Chapter 3

The next day I woke up to a lovely sight; my Rosa was still here. It wasn’t just the fantasies of a lonely man after all!

“Good morning beautiful, how did you sleep?” I asked her. She looked stunning even with “morning hair” and sleepy eyes!

“Oh Michael, I slept wonderfully. I don’t know when I got a better night’s sleep! And waking up in your arms was the best!” she said.

“Well, I’m happy to have you there. How about some breakfast – are you hungry?” I asked.

“Only if you let me cook it. That’s my job!” she said.

“Be my guest ... I’ll just sit here and admire the cook!” I chuckled. She leaned over and kissed me.

“Just let me go wash my face and I’ll get right to it.” Rosa went into the bathroom and a minute later, I heard her getting out the frypan and the things she needed for breakfast. She made a marvelous breakfast of scrambled eggs, juice, and sausage.

While she worked on our breakfast I sat there watching her. I couldn’t take my eyes off the girl. She had put on her panties and my oversized t-shirt and I watched in wonder at how awesome she looked.

“So how far is the Grand Canyon from here?” she asked as we ate our delicious meal.

“Well according to the GPS here it’s about 375 miles from here. That’s about six hours of driving and should put us at the Grand Canyon around 3:00 or so, depending on any stops we make.

“As long as I’m with you, Michael, I don’t care where we go or how long it takes.” she said with a smile that lit up her whole face.

I knew just how she felt – being with her was equally enjoyable for me.

After we finished breakfast and did the dishes, we got ready to leave. I was happy to know that our travels today would take us through Winslow, Arizona. Being a big Eagles fan, I wanted to get a picture of the town featured on their song “Take It Easy”, and it would also be a good time to stop for lunch. I needed to pick up some things at the grocery store too, while we were in town.

But we couldn’t dawdle too much – we had to get to the RV park at the Grand Canyon before the office closed so we could get our spot. I had made reservations but we would have to check in and get settled in place before it got too late.

We got back on U.S. 180 and continued our trek north. We were 200 miles from the Mexican border and 150 miles from the point where we met after I discovered my stowaway passenger. And even though that was just yesterday, it seemed like a lifetime ago. But in a good way – my life changed when I met Rosa and now I judged my life in two stages ... before Rosa and after Rosa.

The further north we got the happier Rosa got and so we made good time up the highway until we got to St. Johns, Arizona two and a half hours later. From there we took a left and headed west.

We stopped in St. Johns and picked up some groceries and road snacks as well as filled the RV with fuel and swapped the propane for a full tank. While we were at the supermarket, an idea came to me and after we had bought what we needed and took them back to the motorhome, I told her that I had forgotten to get something. She started putting the groceries away while I went back inside. I went over to the toy section. I found what I was looking for and bought it putting it in a plastic bag and went out to the RV.

“What did you forget?” she asked.

“Oh, just a little something for later,” I said smiling to myself.

We continued on headed now towards Winslow. We stopped at a small friendly-looking diner for a bite of lunch. Then it was back on the road.

An hour from our lunch stop at Winslow we made Flagstaff, the first city of any real size we had come across since Juarez. Fortunely our route went just north of the center of town so we bypassed most of the congestion and was able to get through Flagstaff fairly easy.

The final leg of that day’s travel took about an hour and a half and ended when we pulled into the Trailer Village RV Park at the Grand Canyon. We got there around 3:30 in the afternoon so we had plenty of time to check in and get our spot.

Since it was late in the afternoon and the shuttle busses would stop running soon we decided to just grab some dinner and we could explore the sights in the morning. It had been a long day’s driving and we were tired of sitting anyway. There was a nice restaraunt there in Grand Canyon Village and so we walked the short distance, giving us a chance to stretch our legs as well.

We had a nice dinner and even though Rosa only had the dress that I found her in to wear, it had been cleaned and she made it look amazing. I swear that girl could make a gunnysack work! But I realized that she would need to get some clothes – she might be able to rock that old dress but it was getting a bit threadbare and she couldn’t keep wearing the same thing everyday!

I knew that our trip would take us through Albuquerque in the next day or two and so I planned on taking her clothes shopping there. I didn’t tell her – I wanted it to be a surprise for her – but I arranged our schedule so we would have some time to get her some new clothes.

We had a nice walk on the way back to the RV. Rosa slipped her arm under mine and laid her head on my shoulder as we strolled slowly back to the motorhome.

Once we got back to the motorhome we sat down on the sofa to watch some TV. Since I was at the RV park I got “full hookups” – that I hooked to the park’s water, sewer, electricity, and cable systems.

“I almost forgot, I got you a little something when we got groceries back in St. Johns.”

“Oh? What is it?” she asked.

I went back in the bedroom and got the plastic bag I had brought in while she had put away the groceries. I handed it to her and looked at me and smiled. “You didn’t need to get me anything Michael. This trip has been more...” she stopped talking when she unwrapped the surprise.

Rosa just stared at it for a moment, not speaking and not even blinking.

“It’s a babydoll. I remembered what you said about the one your mother made you. This one is a little different but I thought...”

Rosa didn’t let me finish what I was saying. She just got up without saying anything and ran into the back bedroom with her doll.

I sat there on the sofa for a moment. I wasn’t sure if she liked the doll or was upset with me for trying to replace her mother’s gift. I waited for her to come out for a bit but when she didn’t, I went back to see how she was doing.

I knocked on the door gently, then opened it. Rosa was on the bed sobbing uncontrollably, the doll clutched tightly in her arm.

“Rosa honey, are you all right?” I asked sitting down and rubbing her back.

She sat up and looked at me, her face wet with her tears. “Oh Michael, you wonderful, amazing man! Oh, this is the best present anyone ever gave to me!” she blubbered.

“Well it’s not made from my dress, but I thought it might help to make up for the one your Mom made you a little,” I said, trying to get a smile or laugh out of her.

“It’s a wonderful, beautiful doll, Michael, and you are so...” she couldn’t find the words apparently, because she just threw her arms around my neck and hugged me tight. “Thank you, Michael. Thank you for the doll, for this fun trip, and for helping me get away from Mexico.”

“You are welcome Rosa, I’m just glad you liked it. I wasn’t sure if you would think it’s too childish anymore. You are a grown woman.”

“No, Michael, I don’t think it’s too childish and I love it. Yes, I am a grown woman but this ... this really touched me. This is the best present I’ve ever gotten because it’s from someone who cares about my past and what I’ve been through. You don’t know what that means. Unless you’ve lived through it, you don’t know what it means to have someone care.”

“Well Rosa, I may not have had the rough life you have had but mine hasn’t been a cakewalk either. I mean I have lived a pretty lonely life. I was never the type to run in a crowd as a kid and since getting this job, I haven’t had any kind of a social life either.

“Oh I have a handful of friends I get together with once in a blue moon when I happen to be in town on a weekend or something, but it’s not like I can plan on attending parties or make a date with a woman because I never know when I’m going to be called to go someplace. Now it is getting better – I have senority at my work now so I can have someone else do a lot of my out of town stuff. But I still get calls when ‘they need their top guy on it’.

“I’ve never been married, I don’t have any kids, and I don’t have anyone special in my life as far as a girlfriend or anything. I come home to an empty house and wish at times I knew how to do something other than my job as an engineering consultant.”

Rosa got up from the bed and stood in front of me. “Michael, I have never met anyone like you before. You are kindhearted, caring, and so thoughtful. You have treated me better than my own family. This doll is just an example ... you listened to my story about my doll and you decided to do something to help fix it. That means the world to me Michael ... you don’t even know me and you did such a sweet thing.

“Michael, dear, I don’t have anything to give you in return, but...”

She took off her old worn dress carefully and set it on the dresser. She turned back to me. “Michael, you have a girlfriend now for as long as you want me. I may be young and I don’t have a world of experience with guys, but are by far the nicest guy I have ever met. And yes, you are sexy as hell! A girl would have to be a damn fool to not be interested in you.”