The Voyage

 I awoke early, having not slept much. Martha, the boy cat spent his first night in the camper and decided right away that the bed must have been put there for him. Cujo chose to sleep on the same pillow with my head, stretching out his entire body. Eddie and Bo assumed their favorite positions under the covers and Toni decided she should sleep on my pillow, too.

I managed to get into the bed and move a very sleepy eyed Toni Louise over enough to gain control of a partial pillow. Martha sauntered down to the foot of the bed and draped his fat self over my feet and legs. I couldn't move, so I wasn't tossing and turning. But I couldn't shut my mind down.

The closing went well, no surprises other than a bakery bag of cookies from the buyers. A really nice gesture, as I was hungry. I tried to remember everything to tell them about the park, little things like checking the bathroom doors last thing at night to make sure they were not standing open with the heat on. They have my number but will probably do much as I did and just figure it out. I felt bad that I did not have a vacuum to clean with before I departed. It was loaded before I knew it and not available. 

We loaded last minute stuff until well after dark. My thumb had split open on a box last week and was so sore. It just refused to heal. I could not find the bandaids last night and it throbbed, contributing to my sleeplessness. It is my right thumb, the thumb I use to attach leashes to harnesses. I mentioned that we needed more cat litter and I needed some bandaids to the lead driver. He nodded that he heard me ..... 

So we set off this morning. I admit that I shed a few tears as I followed the trailer with a big silver tarp out the drive for the last time. The last 18 years have been more good than bad, for sure. We met some wonderful people and made lifelong friends. It is time for a new chapter to begin.

We made it a few miles down the interstate before I noticed the tarp coming undone and flapping wildly. I didn't know if HeWho drives would be able to see it in the camera, but I knew he could see me. He told me so. I tried to call him, but he didn't answer. I blew my horn and even pulled over .... because he could see me. He kept going. I caught up again and lay on my horn for a couple of miles. No slowing down. I called him again and had to yell for him to hear me. He finally pulled over. 

He "fixed" it. Sort of. The second time we pulled over, I got out to help and suggested that a strap around the middle of the cargo would stop the wind from pulling it apart. Instead, he did it his way and put another long strap over the top. Got back in the car with my dogs and resituated Cujo again.

Back on the interstate and it seems that his strap is holding, though I am still thinking my idea was better, but was not going to say so. The dogs settle in the back seat, succumbing to the seat belts that limited their movements. Cujo had found his sweet spot on the pillow on the console and was finally content at just touching my elbow. I turn an audio book on and sip my hot coffee, all ready to make head way on this trip.

But, that was not to be. HeWho was in the lead signaled and we were exiting after just a few miles. I had noted a Harbor Freight store that had not been there the last time I drove this way and I knew we were headed there. I am nothing if not smart!!

We stopped and he said he was going in to get more straps to strap the tarp around the middle, that he thought it would hold better. I only plant the seed, you know. I usually have to fertilize and water it before it grows into his idea, but this was a Miracle Grow moment!

We finally get back on the road and head towards St. Louis. I hate this part of the trip, but our late start had thinned the traffic, so that was good. My car is small, a Ford Focus and the camper may be short, but it is wide. This makes it difficult for me to see road signs until he has passed them. Over the river and into Illinois and I know the exit for 64 south to Louisville comes up fast because I missed it one time on a trip to see my Dad and panicked and went 55 through Arkansas figuring south was south and I would get there either way. That was the trip that ended up with my car getting a new transmission and me driving a rental car from Memphis.

He zipped right by the exit. He has Siri to guide him, so I assumed he must know and would turn around at the first available exit. We are now heading NORTH to Chicago. He passed three exits, so I called him and asked why we were northbound. He didn't seem to know, but he did take the next exit. Now we are heading back to St. Louis. I see two missed opportunities to get back on 64, but he says Siri is guiding him. 

We take a detour down an unsavory street in East St. Louis. I was too annoyed to be scared that someone cold jump in my car at the red lights. Besides that, who in their right mind would try to steal a ride with a crazy woman hauling all manner of household items and four dogs? Two of those dogs were whining, at the stop light I looked back to see that Mr. BoJangles who is prone to car sickness had vomited on over half the space the dogs had. Then I caught a whiff.

Over the absolute worst roads with pot holes I follow the leader passed abandoned building and homeless people walking the sidewalks. Then, to add insult to injury, HeWho zips through a yellow light, leaving me stuck at a red light. There was a good bit of traffic and though I am good at reading road signs and even looking at the position of the sun for direction, I doubted I could have found my way to where Siri was taking him. About the time the light turns I hear wretching in the back seat again and look quickly to see that Eddie was vomiting on Cujo's back.

Toni Louise was prancing through the vomit, stirring up the aroma. My thumb was throbbing and I was beginning to feel sick, but I was determined to get southbound on 64 before I pulled over to care care of business.

This time, I didn't blow my horn, I didn't phone HeWho was oblivious to my situation. I simply hit the gas and whipped around him and led him to the next exit. He was all set to clean the mess up with the two paper towels in his hand. I handed him the leashes with the dogs on the other end and told him he was on pee duty while I pulled out all the blanket and shook the solid off, then refolded them and put them back in. There was nothing else to do unless I just tossed them. My truck was full, the front seat was full and even 1/3 of the back seat was full.

To be continued ...