belt. Do you see that?”

“Yeah.”

“And then above those, that’s his head and shoulders.”

“That really bright star, that’s his head?”

“No, I don’t know what that is. Right above the middle star in the belt, that’s his head.”

“Then what’s that really bright star?”

“I don’t know, a planet or something. Pay attention to Orion.”

But Jay couldn’t pay attention anymore, and was just watching the bright star. It seemed to be getting brighter, and bigger. Eventually Reagan stopped talking and started watching it, too. “Maybe it’s a plane,” she muttered. But, truth be told, she didn’t think it was actually a plane. It was in one spot for too long, and it seemed to be getting closer. Soon they saw a light on the ground in front of them, like a spotlight, and the wind started picking up around them like there was a helicopter landing near them. But there was no helicopter, only this bright thing in front of them, with a voice coming out of it. They said nothing anymore, and just held each other’s hands and stared ahead.