Route 66-based story
written by OC,SH’s founder, inspired by his September 2009 Route 66 road trip
CHAPTER 28: TALE OF 2 CONVERSATIONS
“I figured you boys would be at the business this morning,” the gentleman said, sitting down at the kitchen table.
“No,” replied the eldest. “A couple volunteers from the Route 66 association are opening it. I’m only up because I forgot to tell my alarm clock I didn’t have to be up early.”
The gentleman chuckled.
“Can I get either of you anything?” the eldest asked.
“No, not me,” the grandmotherly woman replied, “but thank you.”
“Same here,” the gentleman added. “We had breakfast at the hotel this morning.”
A slight pause was broken by the eldest: “Look, I don’t know what to tell you yet.”
“Ah, don’t worry about it,” the gentleman said, waving off the eldest sibling. “We’re not expecting an answer. We know we sprung the news on you a bit late in the evening, & we’re sorry. Today, we just wanted to spend time with you at your business.”
“OK, well, that’s cool,” replied the eldest, “but we’re not going to be there until sometime this afternoon. I don’t mean to be rude, but I do have some things I need to do. My brother & I are planning a road trip along Route 66, & I need to make some contacts & arrangements for that.”
“Oh,” muttered the gentleman. “I see.”
“I don’t know yet when we will be in Dwight, so I don’t know what to tell you right now,” continued the eldest.
“That’s fine, dear,” said the grandmotherly woman. “Take your time.”
She then turned to her husband, “Why don’t we take a drive around town & stop at their business this afternoon? The last thing I want to do is make them feel uncomfortable.”
“Sounds good to me,” said the gentleman, clearly not completely happy.
The couple left, & the eldest watched their LTD pull out of the driveway. The phone then rang, & the eldest glanced at the clock: 8:28a. On the other end of the line was the shopkeeper.
“I thought you & yer brother was making arrangements for yer trip this mornin’?” the shopkeeper barked.
“We are,” the eldest said.
“So who’re them folks botherin’ ya? I’ve seen that car in this area for about a week now.”
“What?” The eldest was intrigued.
“Yeah, I saw that foreign wagon at least a week ago drivin’ through town,” the shopkeeper continued. His use of the word “foreign” to describe the wagon was his way of saying that it wasn’t a “local” vehicle.
“You couldn’t have seen it,” said the eldest. “The couple just arrived late last night. They met us here at the house after the meeting.”
“Nope,” declared the shopkeeper. “I seen that car that morning I met you out at the train tracks. You can’t tell me I seen a differnt car. Not too many Illinoise plates on older cars in this area.”
The eldest knew the shopkeeper was telling the truth. But, this revelation put a slightly different spin on the couple’s visit, not necessarily the news they had shared. The shopkeeper’s voice broke the silence.
“Hey, you still there? We’re going to bring those pictures to ya this afternoon, if you & your brother & sister are going to be at the business.”
“We are. That sounds great….” The eldest’s voice trailed off because he was still pondering about the couple.
“You OK? Is something wrong?” queried the shopkeeper. With no immediate reply from the eldest sibling, the shopkeeper continued, “Just what did that couple want with you boys anyway?”