All Aboard! Romance on Route 66

by Waggoner, Robert C.

  At seven thirty all the passengers were waiting in the lobby standing under the chandeliers looking much like the hotel itself: nicely dressed to fit the occasion with a high society air about them. Slim couldn’t remember if or when he ever had a suit on before in his life. He remembered a tie at high school graduation, but never a suit. Lilly was proud of his look and Carl said he could be a banker if he wanted to. The only contrast was Rick who did the best he could with a nice pair of slacks on and his leather coat with his hair combed like a young man, not like the Elvis look alike he like to portray. Diane was holding onto him as if he might run away after all the men were dressed to the nines and he wasn’t, but Lilly told him not to worry about it nobody would pay any attention to him because Diane was so beautiful dressed in her finest in high heels on and her long blonde hair shinning complementing her smooth fair skin.

  The bus pulled up and Sam led the way chattering his usual banal talk about this and that and what a special treat this was in addition to their after theatre dinner at a steak house across the street from the theatre. Slim, if he heard nothing else, he heard steak house and that definitely whetted his appetite. Sam led the way in showing with pride his tickets and announcing his Greyhound charge for the special showing of tonight’s play. It was obvious that Sam had been there earlier as he led them up the stairs to a large box seat overlooking the stage. Lilly notices the theatre was decked out in Old World charm of blood red carpeting and walls adored with scrolls of gold winding their way up and down the walls between hanging purple drapes. She guessed the hanging drapes were for sound control as she heard only soft voices from the almost full house as they took their places in old oak chairs with large armrests and padded yellow-gold fabric seat and back. Lilly sat in front of Slim off to the side of the box so he could stretch his long legs down either side of her chair and rested his right arm on the top of the box rail.

  Lilly was in awe of her surroundings having never experienced anything like this in her life. The program in her hand was rolled up tight and she noticed her knuckles were white from holding it so tightly. She told herself to relax and slowly the tension ran its course and she took in the sights of the nicely dressed people below and across the way in their respective boxes. Slim had told her she looked beautiful as she came out of the bathroom with a light application of makeup and her hair done at the beauty parlor. Her long dark wine colored silk dress with spaghetti straps and a rather low neckline made Slim’s heart pound like a teenager going to his first prom. Short white pumps mostly hid her big feet and she had a dark purple shawl to go around her shoulders. A pearl necklace and earrings blended nicely with her pale white skin. Slim wondered where she got the necklace and she noticed him looking and told him it was her mother’s handed down from her mother long ago. She looked gorgeous and she beamed up at him telling him how handsome he looked in his dark brown suit that matched his sandy hair combed and made tame by some Brylcreem. A fine looking couple and Slim was proud as a peacock with his future wife. He never felt so good and his chest stuck out like a rooster with a new hen.

  The theatre turned quiet as the lights dimmed and an MC took the stage to tell the audience about tonight’s play. “Welcome ladies and gentlemen to tonight’s performance of Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Sorcerer. It is a comedy about a newly engaged couple wanting the entire village to fall in love with them. They hire a wizard to make a brew to add to the wedding reception that turns an otherwise normal reception into a madhouse of displays with scenes of people making fools of themselves. Please enjoy our presentation and thank you for coming.”

  The theater went completely dark and the curtain slowly rose with spotlights lighting up the stage. All eyes were focused on the curtain and Lilly was frozen to the scene. Her heart was pounding and she felt like she was going to faint as the orchestra began to play. The next thing she saw and heard was a very large woman and the opera began. For the next forty minutes Lilly sat perfectly still and never took her eyes of the stage and when they took a twenty minute break for a stage change, all went to the lobby to relieve themselves or stand around gawking at the audience. Lilly was still in a daze when they made their way back to the box. Slim had never said a word and a look of confusion and mystery painted a look on his face she would never forget. She took his arm and made her presence known that she was with him tonight and the play was just something that made her feel good.

  By the end of the play, all of the audience had been laughing so hard at the antics and the wonderful performances on stage, that the actors took twenty curtain calls smiling and waving at the audience. Even Slim and all of the passengers for that matter made comments about how wonderful it was and not a one of them had any idea what was said throughout the play, but all could see the humorous depth of the play written back in the eighteen hundreds.

  Sam led the group across the street to one of St. Louis’s oldest steak houses. Very formal and Lilly was a little worried about Slim and his propensity towards being clumsy. She looked skyward and Slim wondered what she saw up in the sky as he ducked under the doorway escaping the first obstacle. Lilly was flat out amazed how Slim took the stuffy restaurant in stride. He was a perfect gentleman and never once spilled or knocked anyone over coming in or going out. He ordered a regular steak and used manners right out of Emily Post. On the way back to the hotel, Lilly told him how proud of him she was tonight and that she loved him so much. He stuck his chin out and a smile stayed on his face until he went to bed that night.

  Back at the hotel everyone was tired from a long day and went to their respective rooms. Sadly, as most felt, they had to leave in the morning and all would remember this special time of their lives. Each in their own rooms felt pretty much the same. Friends had been made for a lifetime and they had Greyhound to thank for most of it and the fine man that Slim was and is.

  The next morning, back into their traveling clothes, sitting in the coffee shop having breakfast, no conversation was happening at any of the tables. Even Sam was rather quiet as he sat at Slim’s table discussing the schedule and arrival time in Chicago. After their conversation, Slim went around to each table telling them to be ready to board the bus at ten am. All nodded or acknowledged their agreement and went back to finishing their coffee.

  Lilly and most of the passengers were in the lobby lounge before Slim pulled up out front in his bus. Lilly hated to leave such a wonderful hotel, but she perked up when she thought of her new life and home in the very near future. Her spurt of enjoyment with her thoughts didn’t go unnoticed by the others and by the time the bus arrived, all were back to their normal happy selves boarding the bus for the next leg of the journey.

  The schedule was to stop in the early afternoon in Springfield for the night and then an early start of the last leg to Chicago arriving in the Windy City at in the afternoon with a morning break before Chicago.

  The Lady Greyhound made its way north through rolling hills and more and more traffic were noticed as they got closer to the capital of Illinois. Lilly enjoyed the scenery but was more comfortable with the more the country feel of Missouri. Late summer was typical here as the land was mostly golden in color with the occasional green of an irrigated pasture. Lilly closed her eyes and left the conscience world to dream land.

  In her dream she was elbow deep in making bread with Sue teaching her how to make dough. Flour was billowing up like dust clouds from the gravel road in front of their house when a truck went by. When she woke up with the bus coming to a stop, she remembered hearing Slim’s big laugh at the way she looked with flour covering her from head to foot. She heard Slim say, “Wake up sleepy head we are here in Springfield and will spend the night here.” Lilly rubbed her eyes and looked out the window towards a nice motel with a green lawn surrounding the parking lot and a fresh paint job made her feel welcome. Now, she thought, if only the inside is as nice as the outside, all will be good for the rest of the day. She needed to take a walk and after checking in and finding the inside was much
to her satisfaction, told Slim she wanted to take a long walk and find a place to have lunch in the shade if at all possible. She wanted to eat outdoors and enjoy the late afternoon day. A fresh breeze was blowing and it felt good strolling down the street doing a little window shopping and getting some exercise.

  Sue and Al were following them and as luck would have it not far from the capital building they found a small deli and some small tables under a large walnut tree. A sign said: “Sit at our own risk.” It was plain to see why as walnuts dotted the ground. Lilly was a little nervous and the waiter who came out to help them said, “Don’t worry folks, few people really get hurt from a falling walnut. It kinds of makes it exciting and as you can see, other locals are not worried about it at all.” Lilly laughed when she saw him with a football helmet on. Then he took it off and a smile crossed his face as he said, “Just kidding, I really don’t wear this except at football practice.”

  Wouldn’t you know it all except Slim escaped the falling nuts. He never flinched as it hit dead center and flopped onto the table to come to a rest near Lilly’s plate. She picked it up and put it in her bag and it took a few minutes before the laughter stopped and tears were wiped from their eyes laughing at the look on Slim’s face. They were becoming, at this point, very good friends and in later years, they talked of the walnut lunch in Springfield bringing back fond memories of their bus trip.

  After lunch they took a tour of the capital and returned to their room for an afternoon of lovemaking and a nap before dinner. At about seven they left for a restaurant across the street from the motel. A big surprise awaited them as Bill was waiting for them to arrive. A nice looking older woman heavily made up sat with him at a table. He had a big smile on his face as he waved Slim and Lilly over to introduce his wife to them. He said, “I wanted this to be a surprise as if you remember Lilly I called my wife and she agreed to meet me here in Springfield where she has a sister living. We had a long talk and have decided to try and make a go of it and our plan is to after Chicago to go down to Florida and vacation for a while and try to repair the damage of our past relationship.”

  Lilly with a warm smile greeted his wife Jan with a big welcome to the group of travelers. Lilly noticed Jan was a little apprehensive and embarrassed to join an already family of travelers. However, after joining them and an hour later with many stories told, she warmed to the occasion. By the time they reached Chicago, she was one of the family; Lilly felt so pleased they got back together again.

  Chapter 15

  “Chicago,” Slim told the passengers over the mike as they approached the outskirts of the Windy City, “is one of America’s great places to see and visit. The Great Lakes, if you haven’t seen them are like an ocean. Ship traffic comes all the way up for the St. Lawrence Seaway from the Atlantic Ocean. As you most likely remember, this was the home of the famous Al Capone and his gang of boot legers. I guess Greyhound liked the results of the filming in St. Louis they want to do another one here in Chicago. We will be staying at the century old Silversmith Hotel right in the center of Chicago. I’m especially pleased as the ceilings in the rooms, they tell me are ten feet high.” Laughter could be heard from upstairs and Lilly just smiled. Slim went on to say that it would take another hour before they reached the center of the city and to enjoy the view.

  Having lived in the city all her life, Lilly wasn’t so pleased to see the sprawling city and the many stoplights. She longed for the peace and quiet of the country, but she chided herself to put on a happy face and enjoy the upcoming events; especially getting married. One thing she did notice looking out the window was this city was much older than Los Angeles. She tried to remember her history and failed to come up with much in the way of knowledge of Chicago. She would buy a book and if they had time, check out the museums. I’m only here this once she thought and I’d better take a look while here as they pulled up to the hotel in the late afternoon. Like St. Louis the cameras were waiting and now that the passengers knew what to expect, the film and interviews went off like clockwork.

  The sad thing was Slim standing there after all the luggage was off loaded and all personal belongings accounted for was watching his bus leave for the last time in his life. His eyes welled up with tears and Lilly hung onto him as the cameras caught him wiping his eyes. He couldn’t move and Lilly talked to him quietly while the other passengers let him alone knowing he needed his time to adjust to a new life without being a bus driver. So many memories flooded Slim’s mind as the years rolled by and brief snatches of the different buses and passengers played out like a movie. Lilly led him to the lobby and she checked them in and like a robot Slim followed her to the elevator and up to their room. It was two hours later after Slim had fallen asleep on the large sofa that he woke from his dream of driving across the United States. His eyes opened and the first thing he saw was Lilly standing there smiling at him. Slim looked around and wondered where he was and how did he get there. He said, “Lilly how did I get here and I have no recollection of entering the hotel at all. The last thing I remember was my bus leaving and my mind went back thirty years and came forward year after year until I saw the hotel and the cameras waiting for us”

  “Never mind honey, you are safe in this fine hotel and we will take a long bath together in a bathroom that is more than big enough for your big body.” With that, Slim sat up and rubbed his eyes. Lilly pulled him up and off they went. From that time on Slim was in another world much different than working for Greyhound. He turned his full attention to his new life with his new wife.

  Relaxing in the giant tub full of soap bubbles, complements of the hotel, they talked about the dinner tonight with some Greyhound big wigs. Some presentation for Slim and his years of service were scheduled after a banquet dinner. “Well I guess I have to wear my new suit again and my best get used to it as these formal dinners are becoming a habit,” he joked.

  “Slim it’s almost time to go. We better get dressed and go down to the banquet room and not be late.”

  “I’m the guest of honor so I can be late if I want to,” he jested with a grab at Lilly to pull her back into the tub for some more frolicking around.

  “Let me go, you big oaf,” she playfully tried to pull herself up and Slim knew she wasn’t very serious about getting out.

  “All right I will behave and be a good boy, but after the banquet tonight, I’m going to give your commins, you can count on that.”

  “Do with me what you want, but I get me fair share of the fun too,” she said with a seductive smile through white teeth and lips that Slim loved to suck on. He was getting the swing of things with this new thing called love. It dawned on him he had completely forgotten about bus driving and felt the change coming over him as he stood in the shower rising off the soap. Looking in the mirror shaving and splashing on some hotel good smellems, he thought he was the luckiest guy on earth. He quickly made ready for dinner as his belly was growling with the anticipation of food by the bucket load waiting for his hollow leg.

  Walking out to the bedroom and passing Lilly getting into her silk dress making his hot dog stand up to attention, she said, “What do you have on that smells so good?”

  “I don’t know the name of it but if you like it, I might buy a truck load for the farm,” he said with a snicker.

  Walking to the elevator they met up with Jasper and Frieda. Going down to the lobby Jasper told them that on Sunday they would be ready to hitch the two of them at one pm. Lilly had no idea what day it was. She had completely lost track of the days and what the date was. Frieda sensed Lilly’s loss of days and whispered in her ear it was Friday the end of August. Lilly squeezed her arm and gave her a hug thanking her for the tip.

  Strolling into the banquet room, Slim was shocked to see the place almost full of people he did and didn’t know. Up front a table sat facing the rest and a speaker was being tested for sound. Slim was paralyzed thinking that he must be going to have to say something in front of all these people. Lilly took his hand
and they traveled to the front table where Sam was waving them forward. By now Lilly liked Sam a lot as he seemed to be very helpful to the passengers and to Slim and her. Sam showed them where to sit and Slim felt the lights and isolation of being on display. His long frame didn’t help as he sat there looking over the hundred or so people from Greyhound. In the back spotlights were on as the film crew made ready to record the event; and down the left side of the room tables filled with gleaming serving trays sat looking like turtles all in a row.

  Slim looked for his passengers and found them at their round table right in front of him. He’s been looking too far back to notice until Sue stood up and waved at them. Lots of chatter could be heard around the room and then suddenly it got quiet as the Greyhound executives arrived walking confidently down the aisle to the front table. In front was a short rotund man with a big smile on his face as he looked at Slim. Walking quickly around the table he held out his hand to Slim. Slim tried to jump up and greet his boss and darn near tipped the table over with his knees. Then the chair blocked his backward fall and he took a tumble backwards finally coming to a stop on his side looking at the shocked look on Greyhound’s president. Like the professional he was his boss stretched out his hand to help him up as more attendants than you could shake a stick at swarmed over the table picking up spilled carafes of water and coffee. New white table clothes followed and by the time Slim had regained his feet and full stature, looked down at his boss with a red face and big smile showing his young boy look. By the time Slim had adjusted his clothes and tie, the president picked up the mike and said, “Ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce Mr. Bekins who in his many years of service has never had an accident! The laughter was overwhelming and applause for Slim over shadowed his clumsy meeting the president. Lilly by now had found solid footing and put her hands together for her man.