Chapter 2

Friday, July 26:

We picked Henry up from the shop today. He seems eager to go. We drove a little out of our way to get him some gas. When you're buying nearly a hundred gallons of gas, you want the lowest price. While I was filling up Henry's tanks, Dad was filling up gas cans. He filled a 5 gallon can, two 2 gallon, and a couple 1 gallon cans. I'm hoping I won't need them, but it's nice to know I have them, just in case.

After filling up, I followed Dad over to an auto-parts shop. Dad bought some fuses and some light bulbs to replace some on Henry that had burned out. He also bought a small compass that could be stuck to the window, and extra fluids (brake, power steering, transmission, oil, anti-freeze), for Henry. The fluids went into the cargo box in the back, above Henry's big tank.

From there, we drove to a Home Depot. He bought a folding aluminum ladder. It was one of those that you could fold into different configurations. He also bought some rope, a couple lengths of chain, bungee cords, and a couple plastic tarps. These went into Henry's cargo box, and the ladder was put in the truck-bed by the tailgate. Then we picked up a pizza and went home.

Saturday, July 27:

I didn't sleep well last night. I dreamed that Shelly was mad at me for not taking her with me on the trip. Then Paul got into it. I woke up screaming for them to stop. I cried myself back to sleep. When I woke up, I found out that Dad had taken Henry to do some shopping. I was a little surprised, but it was ok with me. He came back about an hour after I got up. He'd gotten another 5 gallon gas can and two 5 gallon water cans. The only difference between them was that the gas cans were red and the water cans were blue. He also bought a couple more propane tanks. The tanks and the cans were tied down with a wire cable through the handles and padlocked to the mounts for the hitch. While Dad was out, he'd also picked up Henry's CB radio. I hadn't known he'd taken it in. I guess he wanted it to be checked out too, since it hadn't been used in a long time.

After we had lunch, Dad went out to the shed. He came back with one of those wind-break things you see on the top of semis. As he was putting in on Henry's roof, he said that Grandpa had made it. It did have a kind of do-it-yourself look to it. I must say that Henry did look a little odd with that thing on his roof, but it also fit him in a weird sort of way. I guess, because it was made for him. Then dad brought back an aluminum-frame luggage rack and put it up behind the wind-break. My eyebrows went up at that. I've seen him use it on George (Dad's car), but never on Henry. Dad had to put it on sideways but it fit, barely. Henry's roof was completely covered from the roof lights all the way back.

"Honey, what are you doing with that?" Charlene asked. I guess she didn't know either.

"I thought Sam might like some extra space to put cargo, since, once the trailer's hitched, it'll be hard to get stuff out of the bed."

He was right about that; with the trailer hitched there really wasn't a whole lot of room to get things in and out of the bed.

Then Dad said, "Besides, I know girls and shopping. You'll need the extra space."

We both stuck our tongues out at him for that. He laughed, we all got into Henry, and drove down to the shop to pick up the trailer. When we got there, they moved the trailer out with the forklift again. The forklift had this thing between the forks that would fit under the hitch so they could move the trailer.

After they pulled it into the parking lot, I was surprised to see a roll-up awning mounted to the right side. When we looked at Dad, he shrugged and said, kind of sheepishly, "Mom's been talking about having one of these installed for years. I thought now was as good a time as any to do it."

Mike brought out a ladder so we could get up to look at the solar panels. They'd mounted one above the bedroom area, just behind the vent. The other was mounted in front of the air-conditioner/heater unit. They were set back far enough that you couldn't see them from the ground. Then we went in and turned things on and off. After showing us that we had power without the generator being on, which we all thought was good. They also showed us how to lower and raise the awning. There's a switch up close to the ceiling above the bottom step. You hold it one way and the awning rolls out. Turn it the other and it rolls up again. There's a little motor thing for it under the stairs.

After that they also showed us the small cabinet they'd installed in the bathroom over the toilet. We have one like that at home that we keep the towels in. I guess that's where Dad got the idea.

Dad paid for everything, and we thanked them. They wished me a good trip, and I thanked them.

When we were back outside, I told Dad that I was sorry for making him spend so much. He gave me a one armed hug, and kissed my head as we walked. "It's ok, Sam, you're worth it and more."

I hugged him back and said, "Thanks Dad, love you"

"Love you too."

Then Dad had me hitch up Henry, and we left. It was really scary driving on the freeway with the trailer. I kept remembering how hard it was to stop the last time. There were also a lot of psycho drivers on the freeway. Dad swears he doesn't know how those people even got their license. Fortunately, nothing happened, but it was still scary.

We did have to laugh at one point, though. A couple miles before we got to the exit for Camper Planet, we noticed there was hardly anyone around us, but there was a lot of traffic behind us. When they'd caught up to us, we saw that there was a sheriff's car at the head of the pack. We figured nobody wanted to speed past him, so they all slowed down to stay behind him. We laughed about that, since we were going 65 on the way to the shop, and trucks with trailers were flying past us. The speed limit with trailers is 55. At least this bunch had to obey the speed limits for a while. We pulled off at our exit and went to Camper Planet.

We bought a couple windup flashlight/radios, a couple battery powered lanterns, extra batteries, a couple first aid kits, and a small microwave. The last thing we got was this pyramid frame thing that would lock onto the trailer hitch so nobody could back under the trailer and hook it up while Henry wasn't there and steal it. We put the microwave on the counter in the trailer's kitchen; the anti-theft thing went into the back of Henry; the rest we put in a cabinet. Then we went to a sporting goods store.

Dad bought me a big hiking backpack. He said I might like to go hiking. I also got hiking boots and some clothes, a sleeping bag, tent, and everything I'd need to spend a week in the woods. Dad also bought a lot of freeze-dried meals for me. The woman helping us was very knowledgeable, and took time to make sure everything fit me ok, making sure that I understood how to use it. By the time we left, the backpack was packed and ready to go. I hadn't really considered hiking, but after he mentioned it, I thought it might be kind of nice. One cool thing I got was a couple of miner's lights. They're these lights on a band so I can wear a light on my head and keep my hands free.

What really surprised me was that Dad also picked up some kerosene lanterns and extra wicks. I don't know why Dad thought I had to have kerosene lanterns, he just put them in the cart. He also got me a couple books about fishing and hunting. I didn't understand why he got me those either. A fishing pole and some lures were also put in the cart. We put everything in the trailer, and went to Wal-Mart, where we picked up a few more things, like a box of long burning candles, including the scented kind to keep bugs away, and some candle holders. I also picked up a couple packs of playing cards and some puzzles. I saw an adorable little stuffed moose that I just had to have. That made Dad and Charlene shake their heads, but they did it grinning. I don't know why I like plush moose and reindeer so much. Dad says I get it from Grandma. She's got a big collection of them.

By that time it was getting late, so we stopped at a Lenny's for dinner on the way home. I was really nervous backing the trailer into the driveway, but I'm proud to say I did it.

Sunday, July 28:

Charlene and I spent the morning loading things into the trailer, airing things out, and washing all the dishes in the trailer. Dad got out of helping, as he'd gone off to pick up a few more things. By lunchtime we had the beds made, the dishes washed, and moved a lot of my clothes in. Of course, I wasn't going to bring all my clothes, but I did fill the closet, plus all the drawers and cabinets.

We took a break when Dad got home for lunch, and then we put him to work. He filled up the water tanks, got the pilot-lights lit on the fridge and generator, and put in the TV and players, while we finished putting in my clothes and started moving books and disks. By the time it was night, we had everything loaded except food.

As you go into the trailer, immediately to the right, to the front of the trailer, there're stairs leading up to the bedroom. The stairs fold up to allow things to be stored under them. There's less space now than there used to be, because of the awning, but it's ok. There's still room for the tire iron, the crank for the feet, a tiny broom and dust pan, and a dust buster.

There is a small set of drawers to the left of the stairs. That's where we keep the sheets, tablecloths, hand towels and washcloths. The bath towels are now in the bathroom cabinet.

Right across the hall from the entry is the door to the bathroom. The sink and medicine cabinet are to the left. The toilet and new cabinet are to the right. Against the other wall is a small tub with shower. While small compared to regular tubs, they're huge compared to some new RVs I've been in.

Upstairs, in the bedroom, there're two small bunks against each side of the trailer, with a small nightstand between them, at the front. Cabinets line the ceiling over the beds, and along the front of the trailer. On the left side, along the bathroom wall, there's a small closet. Each bunk has two drawers under it, as does the nightstand.

I filled the cabinets on the left and front with clothes. I tried to organize them so the cabinet doors opened to a different type of clothing: sweaters, tops, pants, shorts, skirts, dresses, etc. Since there were no dividers, I could go all the way to the corners, or go past one door into another.

The cabinets over the right bed, which was where I was going to be sleeping, had extra blankets that'd I'd brought from my room. They'd have to be folded in half to be used on the bunk, but Mom and Grandma had made them, and I wanted to take them with me.

Like I said, I had the right bunk. I'd put some of my stuffed animals on the left bunk to keep me company. I filled the drawers under the beds with books and music. The nightstand drawers contained my underwear and socks.

I had a few coats, a poncho, and some extra shoes and boots in the closet. They took up about half the closet; The boxes of disk binders were in the other half. Dad took some measurements, and said he'd build me something to put them in. Above the coat rack there's a small shelf for extra blankets, bunk size. It was filled with blankets.

I leaned my new backpack against the wall between the closet and the left bunk. Since I didn't have anywhere else to put them, I put a couple of hats on top of it so they wouldn't get crushed.

On the other side of the entry, towards the back, was the kitchen and the dining area. There were some cabinets on the right side, followed by a small refrigerator/freezer, and another large cabinet that held the players and TV, with some drawers below it. Then there was the dining area, with a table, which could be folded down and converted into a bed, and two bench seats on either side. There were small storage areas between the wall and the seats. I found out that Dad had put some old video game systems and games in the right side storage box. I don't know how often I'll use them, but I suppose they'd be nice to have. In the other he put in some of my disk binders. A couple of books, flashlight, lighter, and some candles.

The cooking area was against the left wall from the dining room bench to the bathroom. It looked like a normal kitchen, except that it was smaller. There was a small stove and oven by the left seat, with a small sink and then a counter all the way to the bathroom wall. The new microwave sat on the counter, against the wall. There was a toaster under the counter. Dishes and cups were in the cabinets on both sides of the trailer. There was also plenty of space for food, which we hadn't gotten yet.

We had dinner in the trailer that night. Charlene brought food in from the house and cooked. As we ate I looked around my home for the next year. It felt good; a little sad, but good. I slept in the trailer that night to get used to it. It took a bit of time, but I managed to fall asleep.

Monday, July 29:

Dad took the day off to help me finish loading the trailer. He doesn't really need to work anymore. None of us do. Paul worked in an insurance company to pay for college. He had a policy for himself, naming me as beneficiary. He'd also sold some policies to my parents and to Charlene over Christmas break. I guess they were trying to be supportive of my boyfriend or something. Shelly even had one. I had one too, of course, but Shelly's and mine were much smaller compared to the policies Paul and my parents had. Also, since Paul was working for a degree in accounting, with a minor in tax law, he knew all the loopholes so we wouldn't have to pay the death tax. I'd rather pay it and have him back. Still, because of the policies and the way Paul set things up, we don't need to work again unless we want to. I suppose that's nice. but I'd rather have Paul, Shelly, and Mom than any amount of money.

That reminds me, I need to call Mitch, Paul's dad. He's the trustee of the trust fund Paul had set up for me. I'll need to let him know what I'm going to be doing, and how to get hold of me. I wish I had a better reason to call him.

Tuesday, July 30:

I called Mitch yesterday. I told him what I was planning to do, and he said, "That sounds like a good idea, Sam. I may do that myself. Before you go, though, can you stop by for a few minutes to sign some paperwork and discuss how to get hold of you in case we need to?"

I told him that would be fine, and asked when he wanted to meet. He scheduled an appointment for me today. Then he wished me a good day and hung up. I spent the next half-hour or so after hanging up crying on the couch.

When I was feeling better, Dad called me out to the garage. He'd built a tiny little bookcase-like thing for me that would fit into the closet. I thought it looked great. Dad said that he'd put it in tomorrow, after the wood-stain was dry. Tomorrow now being today, it's in the closet and looks like it's always been there.

By the time I got it filled with binders, it was nearing time to go to my meeting. I went in and changed. Dad dropped me off at the office building, and said he'd pick me up after doing some more shopping. After waving as he and George, his car, drove off, I went inside.

The meeting wasn't as bad as I feared it would be. I tried to dress up a little, with a long black skirt and a long white pull-over sweater. I thought I looked nice and respectable. The receptionist still looked down her nose at me. I suppose she may have had a right, since her hairdo cost more than my entire outfit, but it still annoyed me. Mitch's secretary, Liz, on the other hand, was a delightful breath of fresh air. She gave me a big welcome hug when I walked in, and then made me tea while we waited for Mitch to finish another meeting.

I got a nice welcome from him, as well, when he came in. He ushered me into his office and pulled out a chair for me. Liz followed with a stack of folders and a note pad. I had to sign a paper allowing him to continue to handle my affairs while I was traveling, without having to see them once a month as usual. I gave him the name, address, and phone number for the RV park by the beach that I was planning to visit, as well as my e-mail address. He had it already, but he wanted it again.Giving him my e-mail address reminded me that I needed to take my computer, so I suppose that it's a good thing that I saw him.

After Liz wrote down my e-mail address, she asked about my cell phone number. He said, "I don't suppose you've gotten one yet, have you, Sam?"

I shook my head. I thought Liz's eyes were going to pop out of their head. Everyone now has at least three cell phones, except me. I don't have any. I always used Shelly's. He told Liz to get on the phone and order one to be delivered to his office right away. He also told her to order lunch for three.

Lunch came while we were going over my portfolio. I don't understand it, but it's doing well. The phone came while we were eating lunch. Liz had a lot of fun opening it, and showing me how it works. While it had all kinds of bells and whistles, the main thing was that it could send and receive phone calls from anywhere in the world without worrying about where the nearest tower was. That is assuming, of course, I can figure out how to turn it on. Liz showed me, but I really didn't remember how. She had Mitch's number, her number, and my home number programmed in before I could even blink. Then she started programming my new number into Mitch's phone.

Mitch told me if they ever needed to call me, or I them, to use that phone. He also said not to worry about the charges, as it was a company phone. I thought that was nice of him and thanked him. Then I thanked Liz for her help.

Since that was all, they wished me a good day, and walked me to the elevator. When they found out Dad had driven me, Mitch told me to tell him hi, and Liz went in to get him a left-over sandwich. I don't know what others might think, but I thought that was great. Dad thought so too when I told him. I thanked them both again, and stepped into the elevator. They told me to have a good trip as the doors closed.

When Dad saw me, he pulled over and let me in. We talked about the meeting on the way home, and I showed him the phone. While I was doing that, it rang and I jumped. It was Liz checking to see if it worked. She said to tell Dad hi, wished me a good trip again, and hung up. Dad made the sandwich disappear somewhere along the way.

I helped Dad unload George's trunk when we got home. There were four yellow 1 gallon cans of kerosene, a drop light, 25 ft of extension cord, and several flashlights in assorted sizes, along with batteries to go with them. The kerosene went into the back of Henry. The drop light and extension cord were put into the trailer's back storage compartment. Most of the flashlights went into the trailer, but a couple were put into Henry. After that, we went to get my computer.

My computer is this big huge custom job. It's got several hard drives with a different operating system on each of them. When I turn it on, I pick an OS and it starts up. My dad built it that way so he could use old programs and things, and not have to worry about multiple computers. At the time dad built it, it was both state of the art and obsolete. Shelly liked to joke that I had the only computer with floppy drive on campus. The fact that one of those floppy drives was for the 5 inch floppy had everyone in the dorm shaking their heads and laughing when they saw it. I even had a couple nerds from the computer department laugh at me. I don't think they would have laughed so hard if they knew it was a Pentium 20, that it had a total of over two and a half terra-bytes of available hard-drive space, 8 gigs worth of memory, and a Gamma DVD burner installed. Well, the Gamma DVD Burner is external, but it's still attached.

Of course, with the ancient CD-ROM Drive, Zip and floppy drives, and a tape drive, you wouldn't think it could use a Gamma burner. Just looking at it, you'd think it was a museum piece. It works though. Sometimes it even works better than the new ones the college has. Some of the older programs are much better than the new ones. It's also as fast, if not faster, than some of the college computers, and it's a little outdated now. The stores are selling Pentium 23's now.

We went upstairs, disconnected some of the peripherals, and wheeled it to the stairs, Then Dad and I carried it downstairs while Charlene brought the wheels and the cover

Mom made to hold the mouse, keyboard, and the hand scanner. It just barely fit under the dining room table. I was glad, as I didn't want to be tripping over it everywhere I went. Now I could just pull it out far enough to plug the monitor cable into the TV. Dad went to get the scanner/printer while I hooked it all back together. Except for the printer/scanner and some game peripherals, I got it all under the table, where I wouldn't kick anything. I could leave the printer on the seat with something tossed over it. If anyone looked in, it'd look like a pillow. As for the other game peripherals, I don't think I'd be needing a steering wheel and foot petals. They were mostly for Shelly anyway.

We locked up the trailer after making sure my computer was hooked up right, and went inside for dinner. We talked more about my trip, and did some more planning. When it got late, I went out to the trailer, took a quick shower, and went to bed. As I lay there under the covers, I made a mental list of other things I'd like to bring with me.

Wednesday, July 31:

We did some more shopping today. I got some clothes, books, a new swimsuit, two actually, a bikini and a one piece. The bikini was Charlene's idea. I also got some music and videos, but not many. Mostly, I got some things that looked nice and were on sale. The rest were new releases and a few older titles that I'd been looking for. We also stopped to buy a pocket watch and a wind-up clock. Since I usually don't wear watches, I wanted the pocket watch so I could carry a watch around in my backpack, and not worry about it getting too banged up. My other watches always seem to get the time messed up when they're in my pocket. I'm going to bring my wrist watch too; It was a gift.

I did cry some during lunch. Charlene held me while I cried. It wasn't a big thing, really, just a memory of Mom that popped up. After lunch, Charlene decided I needed to spend some more money, so we went grocery shopping. We didn't get any perishables, but we did get some things: cereal, cookies, crackers, hot chocolate mix, marshmallows, some candy, lots of seasonings. tea, sugar, flour, some soda, soups. We'll pick up things that need to be refrigerated or frozen when I leave. We did get some lettuce and some pork chops, but those were for dinner tonight. We also got some ice cream for now, and for desert. In addition to food, we also got all the bathroom things taken care of, like: TP, tampons, pads, Midol, aspirin, soap, a loofah, shampoo, moisturizer, tooth paste, deodorant, etc. Charlene insisted I get a small make-up kit. I don't know when I'd use it but I suppose it could come in handy one day. I did pick out a nice pink nail polish that I liked. We also got some cleaning supplies.

Charlene and I talked while we shopped, mostly about the trip and what I'd like to take with me. I know she was doing it because she wanted me to have everything I might need or want, but it made me miss Mom. It also made me miss Shelly and Paul. I wish they were here.

Charlene helped me put things away when we got home. While we were doing that, we found out that Dad already had the freezer half-filled with different kinds of meat and TV dinners. I guess I don't need to worry about getting them. I just hope they stay frozen while I'm driving. When I expressed my concerns to Charlene, she said, "They should stay frozen as long as you don't take too long getting to where you're going." Then she said, "In fact, it might be better to fill up the freezer and the fridge the night before, that way you can be sure everything is cold when you start moving."

I guess that makes sense.

After we had things put away, we looked to see what else Dad had put inside. There were more video games, videos, and some audio books. The video games look like they might be fun. I'm sure I'll enjoy the videos and the audio books as well. I also saw that Dad had brought in my Lava-lamp. It's the kind with the glitter in it. When it's on, and all the other lights are off, it's like you're under water. He also brought in my noise maker. It's this thing that makes sounds like waves crashing or rain falling. I'm surprised I forgot it. I can't remember all the times I've fallen asleep to the sound of waves, with the blight glitter light on my ceiling. It's really relaxing.

When we left the trailer to go in and start dinner we were stopped by Mrs. Rosenbloom. She's a mean, crabby, old lady that always yelled at us when we were kids, whenever we got near her fence. She's also the neighborhood gossip. If she's not yelling at the kids, she's gossiping about the other neighbors.

She came over pretending to be surprised to see us. "Oh! It's you, Sam, and you Charlene. I wondered who was staying in the trailer."

Charlene spoke before I could. "Yes, Mrs. Rosenbloom, it's us. We thought we'd get the trailer out, and take it for a little trip."

"Oh, I see. I saw the lights on in it the other night. I thought you might have had company, but a trip sounds like fun. You need to go out and get some fresh air. How long will you be gone?"

"Just overnight. We're making sure its ready for my niece. She's going to be starting college soon, and she going to be renting it while she's here."

Mrs, Rosenbloom looked a little alarmed. "Oh, I didn't know they'd allow you to park a trailer on campus."

"I don't know if they will or not. We were planning on letting her stay here."

Mrs. Rosenbloom looked positively stricken. "Oh, my, you can't do that! It'd be disastrous for your property value!" Meaning, of course, her property value.

Charlene looked surprised. "Mrs. Rosenbloom that's brilliant! Between lower property taxes and the rent on the trailer, we'll be making money two ways!" Then she gave Mrs. Rosenbloom a hug. "Thanks Mrs. R!"

Mrs. Rosenbloom was so pale, I thought she was going to faint. She was also at a loss for words. She kept trying to say something, but couldn't. I had to bite my tongue to keep from laughing.

Charlene let Mrs. Rosenbloom go, and sniffed. "Do you smell something burning?"

"Oh! Oh, my! My pot roast. I've got to run. Have fun on your trip. It's nice to see you up and about, Sam."

With that, Mrs. Rosenbloom took off at a fast waddle. Charlene and I quickly went inside. We burst out laughing as soon as the door shut behind us. "Annoying old bat!" Charlene muttered, which made me laugh harder. "Ugh! I can't believe I hugged her. Still, did you see the look on her face? It was worth it."

I had to agree.

"I'm going to wash before I get age cooties or something. Start the pasta for me, will you?"

I nodded, wiping the tears from my eyes, and headed for the kitchen, while she went upstairs.

Later, during dinner, we told Dad what had happened. He almost fell out of his chair laughing. Then he asked Charlene when her niece really started college.

"Not for another couple years," Charlene answered with a grin.

"Think we can get her to attend college here?"

"We can ask."

"She have any friends you'd want to invite too?"

I think Dad and Charlene are going to be giving Mrs. Rosenbloom fits pretty soon.

Thursday, August 1:

Between the Lava-lamp and the noise maker, I slept ok. I can't imagine what Mrs. Rosenbloom thought, though. I did get a big shock this morning, however, I am now the proud owner of a .38 revolver. Joy!

Dad called me into his den after breakfast, and gave me a box. Inside was the revolver and a box of bullets. All I could do was stare at it while Dad said, "I know you'll be safe, but I want you to take it with you, just in case.

The first thing I could think of to say when I saw it was, "I thought you had to wait fifteen days before you could pick up a gun?"

"Isn't it nice that Federal Law supersedes State Law?" I could hear Dad smiling as he said it. Somehow, I don't think the State would agree. I appreciate his concern, but I really hope he doesn't get into trouble because of it.

Dad really isn't a gun nut or anything. He just firmly believes in the second amendment, as well as people having the right to self defense.

"Uh, gee thanks, Dad," Was all I could think of.

"I know it's not the PC thing to have, but I still want you to have it. You'll have to keep it in the trailer, though."

I nodded in agreement. Like I was going to go carrying this thing around. At least he didn't get me a holster.

"I did, however, pick you up something you can carry around," He said, pulling out another box.

I was pretty apprehensive about opening it. I was afraid it was a box of hand grenades or something. Dad's humor could be like that, sometimes. Fortunately, I think, it was pepper spray. There were several cans of it, even tiny little cans on key-chains. I guess pepper spray is more practical than carrying a gun. I just hope I never have to use it. With my luck, any attackers will fall over laughing at me as I spray myself in the face.