Chapter 328

Sylvia loaded a dress bag and a small black half duffel bag like mine into the trunk. We were on the main road out of town, headed north, by 8pm. I engaged Sylvia in conversation as I drove the big clumsy car in a northerly direction. We spoke about nothing just to fill the air with noise. People often do that it seems.

At the first stop for gas Sylvia raided the prepared food cooler which was located inside the convenience store part of the building. When I hit the road again she was juggling drinks and prepared foods of different kinds.

"I love America, we had none of this where I grew up," she explained.

"So you are determined to try everything?" I asked.

"These chicken things are actually quite good," she informed me. "Are you sure that you don't want to try them."

"No thanks, I had a burger before we left the store." I had indeed choked down a half cooked hamburger with a coke. It was not enjoyable at all probably because I didn't have any fond memories like it to pull up from the muck that was my past. It seemed that there had never been anything pleasurable about half heated, stale burgers, and almost warm coke from a plastic bottle. I had a feeling that it would be the same when I pulled up a MRE memory when next I tried one of those.

We were several hundred miles into the trip when Sylvia dozed off. It was close to midnight, so I didn't blame her, nor did I feel that she needed her to stay awake for any reason. I couldn't shut down to do a full reload, but I could keep the earphones plugged up to at least run on the car power, so as not to use my reserve. I was hardly tapping my internal power supply at all.

When I stopped the car for gas again late that night, Sylvia woke up long enough to use the bathroom. Once we were on the road again, she returned to sleep. I went back to the phase where I processed all the information that presented itself, but I didn't try to problem solve. It would have been futile to try to problem solve, without knowing the exact nature of the problem. I mean I had to meet the Senator's aid that was the mission in general, but I had no idea what the perimeters would really be until I was standing in front of him.

We arrived outside the small town of Oswego New York, at a few minutes after 8AM. I had done the speed limit most of the way. I had fudged only now and then in order to make up for the slower traffic, when we approached larger towns along the way.

"So do we have a reservation anywhere?" Sylvia asked after she was more or less awake.

"Nothing of which I am aware," I said as I opened the car door. I had parked in the parking lot of an International Pancake House restaurant. "Right now I have pancakes and coffee on my mind. After that we can worry about where to stay."

"Fair enough, but I want eggs," Sylvia demanded.

"I am almost positive that somewhere in that restaurant there is an egg for people like you," I suggested.

"Do not be a smart ass Maxine, I am not on the clock now. I don't have to be nice," she was grinning like an idiot. She was obviously one of those people who got silly when they were tired. That was probably how she and Peter hooked up after the last party.

When I ordered the pancakes at the IHOP, I had the distinct memory of 1AM and looking across the table at Mosby. Was Mosby going to end up being the love of my life, I asked myself. Probably not, I answered myself. She might however be the one who got away. Both she and the Irishman had not run their coarse.

The pancakes that morning tasted almost as good as they had that night with Mosby. It was a shame that the taste of Mosby was not on my tongue, when I began the pancakes that morning.

I was also very impressed with our waitress at the restaurant. She was friendly and bubbly for so early in the morning on New Years Eve.

"How do you do it?" I asked. "Is it drugs?"

"Do what?" she asked looking concerned.

"Be so damn cheerful at 8AM?" I asked.

"Well it isn't drugs. I attend the local college here and don't get a lot of sleep. I guess I'm punch drunk a lot of the time."

"I would never be able to handle all that and still stay so upbeat. You are a marvel," I said.

"I totally agree," Sylvia commented.

After the girl had gone Sylvia added, "She probably never saw anyone killed by a sniper."

"No she probably didn't, but that doesn't necessarily make us better people for having seen it," I added.

"No just unable to be so damn happy for no reason. I can be appreciative, as I am to you, and still not be so manic," Sylvia commented.

"I know. I'm the same way. It is hard to be all giggly when you have seen the worst in people," I suggested.

I still had to empty the plain industrial burger, as well as the pancakes I had just consumed. I had it on my mind when we checked into a Holiday Inn Express near the expressway. I could easily do it when we got inside the motel room, without being noticed by Sylvia. Everyone locked themselves in the bathroom after a long drive. At least I had always done it for one reason or another.

I had decided that the recharge nap would be better done closer to the party time. I wanted to be on full charge just in case I couldn't work it in for a full day or so."I love email," I said. "I can send a message to the Senator's staff and not have to worry about the time."

The message read, Maxine Stone and her friend Sylvia Moroni have arrived in Oswego. If you would give us directions from our motel to the entrance of the cocktail party sight, I would appreciate it. You might want to include any other pertinent information.