Road Trip (2018 Wattys Long List)

Chapter 8

Sarah heard the phone ringing from the kitchen, and she hurried to the living room to take the call. She hoped it was her father, and that she would ask him how his first full day of living his new home at Glenwood was going. She wanted him to be happy, now that he was safe, with professional care.

"Hello?", she spoke into the receiver.

"I would like to speak to Mrs. Sarah Sloan, please," said Vivian, in as brave a voice as possible.

"Speaking," Sarah responded, how can I help you?"

"This is Vivian Lennox, at Glenwood Manor. I'm afraid I have some unfortunate news about your father, Mrs. Sloan."

"What has happened!", Sarah asked sharply, as her voice in panic.

"I'm afraid that we have discovered that your father has gone missing, along with three other residents. None of them have been seen since we looked for them in their rooms. That was first thing this morning."

"Oh my God, no."

"I can assure you that we have been searching all day, Mrs. Sloan. So far, we have not located any of them, so we believe they are together, somewhere that we haven't thought of yet. The police are searching as well, and we hope to locate them very soon."

"I'll be there right away. I'm leaving now. It will take me several hours to get there, I'm afraid. For your sake, Mrs. Lennox, I pray that my father is alright and returns safely," Sarah lashed out.

"Please believe me, Mrs. Sloan, we are doing all that we can. The police have assigned a detective to the case and they are conducting an area search," Vivian said both to calm and also to appease Sarah.

"So does that mean you think they are still in the area?"

"Of course, we don't know that for sure, but these are all elderly people. How far could they have gone?"

"Obviously nowhere that you people have looked," Sarah said accusingly.

"We are do everything we can to find your father. I'm sure he will turn up safe any moment now," Vivian tried to assure Sarah.

"You had better find my father safe and well. I left him in your care, and a day later he is missing. I think you can understand that I am going to hold you and Glenwood fully responsible," Sarah said, evenly, not trying to disguise or soften her threat.

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Harvey continued to drive them ever west, on that deserted highway, in the quiet hours before dawn. The only sound in the car was snoring, in a multitude of octaves, as Reg, Stu, and Mildred all slept. His mind drifted back to memories of Martha as he drove. It brought a smile to his lips, remembering their past.

As it had turned out, Martha had decided that she needed to do something or other in Halifax, after all, that day, so she would give him a ride all of the way back to his ship. That suited Harvey just fine. He sure didn't mind spending a more time with such a pretty girl, though he kept this thought to himself. Besides, it saved him from thumbing for another ride to Halifax.

They didn't stop in Truro but continued on towards their destination all the while getting to know each other better as they drove. It wasn't too long before it seemed like they had known each other for years rather than just a few short hours. They stopped for lunch in a small town on the way, at a little restaurant with an outdoor cafe. Maybe it had been the country air on such a beautiful and sunny day, the scent of roses and the birds singing in the trees, but by the time they were on the road once more, Harvey knew that he had found the girl for him. They spent the night, at a hotel in Halifax, each in separate rooms, of course. First, Harvey took her for a night on the town in payment for the lift, his last opportunity before the end of his leave. They had dinner together in a romantic little cafe, followed by dancing to big band music, which was ever so popular at the time. By the end of the evening, they were dancing very close and he was feeling daring enough to kiss her ear. It was obvious to Harvey that she liked it, too. This girl was not like anyone that Harvey had known before. He was smitten.

The next day he would reluctantly return to his ship by mid-afternoon, at the latest. They spent the morning together, and he was even bold enough by this time, to kiss her lips, her cheeks, and her neck. As the afternoon rolled around, she wanted him to stay with her a little longer. He couldn't, of course, and he knew it, but the die was cast. Martha kissed him passionately when he insisted it was time to go back to his ship. She promised him that she would wait for his return from the war and see where this sudden romance would take them.