Chapter 21

[Virginia]

We checked in with Shirley Ames Mathews, who was the net controller and the wife of Jack Mathews who seemed to be a leader of the group down there.

It was a pleasure to talk to Jack and we were all invited to join them in West Georgia. Jack was cautious like me. He didn't reveal the exact location of his community and I didn't blame him nor ask him. I told him that we would have to talk it over but would make a decision soon.

After they closed the net, I turned off the radio and said, "Well, what should we plan on doing?"

Jane said, "I would still like to go to my farm in western Tennessee. I'm sure Jack and Shirley and the people there are great people but there is a place for us there and we can protect it. I am known there. We might go to Georgia later but, first, I want to do that."

Amos said, "Doris and I talked about it on the road here. We will throw in with you and George and abide by your decisions. You've done okay so far with the right amount of caution and planning that is needed to survive."

Bethany looked at us and said, "Wherever my uncle and aunt want to go is fine with me as long as they take me with them."

Jane gave her a hug. "You're part of the family."

I said, "Well, it looks like a good time to get out a map."

Jane had a few including an atlas. We marked the route. It would be about seven hundred miles, two days driving without problems. We decided to take three days for the trip by packing in the morning and leaving just after lunch tomorrow. I wanted to arrive in the daytime and we were not in a hurry. We talked the rest of the night about what we would pack, what we would need when we arrived and what we needed to watch for on the trip.

We went shopping for Amos a new vehicle and equipped it with a two-meter radio tuned to a simplex frequency. We had two in my truck; one was set for simplex and the other would scan the two-meter band and the upper area for police and emergency frequencies. It wasn't foolproof but was the best we could do under the circumstances. I would drive with Jane covering the radios and helping me watch the road. Bethany would act as navigator. Amos would drive with Doris covering our rear. We would keep a couple of hundred yards between us for safety. If we stopped, they would hang back in guard position while Jane and I went forward to investigate.

Amos wasn't happy about Jane being with me to investigate until she explained to him that she was a hand-to-hand combat expert and we had agreed that we would never be separated. He accepted that though I could tell he was reluctant. However, he also found that it's hard to argue with Jane when she's looking at you eyeball to eyeball.

We started off late but made Lynchburg before five. I suggested we stop here to give us time to find lodging for the night and to scavenge for food. Jane suggested a hotel with an attached restaurant. We were into Lynchburg when Bethany said, "How about that one?" It was the Kirkley Hotel. I flipped on the turn signal and went in the parking lot. We pulled up just out of sight of the road and Amos pulled up beside us. Jane and I were already getting out of the truck and I stopped at Amos' truck to tell him to watch the area while we checked out the hotel.

We went inside and found it well lit and empty. Jane said, "This is a nice place Bethany picked out. Let's find a few rooms together and set up shop." We, of course, had our pick so chose rooms overlooking the pool. We used a master key card to check out the rooms and found that they were clean and ready for us. We went outside to look at a better place for our trucks and found we were at a secluded area of the lot as far as being seen from the street. Jane said, "Okay, we'll put us in a room, Amos and Doris in a room and Bethany between us in another."

"Works for me. I noticed there is a restaurant here, too. Hopefully, it has some food for supper and breakfast."

"We'll see. I'll go to the door and you bring the others around in the trucks." That's what I did and we all went inside. Amos, Doris, and Bethany had never stayed in a first class hotel and were impressed. Bethany wanted to go swimming. We put our overnight stuff in our rooms and donned our suits. Jane was wearing her thong. She said, "I bet Amos has never seen one of these in real life." She chuckled.