Away We Go

A Gift Forever Regretted

It didn't take long (Time goes past when your sleeping. Figuratively speaking, It's been four hours) for me to wake up from the sound of a massive truck pulling up into the gas station. I heard Lawson moan and his tent zip open. He gasped and shook my tent. "Howie, Wake up! Look!"

I opened my tent and saw bright lights shining into my eyes like there was a spotlight pointing at me on a stage. I strained from the bright pain and covered my eyes. The lights turned off almost as soon as I blocked the view. I didn't notice the frostiness of the bitter air when I opened my eyes and saw a giant pick up truck that had a tow attached to the bed. The man who drove it walked over to Lawson and me while slipping on some gloves. He was a thicker man, and he had a 5 o'clock shadow that he rubbed, feeling the warmth from his yarn fingered mittens.

"Are you Lawson and Howard?" The man asked.

"Yes." Lawson answered.

"I'm Joe Routh. I'm your ride to the nearest car dealership. It might be three in the morning, but the nearest one is another three hours away."

"Which direction is it?" Lawson asked.

"North."

Of course, it's the opposite direction of where we need to be.

I sighed. "Then, we better get a move on."

----

After rolling up the tents, we went inside the convenience store to get some food for breakfast. We took some honey bun rolls that were in the small packages with the candy and granola bars.

We packed up for our trip and loaded the truck with everything we needed. After that, we went back into the convenience store to thank Nick for his hospitality. He shook our hands and we exchanged goodbyes before Lawson and Joe walked out. As I turned to leave, Nick patted my shoulder and whispered in my ear. "Treat others the way you want to be treated."

I nodded and continued out the door to the truck.

When we went inside and began riding, I felt all the tension the trio had made so far was just going to get worse for some particular reason. I had a gross feeling in my stomach that told me that the current condition I am in would by far be better than how I would feel later. I decided to enjoy this moment and sleep a bit longer while feeling the small bump on the road.

----

"We're here." Joe said and woke me up.

I looked at the dinky car dealership that had a cheaply made sign that had some water stains around the corners. The cars looked to have been in better condition in the late 90s to early 2000s with the disgusting colored paint sprayed on to make it looked like it was at least half-decent. Big Moe's Car Dealers was the name of the one small lot and one smaller building with the 80s attire screaming into people's faces when they drive by.

We exited the truck and saw a very fat man walk out of the building. He wore tan slacks and a tan coat with fake fur on the edges. He fancied aged brown cowboy boots and a white cowboy hat. He looked like the classic car salesman with wide-rimmed, see-through glasses with round cheeks and a mustache trailing down the sides of his mouth to the tip of his chin.

"Howdy, folks, " He greeted and motioned to the lot. "Welcome to Big Moe's Car Dealers. I'm the owner and salesman, Moe Bigg. What can I do you for?"

"We need to find a car, " Lawson answered. "A truck, if you will, that has enough mileage to drive to Florida."

"My, my, " Moe laughed. "Off to visit tbe family for Christmas this early, are we? Let me show you around." We waved to Joe a goodbye and saw him drive away, while Moe took us to a dark blue truck that had a fairly high price tag. "This right here is a 2009 Ford F150. It's in great condition and might be the perfect ride to Florida."

"Any car trouble?" I asked.

"It had some minor trouble when it first arrived, but I had it fixed since then. But if you're a bit wary, " He took us to a newer model. "I can give you this one. A 2012 Chevy Silverado 3500HD. The condition is not as good as the Ford, but it's cheaper, and it had only been driven twice."

"Twice?" Lawson asked.

"Twice. And since Christmas is only three days away, I'll make it 50% off."

"You can do that?" I asked.

"Of course, it's my dealership. What do you say? Does $5,000 for it sound like a deal?"

Lawson and I looked at each other for a moment and nodded. "We'll take it." We stated.

"A very nice choice gentlemen, I'll get the paperwork."

As Moe went inside the building, barely fitting through the door, I was eagerly waiting for the moment we continue our journey. "I'm so excited," I said. "It won't be long until we get back home."

And just when things were going well...

"Uh-oh." Lawson said.

"What?" I turned around and saw him looking through his pockets.

"I don't have my wallet."

"What!?"

"I thought I had it with me!"

"How could you lose your wallet?"

"Simple, It fell out of my pocket while I sat down or I put it somewhere and never picked it up. Now we can't get the car... Unless."

Oh, I know where he's going with this.

"If you get it."

I was correct.

"You want me to get it!?"

"I promise I will pay you back and, not only that, I will make the ride free."

Well, I can never turn down a free ride to Florida.

I was about to tell Lawson that, although it will work, it was a crazy idea, until Moe came back.

"I am happy I can finally do business with you two. How will I take payment?"

I sighed. "Debit or Credit?"