Chapter 12

I liked Lane. She was a nice woman. Life had handed her a lot of heartache, and that surely contributed to her little weight problem, but it was also hereditary, as her mother proved, so I suspected she would always be a little big.

But I liked her.

And then I met Kelly.

I awoke to a pair of eyes staring into my face. It made me jump. Lou Ann was sitting in her wheel chair, watching me sleep, attended by a wholesome, girl-next-door type of woman with blonde hair, blue eyes, and a mischievous streak in her eyes. The two of them were so quiet coming in that I didn't hear, or sense a thing, and when I opened my eyes, I jumped.

She put her hand on my arm and laughed. It was musical. Lou Ann was giggling up a storm, and feeling very superior for having scared me, I tried to pretend that I was mad, but gave it up when I couldn't stop giggling right back. Since I was awake, and couldn't throw off the covers due to my mode of dress, I pulled her out of her chair, and onto my chest, for a hug.

Lou Ann LIKED hugs.

The one she gave me back proved it.

She poked me in the cheek, and said, "Get Up if you want breakfast. Mom and Grandma have been in the kitchen ... like ALL DAY, already. You better wake up or you'll miss it." She smiled and kissed my face with gusto, leaving a wet smear that felt precious.

Kelly looked shocked, and then pleased when she saw how I bonded with little Lou Ann. I would doubt many people bothered with her, but I was enchanted. He eyes glowed as we cuddled and hugged. When I kissed her on top of the head, she kissed me back on top of mine. Kelly retrieved her and they headed out, not forgetting to inform me that breakfast would be on the table in a few minutes.

She was younger than I expected her to be. I guess nursing school is only four years, but I had this picture of a middle-aged, divorced, woman taking care of Lou Ann. Kelley was about twenty-five, short and full of energy. Her light skin almost glowed with youth and vitality. It was clear that she adored Lou Ann, and the feeling was freely returned. Their interactions made me think she was the older sister, instead of the nurse.

Kelly smiled a lot, which was quite disarming. Her plain face and somewhat sticky build could have hidden her wonderful, playful, personality, and positively wonderful spirit. Instead I found myself forgetting her ordinary looks, because she was so much fun to be around.

It was Kelly and Lou Ann that I thought about while I took a quick shower, dressed, and found my way out to the kitchen where it looked like everyone was gathered, waiting for me. Bobby-Jo was holding forth on the delicacies available for breakfast when I pulled up a stool and joined them. "Let's see – Noah, you got my all confused, so I have to start again – you can choose from pancakes, French toast, scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, ham, toast, jelly, jam, honey, cereal, or fruit. If you can't find what you want, go to Cracker Barrel."

"Good Advice!" I chimed in and thanked them for their hospitality.

Lou Ann wanted everyone to know that she was MY FRIEND. "My Friend Noah is driving me on vacation.

"My Friend Noah knows how to get us into all of the most interesting places. Don't you?" Then she gave me no chance to answer. "See? He knows EVERYTHING. We are going to have so much fun traveling in Grandpa's new motor coach. I CAN'T WAIT!!!"

We talked, laughed, giggled, poked fun, and generally acted like old friends that just met.

Once everyone had eaten, the housekeeper/cook came in and cleared the table. Charles, Bobby Jo, and Lane stayed where they were, and Charles indicated I should remain, while Kelly took Lou Ann upstairs.

"Noah, here is a folder with Lou Ann's wish list. It isn't the only places we want her to get to see. These are the places she chose, and the second file," he handed over both manila files folders, "is a list of places we want her to see. If you plan your route to never make more than one stop a day, and arrive at your hotel by about five P.M., Lou Ann shouldn't play out and get sick on you.

"There are obvious exceptions. When you get to Anaheim, Disneyland is an all-day affair, but we think it should be a four day event. Take two days at Disneyland, and two more at the new park, Disney's California Adventure. Knotts Berry Farm, and Sea World are nearby, and you can make a day out of each, with a day between trips to every park.

"After one day at Disneyland, you follow up with a down day. You can go to a mall, get her a pedicure, take a drive, but nothing physically difficult. The next day she will be rested and ready to tackle Disneyland again..." We fine-tuned the plans, and I spent several hours inputting the destination data in the exquisite, built in GPS in their new coach.

The day flew by and Fed Ex brought the credit cards Charles was waiting for. I didn't need them, but didn't need to disclose any of that either, so I kept my thoughts to myself and got the bus and myself ready to go. Later in the afternoon the drivers arrived to take my coach back to Asheville, freeing me from worrying about it while I was gone.

The evening was short, as I turned in early, because I wanted a night's sleep.

Breakfast at Casa Morgenthau was another large affair, with almost every breakfast food imaginable, and a family jabbering with excitement about the impending trip. Lou Ann was dressed in a white jumper and wearing what I was told, were brand new Nikes. Lane came to the table in a knee length skirt, modest, short sleeved blouse, and light sandals for the drive.

Charles and Bobby Jo rode herd on everyone, determined to get us out the door and on the road before nine o'clock. We made it with about five minutes to spare, and we hadn't turned off their road before Bobby Jo was on the phone with Lane, promising to bring her small swimming pool bag with them when they met up with us over the weekend. All-in-all, it was a typical American family getting themselves on the road for vacation.

We turned the coach towards the north east, and settled in for a ride that would take in some of the Kentucky horse farm country with time out before we arrived there for a visit to Mammoth Cave National Park, just a short ways up Interstate Sixty-Five, towards Elizabethtown.

Driving Charles' Coach was as easy as handling my own. The suspension was even better than mine, and the additional electronics made navigating a little easier. The real shocker was the radar that slowed the coach to automatically avoid running up to close to the vehicle in front of us.

The first time the coach reacted to a car in front of us, I thought the transmission had jumped into limp-home mode, but it soon became apparent that the coach was watching out for my driving, just as much as I was. The ride up to Mammoth Cave was short, and pleasant. It was just about the perfect length trip to get acclimated to the peculiarities of the chassis and engine.

Mammoth Cave is a wonder all in itself, and Lou Ann had never been there, so it was a good stopover for the first day out. Lane, Kelly, and I took Lou Ann through the guided cave tour, had a kayak ride on the Green River, and enjoyed a picnic supper on the river bank. Lou Ann cheered when we went down into the caves, and gripped my hand like a vise when we went kayaking. That little thing loved traveling, and even though we took it very easy, she was exhausted when we pulled into the hotel in Newport, Kentucky where our vacation would begin all over again, in the morning.

The Courtyard Inn had our rooms all ready when we arrived, and Kelly hustled Lou Ann off to a warm bath, and comfortable bed. Lane helped me shut down the coach, and make the bed in the back. It turns out I am sleeping in the coach so no one tries to steal it, and Lou Ann wanted to make sure I was as comfortable as they were before heading inside to their suite.

"Noah, I can't tell you how much this meant to Lou Ann today. She has never really gotten to do any of the things children do, and Daddy was determined we were taking her on a real trip this summer, no matter what. There is no way he could drive this thing, and you coming along when you did is like a gift from God.