All Aboard! Romance on Route 66

by Waggoner, Robert C.

  Lilly and Slim were chatting about nothing in particular when Brenda came with their lunch. A plate the size of a platter contained Slim’s hot turkey sandwich. Steaming brown gravy gave off a lovely smell and by now Lilly was used in his special treatment up and down the line. Brenda hurried off to get Lilly’s sandwiches and watched as Slim dug into his lunch with a vengeance. Lilly reached over with her fork and tasted the dressing and remarked how good it tasted. Slim just nodded his head and for the next ten minutes all you could see of Slim was his bushy brown hair bobbing up and down over his plate. When he came up for air, it was to wash down the lot with his milk. After a cup of coffee with pie Slim expressed his satisfaction with lunch with a big smile and a groan. “You know Lilly, I’m going to miss these nice places when I hang up my driving hat.”

  “Honey, I know but we have so many years to build on for our future and I can’t wait to get started.”

  “Me too, I called my office in Chicago and told them I was retiring after this run. They were shocked and wanted to know if money was a problem or was I unsatisfied about something. I told them no, nothing wrong and I loved my job, but I was getting married and going farming.”

  Lilly smiled and her eyes lowered and Slim’s look at her gave off powerful vibes of pure love. Lilly looked up and said with a soft voice, “Slim, I’ve been thinking and tonight when we are alone in our hotel room, I want to discuss something with you about our idea of farming.” Slim nodded his head and took it for granted what she had to say would be discussed later and he had no worries about it for the time being. He’d been told a camera crew awaited them and he was to call before leaving Arlington to give them an arrival time.

  Both got up without mishap on Slim’s part and he went to find a phone in the back where a line of phones were used by the drivers talking to their dispatchers. After making his company call Slim hurried to the bus knowing his passengers were over heated from the afternoon sun. Unlocking the door Slim only slipped once and fired up the motor and air conditioning. He climbed back down and asked the group to gather around for a meeting of what to expect in St. Louis. He told them about a camera team and all would be interviewed were asked about their experience of the trip on the new bus. He went on to tell them they would be staying at the famous Mayfair Hotel on Charles Street where actors and politicians have stayed since its opening in nineteen twenty five. A murmur of quiet talk went around and Slim said it was time to board and head on up the road.

  Chapter 14

  Approaching the Mississippi River and about to cross the famous Eads bridge, Slim picked up his mike and said, “Folks this is the most famous bridge outside of the Golden Gate and Brooklyn bridges. It is more than a quarter mile across and was completed in 1874 at the then staggering cost of over ten million dollars. You can walk across it as a pedestrian walkway is wide enough to drive this bus with room to spare plus two more across it. I’ve walked across here many times and tomorrow we will have a nice hike before breakfast if you so desire. Now, we will be at the hotel in a few minutes so those of you who would like to freshen up, best do so now.”

  Soon a line formed of women waiting to comb their hair and put on some fresh lipstick. Lilly sat down in her usual place and watched with interest as they approached the bridge. Slim slowed down and slowly drove across the bridge so all could see. Seldom did he not see a barge of some sort headed down to New Orleans; a steady stream of river traffic going up and down stream reminded all on the bus, with the exception of maybe Herm and Viola who might have missed the historical adventures of Mark Twain and his characters Huck Finn and associates. Lilly noticed against the far side of the river a river boat of the past docked with a thin stream of smoke coming from its twin smoke stacks. It was freshly painted white with red trim and at the back a giant paddle wheel waited for the call to action. The size of it made Lilly feel better about not being able to swim and a ride on it would be fun and exciting she thought. She also saw why it was called the ‘Big Muddy’ as its brown color made the river what it was: a place for runoff from boarder to boarder of the States. One of the longest rivers in the world and she remembered in places it was over a mile wide and standing on one side of the river you couldn’t see the other side it was so wide.

  Crossing down the east side of the river into St. Louis Slim carefully made his way to Charles St. He glanced at his watch and it was just six o’clock and he was right on schedule. Slim knew where the hotel was located and had no trouble pulling into the area where valets and doormen waited for guests to arrive. Slim had to wait for two cars unloading guests before his company man waved him in. Two cameras were trained on the bus as it approached and a nicely dressed man with a hand held mike waited while Slim pulled the bus to a stop and walked up to the door as it swung open. Cameras rolling and Slim got up to walk down the stairs when Lilly told him to be careful. Lucky for him he made down and out the door as the shocked look on the man’s face saw how tall the driver was. He backed up a step or two and tried to speak but only a squeak came out. Slim stood there with a smile on his face and his hat in hand waiting for the man to ask him questions. Lilly followed him out and when the man saw her he asked her, in his back to normal voice what her name was. Slim introduced her and soon all was back to normal as the professional interviewer took control asking about the trip and interviewing each passenger while they filmed the entire interview.

  Slim and Lilly recalled later sitting in their luxury suite about how funny it was when the guy saw how tall Slim was. “They will cut it out and no one will ever know the true story of what first happened at the hotel,” he said with a laugh and a poke in her ribs as they sat on the finest sofa either one of them had ever had the pleasure of enjoying.

  “I watched Carl and did you notice he made sure he named his bank and that he was the owner and so on and so on,” Lilly said.

  “Yes, and did you see Carol blushing with embarrassment as he told the story of his life and how bored the interviewer was? The man asked Carl about the trip, not his life story!

  “Honey, let’s go check out the nice bathroom and all the mirrors surrounding the giant tub that might have room for the both of us if we make a plan before attempting to make room for my long frame.”

  “Let’s go tall man and then I’m a little hungry. The banquet room is set up for us at nine and that gives us two hours to get ready,” she said with a twinkle in her eyes. Slim was up and peeling off his clothes before she moved. He looked back at her going to the bedroom which had the bath located just off it when he banged his head on the doorway leading to the bedroom. A blue stream of profanity taking the Lords name in vain resounded across the room. Lilly jumped up and ran to him as he rubbed his head. She pulled his hands away and looked at the knot rising on his forehead. She took him to the bathroom and turned on the water and took a wash cloth to his head. She ran back to the living room to find some ice and in no time had Slim in the tub soaking in hot water with an iced downed cloth on his head.

  Meanwhile Lilly had stripped down and joined him in the tub and soon Slim felt no pain as she washed his leg by leg and up and up she went until he cast the ice clothes on the floor and laid back to enjoy the wash. After both were fulfilled they took a nap calling down for an 8:30pm wake up call.

  Sitting down in the banquet hall, the small one as the bigger one held more than a hundred, Slim was talking to the Greyhound man from Chicago about the rest of the trip and Slim’s decision to retire. “Slim,” he said, “we will have a retirement party in Chicago when you arrive in a few days.

  Slim looked and felt embarrassed and Lilly took him by the arm and said, “It is nice of them to have a retirement party for you Slim. They appreciate you and the years of service without an accident is beyond belief. I for one will not miss this for the world.”

  “You are so right Lilly,” said the man and now it is time for us to have dinner and I hope all will understand we need some more pictures and interviews to satisfy the television requirements.”r />
  “I’m ready and famished,” Slim said with a movement to his place at the head of the table as usual. The Greyhound man, Sam, sat at the other end while his crew took some still shots with hand held cameras. All of the passengers had put on their best clothes and look very much like Middle America.

  Lilly was sitting next to Slim on one side and Sue on the other. Sue was looking very nice as she had on a plain summer dress without much makeup on. Her hair tied back in a pony tail gave her a girlish look and Al were sitting next to her proud as a peacock with his new girlfriend. Sue leaned over and asked Lilly, “Did you see those fantastic chandeliers hanging in the lobby? What a sight and could you feel the old ambience of this fine hotel?”

  “I sure could and I felt I was walking into history when we checked in. The people here are so nice and helpful and the rooms are gorgeous and big.”

  “Al and I had a bath in a giant tub and when we were finished I had to lie down and take a nap.”

  “Us too and we were running late when we were called to dinner. I want a good night’s sleep without all the noise of the swamp coolers and trucks going by the motel all night long. I know one thing Sue, we will find a quiet place in the country and all I want to hear is the chickens in the morning.” They both laughed and soon, as it was a buffet style dinner, got up and made a line behind Slim and Al.

  While waiting, plates in hand, Lilly asked her, “Sue, do you have any plans after Chicago?”

  “Not really, we will go to your wedding of course and then we will decide what to do from there.”

  “I was thinking Sue, would you guys be interested in living near us so maybe Al could help Slim with his farm or something like that?”

  Sue was looking Lilly in the eyes and had a puzzled look on her face and said, “Are you asking us to help you on a farm and live near you?”

  “I haven’t got it all worked out yet, but here is what I thought it might be for all of us. We would buy about 160 acres and have two houses, one for us and one for you. Any previous house would be too small for Slim and we want to build a house to fit his height. We need a handy man like Al that could help build the house and you guys could live in the original place. Something like that. I am not sure, but we can make adjustments where necessary as we search around for the right place.”

  Sue, Lilly could tell was deep in thought as they finally started filling their plates up after the men moved on. Sue, after she filled her plate with mostly salads, as did Lilly smiled at her and moved back to the table. By the time Lilly walked back to her place at the table she saw Sue talking into Al’s ear and a smile was on Al’s face while she talked to him. Lilly felt good and needed to tell Slim what she had in mind after they retired tonight from dinner.

  Lilly looked around the table and saw all the passengers were happy and conversation was flying around like bats after dark looking for insects. Slim, she noticed was not his usual jovial self and his plate was not full like usual. Lilly knew he was thinking about his retirement and feeling a little down. She kicked him under the table and he was so surprised he looked up at her with a big question on his face: what did you kick me? Lilly smiled at him and he got the point and dug into his dinner glancing over his shoulder to see how much roast beef was left. Back to normal, she thought. Then she looked at Rick and Diane sitting across from here and saw the same look Slim had on Rick’s face. He too was thinking about Chicago and what would happen when Diane called her parents about her family way. Ever since their walk on the meadow, Lilly had been watching Rick closely and felt sorry for him. He would be cast aside as Diane would be preoccupied with other things rather than their relationship. Lilly vowed to make sure she did what she could to make things pleasant for Rick and Diane.

  Lilly went back to her dinner and delighted in the fact her salad was fresh and crisp like it was made today from the fresh lettuce air expressed from California. The veggies were also fresh and the dressing wonderful. Homemade bread still warm from the oven melted in her mouth. Wonderful, she thought. I must learn how to make bread when we get our place. And I must learn how to can and do the things country folks do in the winter time when fresh veggies and berries are not in season.

  Later after dinner Sam made a long speech boring the passengers, but they all were polite listening to him ramble on about the history of the Greyhound and the future of improved bus travel. Trains he said were not in America’s future for travel. Freight yes, but passengers only maybe on coast to coast runs. Air travel was too expensive and planes were noisy, but bus travel was safe, just look at Slim for example as accident free, and buses went to a small out of the way places where no other forms of transportation were available. By now towards the end of his dribble, everyone was kind of nodding off including Slim. Sam took notice and with a loud voice and a spoon against the water glass, made his final announcement saying a city bus would pick them up at ten in the morning for a trip on a paddle wheeler down the river with lunch served. They would return at two pm and transported back to hotel for rest and then that night at six pm a stage play at the local theater would be on Greyhound. A round of applause and the dinner was complete as all made their way to their respective rooms.

  The next morning found Slim and Lilly in the coffee shop having breakfast. It was still early and the only other passengers who were there were Herm and Viola. Slim invited them to share their table and both readily agreed. Viola looked nice in her summer dress of a flower print and in her hand a large sun hat with feathers sticking out of it for the boat trip later. She said, “Look Lilly I found this in the gift shop last night and don’t you think it is perfect for our boat ride today?”

  Lilly couldn’t agree more and said she would check out the gift shop after breakfast and would she like to go back there and show her where she found the nice hat? Viola babbled on about what a nice hotel this was and that both she and Herm were having the vacation of their lives. Lilly smiled and sipped her coffee while the waitress stood at the table waiting for them to order.

  After breakfast the girls went to the gift shop and Herm and Slim stayed behind talking about what a guy might need on a farm. Norm had a lot of good ideas as he was raised on a farm and it wasn’t till the lead up to the war he moved to the city to work in a factory. “Slim,” he said, “you need a good tractor and you know we are not so far from the John Deere factory. I suggest you check out the one where you can stand on the back of it because of you height you might have trouble sitting down on one with your long legs.” Slim mulled that over and nodded his head as Herm continued his advice. “You also need a workshop or a barn where you can work on your farm equipment. There is always maintenance to perform and you must take care of your rolling stock.”

  By now Slim was wondering if farming was such a good idea. He was handy with a tool, but not a mechanic like Al and the upcoming Rick who loved all things mechanical. Now he was confused and he must talk to Lilly about this as she always had an idea and a way out of a problem that confronted her.

  Slim excused himself and went searching for Lilly. He found her and Viola in the gift shop looking over a selection of sun hats. She turned when she saw Slim and with a smile asked him how he liked this one. It was not so broad around and had a chin strap of green lace that fit nicely making her look like a school girl from the nineteenth century. He smiled and told her it looked very nice and maybe she should go shopping for a dress to match the hat. Lilly perked up and as Sue walked in at that moment exclaiming what nice hats the girls had on. Al was hanging back and Slim moved out to talk to him. Al said, “Slim if you have some time let’s have a cup of coffee as there are some things I would like to discuss with you.” Slim nodded and they left to return to the coffee shop. Herm was gone and they sat at the same table as before. The waitress returned and poured fresh coffee for the two of them and Al ordered breakfast. Slim, still a little hungry ordered a stack of toast and waited while Al made ready for his conversation.

  “Slim, I don’t know if you have talk
ed to Lilly much about what Sue and Lilly talked about last night about sharing a farm together, but let’s share our ideas together man to man.” Slim was a little taken aback, but didn’t show it on his face. Lilly had never mentioned anything about farming with Al and Sue, but knew she must know what she is doing and he trusted her in all things.

  “Al, I really don’t know what Lilly said to Sue, but it’s clear to me after talking to Herm this morning, farming is not an easy thing to do and clearly I need some assistance running a farm and building a house to fit my size.”

  “This is what I understand Slim, and that is we would live on the same property but in separate houses. I would do the carpentry work and mechanical things. Also, maybe I could have a garage to make some extra money as time goes on.”

  Slim was getting the picture now and his spirits rose to the idea of sharing. In addition it might not be so lonely with no neighbors around and Sue and Lilly got along well as did he and Al. “I like that idea Al and if you are agreeable, Lilly and I will discuss it further and maybe it would be best if all four of us sat down and talked in more detail as the days go by before we reach Chicago. Also we have to make wedding plans and we want Jasper to marry us if possible.”

  Al reached across the table and shook Slim’s hand. Breakfast arrived and both turned quiet while they ate. After breakfast both took a walk before leaving on the boat trip. Rick saw them leave and ran to catch up and if one was looking at the back of the three guys walking down the street, you would see a giant in the middle and two short guys on each side of him with their legs a blur to the long strides of the giant trying to keep pace.