The Open Road

by Quinn Loftis

  “Took you long enough,” Charity shouted to Jason.

  Jason threw up his hands. “What can I say? I had to build up my courage. I’m working with marbles here.”

  “Don’t get her started.” Samantha groaned.

  “That was nice,” he said, turning back to Samantha.

  “It was. Let’s do it again,” she agreed, pulling him back down to her. The second kiss was equally magnificent and lasted as long. The rest of the evening passed for Samantha in a hormone-induced haze. It had been so long since she’d been kissed by anyone she’d almost forgotten how. And she’d never been kissed like Jason kissed her. Though she tried not to, Samantha couldn’t help comparing him to Derek. But that was like comparing a polar bear to a stuffed animal. Jason kissed her now with a passion a flea like Derek could never understand. And she kissed Jason back the same way.

  When the bride and groom were finally covered in rice and spirited away in a limousine, Samantha turned and surveyed the reception area with a sigh. In an effort to save Charity money, she and the rest of the wedding party had agreed to clean the place up, which wasn’t going to be an easy task. Luckily, several of the other guests, including Brent’s parents, also stayed around to pitch in.

  Even with the additional help, Samantha was exhausted by the time they turned the lights out and locked the door. As they walked toward Samantha’s car, Jason saw a bench in front of the church and sat down, motioning for her to join him.

  They held hands, enjoying the peaceful evening and slowly coming down from the endorphin high caused by so much dancing … and making out.

  “I guess I’ll need to get all my stuff out of your RV, tomorrow,” said Samantha. “It’s time for you to be on your way, huh?”

  “No, you don’t have to,” he replied. “You could still run away with me.”

  “I’ve already told you, I don’t think I should go with you.”

  “And you don’t have to, not yet. I’ve decided, maybe, I’ll hang around a bit. I’m sure there’s a lot to Roanoke I haven’t seen yet. I wouldn’t be doing the city justice if I didn’t fully take in all the sights and sounds.”

  “That’s about the lamest thing I’ve ever heard.”

  “Okay, maybe that’s not entirely true,” said Jason. “There may or may not be a girl I’m interested in who lives in this city. I’m not sure, but I think she might like me too. And I might be willing to wait around until I convince her she should come away with me.”

  “I’m sure she does, but you cannot stay. You have something you have to do. You know that.”

  “Funny thing about me, Sam. I’m a bit of a vagabond, or so I’ve been told. I can come and go as I please, and nobody can really tell me where to go or what to do.”

  “What if this girl refuses to see you? Then you’ll just be hanging around Roanoke like an idiot, waiting around for nothing.”

  “She won’t,” he said.

  “You seem pretty sure of yourself,” said Samantha.

  “I am,” he agreed.

  “What makes you so confident?”

  “Because I may or may not have kissed said girl earlier and, if I’m not much mistaken, I think she kind of liked it.”

  “She might have liked it, but that doesn’t mean she’s going to run away with you.”

  “Listen, Samantha,” said Jason, turning suddenly serious. “I know why you won’t come. I know you think I’m using you to get over Bethany. When we first met, you might have been right, but not anymore. I will always love Bethany.”

  “And I wouldn’t want you to stop,” she said quickly.

  Jason held up his hands to stop her. “I know you wouldn’t, Sam. I know what kind of person you are, and that’s why I’m not leaving you. Like I said, I will always love Bethany. But I know now that chapter of my life is closing. I am so incredibly grateful that you came into my life, Samantha, and I cannot imagine a future without you. This has nothing to do with Bethany. She will always be a part of my past, but I hope you will always be a part of my future. I know you heard what I said at the hospital and I meant it.”

  “What did you say?”

  “I love you, Sam. I said I loved you and I meant it. And I won’t drive another mile until I know we have a future or that you don’t want to be with me, one of the two. If you tell me you don’t want to be with me, fine. I won’t push it. But I think we have something, and I don’t want to let it slip through my fingers. I know it’s risky. I know I might end up getting hurt again, but I’m willing to chance it. I’m not going to live my life in fear any longer.”

  Samantha didn’t say anything for a long time. “Charity and Brent are going to the Caribbean,” she finally said.

  “Yeah?”

  “If I’ve been following your video blog correctly, you still have the southeastern states left to visit.”

  “Yeah…”

  “Florida is in the southeast,” she said.

  “Uh-huh.”

  “They have nice beaches in Florida.”

  “They have nice beaches in Virginia,” he said thickly.

  Samantha shook her head and rolled her eyes. “Not like Florida, silly. And just because Charity got married doesn’t mean she deserves a nice beach vacation and I don’t.”

  “That’s true.”

  “And that memory foam bed in your RV is really comfortable. I’ve kind of gotten used to sleeping on it. It’d be a lot better than what I would have back at my mom’s house. I guess I could come along, just for a bit, just as far as Florida, if you let me keep sleeping in the bed.”

  “Do I get to sleep in it with you?” he asked, waggling his eyebrows.

  “No way, Marbles,” she said, pointing a finger at him. “You’re on the fold-out.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” he said quickly, holding up his hands.

  “Okay, then, it’s a plan. I’ll wrap up some stuff at work, and we can be on our way in a few days. It’ll be an adventure,” she said, smiling, “on the open road.”

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Samantha sat the camera in between her and Jason on the dining table of the RV. She knew this was going to be his longest video yet, and a phone wouldn’t have the record time he needed. So, she’d purchased the camera and tripod at a department store while they were in Florida. Now, they were at an RV park in Jackson, Mississippi, the last stop before Louisiana.

  Facing the camera, she hit record. “Hello, America, I’m Samantha Showalter. You may remember me from Jason’s earlier videos in Las Vegas, or you might have noticed me in the last few videos Jason has posted. I’ve kind of been hitchhiking with him a little bit. And if you’re wondering, yes, Jason and I are in a relationship. I know some of you aren’t going to like that, and Jason is probably going to get a ton of negative comments. That’s okay. We’re cool with it.

  “You should be aware that this is going to be the last video on the ‘Jason’s Lost His Mind—North American Tour’. After this, Jason and I travel to Louisiana where he lost his wife and family. He’s made the decision not to post anything there. Before we get there, however, I wanted to take this opportunity to ask Jason some questions. When he began this tour, Jason said he wanted everyone to get to know how special Bethany and the girls were. We are doing that today in this, his final video.”

  She turned the camera to face Jason. “Jason, I want you tell me and America everything about your life with Bethany. I want you to tell us about the first time you two met. I want to know what you were feeling when you first saw her. Tell us about your first date. Tell us about your wedding. Tell us about the day your kids were born. Tell us how you felt when you first looked into their little faces. Tell us everything.”

  “Okay,” said Jason, letting out a big sigh. “Bethany and I met in college at the University of Arkansas…”

  Two hours later, Jason sat back, exhausted. He’d told America everything he could possibly remember about Bethany, Chloe, and Hannah, beginning when he met Bethany in college up to the point when they
were struck by the truck in Northern Louisiana on Interstate 425 as they travelled to New Orleans on vacation. He told them how the tractor trailer driver had alcohol and cocaine in his system and was still employed by the company even after failing a drug test a month earlier. He told them how, because of this, the company paid Jason one and a half million dollars to avoid a wrongful death suit. With bitterness and tears, Jason explained how his wife and children were worth a hell of a lot more to him than five hundred thousand dollars each.

  When he’d finished speaking, Jason knew finally sharing the story of his life with Bethany had been exactly what he needed. He’d needed to tell the world the O’Neal family story. He’d needed to tell them how great his wife and daughters were and how they would always be in his heart. Finally, for the first time since the journey started, he felt truly at peace.

  “That’s it America,” he said. “My last video. Thank you so much for sticking it out with me. I seriously doubt anyone hung around for the entire two hours of this video, but that’s okay. I didn’t do this one for you guys. This one was for me. But if you did hang around, thank you. Thank you very much, America, for taking this journey with me. Thanks for all the encouragement. Thanks for all the prayers and the positive thoughts. I am truly grateful. This is Jason O’Neal, signing off for the last time. See you on the open road, America.”

  Chapter 26

  From this hour, freedom!

  ~Walt Whitman

  Samantha stared out the window of the RV as Jason steered it up the white gravel drive. Well-manicured bushes lined the driveway, and flowers rested in pots in front of the small white farmhouse. A gigantic magnolia tree dominated the front yard. Samantha could only guess at the mammoth tree’s age, but it must have been at least a hundred years old. Jason brought the RV to a halt in the driveway. An elderly man dressed in denim overalls sat on the porch swing. He stared at the motorhome with a furrowed brow, pushing aside a five-gallon bucket he’d been filling with purple hull peas. Slowly, creakily, he rose to his feet and walked out to the edge of the porch to await the newcomers.

  “I wonder if I should pull into the yard,” said Jason.

  “I don’t know,” replied Sam, “maybe just park it here.”

  Jason shut off the engine but didn’t make a move to get out. He reached up to the dashboard and retrieved, from its place stuck in the instrument panel next to the speedometer, Bethany’s next-to-last lilac. The RV was new when Jason had purchased it. Now, the instrument panel showed thirteen thousand, six hundred and thirty-eight miles, and that didn’t even include the flights to Alaska and Hawaii. All those miles had come down to this one moment. He breathed a heavy sigh as he poked the flower into the breast pocket of his button-up shirt, along with the folded piece of paper.

  “You can do this,” said Samantha, reaching over and squeezing his arm. “I’ve got you.”

  He turned to face her, his expression unreadable. “Thank you.”

  “Do you want me to stay in the RV?” she asked.

  “No way. I’d have never made it this far if it wasn’t for you.”

  They popped open the doors and climbed down from the motorhome. Jason extended his hand as he walked around the front of the vehicle and Sam took it. They approached the porch, hand in hand.

  “Hello there,” said the man as they drew nearer. Jason released Samantha’s hand, walked up the steps to the porch, and extended his hand to the elderly gentlemen.

  “Hello,” said Jason. “I’m Jason O’Neal.” The man peered at Jason intently. Samantha thought it looked as if he might recognize Jason, but he didn’t say so.

  “Tom Williams. Is there something I can help you with?”

  “I hope so,” replied Jason. “I’m the one you pulled out of the burning car out there in the ditch about a year ago.” Jason motion with his thumb out to the road.

  The man’s eyes grew wide. “That wasn’t me. That was my son-in-law. At my age, I can barely pull these peas out of the hull. But I tried to help him ’till the ambulance got here.”

  “I appreciate it, regardless,” said Jason.

  The man took a long look at Jason, seemingly understanding the reason for his visit. “I suppose you’d like to know what I saw.”

  “If you don’t mind, I’d appreciate it.”

  The old man shook his head. “Are you sure? It was pretty rough. I read about it in the paper afterward. I’m terribly sorry about your wife and kids.”

  Jason swallowed then nodded. “This is something I need to do.”

  “You better come inside, son. Martha,” the man yelled as he shuffled through the front door and down a short hallway into the kitchen.

  “Coming,” came a female voice from another room.

  “Please, have a seat,” said the man, indicating a small, round dining room table. “I’ll have Martha put on a pot of coffee.” All three of them took a chair.

  “Who’s this?” a plump old woman said as she came into the kitchen, moving quicker than her husband.

  “Martha, this is Jason O’Neal and… I’m sorry young lady, I didn’t get your name.”

  “Samantha Showalter,” she said, “a friend of Jason’s.”

  “To what do we owe the pleasure?” Martha asked.

  “Not a pleasure visit, Martha,” said Tom. “Jason’s the one was in that bad car accident out front last year.”

  “Oh, my word,” said Martha. She immediately leaned down and squeezed Jason in a motherly hug. “I’m so sorry.”

  “How about putting a pot on, Martha, dear?” asked Tom.

  “Yes, of course. Jason, would you like regular or decaf?”

  “Regular is fine, Mrs. Williams.”

  “You got it,” she replied.

  “Well,” said Tom, “I’m not really sure what you wanna know.”

  “Just start from the beginning, if you don’t mind, Mr. Williams. I want to know everything that you saw.”

  “Okay,” he began slowly. “Gary, that’s my daughter’s husband, he and I was working in the backyard, building a pergola. He was up on the ladder running the nail gun. It was hot out, I remember that. Way too hot for November. We were both pouring sweat. I was basically fetching him tools while he did all the heavy lifting. I’m not much use on top of a ladder anymore. I get dizzy. Anyway, all of a sudden, we heard tires squealing something fierce, then the loudest crash you ever heard.

  “‘Somebody’s had a wreck,’ said Gary. And he come down that ladder, quick as lightning. He run around the side of the house and I hobbled after him, quick as I could. By the time I got to the front yard, he’s already in the ditch, standing next to your car. I can see the big rig a ways off. It was laying across the road, blocking traffic both ways.”

  “Sorry to interrupt, Mr. Williams,” said Jason, “but could we go outside so you can show me.”

  “Sure, sure. The coffee’ll wait. C’mon.” The four of them rose and went outside, crossing the mammoth front yard and stopping at the long ditch that ran alongside the two-lane highway in front of Tom’s farmhouse.

  Samantha could see a large discolored patch on the ground where fresh grass was just beginning to regrow. Black scorch marks could still be seen on the road next to the ditch.

  “Is that it?” Jason asked, pointing to the spot.

  “That’s where your car stopped.” Mr. Williams nodded. “It was upside down, as you know. It was facing sideways. The nose was pointed straight toward the front porch. You could see the grass and bushes pushed down for a long ways where it rolled down the ditch. Stopped right here.”

  Jason said nothing. He just stared at the ground. After a few moments, Mrs. Williams put her arm around Jason’s shoulder. Tom continued. “Like I said, the tractor trailer was lying on its side across the road, blocking traffic. Up there.” He pointed to a spot about fifty yards away. “I run up and Gary was knelt down looking in your vehicle. He’s on the driver’s side yelling at you to hang on. He looked up and hollered at me to call 911. By that time, Martha
had come out to and she was running up, so I turned and yelled at her to call 911.”

  “You called 911?” Jason asked the woman as she patted his shoulder. Martha nodded.

  “I saw Gary reaching in trying to pull you out,” said Tom. “He was having a helluva time with it, the roof being caved in and all. I could smell gas something strong, and I yelled at Gary. I told him to hurry up in case she blew. I didn’t know there was anyone else in the car at that point, so I ran up the road to the big truck. I couldn’t get a look in at first. All I could see was the bottom of the truck facing me. So, I ran around it to the front. I had to climb down into the ditch and then back out again on the other side of the truck’s cab. When I got back on the street, I looked through the windshield. It didn’t take no doctor to see that fella was gone. I don’t really wanna say what he looked like, but let’s just say I had trouble keeping my lunch down. He wasn’t wearing his seat belt, that’s for sure. I turned and came back to your vehicle as quick as I could. By that time, Gary had your top half out, yanking on you as hard as he could, but your feet was hung up on something. I gotta be honest, friend. Right then, I didn’t think you were going to make it. You were awake, but your eyes were rolling around in your head and your face was covered in blood.

  “I bent down and yanked on your legs. I think your feet was stuck between the steering wheel and the seat and you was all tangled up in the airbag.” Jason flexed his ankle. Samantha heard a cracking sound and winced. “But, finally, it came free and you popped out the window. Gary dragged you over to the yard and laid you down. Then he took off back toward the car. He hadn’t gone but a step and the thing blew. I never heard anything like it. Knocked us both right on our backsides. I couldn’t hear nothing for ’bout two weeks.

  “I think it might have knocked me out too. I don’t know. Next thing I know Gary’s standing over me, asking me if I’m okay. I can see his lips moving, but I can’t hear what he’s saying. He helped me up and, then I kinda tottered back over to the porch and plopped down. Gary got you and dragged you farther away from the car, closer to the house. That car was shooting flames up into the sky twenty feet. I could feel the heat of it all the way on the porch.”