Route 66-based story
written by OC,SH’s founder, inspired by his September 2009 Route 66 road trip

CHAPTER 3: GOODBYE

As he pulled his big, old 1976 Caprice sedan into the driveway of the home he’s shared with his Mom for 5 years … the same house his parents purchased when they moved to the small town … he realized his cell was still stuck in his pocket. He pulled it out & noticed a missed call. But, as he was about to hit the button to see who had called, his cell phone blinked again. The display showed the incoming call as “sis”.

“Yeah?” he answered.

“She is gone,” his younger sister whispered. “I tried to call you…..”

Silence. He couldn’t speak. Instead, he glanced at the dashboard of what had been his Dad’s pride & joy for so many years to see how much gas was left, & quickly said, “I’ll be there soon. Have you called…”

“Yes. I talked to him while a song was playing. He said he was going to call Kyle to see if he could do the rest of his show so he could take the next flight out of Nashville.”

“OK. I will see you soon. Here we go again….”

He ended the call & backed the Caprice out of the driveway; the half-tank of gas would be plenty to get him back & forth one more time today. He had planned to park the Caprice & grab his other car, but he didn’t want to take time to switch cars now. Besides, the Caprice was at the center of the family for years, before his Dad bought a 1990 Dodge Caravan, which was then replaced by a 2000 Ford Crown Victoria. Of those three, the Caprice was the only one still in the family.

As he headed down the road, he turned the radio to AM 650 to see if he could hear his brother’s show. His brother, the youngest of the three, had been the first to “have enough” of the small town life & head for a big city. He loved older country music & landed a job at Nashville’s WSM radio, a station that, at times, can be heard for miles.

The station came in … barely. The first voice he heard, though, was his Mom’s: “…has been tremendous. Because of that, my eldest son has agreed to help me keep the business open for a year so we can continue the tradition & greet people if they want to stop.”

It was the recording his Mom had done for his brother’s show after his Dad died. The support they received at the time was overwhelming.  At the urging of the local Route 66 Association, he had agreed to quit his job & help his Mom full time at the business to greet Route 66 travelers as they explored the famed roadway. He had agreed to only one year, but with all of the fellow Route 66 people stopping in to see his Mom after his Dad’s death & the daily trek of Route 66 explorers, one year quickly turned into three. Then, his Mom became ill & he had to rely on others to open the business … which is why he had decided to put the business up for sale.

His brother then spoke: “That was my Mom, about 5 years ago, speaking after Dad’s death. A few moments ago, I received a call from my sister to tell me that Mom has died. Kyle is on his way to the Opryland Hotel studios to handle the rest of my show. Once he arrives, I will turn the reins over to him, & I will head to grab the next flight out of Nashville to my home town. Now, don’t you worry, I WILL be back.”

After a long pause, his brother spoke again: “And now, for Mom, Patty Loveless, ‘How Can I Help You Say Goodbye?'”