Chapter 6

[Preservation – Jim Travels East]

I pulled out and got on the main road motoring over to the interstate. Heading east as always, I started to make time. The road was clear and I set the cruise control at eighty. I listened to the radio as I went down the road.

I had been riding for an hour or so when I realized that a car in front of me was moving! I began to honk the horn to get their attention. I pulled beside them and then we started to slow down together. I stopped and the car stopped twenty feet in front of me. I opened the door with my right arm raised and smiling.

Two young people got out and I realized that they were female! This was getting better. The smaller one came charging up to me and wrapped her arms about me frantically. "We're so glad to see you! We haven't seen anyone!" The other one came up and gave me a hug over the other.

I gently separated myself from the first. "My name's Jim, Jim Sinclair. Who are you?" I said.

The calmer one said, "We are Dot and Sue Monroe. Our parents were killed two days ago when their car crashed behind us. We don't know what happened to cause the wreck. We have been driving more slowly ever since."

"Okay, Dot, Sue, it's good to meet you both. Where are you going?"

"We are going to our grandparents' house in Tennessee," said Dot.

"Well, ladies. That's a little out of my way but I am willing to take you there. I'm on my way to Concord, North Carolina, where my sister lives."

They whispered between themselves for a minute. Dot said, "Okay, we think that's better than traveling alone. You seem to have a plan."

"Yes, I picked up this RV. It's loaded with food and stocked for the trip. With more than one driver, we can make better time. If nothing else, it will give me someone to talk with as I drive. We will have to stop at a store and get some more sheets and blankets as I only have enough for my bed. This monster can sleep eight so there are three beds for you to pick. Unless there is something else, let's get your stuff and load it in and we'll get back on the road."

They each had a suitcase and we carried them to the RV and all three of us got inside. I resumed the driver's seat and started the motor. Rather than running at eighty, I set the cruise at sixty to let them get used to a more reasonable speed. Dot came forward and sat in the passenger seat. Sue sat behind us where she could see out the front.

Dot said, "Tell me about yourself."

I said, "I'm Jim Sinclair as I told you. I'm twenty-seven and, until a bit over a week ago, worked as a project manager in Richmond, Virginia. I was in Los Angeles at a client's offices on a project. I was supposed to head back Sunday but all the airline flights were canceled and I was stuck at my hotel. I decided to head home going by my sister's house on the way. I had a rental car and traded it for this RV back in Mesa. I'm a ham radio operator and that's the radio you see there. I have a few more I picked up that I am not using yet. Until two days ago, my sister and I talked on the phone. She doesn't answer and I am worried. Her husband was sick and not doing well and my nephew had died when we last talked. That's me in a nutshell. What about you two?"

"I'm Dot Monroe and my sister is Sue. She's seventeen about to turn eighteen on April the sixth. She graduates from high school this May. I'm twenty and finishing my second year in college getting a degree to teach school. Our parents were both schoolteachers and that's what I plan to do. We had moved to California last year but really didn't like it much. We were going to move back to Tennessee this summer. When everything went bad, we decided to head for home. I was driving my car and Dad and Mom were in his car. We were going along fine and then his car suddenly left the road and crashed. We stopped and went back but it was terrible. The car r-rolled over and landed against a guardrail. The r-roof was crushed. I tried to get to them. They weren't even bleeding. We stayed there for hours. Finally, we just had to go. Sue and I talked about it and we decided to keep going to Tennessee. I was afraid to drive fast because we didn't know what had happened. Then, we met you."

It all came out in a rush. Both of them were crying remembering what had happened. We rode in silence for a while.

Lunchtime came and we entered a moderate sized town. We had lunch in a Wal-Mart parking lot and went inside for linens and anything else we thought we might need. I had shown the sisters what the beds were like. We came out with our items. We loaded the RV, stopped to top off the tank while there was power, and pulled out onto the Interstate still heading east.

Sue was quiet and never spoke up. Even her answers to questions were minimal. It was head movements mostly. Once, when she was in the bathroom, I asked Dot if she was always so quiet. "No, it has been since everyone became sick. She hasn't spoken almost at all since our parents died."

I was concerned for her as that was not normal for a teenager. I didn't expect bubbles and giggles because of the situation, but she was too quiet and just didn't react much to anything.

We motored along for the rest of the day. Late in the afternoon, I started to plan on stopping for the evening and began to look for a camping place or some place off the road that looked pleasant. We were closing in on the El Paso, Texas, area. Looking at the map with Dot, I noticed that I-10 went further south before connecting with I-20. I looked at the map and decided to take U.S. 180/62 east toward Guadalupe Mountains National Park. It would be more direct and head me a bit north which eventually needed to happen. It was twilight when we pulled in to camp for the night at an RV park. I stopped and leveled the RV. After hooking up, we cooked supper and sat outside until it became too cool. We went inside and began to prepare for bed. I went over the map to verify our route. I wanted to see Carlsbad now that I noticed where it was. That would be tomorrow's trip.