DAY FOUR

DAY FOUR

“Ooh, look at them Richard, so peaceful. They must’ve had ... quite a night. It certainly smells like sex in here.”

Wait, did I hear that? Naw, my alarm hadn’t gone off, did I remember to set it? I barely opened my eyes and saw Mary and Richard, oh shit, oh my god, “HELLO Mother, Hello father!”

“Who are you ... oh god bless America,” my sister/lover said.

“Why are you in here?” I asked, trying to change the topic.

“It’s eight am. We should be on the road, but somebody didn’t set his alarm,” mom said, in her typical pose of hands on her hips.

“Kids,” mom said. “You’ve got forty minutes to shower, change, and pack, there is no time for a quickie ... or anything else. Go!”

The moment they closed the door; we ran to the shower, did a quick soap and wash, brushed our teeth—really well and got dressed. Packing wasn’t a big deal because dad had explained how to live out of a suitcase when you’re traveling. We did have time to make out a little, then I left our key on the bed, and we got our suitcases to the car.

Dad was humming something, but I couldn’t put a name to it. The main theme from the GREAT ESCAPE, that’s what it was. He grabbed our suitcases and packed them in, and rebound it all into the ‘wall of neoprene’ as it was being called.

Mom said, “Get in,” to us. Why did I suddenly feel like Steve McQueen, throwing a ball against a wall for the next ten or so years? Just as she about had us closed up, she said, “I’m not mad, just disappointed,” and we were looking at each other as the back door of the Odyssey closed all around us.

A text came to my phone, ‘Going to Colby, Kansas, small town and fresh air. Get some sleep, luv u Mary!’ I showed it to Jess, and we assumed the positions and fell asleep.

A bump or something woke me up. I yawned for a bit, then grabbed my phone and looked up Colby, Kansas. I noticed we had picked up an hour due to time zones. We’ll get one more and found that Colby is a town of 5,406 people at 3,156 ft in elevation. I forgot we’d be going higher as we went farther west. It was founded in 1885, the same year my great great grandfather, Michael Rodgers was born. Somewhere along the way we lost the ‘D’ in the name.

We stopped twice for something. I checked to see if there were tolls along the way. Ha! You can find anything on the Internet, can’t you?

I texted Mary, ‘Are we not eating until we get to Colby?’

‘Why, are you all worn out this morning, is there a reason you need food?’ she responded.

She’s pissed, but seems to be wrapping her head around it. Jess put my hand back on her breast, and said, “Come here!”

I knew better then to battle a woman this beautiful this time of the morning. It sounds corny, but I could live off the love I have for my sister. We were both hungry ... I heard her stomach growl, but I wasn’t about to incur the wrath of Mary.