A Way West

by Peter Westaway

  Chapter Thirteen

  “Are You Okay!!”

  Issy yells, “Ya this is wicked!”

  Jeff is ahead of the Mustang again, now that the road has dried, and his earlier, minor misery is now but a memory. Feeling Issy pressed against his backside, with her thighs locked against his, is getting him a little more excited than he had anticipated. He can’t help but notice that Issy’s legs are just a little bit longer than Monica’s, and just that little bit leaner. He has never had another girl on the back of his Yamaha before. He in fact has only had one other girl on the back of a motorcycle before, and that was his first girl friend Terry when he was just a kid and had a small Honda 100 trail bike. He looks in his rear-view mirror and sure enough he sees Monica forty feet behind looking back at him, sitting in the passenger seat beside Pete.

  “So what kind of music do you like?” Pete looks over at Monica.

  “I like this stuff... anything really.” Monica is probably more comfortable travelling right now than she has been the whole trip, sitting up front beside Pete, physically anyway. “I grew up listening to my dad’s classical music, and my mom’s country. She likes Hank Williams and Johnny Cash, that kind of stuff. But she also loves the Beatles. She has all of their albums. John Lennon was one of her heroes”

  “That’s cool, I don’t have any Johnny Cash but I do have a couple of Beatles C.D.’s. My favourite is Sergeant Pepper’s but how about I put the White Album on, since we are talking about our own little Revolution.” Pete ejects the Steve Miller that’s playing and finds this next choice.

  “Ya Revolution Number Nine should be our theme song. That is a crazier talking type song than the rap music playing these days.” Monica smiles at Pete and is starting to like him a whole lot more than she ever thought she would, considering her first... and second, impression of him. But then again her first impression of Issy was less than favourable as well. It just goes to prove once again that you can never judge a book by its cover. Pete is glad to accommodate his new, young, and pretty friend, and only passenger, and skips to the strangest Beatles song recorded, by far.

  “Number Nine......Number Nine”

  “Yep that’s our song all right. A crazy, different revolution song for our crazy new revolution. Any idea what the Nine is supposed to represent?” Monica takes her eyes off the bike in front of her again and looks over at Pete and his mirrored glasses for an answer.

  “No idea. Probably Lennon’s favourite number or something. I assume he wrote it, I doubt Macartney did.”

  “So Pete are you planning to marry Issy? You guys seem real good together.”

  “Ya we’ve talked about it. We’re not engaged or anything but I guess you could call us pre-engaged.”

  “Hey you better give that girl a ring and make it official. She’s pretty cool and you know she’s gorgeous. She could probably have pretty much any guy she wants. Don’t be a dumbass as she would say, and risk losing her.”

  Pete looks over at Monica who is still looking at him, “Ya you are probably right. And me and her both want kids, so we should probably do it soon. Hey! Since she has no one else out west you could be her bridesmaid. And Jeff can even be my best man, seeing as I have no friends on the coast, or even back in Duluth for that matter, except a few drug dealers.”

  Monica averts her gaze away from Pete and back to the bike in front. “Why did you ever get into drugs in the first place? Were you trying to escape reality or something?”

  Pete turns the music a little lower. Helter Skelter is now playing. “No not at all, in fact I love reality, probably more than most people. I always thought of it as enhancing realty, never escaping it. You know what saying I have always hated that the know-nothing-do-gooders in society are always saying about that shit?”

  “What’s that Pete?”

  “When they are talking about someone who likes to drink a lot or do some recreational drugs, they say he has been battling his own demons. That is bullshit; most of us get high because we really like it. Simple as that, I prefer to think of it as toying with angels.”

  “Ya well you may like it but there is always a price to pay. And if you don’t stop soon your price is that amazing girl in front of us with her long hair blowing in the wind behind my helmet.”

  “I know and I sure don’t want to lose her. And anyway, we have our new goal of taking over the world, and I know I can’t do anything like that if I kept my head in a fog of booze and drugs.”

  “Issy was telling me that you were driving a delivery truck back in Duluth. Have you ever had any thoughts of starting a charity or anything like that before?”

  “No not really but I always knew I was meant for something special. And I know just working in her Uncle’s store won’t cut it for me, or even building my own business. I want to do something that will have me go down in history as a person that did something amazing, and us having millions of people join our group that wants to change the world sounds like it could do that. I guess I am going to have to start learning about that internet thing.”

  Meanwhile up ahead on the back of the bike Issy was having a little trouble containing her excitement. She had never been on the back of a motorcycle before and she is loving it. She knew that they were only going about the speed limit but it seems five times faster on the bike. She glances back at the Mustang and manages to see Monica and gives her a quick wave before looking forward again over Jeff’s shoulder. Issy is starting to understand why Monica went so fast when she was riding the bike. It is such a rush! And the steady vibration of the bike between her legs is even starting to get her a little excited down there. Issy hugs her arms around Jeff a little tighter. She is wishing it was her Pete up front. Jeff is nice enough but is a little too skinny for her tastes. It has been a real blessing though for them to have met these new Canadian friends. Jeff and Monica have helped make this trip so much more enlightening and fun than it could have possibly been without them. It’s only too bad that they were going to have to go their separate ways soon.

  Issy thinks about the new plan to start some kind of charity with the other three. Is it feasible? Pete seemed pretty excited about the prospect. It would be nice to have some new goal for her and Pete to pursue. She knows that the thought of working in the hardware store sounds pretty boring to him.

  Issy had worked a couple of different retail jobs, as a cashier at a Target Store most recently, and a few summers at a small sports store. So she knew that Pete will not be satisfied with just selling nuts and bolts. And it will be real nice to have friends that aren’t into drugs. If this new idea can help keep Pete away from drugs that would be a real blessing. Issy knows that Pete is very intelligent and talented. And he has that outgoing personality that could command respect and admiration. Jeff and Monica seem to be pretty darn smart themselves. The whole world was changing real fast and just maybe the four of them can combine their talents and vision and actually have a real effect on the direction of some of those changes.

  Not surprisingly Jeff at this very moment was having similar thoughts. He was the only one of the four that had actually envisioned some kind of charity before. He knew he would not make a very good politician. He was much too honest and emotional to have any chance of holding office, even if he didn’t have a checkered past with his drug use. And he just wasn’t greedy enough to be a successful businessman. He remembers when he tried to actually sign up to be a fundraiser for Greenpeace. Until that memorable interview at the Greenpeace office in Ottawa he was proud that Greenpeace was started in Canada. Jeff was very concerned with the environment. But Greenpeace turned out to be a real disappointment. First of all, Jeff couldn’t believe that half of the money that a fundraiser gets people to donate at their doors goes into the pocket of the fundraiser. What nonsense! He remembers signing up and giving a hippy chick a hundred bucks for Greenpeace a couple of years back. But now he knows that fifty of those bucks went to the hippy chick. But more importantly the interviewer
revealed just how little Greenpeace cared about their members. They only cared about raising money to finance their high-profile activism schemes that gets them in the news. That is important sure, but them raising awareness to specific issues around the world is only a start and much more can be done on a hands-on basis.

  When Jeff got home from that disappointing interview the roommate that was living with him and his mom at the time, had asked where he can go to get involved in a local community project with Greenpeace. Sadly, there is nothing like that available with this group. Jeff knew that an environmental charity should get the people involved and not just educate them on their own extremist views. He knew Monica was more concerned with animals than the environment itself. Jeff likes animals just fine but he thinks that humans are much more important than any other animal. He is scared shitless that if things don’t change soon that humans will become as extinct as the dinosaurs. Even if nuclear war wipes out the human race the planet will eventually recover and someday flourish again. But it is doubtful that humans would ever be seen again. And that is a travesty that Jeff is starting to get pretty obsessed about trying to prevent.

  As they were saying the other day, about the crows talking, maybe there is intelligent life somewhere else in the universe, but it doesn’t make much difference. It’s like the old trick question, “If a tree falls in the forest and there is no one there to hear it, does it make a sound?” If there are aliens at the other side of the universe and humans never meet them, what the hell does it matter to the history, or future of mankind? It is mankind that concerns Jeff, not animals or aliens, only humans. It is a very selfish point of view, but one that Jeff is very comfortable with. They all continue to make good time down Interstate 94 driving through the beautiful scenery of the Badlands. None of the four have done much traveling in their young lives and continue to all marvel at what a beautiful country it is. Jeff pulls into another truck stop just before the small town of Treasure Montana.

  Monica jumps out of the Mustang and runs over to Issy. “So Issy what did you think?”

  Issy fumbles with the chin strap and takes off the helmet, “It is way cool... but my legs are a little stiff, I can see why you aren’t thrilled with staying on the bike all day.” She walks around a little stretching out her long legs.

  Pete arrives, “Hey Jeff thanks for not being a speed demon with my pumpkin on the back.”

  Jeff has taken his helmet off, “Ya no problem buddy, glad I could help. So did you and Monica get along?”

  “Oh ya we are old friends now. My car is running a little hot though, I am not sure it wants to go as far as you were saying today.”

  Jeff let’s go of the hug, he had going, with Monica. “Well I was thinking actually that maybe we can take longer to get to Spokane than I was saying. We are getting close to Little Big Horn, the place where Custer had his last stand. I haven’t really seen anything yet on this trip that has much to do with history so how about we spend the night near there.”

  “Hey now you’re talking. I’m starting to have a lot of fun on this trip thanks to you guys. Hey pumpkin I doubt your uncle will mind if we take a day or two extra to get there. We might not have a chance to have some fun for awhile after we get there. What do you think?”

  Issy looks from Pete and Jeff and over to Monica who is smiling and nodding her head. “Well seeing as I am having more fun than I have had in about ten years we can take an extra week to get there as far as I’m concerned.”

  “Let me check my map then Pete and we’ll figure out how far we are to Custer’s Last Stand.” Jeff sees that Pete doesn’t quite understand. “The map is in your trunk with my stuff.”

  Pete opens the trunk and Jeff quickly digs the map out. After unfolding it and laying it out on the grass he makes a quick measurement and looks up at the others watching. “Well we are a little over an hour away from Billings and then Little Big Horn is about an hour off the Interstate from there. So how about we go into Billings for supplies and then head to the Little Big Horn.”

  They decide to wait until they get to Billings before they worry about getting lunch. So just over an hour later they are pulling off at the first exit to Billings Montana. Pete and Issy are back together in the Mustang behind Jeff and Monica on the Yamaha. They pull into the first gas station they come to.

  “Hey Pete I think I will call Uncle Mick and tell him we are going to be a couple of days later than we expected.”

  Pete is putting a gas nozzle into his tank. “Ya good idea, but let’s get some lunch first, I am starved.”

  Jeff is filling his own much smaller tank. “Ya I think I will phone Tom, we would be crazy to not stretch this trip out as much as we can. It sounds like all of us are going to be working pretty hard soon enough.”

  “Hi Uncle Mick, sorry for calling collect but I am calling from a pay phone in Billings Montana.” Issy is on the phone outside of the Burger King that they just had lunch at.

  “Hey there Issy, it’s good to hear your voice. When do you think you guys are getting here?”

  “Well that’s why I am calling, we are taking a little longer than we had planned, we met another couple and are traveling with them and even doing some camping. We’re having a blast, so I am hoping it is okay if we take a few more days to get there.”

  “Ya for sure, I am glad you are having some fun. The store will still be here if you take a little extra time. I sure am looking forward to having you both helping me though, I have had some terrible luck recently keeping decent employees. I haven’t had a day off now in months.”

  “Okay thanks Uncle Mick, I promise you will be able to take lots of days off real soon.”

  “Alright Issy thanks for calling and you go have fun with Pete, but not too much fun. I will be waiting for you in three or four days.”

  “Kay Uncle Mick I luv ya, take care.”

  “Bye Is.”

  Issy hangs up the receiver and joins the other three gathered in front of the Mustang. “Kay, that’s done, he is fine with us taking a little longer.”

  “We were just discussing our favourite hamburgers. I was telling them how you just love the Whoppers we just had, but I still love Big Macs.”

  Issy smiles and Pete and looks at Jeff, “Are you going to phone your cousin now?”

  “No, I decided I’ll call him tomorrow or the next day, he is flexible about when we show up. But Monica wants to go next door, they have internet and she wants to check her email.”

  “Good idea, I’ll come with you Monica, I wouldn’t mind checking mine too.”

  “Right on! Christine’s on Facebook chat, she’s by far my best friend back in Ottawa. Are you into Facebook Issy?” Monica and Issy are sitting side by side at the little internet cafe. Jeff is sitting across from them staring at his own computer. And Pete, well Pete is out in his car listening to music.

  “Ya a little, I got tired of it, and don’t do it as much as I did. It gets boring reading all the posts I don’t really care about from so many people I really don’t care about. Pete thinks it’s all a big waste of time and he isn’t far from the truth.”

  “Yep it gets silly to hear about all the stupid things people are saying to try to be smart or funny. But it’s pretty cool for times like this when I can chat with my buddy a couple of thousand miles away.”

  July 7, Monica Martinelli - Christine! How R U?

  July 7, Christine Cunninghan - Hi!! I’m going crazy worrying about you

  July 7, Monica Martinelli - I’m going to be just fine. We’re in Billings Montana, and we’ll be in the Rocky Mountains tomorrow, isn’t that exciting?

  July 7, Christine Cunningham - Ya I guess so, are you still with that other couple?

  July 7, Monica Martinelli - Pete and Issy are turning out to be real good friends. In fact you know how Jeff wants to save the environment and I want to save all the animals? Well we’ve figured out that the four of us found each other so we can change the world. We’re going to
start a charity that is going to use the internet and Facebook and that stuff and try to bring the whole world together to take the power away from the greedy corporations and the corrupt and useless bureaucracies, and the lying politicians.

  July 7, Christine Cunningham - Haaaa.......... I’m going crazy thinking you are going to be run over by an eighteen-wheeler and instead you are making plans to rule the world with people you just met.

  July 7, Monica Martinelli - Ya it’s pretty crazy. But we’re having fun, we even saw horses and buffalo at the Juniper park I told you about.

  July 7, Christine Cunningham - THAT must have been nice, I am glad you are happy but please don’t trust that new couple too much, you just met them.

  July 7, Monica Martinelli - Stop worrying about me... how’s work?

  July 7, Christine Cunningham - Good. Your brother came in today and told me he was in love and he’s going to be a lawyer.

  July 7, Monica Martinelli - In luv with who???

  July 7, Christine Cunningham - Some girl at his new job in a law office. Did you hear he’s working?

  July 7, Monica Martinelli - Ya my mom said something about it. She is excited that he’s going to Algonquin to be a paralegaull.

  Christine Cunningham - She’s going to want you to go to school too.

  July 7, Monica Martinelli Well Tony took a whole year off so as long as I don’t take longer than a year off everyone will be happy, okay Chris I better go, I was just checking in to tell you we are doing fine, did you check on Juniper?

  July 7, Christine Cunningham - No I didn’t go back yet, but Tony didn’t say the cat died or anything so I am sure she’s fine.

  July 7, Monica Martinelli - K Ciao Chris and we will talk soon!!!

  July 7, Christine Cunningham - Chow Monny I will keep worrying about you.

  Monica sees that she has no other messages from Facebook worth mentioning, she glances over at Issy’s monitor, “Everything sounds good back in Ottawa, any news from Duluth?”

  “Ya I am answering an email from my friend Suzanne, sounds like nothing new happening back home, it’s a pretty boring place.”

  Issy goes back to slowly typing out her response. “... and tell Frosty that I don’t care that he already misses me and Pete as customers for his weed. His idiot cousin was probably stoned when he fell off the roof, so it serves them right that they’re little roofing business is a mess. Those two creeps made lots of money off of Pete over the years so we’re not going to feel bad about them now. I will contact you when I get to Seattle and good luck with that jerk boss of yours. Love Issy.” Issy punches send, and glances over and sees that Monica is reading an email of her own.