Chapter 2

I spent the very early morning in the motel room even after my shower. I was busy with the complimentary coffee, and the cinnamon raisin bagel. I took advantage of all the perks, because I had been so long on the shelf it all seemed new to me. I wasn’t sure just what to do. Sure I had taken two or three short trips away from home, but I hadn’t moved about without a lifeline before that morning. It was my first move from my residential home setting to a motel for a night. It was also a strange feeling to be totally on my own in as strange place.

I arrived in Greenburg with the clothes on my back and a plastic Walmart bag containing clean underwear. I had planned to travel light until I got to my new home. I had purchased a lightweight nylon knapsack first thing on day one. I didn’t bother to check out before my return cab ride to Walmart for day two. I bought jeans, a sweatshirt, and more underwear. I had plans that didn’t allow me to load up on anything just yes.

I got a cab from the Walmart store to the local scooter store. While I waited for the cab, I loaded the knapsack with my purchases. I even wore the small backpack until the cab came. I did that just to get used to the weight of it and to I assured myself. I made sure I had more than enough cash in the debit account to pay for my scooter. I really wanted a huge Harley Hog, but I settling for a less than top the line scooter.

The taxi dropped me at the scooter store, which obviously had been a small used car dealer at one time. I took a look around and even sat on a couple of scooters. I also checked on line for the Consumer Report best buy model. I ended up buying a Tao Tao scooter and accessories for just under a grand. I was there during lunch, while they prepared it for the road. Since they had two, I bought the black one.

The transfer requirements were minimal, so it took only an hour, or so to prep it. The street where The Scooter Store was located wasn’t too busy, so I took it slow into the parking lot next door. I used that parking lot to get the hang of it before I headed for the motel. I was rusty at everything, but I still gave it a shot. After paying them for the scooter and accessories I tied the backpack onto the outside of the trunk before I left for real.

It took me over an hour to get back to the motel parking lot. I walked up the outside stairs still a little weak in the knees. It was fun, but only after I got off that son of a bitch. I sat in the room for another hour calming down.

I went on line and found a pizza restaurant near the motel. Since I had skipped lunch, I ate a combined meal at the house of pizza in a strip mall. Traffic was horrendous, but I had to do it sometime. After the pizza, which was good, I returned immediately to the motel. I spent the rest of the evening on the internet and reviewing my day. It seemed to have been a good day.

I laid out my next day’s trip to my new hometown. Well that was the plan to move to a town close enough to make the drive on my new scooter. I figured it at a conservative thirty mile per hour or even less. The town of choice was Sanford NC. No, I had never been there. It was the old dart in the map choice. It wasn’t my first toss, it was just my first toss that fit inside the parameters. The town had to be over twenty thousand people, but less than thirty thousand residents.

I got a good night’s sleep, but I was still a little groggy, so I sat for about an hour till I felt better and the morning rush hour had pass in the larger town of Greenburg. Even so it took me an hour to check out, pack the tiny scooter, then make my way out of town. It was well after nine when I got on the country road that would lead to Siler City. That was the name of the first real town along the way to Sanford. Since it was close to noon, I stopped for lunch there. I ate in a fast food restaurant. I had loved those kinds of joints since my cop days. It looked as though I would be able to visit them more often again. I stayed in the restaurant over an hour. I was mostly drinking coffee and girl watching during my time there.

I should have been a highly sought after bachelor. On the up side, I was divorced, and had a few bucks. On the down side I was probably going to age poorly, and I had only one eye. Even the slightest accident could render me blind. Either way, I wasn’t looking for a life long partner. It was about 2PM when I replaced my full helmet with the face guard, and emptied my cafeteria tray into the trash can. The scooter started right up and I rode out of the parking lot into the pretty much empty road. I figured ninety minutes and I would be in Sanford.

It was just a little under ninety minutes when I passed by a cheap motel. It was exactly what I was looking for, and it just fell into my lap. I parked the scooter, then went inside the office. Of course I had to ring the bell. I was shocked when a trim forty-something Caucasian woman came to the desk.

“Can I help you?” she asked.

“Do you have a single room for a couple of days?” I asked.

“Yes, we also have free Wifi, and there is a cafe about a half mile down the road,” she said. “It’s forty a night plus tax.”

“I’ll take it for the night,” I said.

I rode the scooter downtown after I stowed my gear. I bought a lock, chain, and a six pack of diet cokes in the can. I wanted to make just one trip out that evening. I pretty much managed it, but of course I had to make a handful of stops. Then I stopped for dinner.