“Hilarious, drive. Let’s get the hell out of here.”
“I am not driving away from my aunt,” Meredith said as she pulled over, placing the car in park and getting out.
“What are you doing? We have to leave!” BT said in alarm.
Meredith peeked her head back in. “You scared of Aunt Tracy? I mean, you should be, she’s probably a good buck ten, buck fifteen tops.” “How long you known your aunt?” BT asked in disbelief.
Meredith actually stopped to think about that point. “I guess you have something there. If she has to deal with Uncle Mike then I guess she must have some serious brass tacks.” “Of that I can assure you,” BT said, slowly getting out of the car, dreading the confrontation that was about to ensue.
“Meredith, BT?” Tracy asked as she pulled the car up alongside them and quickly hopped out. “What are you guys doing here?” “I guess we could ask the same of you,” BT said. “Is everything alright, where’s Mike and the boys? Okay I get it now,” he said after looking over the precious cargo she was hauling in the small hatchback. “Where’d you pick up the vagabonds?” “We are not bagavonds!” Angel said coming out of the car, yelling at BT’s knees. “Mommy says we’re Protestants!” “Holy crap mister, you’re huge!” Dizz said, slowly approaching BT as if he were a carnival attraction. Ryan grabbed his sister before the giant inadvertently stepped on her.
“You first,” Tracy said, circling back to her original question.
“What do you think?” BT said.
“I wanted to help, Auntie,” Meredith said. “I was kinda also hoping that we’d come across Melanie and I could let Dad finally grieve instead of holding onto any false hope.” “And you, BT?” Tracy pressed.
“I owe your husband my life Tracy, probably a couple of times over.” BT looked at her defiantly for a moment then off into the distance, obviously hoping she would let it slide.
Tracy immediately looked away when she noticed a stubby tail wagging from the rear of Meredith’s car. “Henry?” Tracy walked over to open the door and pet the dog.
“See, I told you he was supposed to come,” BT said, nudging Meredith. “He just saved my ass.” Henry licked Tracy’s face, leaving a trail of saliva down her cheek.
“Oooh gross!” Angel exclaimed as she came up to pat Henry’s broad face. Henry turned his attention to the girl’s sticky fingers. Angel squealed in delight as Henry began to clean up all the sugary goodness left behind.
Tracy stood back up, wiping the slime from her face.
“We didn’t know he was in the car when we left,” BT said, preempting the next question Tracy was sure to ask.
“Yeah we didn’t realize he was there until I just didn’t think any living human could possibly make that stench, not even BT,” Meredith said, pointing towards the big man.
“The more I get to know you Meredith, the funnier you get,” BT said.
Meredith did a small curtsy and grinned at him cheekily.
“How do you know where to go? Tracy asked.
“Ron gave us a radio. The plan is to have Mike do his nightly call and then Ron lets us know where he’s at.” An idea rapidly began to formulate in Tracy’s head. “Meredith, I can’t make you do anything you don’t want to, but I can ask you.” Meredith’s attention was rapt, but Tracy hadn’t even begun to ask before Meredith had figured it out. “You want me to take these kids to Dad,” she said, her voice full of resignation.
“My kids and husband are out there,” Tracy pleaded. “I can’t leave them, I can’t.” “I understand, Auntie, my sister is out there too though. Even if I don’t think she’s alive I want to find her.” “I understand, I do. I’m sorry,” Tracy said with the full impact of reality striking her square on the shoulders.
“Why don’t we all take these kids back and with the two of you driving we’ll be able to catch up in half the time,” BT reasoned.
Tracy and Meredith both thanked the big man enthusiastically for his idea. Meredith could rid herself of the guilt and Tracy could latch on to hope. Within five minutes they were both heading east on I-90 back towards Ron’s.
CHAPTER ELEVEN – Talbot Journal Entry 7
We had been on the road for an hour or two. I was feeling much more subdued than I had been in a long while. We were now a lean band of four, a high powered fire team. I mostly had what I wanted, my wife, daughter and Henry were safe. That stupid adage, be careful what you wish for, came to mind. The dramatist within me always thought Tracy would be stroking my head as I lay dying on the battlefield. Strange thought, obviously, I just figured that would be the way it would play out. The thought of Gary filling in for Tracy just didn’t have the same dramatic effect.
“Dad, I really have to piss,” Travis said from the back seat.
“How many Dews did you have?” Justin asked his brother.
“Three maybe. I was VERY thirsty,” Travis told him.
“Alright,” I said noncommittally. I should have just pulled over, there wasn’t another car for days and there were plenty of trees. But old habits don’t die easily, especially when you aren’t paying any attention to them. I drove another five miles to the next rest stop.
Travis nearly popped the hinges off his door in his haste to relieve his floating bladder. Gary got out of the passenger seat. There was an audible ‘pop’ from his back as he stretched.
“Getting old, huh?” I asked him.
“Why Mom didn’t put you up for adoption when she had the chance, I’ll never know,” he said as he walked away to investigate our surroundings.
“That’s not funny,” I said to his back.
“Wasn’t trying to be,” he retorted as he made his weapon ready.
“Nothing quite like family to put you in your place,” Justin said humorously, noting our exchange.
“Go keep an eye on your brother before I kick your ass,” I said good naturedly.
“DAD!!!” Travis screamed.
Justin and I paused for a second to look at each other before we bolted in the direction of the cry. Gary was already at full tilt. I flipped the safety and placed my finger outside the trigger guard. Something was about to die in a most unnatural way.
My gut was sinking as I ran. I had not heard Travis scream like that… ever. Two football seasons ago he broke his collar bone and fractured his nose all in one play. Blood had streamed from his face and the bone in his collar had been protruding outwards once his shoulder pads had been removed. I had waited by the sidelines, anxious as any parent that watches their child injured on the field. The team trainer had brought out the dreaded golf cart to bring my son to the sidelines to be worked on further.
Travis had shook his head in the negative when they tried to get him to sit on the cart. He walked off the field in an ovation to the injured. His first question to me while we were in the car driving to the hospital was how many games did I think he was going to miss. The bulge in his collar told me the rest of the season, but I let the doctor break the news to him since I had still been within arm’s reach of his unbroken side. Even with the broken nose, the broken collarbone and the heartbreak of his season coming to a crash, he hadn’t so much as shed a tear. I knew he was bummed by the way he threw his cleats across the waiting room once his x-rays came back, but other than that he took two Advil a day until the pain went away.
Gary was first on the scene. I saw him grab Travis by the shoulder and physically pull him out from the entrance to the small gas station.
“Oh boy,” he said as Justin and I met him there.
That I was breathing hard was really bad, the smell that emanated from that open door was a physical assault upon my senses. Why Gary hadn’t toppled over I don’t know. I veered away before I took in one more pull of the obnoxious odor. The one guy that had survived Armageddon and who arguably had the weakest belly stood there, mouth wide open to the scene laid out before him, and he wasn’t puking. Travis walked past me possibly in shock. His face was pale and I don’t imagine that he was thinking about the piss that had presented such an urgent need mere moments before.