by Madyson Grey
“Yes.”
“I have the business now in my name,” she told her mother truthfully.
“Good girl. I knew you … could … do it,” Marian said, struggling with the words.
Victoria didn’t bother to tell her that it was also in Rafael’s name or that she was now married to him. What she didn’t know wouldn’t cause her to possibly have another violent episode.
“I have to go now, Mother,” Victoria said, catching the signal from Mr. Kyte.
“Take care of … the business,” Marian said. “And yourself.”
“I will, Mother. Don’t worry about anything,” she said.
She reached out a hand to touch her mother’s shoulder. Unexpectedly, Marian reached up for Victoria’s hand and held it for a brief moment. It could have been interpreted as a loving gesture, and touched Victoria in a way that she hadn’t expected. She turned away before her mother could see the tears forming in her eyes. They were tears of pity, however, not of love.
What she didn’t hear as she was exiting the courtroom was her mother’s weak voice saying, “I will … get it back … you little witch. Your precious daddy … isn’t here … anymore … to protect you. It’s mine … I will … have it. You’re not … my … daughter.”
But both Mr. Bradbury and Mr. Kyte heard those words, exchanged meaningful looks, and mentally filed those words away.
Chapter Four
Rafael and Victoria continued their sporadic house hunting, and mingled it with RV shopping on the weekends. The third weekend of August they finally found the perfect motorhome for them. It was a short one, only twenty-one feet long, but it had three slides on it, making it nice and roomy inside. One slide went out the rear end where the bed was located. It had a full bathroom that included a shower. That was Victoria’s main requirement.
They went into the dealership’s office and completed the transaction. The salesman was pleasantly surprised that they wanted to pay cash for the RV. He agreed to accept a check with the stipulation that he call the bank to verify the funds. Rafael said that was fine. While the salesman called the bank, Rafael made out the check.
Rafael drove the RV home, while Victoria drove the car. By the time he pulled into the driveway, Rafael was ready to hit the road that very day. He was as excited with it as a kid with a new toy. Victoria was jealous that she couldn’t ride home in it, but somebody had to drive the car. As soon as they got home, she asked Rafael to take her for a ride in it. Lena came out to see it, so they took her along for the short ride.
Back in the driveway once again, the three of them inspected every inch of the motorhome. Even though Rafael and Victoria had gone through it thoroughly before they made the purchase, they were so excited with it that they had to see everything again. Lena was very impressed, and thought that someday she might like to have one, too.
Over the next week Victoria completely outfitted the motorhome with everything she could possibly imagine them needing while on the road. A couple of pans and a skillet, silverware and plasticware, melamine and Styrofoam plates, mugs and Styrofoam cups, napkins, paper towels, dish soap, a couple of dish towels, a spatula, and other utensils outfitted the tiny kitchen. She also stocked it with some canned and packaged foods that would be easy to fix on the road.
She put all the necessities in the bathroom including towels, washcloths, hand towels, toiletries, shampoo, and a complete set of her makeup. Her goal was to so stock the motorhome that when they wanted to go, all they would have to take out would be some perishables and clothes. She even purchased a week’s worth of underclothes for both of them to just leave in the RV.
By the time Labor Day rolled around all that was left to carry out to the motorhome was some milk, bread, fruit, cheese, and one of Lena’s freshly baked apple pies. She had already put in a week’s worth of clothes for both of them. They would have to visit a Laundromat once a week to wash clothes.
The big day finally arrived. They were up before daylight and raring to go. Lena couldn’t persuade them to eat anything more than a bowl of cold cereal before leaving. She wished them a fun and safe trip, and then they were off. Victoria and Rafael had both agreed that if either one of them saw something or someplace that they wanted to stop and see, they would stop. They had a general itinerary, but if they deviated from it, so be it. This was to be a fun vacation. They would not have to stick to a rigid schedule.
If they didn’t get to everything or every place on this trip, there would be others. This trip was about the journey, not the destination. They would live, laugh, and love. Explore and experience. And find joy in their journey. They would leave all the pain behind them, and travel in peace.
As they left the rush of the city behind them, they both began to really relax. The miles rolled by as they enjoyed the change of scenery. They transitioned from Interstate 15 to Interstate 40 at Barstow. This freeway would take them all the way to Amarillo, Texas. They would take a few detours here and there to see points of interest, such as the Grand Canyon, but that would be their main course all through Arizona, New Mexico, and in to Texas.
The desert between Barstow and Needles seemed endless. There wasn’t much to see out there, but since Rafael had never seen the desert, even its barrenness was interesting to him. Since they had both heard so much of old Route 66, they decided to take in whenever they could. So when they came to a place on I-40 at a wide spot in the road called Ludlow where they could exit the freeway and get on Route 66 for a few miles, they opted to do so.
This detour took them several miles out of their way, but the trip was all about exploring and experiencing whatever they could along the way that was out of the ordinary. They traveled either through or near such ghost towns and former town sites as Klondike, Siberia, and Bagdad; Amboy, Chambless, and Fenner. They crossed I-40 and continued north to Goffs to visit the Mojave Desert Heritage and Cultural Association museum.
This museum proved to be well worth the extra miles. When they left there, they continued on old Route 66 until it tied into US95, which in turn tied back into I-40 that took them on into Needles. It was past lunchtime when they got to Needles, and they needed fuel. So they took the first exit they came to, pulled into a service station, and asked where there was a good place to eat. The station attendant directed them to downtown Needles to a little burger joint.
“We all know it still as Irene’s,” the attendant said, “but since Irene died and new owners took it over, it’s now called the Route 66 Burger Hut. It doesn’t look like much, but it’s the best food in town. I send everybody down there,” he said.
Rafael thanked him, and they set out to follow the directions to downtown. When they pulled into the parking lot, Victoria wasn’t too sure about the place, but they decided to accept the man’s recommendation and try it anyway. They were not disappointed. The food was indeed superb and the service friendly. Even though it was September, it was still hot in Needles, so they took their food back inside the motorhome and ate with the air conditioning running.
When they finished, Rafael got out and went back to the window to tell the attendant how much they enjoyed the food. He put a nice tip inside the tip jar, waved and then got back into the motorhome and got ready to get back on the interstate. Ten or twelve miles out of Needles, they crossed the Colorado River and left California behind in favor of Arizona.
At Kingman, they picked up Route 66 again. When they came to Hackberry, they just had to stop and take a look around. No more than a wide spot in the road, it was filled with Route 66 memorabilia, vintage cars, and other antiques.
On the road again, they passed through several other “wide spots,” coming at last to Seligman. This was another interesting little town that grabbed their attention for a while before moving on. The old portion of Route 66 that they had been traveling on ended a few miles west of Ash Fork, where it merged with I-40.
In Williams they discovered that they could take a train up to the Grand Canyon, which after some discussion of the pros
and cons of leaving the motorhome in Williams, they decided it would be really fun to take the train. So they rented a space in an RV park for several days. They would spend the night, and then catch the train up in the morning.
“Do you want to come right back the same day, or spend the night at the Canyon?” Rafael asked Victoria.
“I hear that the El Tovar is a really cool old hotel up there,” Victoria said. “I think I’d like to spend a night there, then take the train back down here the following day. Does that suit you?”
“Yeah, I think the motorhome will be safe here with us gone,” Rafael said.
“Oh, I’m sure it will be,” Victoria said confidently.
They spent a few minutes poring over the train brochure trying to decide which of the various cars they would like to ride in. They eventually decided to ride in an observation dome car going up and a luxury parlor car coming back, if each one had available seating.
The remainder of the late afternoon and evening they spent exploring Williams, which has is own Route 66 personality. They found a cute little retro café to eat supper in, and took a horse-and-buggy ride through town. They were already discovering so much to see and do along the way that they both wondered aloud if they would ever get as far as Texas, much less Galveston.
This was the first night that they were to spend in their new motorhome. They were both so excited with their new toy that they giggled and laughed about everything. Victoria made some microwave popcorn, broke out a couple bottles of soda pop, and they snuggled together on the bed to watch TV for an hour before falling asleep. Of course, they properly initiated the new bed before sleep overtook them.
They were up bright and early the next morning. Victoria made the bed while Rafael got out Styrofoam bowls, cold cereal, and the milk for their breakfast. It was nice to just throw away their dirty dishes and utensils after they had eaten. Victoria packed a small tote bag with clean underwear, a change of clothes each, toiletries, and makeup to take on the train with them to the Grand Canyon. They were both equipped with smartphones, eliminating the need for larger, more bulky cameras.
They were at the train station forty-five minutes before train time, and not a moment too soon. A line had already begun to form at the ticket booth. As soon as they purchased their tickets, they were allowed to board the train and find their seats. Just sitting on the train was a thrill them both, and even more so as the train began to leave the station.
It was a two-and-a-quarter-hour ride from Williams to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. But here again, the journey was as pleasurable as the destination. It was nearly noon by the time they arrived, and they were getting hungry. So after checking out the gift shop, which was always Victoria’s first priority at everyplace they stopped, they had some lunch.
They both wanted to take back souvenirs of their first big trip together, both for themselves to keep, and for Lena and Manuela. Rafael also wanted to take back something nice for Karen, his secretary, for holding down the fort while he was gone. Victoria collected post cards, so everywhere they stopped she purchased some. They also got cards to write home to Rafael’s mother and to Lena about their trip.
After lunch they took in all the viewpoints they could of the Canyon. They walked from point to point, each place giving a somewhat different perspective of that magnificent wonder of the world.
“How would you like to take a helicopter tour of the canyon?” Rafael asked Victoria.
“Oh, could we?” she asked eagerly. “I’d love to do that. I wonder if we need reservations, or if we can just go.”
“Let’s go find out,” he suggested.
So they went to the place where the helicopter rides were offered and learned that the folks who had the afternoon time slot reserved had just canceled, so there was an opening in just half an hour. They were happy with that, and entertained themselves walking around and taking in the sights until it was their turn.
It was a marvelous tour. They both were thrilled to take their first-ever helicopter ride, and have it be over the Canyon. They both took dozens of photos from every spot and angle possible. The forty-five minute tour was over far too quickly, but it was worth every penny spent.
The rest of the day was spent in seeing as much of everything as they could see within walking distance. And they walked a good distance along the rim, taking more photos than either of them had ever taken in their lives. They took pictures of the scenery, of the occasional bird or wild critter than came within sight, and of each other at various points along their walks.
Supper was taken in the El Tovar’s dining room. Fortunately, they had been told down in Williams that they had better call ahead to see if there was even a hotel room vacancy, as usually all rooms are booked far in advance. To their disappointment, the El Tovar was full, but they did manage to get a cabin at the Bright Angel Lodge. That turned out to be a great place to stay, and they were glad for it.
They had most of the day to do more hiking, exploring, eating, and gift-shop shopping around the Canyon, as the train didn’t go back down to Williams until three-thirty. Victoria chose a beautiful painting of the Grand Canyon that featured Brighty, the legendary donkey that lived in the canyon between 1892 and 1922.
The return train ride was just as pleasurable as had been the one the previous day. They were only on the third day of their vacation and already they had both seen and done things that they had never experienced before. And doing those things with each other only enhanced their pleasures.
They enjoyed one more evening and night in Williams, then hit the road again early the following morning. They planned to make Albuquerque by nightfall or before. At Holbrook, they left I-40 for US 180 to take a detour through the Petrified Forest. They would rejoin I-40 at the Painted Desert Visitor Center. It was interesting scenery all the way through the national park. Where once there had been a forest hundreds or thousands of years ago, now there were just chunks of logs that had petrified and turned to stone.
Back on I-40, they rolled along at a good clip, eating up the miles, and eventually leaving Arizona behind and entering New Mexico. Along in the late afternoon they began to look for an RV park in which to spend the night. They planned to spend a full day exploring Albuquerque, so they preferred to get a park close in. They were fortunate to do just that, and paid for two nights’ stay.
“Hasn’t it been wonderful to get away and almost forget about all the drama we left behind in LA?” Victoria remarked to Rafael as they were eating their supper of canned soup and grilled cheese sandwiches that evening.
“No doubt,” he exclaimed. “This is a fabulous trip so far, I think. I’ve rarely been out of southern California, except for our quick trip to Seattle and back. Your dad took me a few times to visit a couple of his other properties and to conventions where he was one of the presenters on real estate investing. But we always flew in and out of the cities, which was nice, but it’s so much more interesting to drive and be able to see things.
“I haven’t done all that much traveling, either,” Victoria said. “Daddy took me occasionally with him on his trips, but like you say, we always flew, so we didn’t see an awful lot, except in the cities we were in. He always made a point of taking me to art museums, and other points of interest in the cities, but we didn’t drive through the country like you and I are doing. I love doing this. I could do this quite regularly.”
“Yeah, me, too,” agreed Rafael. “In fact, we will. We will just plan to take regular excursions like this just as often as possible. When I get myself set up to where I don’t have to go into the office all the time, we’ll just set out one day and not come home until we’ve seen the whole Lower Forty-eight. How does that sound?”
“Awesome!” Victoria exclaimed. “Too bad we aren’t set up to do that now. We could just keep on going.”
“Yeah, but we’re not. And there’s still your mother’s issue that is unresolved at this time.
“Yeah, I know,” Victoria sighed.
How long that would hang over their heads, she didn’t know. But she wished it could be resolved soon. She had no idea just how soon.
At the suggestion of a lady in the Albuquerque Visitor’s Center, after they had seen that city, they took a drive up to Santa Fe to check it out. Well worth the extra miles and time, they really enjoyed exploring that historic place. They rejoined I-40 some miles east of Albuquerque, and gained the Texas border on Monday, the twelfth of September.
After a long day’s drive, they booked in to an RV park near Abilene. They just happened to hit town when a big rodeo was to start the following day. Since neither one of them had ever been to a rodeo, they decided it would be something different to experience.
They were sitting down to breakfast the next morning when Victoria’s cell phone rang. When she answered it a man’s voice identified himself as Officer Bell of the Los Angeles Police Department.
“I am sorry to disturb you, ma’am,” he began, “but I am at your home where there has just been a robbery.”
“A robbery!” Victoria exclaimed. “What do you mean, a robbery? Who did it? How did they get in? Wasn’t the alarm set? What about Lena? Is she there? Is she all right?”
Rafael’s face showed alarm as soon as Victoria said the word “robbery.” He wished he could hear what the officer on the other end of the line was saying.
“Your housekeeper will be all right,” he said. “She told us that a man buzzed in from the gate and identified himself as Mateo Rivera, your husband’s brother. He said that your husband called him this morning and asked him to go over and mow the lawn since you are gone on a trip. When she let him in and was showing him where the lawn mower is kept, when he stuck her with a tranquilizer dart. When she came to, he was gone, and so were several items of value. Then she called us to report the theft, and we arrived about half an hour ago.”
“Oh, no,” Victoria groaned. “But Lena is all right, isn’t she?”