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

CHAPTER 35: A DIFFERENT VIEW

In a room in a building somewhere in Illinois, 2 people are talking.

“I don’t know what I was thinking.”

“Guessing that wasn’t anyone important on the phone?”

“Anything important, you mean.”

“Huh?”

“It was 1 of those damn robocalls. I’ll never know why companies think that’s a good marketing strategy. It aggravates people & ties up precious phone lines.”

“Only if you’re still in the dark ages.”

“Oh, whatever. Point is, they are a waste of time … & probably money.”

“Can’t argue with you there.”

“I should’ve just called the eldest & been done with it. I wouldn’t be waiting around wondering if they’ve been told.”

“True, but you probably would’ve found something else to fret about.”

“Yeah, probably.”

“They told you they’d get a hold of you when they could. They didn’t know when they would arrive or how long it would take them to tell the kids.”

“Oh, c’mon. It’s been so long they could’ve driven to Alaska & back.”

“Now, it hasn’t been THAT long & you know it.”

“Well, maybe not. But.”

“But, what? You don’t know where they are. They may be stuck somewhere on the side of the road for all you know.”

“Yeah, & if they are, we’ll never hear from them again. You know how picky he is about that damn Ford wagon of theirs. He swears it is a tank that will never ever break down. If it has broken down, he’s probably too embarrassed to call & we’ll never hear from them again. But, I got news for him. Cars DO break down. Period. It’s a fact of life.”

“Now, look. I wasn’t saying they ARE stuck somewhere. I was just trying to point out that you don’t know where they are or if they’ve even told the kids. You didn’t want to tell them over the phone & we both know you couldn’t have gone to tell them in person, so this was the next best thing. They were heading west anyway & they volunteered. Now, you just gotta ride it out & let the chips fall where they may. Maybe you’ll like the outcome, maybe you won’t. But, it’s not going to do you any good to fret. At least, not yet.”

Thus ended a 2-person conversation somewhere in Illinois in a building in a room.