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

CHAPTER 47: REUNIONS & PLEASANTRIES

“Hi there, Gus!” the familiar distinguished gentleman, the owner of the 1978 Ford LTD station wagon, said the second he walked in the front door of The Old Route 66 Family Restaurant in Dwight IL.

The old gentleman, in the midst of a conversation with his companion, stopped mid-sentence to turn around to see who called his name.

“Well, look who the cat dragged in,” the old gentleman replied, motioning for the gentleman & the grandmotherly woman to join them at the table. “C’mon, sit down here, the last broadcast is about to start.”

“Nah, that’s OK, Gus,” the gentleman said, slapping him on the back with his left hand while pointing towards the eldest brother, the youngest brother’s makeshift broadcast area, & their distant cousin & his wife. “We’re sitting over there with them.”

“Oh, OK,” Gus nodded. “That’s fine. We’ll get together sometime soon, I’m sure.”

“Absolutely.”

“Just, for now, be quiet during the broadcast, would ya?”

Gus’ companion gave him a “now, Gus” look; he grinned back at her.

“Of course, Gus!”

The distinguished gentleman & the grandmotherly woman made their way to the table where the eldest & the cousin & his wife were sitting, while Gus went back to the conversation with his companion, who quickly hushed him because of the impending broadcast.

The eldest stood up to shake hands with the gentleman, who nodded his head.

“It’s good to see you again.”

“Likewise,” the eldest said convincingly, even though he didn’t quite feel that way.

“I’m so glad you’re finally here,” the grandmotherly woman said, sitting down at the table, with an all-too-eagerly inquisitive look on her face.

“It’s OK,” the brothers’ cousin spoke up. “We talked, & everything is set.”

The grandmotherly woman smiled & sat back at ease.

“We can talk more later,” the cousin continued, “but right now, the last broadcast of the day is starting.”

With that, all eyes turned toward the youngest brother who once again spoke into the microphone: “Welcome to our last live broadcast of the day from The Old Route 66 Family Restaurant in Dwight Illinois on WSM! We will be here with you until 9p central tonight. Then, I’ll broadcast along the ‘mother’ road, Route 66, as my brother & I travel it. We’ll leave Dwight in a few days, after spending some time with our distant cousin & his wife. As I’ve said in the 2 prior broadcasts today, my brother & I are taking that Route 66 road trip in honor of our parents, who never got to take it. Instead, they settled in a small town & built their own business, which my brother now spearheads. So, who’s manning the shop while he is away? Our sister, of course! So, make sure you tell her we say ‘hello’, if you stop in! Meantime, as many of you know by now, I will post videos & pictures from Route 66 along our drive to California. No idea how long our journey will take, so, as they say, ‘stay tuned’. I’ve already posted a couple videos & several photos from our day here at The Old Route 66 Family Restaurant in Dwight IL, so be sure to check them out. Again, huge thank you to Kyle back in Nashville TN at WSM’s hometown studios for helping to get these broadcasts for y’all set. I really am excited about this. But enough of the introduction, plenty of time for other road trip business later! Now, let’s get that classic music started for y’all….”