“Smells like the radiator hose,” Randy said.
“You can tell what’s wrong with a car by its smell?” Vicki asked.
“Sometimes. When you drive a truck as old as mine, you get used to these things happening all the time.” Randy leaned forward and peered through the hazed-over windshield. “Is that an auto-parts store next to the gas station?”
“Where?” Wes said, driving slowly while the traffic zoomed past him. One driver honked at them and looked angry as he sped around the van.
“Over there, next to the restaurant. On the right.”
“I see it.”
Before Wes could put on his turn signal, a furious screeching sounded behind them. Sierra turned around and saw a huge truck barreling toward them, recklessly fast.
nine
“HE’S GOING TO HIT US!” Amy screamed.
Sierra grabbed the side of the seat, waiting for the crash. Wes stepped on the gas and swerved the van into the parking lot of the auto-parts store just as the truck driver blew his horn and rolled past them. He missed them by only inches.
“That was way too close,” Vicki said, closing her eyes and putting her hand over her face.
“What was that guy doing?” Amy said.
“I wonder if he couldn’t stop,” Sierra said, trying to see the truck out the side window. She watched as it sped up to catch a yellow light. Then the road curved, and the truck kept on going until she couldn’t see it anymore. “Bunch of maniac drivers in this town.”
“The main thing I care about this town is that it has an auto-parts store that’s open,” Wes said, turning off the engine and getting out of the van. The rest of them followed him.
Billows of steam rolled from under the van’s closed hood. The disgusting smell of moldy socks was even stronger outside.
“You’re not going to open it, are you?” Amy asked. “It looks as if it’s going to explode.”
“I think you’re right, Randy,” Wes said. “It’s probably a hose. I’ll give it a while to cool, and then we can check it out. Do you girls want to go eat something at Denny’s?”
“Trying to get rid of us?” Amy teased. “You afraid we women might get in the way of your manly car repairing?”
“You can stay here if you want. I was trying to be nice,” Wes said.
“I was only kidding.” Amy gave him a punch in the arm. Sierra tried to watch the interaction between them without appearing to stare.
“I’m ready to eat,” Vicki said. “I’ll save us a booth at the restaurant. Anyone else want to come?”
Sierra joined her, and the two of them walked across the parking lot, leaving Amy, Wes, and Randy to deal with the car.
“Vicki, do you think Amy is showing extra interest in Wes?”
“I hadn’t noticed,” Vicki said. She held open the door of the restaurant for Sierra. “I don’t think she’s overdoing it or anything. She admires Wes. She always has. I don’t think you should start to worry about anything being out of balance.”
“Two?” the hostess asked, greeting them with menus in her hand.
“There will be five of us,” Sierra said. “And we would like nonsmoking, please.”
The waitress said, “This is all nonsmoking. All restaurants are nonsmoking in California.” She led them to a large booth in the corner.
“I wish they had that rule in Oregon,” Vicki said. “I can’t stand it when you’re trying to eat, and it tastes like ashes from the person’s cigarette at the table five feet away.”
Sierra was only half listening. From the corner window she had a good view of the van. The hood was up, steam was pouring out, and another guy had joined Wes, Randy, and Amy in gazing into the abyss of the van’s engine area. Sierra noticed that Amy was standing rather close to Wes and looking up at him as if she were hanging on to his every word.
“You really don’t think Amy is going to make an effort to capture Wes’s special attention this trip? I don’t know if you remember my telling you, but it got a little complicated on our backpacking trip last summer. Her interest in him put a strain on our friendship. I don’t want it to get like that on this trip.” Sierra was still looking out the window as she spoke, so she couldn’t see Vicki’s expression.
“Do you know if they serve fish here?” Vicki said, scanning her menu. “I feel like having fish sticks or something.”
“Fish sticks?” Sierra shook her head. Vicki hadn’t heard a word she’d said. Or she had heard and was trying to get out of responding.
The waitress took their order and left glasses of ice water for them. Sierra turned again to watch the happenings beyond the window. Wes, Amy, and the other guy had gone into the auto-parts store, leaving Randy at the van with his hands plunged into its front end. She thought how nice it was to have Randy along, since he was experienced with car problems. Before Randy had suggested the problem might be a hose, Sierra had been worried something was seriously wrong with the van and their trip would have to be canceled.
“You know,” Sierra said when the waitress delivered Vicki’s salad, “I’m glad Randy came, and I’m glad you invited him.”
“He’s glad you included him,” Vicki said, picking over the lettuce and scraping most of the creamy dressing to the side of her small plate.
“You know what else?” Sierra said. “So far I haven’t noticed your acting much different toward Randy.”
“What do you mean?”
“You’re the same person around him on this trip that you are at school and that you are when you’re around Amy and me. I mean, I know you like him, and you would love for him to pay extra attention to you, but I don’t see your going out of your way to …” Sierra couldn’t find the right word.
“Flirt?” Vicki filled in for her. “The way I used to?”
“I wasn’t going to use that exact word,” Sierra said.
“No, it’s true. I’ve given up flirting. If Randy is going to like me, he’s going to like me for who I am and how I act 24-7.”
“24-7?” Sierra questioned.
“You know, twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. And, by the way, Amy isn’t exactly flirting with your brother, if that’s where you’re headed with all this.”
“I didn’t say she was.”
“Trust me. I know about flirting, and I know about Amy around guys she likes and wants to impress. She is being herself right now, and I don’t think she is out of balance, or whatever you called it, at all.”
The waitress arrived with Sierra’s hamburger and Vicki’s fish dinner. They prayed together quietly. Vicki’s prayer and her earlier words made Sierra feel as if she were being a nosy, spiteful sister and friend. She didn’t want to be like that. With all her might, Sierra tried to remember the verse about casting down her imagination. Only a few of the words came to her, but they were enough of a wake-up call to get her mind on other things—like the desserts advertised in the clear acrylic frame in the middle of the table.
“You want to split one of these desserts?” Sierra asked Vicki, holding her burger with both hands and pointing at the picture with her little finger.
“You haven’t even taken a bite of your dinner, and you’re already planning dessert,” Vicki said.
Sierra quickly took a bite and swallowed. “There. Now I’ve had a bite. Let’s plan dessert.”
Vicki laughed and agreed to split dessert with her.
Wes, Randy, and Amy joined them and slid into the booth before the dessert arrived.
“We’re back on the road again,” Wes said. “Thanks to Randy and that guy who came to help us.”
Randy grinned his half grin and shrugged. “Like I said, knowledge comes from experience, and my truck provides me with plenty of experience.”
Sierra gingerly reached for Randy’s right hand and drew it up to the light. “And what does experience teach you about coming to the table with grimy hands?”
Wes automatically checked his own hands. The two young men sheepishly slid out of the booth and
headed toward the restroom.
“You know,” Amy said, “there’s probably just as much bacteria on our hands, even though they’re not covered with grease.”
“Thank you for telling us after we’ve eaten,” Sierra said.
“I ate with my fork,” Vicki said, dipping her fork into the ice cream–covered brownie she and Sierra were sharing.
“I’m going to get one of those,” Amy said, slapping the menu closed and laying it on the table.
“That’s all?” Sierra asked.
“And a bowl of soup. How’s that for a balanced meal?”
“Who can worry about eating healthy on a trip like this?” Vicki said. “Or when we get to college, for that matter. My cousin said that when she went to college, she gained ten pounds the first semester, and she spent more money on eating out than anything else.”
Suddenly Sierra realized that once she went to college in the fall, she was going to be on her own when it came to meals, or at least meals outside the cafeteria. She didn’t like the idea of gaining ten pounds her first semester. “We’ll just have to all watch our diets and keep each other accountable,” Sierra said. “Of course, I’m saying this as I stuff myself with this decadent dessert.”
Wes and Randy returned and ordered their dinners while Sierra and Vicki finished up their dessert. The conversation swirled around, and Sierra participated in the fun. But a cloud of apprehension hung over her. The thought of going away to college suddenly was more serious than a lark of a road trip to California. Ahead of her lay more unknowns and more responsibility than she had ever experienced.
The uneasiness heightened when they returned to the van, and Wes said, “You want to drive for a while, Sierra? I’d like to go in the back and see if I can take a nap.”
Sierra felt nervous. “Okay, I’ll drive. Which way?”
“South,” Wes said, handing her the keys with a smile. “I’ll get you back on the freeway, then you just keep going south.”
Randy climbed into the front passenger seat. “I’ll be glad to drive if you get too tired.”
“Thanks, Randy. Just keep me awake, okay?”
Wes directed Sierra onto the freeway and then stretched out on the backseat. The traffic was light. The friends chatted, and Sierra kept checking the control panel on the dashboard to make sure no red lights came on.
“Does anyone have any idea where we are?” Sierra asked.
“Isn’t there a map around here?” Randy felt beneath the passenger seat. “Sunflower seeds,” he said, holding up a bag that was circled by a thick rubber band.
“No thanks,” Vicki said. “I’m trying to cut back on my natural foods this trip.”
“Flashlight,” Randy announced, pulling out the next item. “This may come in handy.” He pulled out a map just as Sierra read the freeway sign they were speeding by. “Weed, next exit.”
“Weed?” Vicki echoed with a laugh. “What kind of place is that?”
“I have no idea. Randy, check the map. Tell me I didn’t take a wrong turn somewhere, and we’re in the middle of Idaho.”
“I don’t think there is a Weed, Idaho.”
“Just check the map.”
Randy turned on the flashlight and searched the map. “Here it is,” he announced finally. “Weed. It’s definitely in California. You’re doing fine, Sierra. We’re in the right state.”
Sierra wondered if Randy understood her anxiety and was trying to get her to laugh so she would relax. She gripped the wheel tightly, very much aware that she was once again in the driver’s seat, and everyone was depending on her. Being responsible while plunging into the unknown was not something she was enjoying at all.
ten
AS THEY DROVE on into the night, Sierra felt the tension building in her shoulders. It was getting foggy, and the flash of the oncoming headlights bothered her.
“According to the map,” Randy said, “we’re driving right past Mount Shasta about now. Did you realize the elevation of Mount Shasta is 14,162 feet?”
“You would never know it,” Vicki said, leaning forward to peer out the front windshield along with Sierra and Randy. “It’s totally overcast. Do you think it’s going to rain?”
“I hope not,” Sierra said. “I have my heart set on sunshine all the way this trip.”
“You know,” Randy said, “this is like following God.”
Sierra and Vicki waited for an explanation. Randy’s melancholy artist’s temperament would cause him to be quiet for a long spell, and then, suddenly, some wild bit of wisdom would tumble from his mouth. It was as if he was always thinking, processing, and taking in information until a silent buzzer went off inside him and—bing!—he spilled out a nugget of truth.
“Here we are in the dark,” Randy finally said, “with thick clouds over us, going full speed ahead, and right out there somewhere is this huge mountain, only we can’t see it.”
“And you think that’s like God’s will?” Vicki asked.
“Yeah. Because sometimes.” Randy paused as if for dramatic effect. “… we have to keep going on faith even when we can’t see what’s out there.”
In Sierra’s state of nervousness, she felt like telling Randy he was “out there” all right, but she kept her feisty thoughts to herself.
“Remember how God says His Word is like a lamp to our feet and a light to our path?” Randy continued. “Well, that’s like now, when all we can see is a few yards ahead of us by the light of the high beams. We can’t see the final destination or even some of the obvious markers along the way. The only thing we can see is what is right in front of us.”
“That is so profound, Randy,” Vicki said.
Sierra wasn’t so sure it was profound, but then she didn’t have a crush on Randy the way Vicki did. She wished Amy hadn’t fallen asleep and was listening to this. Sierra thought Amy was the one who needed to understand God’s will.
A raspy, guttural sound broke into their conversation, and Sierra said, “What did I tell you?”
“That’s your brother?” Vicki asked. “Are you sure it isn’t a broken muffler or something? I’ve never heard anyone snore like that.”
“Get used to it. You’ll be hearing a lot of that these next few days.”
“This is how I see it,” Randy said, ignoring Wes’s snoring. “God’s will, I mean.” He pulled a straw out of the empty soda cup in the trash and held it up in the air. “This straw represents all of time as we know it, from beginning to end. We’re limited to this because we’re stuck on this straw. But God …” Randy cocked his head and gave Sierra a crooked smile. “God is completely outside of time. He’s not limited to just this space of time as we are.”
“You think God can see everything at once, so He knows what’s going to happen before it even happens?” Vicki asked.
“Yes, that’s what I believe,” Randy said. “He is outside of the events and sequences. He isn’t limited in any way, as we are. I think that at the exact same instant God went walking in the garden with Adam and Eve, He is also with us, right this second, driving down to Southern California.”
Sierra felt a tiny shiver go up her spine. It was astounding to think of God being with them right now, just as He was present with Adam and Eve. Something deep inside of her began to calm down. God, You really are right here, aren’t You? You’re in control.
Vicki said, “So you think God knew Warner was going to break his arm because He could see it happen ahead of time?”
“I think so,” Randy said, tucking the straw back into the trash bag. “But I don’t think God, like, sent an angel to slam on the brakes and make the accident happen. A lot of junk happens to us when we go our own way and don’t even try to listen to God.”
“You know what, Randy?” Vicki said. “You have to write a song about all this. Don’t you think? This would make a great bunch of lyrics.”
“Not a bad idea. Can you reach my guitar back there without waking up Wes?”
“I think so.”
Fo
r the next two hours, Amy slept, Wes snored, Sierra drove, Randy strummed his guitar, and Vicki scribbled down every random phrase as Randy sang:
The high beam is all I have
to lead me down Your way.
Darkness hides Your wonders;
I beg for light of day.
Is Your face right there, behind that cloud?
I wanna know. I wanna see You.
Outside of time,
inside my mind,
it’s You—always You.
“This is going to be an awesome song,” Vicki said.
“It’s a start,” Randy answered and went back to strumming his guitar.
After all the anxiety Sierra had been feeling, Randy’s soft strumming and coming up with song lyrics brought a calmness. The next few hours turned into the most peaceful time Sierra could remember experiencing—and the most astounding. She couldn’t stop thinking about how God was right there with them.
When they needed to stop again for gas, they were close to Sacramento, and it was the dead of night. Yet Sierra didn’t feel afraid.
Wes woke refreshed and thanked Sierra. He hadn’t expected her to drive so far. When they hit the road again with Wesley at the wheel, Sierra was the one stretched out in what Vicki now called “the snore zone” on the backseat. Sierra slept soundly until they stopped somewhere in a busy parking lot. She opened her eyes and felt stiff all over. Raising her head, she looked out at what appeared to be her brother’s reason for stopping.
“In-N-Out Burger!” Wes announced. “Everybody out.”
Sierra yawned and tried to get her eyes to unstick at the corners of her lids. “What time is it?”
“It’s time for a Double-Double and a vanilla shake,” Wes said.
This fast-food chain hadn’t found its way to the Great Northwest, but Wes had made it known, when they first talked about going on the trip, that he planned to stop at every In-N-Out Burger they came upon. Apparently, this was the first one, which meant they had to officially be in the southern region of California, since that’s the only part of the country where In-N-Out Burgers could be found.
Sierra knew by the brightness and warmth of the sun coming through the windows that they were well into the new day and that none of the clouds from the Mount Shasta area had followed them down here.
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