by Jan Prins
They had refreshed and changed, so ready for dinner. Together they walked to the restaurant and chose a nice round table. It looked simple, but still cozy. The waiter asked them kindly if they wanted to order some drinks and immediately Cola was caught. Ethan opted for the chicken nuggets and the larger ones for a delicious menu with a Dayton burger. They let it taste good and of course they took ice.
While they were waiting for it, Merry said softly: “Do not look directly at boys, but I think we’re being watched. Right in front of Zach, I think, is the same man I saw this morning in the roadside restaurant, only now he has a mustache and the woman who is with him, yes it sounds crazy, I know. But it really looks a lot like Miss Megan, the teacher of Ethan. Only now she has a pair of glasses and her hair is dyed red and teased. Yes, now I see it, she is! Do not look, let’s ignore it “. No sooner said than done and they feasted on the just-made ice-creams, but they tasted less than normal and they shuffled back and forth on their seats.
As soon as they were done they stood up and were about to walk upstairs. They walked to the door to go to the room. “Megan! Are you here too? “Grunted the little Ethan. The red-haired woman pretended not to hear it and ignored his calls. “Hello, I am Ethan! Then look “But no, no reaction. Merry grabbed her little brother and said, “Come on, Ethan, that’s not Merry, that lady looks like it, but she is not.” The red-haired woman did not know where to look and got a color like a beet. She managed to drag him towards the hotel room in the end. But he kept saying that the lady was really Megan. it took a lot of time and effort to get him into bed. Fortunately, he was very tired, so that he finally fell asleep.
They looked at each other and they all thought the same thing: what was this and what did this mean? Were they really followed or imagined it. “It does not matter at all”, Zach said finally, “we have to get rid of those people.” They agreed with him, but how did they handle that. “You know what? I go to the reception and pay and ask if they put our breakfast in the room at five o’clock. Then we leave very quickly immediately after breakfast. We drive back a bit and take a very weird route before we continue on the Interstate 70. “They thought that was a very good plan and that’s how they would do it.
Zach decided to arrange this and after a while they talked a bit and went to sleep to get up early. They would make the visit to the aircraft museum on their way back.
The next morning the alarm on the cell phone went off early, actually too early, but they got up anyway, showered quickly and dressed with some easy-fitting sportswear. Meanwhile, the breakfast was delivered, they hastily sat down and grabbed a portion they are on the way. They drank the coffee and finally they could leave the sleep behind. The car had already set Zach around the corner last night, they hurried in and drove away very gently. It was raining and they hoped that it would soon recover. They drove back to the Interstate 70 and drove to the west, so back from where they had come from. After a while they saw a sign pointing to Cincinnati, they turned and drove back and forth to shake off potential followers. Then they drove up the Interstate 71. At Cincinnati they turned right onto Interstate 74, which went to Indianapolis and there they could follow their old route on Interstate 70 again. This was such an illogical and opposite route with a big detour, that if there were followers who now completely and literally lost their way.
Zach sat in the middle of this strange route with Ethan in the back who was busy with his computer game, Chad drove next to him with his friend Merry. Zach sat reading the Sunday newspaper in silence, and Merry tried to keep the mood in front, but that was not easy. They all had their own thoughts, but they all came to the same point: who were these people and what did they want?
It was again high time to take a longer break and they stopped around nine o’clock in the small town of Vandalia, actually more of a stain, with the roadside restaurant Chuck Wagon. It was in a no-man’s-land, but it smelled deliciously of chicken and coffee. It was, of course, still very quiet on this Sunday morning where the locals were now in the church, but the owner welcomed them warmly and made sure they did not fall short. One thing was certain: this man knew how to prepare a chicken deliciously! The tension had not done them any good, but as they ate more they felt better and got more talk again. They snatched up in the toilet room and felt able to continue their journey. In the meantime it had become dry, sun and clouds alternated.
Chad’s antique car did fine, but he used a lot of gasoline so they had to refuel regularly which had the advantage that the little one could go to the toilet and they could buy coffee or Cola on the road. So they drove steadily until they arrived in Saint Louis. They had to get off the Interstate 70, because it continued eastwards towards Kansas City. “They drove over the Mississippi River via the Stan Musial Veteran`s Memorial Bridge and turned to the Interstate 44 which went to the South. Which went through Oklahoma City, all the way to Wichita Falls in Texas and just before that through Bowie; that road was also called the Central Freeway because all kinds of roads come together there. There is also a major airport Sheppard Air Force Base.” All these facts were told by Merry from her tablet, with help from Wikipedia again, so they had a little idea where they drove.
“Do we already have an idea where we will spend the night?” Asked Zach, who had taken over the wheel again. “If I am right, we will soon pass a beautiful nature reserve Mark Twain National Forest” see Chad “I have heard my parents about that. That is not so far anymore. Maybe it’s good not to drive too far today, although we have already covered 500 miles / 800 km “. That idea appealed to them all and Merry went on her tablet looking for a cheap hotel. “I find it cheap here” she said to herself “It’s called YMCA Trout Lodge. That is part of a YMCA holiday park on a beautiful lake. It is a cheap two star hotel and the nice thing is maybe that there are more young people like us. “
“Sounds great. And what is the name of that place? “Asked Zach. “Potosi in Missouri” was the answer. “Okay, we’ll look it up on the map” was the answer from her friend and that’s how they went that way unanimously.
By four o’clock they drove up the YMCA Park and reported to the reception. Fortunately, there was a small family log cabin free with two rooms above each other for two persons, so very suitable for them and they booked directly, it included the breakfast and free Wi-Fi. They brought in their belongings and recovered. The log cabin and the rooms were of course wooden, rather small but very cozy. Here it was possible to hold out. There was also air conditioning available, great!
In their log cabin they read the following description in an information brochure: “YMCA Trout Lodge & Camp Lakewood is a destination for adventure all year round. The campus is located in the eastern Ozarks of Missouri, amid 5200 acres of picturesque forest-covered hills and a 360-hectare private lake. They are very special and enjoyable. There is a hotel accommodation and cabin accommodation, there are meals in buffet form. There are great activities such as paintball, nature walks, horse riding, zip-lining, water and boat activities and much more. You can experience a great holiday here.”
That sounded inviting and because it was still too early for the food they set out to explore the area. It all looked very nice and well cared for and surrounded by beautiful nature with a large lake. There was everything, there was even a golf course. They wandered around because it was impossible to view everything, it was far too big. A soothing peace descended on them, very welcome after all the tensions of recent times and especially the long drive, which was very unusual for them. With an uncertain outcome, because would their mother be in Bowie, Texas? Or was it a fake message they had responded to? Or maybe she’d already gone somewhere else and would they be late? Could they have driven the whole country for nothing?
These and other thoughts haunted their heads, but in this beneficent environment this seemed more distant than ever. It did them good!
There was a large information center along the lake and they could orient themselves better. The camp turned out t
o be in the Mark Twain National Forest about which they read the following description:
“Mark Twain National Forest is an American national forest in the southern half of Missouri. MTNF was founded on September 11, 1939. It is named after author Mark Twain, a native of Missouri. The MTNF covers 3,068,800 acres (12,419 km2), of which 1,506,100 acres (6,095 km2) are public property, of which 78,000 are acres (320 km2), including Wilderness and National Scenic River. MTNF includes 29 counties and represents 11% of all forested areas in Missouri. Some unique features of the Mark Twain are Greer Spring, the largest source on National Forest and part of the Eleven Point National Scenic River, and pumps an average of 214 million gallons of water per day into the river. The public can also visit the Glade Top Trail National Scenic Byway, which offers views of over 48 km to the Boston mountains in Arkansas. The 350-mile-long Ozark Trail system winds through a large part of the National Forest.
The only national forest in Missouri, the Mark Twain, comprises about 1.5 million hectares, mostly within the Ozark Highlands. Located in southern Missouri and northern Arkansas, the Ozark Highlands are an ancient landscape characterized by large permanent springs, more than 5,000 caves, rocky arid clearing, ancient volcanic mountains and nationally recognized streams. Parts of the Ozarks were once under the oceans.”
In a very coincidental way - through the stories of the parents of Chad - they had landed here and apparently, if everything was true, this was a heavenly place. Gradually they started to get hungry and they looked up the terrace of the restaurant to drink first, which usually came down to Cola, but now the two oldest boys ordered a beer, inspired by the environment and tranquility. They inquired about the menu and the waiter kindly explained to them that this Sunday night there would be a big barbecue party complete with campfire and music. It was a tradition that the holidaying children and families did this on the Sunday evening. He cordially invited them to be there. Of course, they could not refuse this invitation and so we saw our friends quickly mingling with all the other holiday makers who were honored by the BBQ.
The hikers who made a trek and would spend the night here also ate their evening meal in groups and the accompanying drink made them noisy. What strong stories there were about the table and the terrace is not to tell, but they had fun. The sense of community was very high, the people all very friendly and helpful.
The evening fell, it got killer, the vests were turned on and everyone enjoyed the setting sun that shines the tops of the mountains.
The romance celebrated in this place:
There were young couples who got to know each other better during the mountain tours and deepened their acquaintance on the terrace. They looked each other deep in the eye, fell in love with the evening by the lake, and finally sought their bed full of desire. All very sporty and agile.
Then there were three older friends who finally reconfirmed their friendship on the terrace with a good glass and a thorough conversation after a six-hour hike from a refuge where they stayed overnight. the next day they only had to walk for 4 hours.
Also the father and his son of ten years old who had made a mountain trip and now, tired, walked their tents here and after the meal took a walk, sat together on a bench overlooking nature and then made a game of chess. Tomorrow they would walk further to the nearest station to take the train home. Speaking of a father-son relationship !!
It became dark and the night enveloped our friends, but the guests did not get enough of this unforgettable place where time seemed to have stood still and it was a quiet beauty.
It was not surprising in this sphere that Merry and Chad only seemed to have an eye for each other, they no longer had to pay attention to Ethan because they had put them to bed. But suddenly Merry said “Say Chad, have you seen Zach yet? Have lost sight of him for a while. Where would it be? ”” Ah, girl, she is big enough to take care of herself, she’ll be sitting somewhere. “Yes, Merry had to give it to him right away, but she looked good again. “It seems he is sitting there by the lake with a girl!” She said in surprise, and Chad turned his gaze to it now. “Yes, you are right. I hope they like it. “But Merry-and there she was, his sister, could not resist keeping an eye on them.
Later, Chad came to them with that girl and they were introduced to each other: “Jennifer, this is my sister Merry with her friend Chad and boys this is Jennifer.” Merry of course had to check immediately what this was for a girl, there had to be still someone watching her brother? But it immediately clicked very well and the laughter was out of the blue. Until Jennifer asked them “How long will you stay here?” Then there was a painful silence, because what did you say? “Well no, that is not the case again” hesitantly came to Zach. “We live in Bowie, Maryland and are in connection with family affairs on the way to -not-Bowie, Texas to visit our mother, at least Merry , my brother Ethan who is already asleep and me. Chad travels with us. “
Jennifer immediately felt that this was a painful subject and did not ask, but threw it a different direction. “What coincidence! I live close to you in Baltimore! I work here as a holiday aid to earn some extra money. “
The tension dropped and the evening flew by in all the coziness that two girls and two boys can have with each other. “Say Zach” Merry came up again after a long time “Will we stay here for a few days? I think it’s great here and holidays do not come any more, then we can do this anyway? ”” Yes, Zach “Jennifer said as she held him intently and temptingly:” Would be great! “To his sister and this temptation was Zach did not file and so it was decided. In the following days the band that was already there between Merry and Chad became even closer, and between Zach and Jennifer a spark was so obvious that it seemed as if they would never let each other go. By the time of their departure they had already bought friendship rings for each other, more clearly could not!
Confrontation
As always there is a time of coming and going, so also for our friends who had to go to Bowie in Texas, in the deep South of the USA, looking for their mother. It was hard for them because they had a great and pleasant time at the YMCA Trout Lodge. Ethan could have played nicely with friends and she herself had enjoyed the company of peers. Merry and Chad were able to enjoy each other in a relaxed way, and Zach, yes Zach, had met Jennifer, who clicked great!
They had intensively enjoyed all the beauty that was in the area and all the activities that were there, but now they left it behind and did the luggage back into the Ford Taunus 12M after breakfast and Zach started the engine and drove carefully finish the site. He drove in the direction of Interstate 44 and a bit later it went towards the final goal which was still about 600 miles / 965 km away. It would be the longest ride of this trip, but fortunately there was little traffic. It was a beautiful route that she enjoyed very much. It was all new to them and like the previous days they enjoyed all the impressions. Everything was sun-drenched.
“The route would take them past all sorts of known places, such as Springfield, Joplin and Tulsa before they would bow at Oklahoma City and drive to Bowie in Texas via US-81. In this way they cross the Midwest of America, from North to South” they were told by Merry via Wikipedia.
The boys sat in the front and Merry read her brother. Ethan was his game computer for a while, so Disney stories were read aloud. At the next stop she would change with Zach in the front, as they kept changing and then take turns to deal with Ethan or vice versa, of course! Zach was very silent for his actions, his thoughts were undoubtedly with a certain Jennifer. And so, miles after mile, kilometers after kilometer, the distance they had to travel became smaller and smaller. Arriving near Joplin it was time for a longer stop and this time a Waffle House drew their attention and put their car there.
That seemed a bit different to them and they walked in curiously, it looked nice and was really meant for the quick bite. And so, after a while, they were eating warm waffles with cherries that they washed away with Cola. It did fill a lot and after they had inspected the toilets
, they were quickly ready to travel again. They stepped in, this time with Chad at the wheel and with Merry next to him, he gave gas to reverse and then it was Clash is Stop!
Chad stewed the car to see what had happened, he appeared to have been on a post, but there was hardly any damage: negligible. It seemed worse than it was. He just wanted to get back in when his eyes fell on something, stooped and looked under the car. “Guys, come see what is here”, he shouted in amazement. All three of them were later looking at a device that turned out to be a tracer on closer inspection; a device with a built-in cell phone making them easy to follow, with a magnet to attach it under the car. By the impact of the collision it had been dislodged.
“No wonder they are so on our heels,” Zach said. “But I will give them a biscuit of their own dough!” He picked up the device and walked towards a big truck that was heading to Salt Lake City according to the inscription. At the rear bumper he stooped and stuck the device inside. “So” he said satisfied “We are finished with those followers!!”
The journey went on and on, there seemed to be no end to it. The fatigue began to strike and they were happy that Oklahoma City finally came into view because now it was not far away. Bowie was already on the direction indicators. It was already at the beginning of the evening that they approached their final destination. “What are we doing to boys? Do we go directly to mom or do that tomorrow when we are rested? “Merry asked, already knowing the answer. And yes, they unanimously chose the second option and sought a hotel. Just before Bowie they saw the hotel The Veranda Inn in Nocona, which seemed suitable for them to spend the night. Tomorrow they would see further.
And so there were already two rooms involved and full of their luggage. After having refurbished, they quickly went to the restaurant. Ethan got his own menu from which he could make his own choice through symbols. Nice thought! Afterwards they continued to drink while the little one was entertained in the children’s corner. Finally they went to bed, but sleep did not come much, because what would the next day bring? Would they find their mother again?