The p.o.s. mazda suddenly began to accelerate and the Joker applied the breaks. The engine whined as the tachometer needle approached the red zone. They were going 90 MPH down the interstate towards Orlando, passing cars on both the right and left when they hit a bump and the car-top carrier hatch popped open. Horrified, he watched in the rear view mirror as canned goods, pots and pans bounced onto the road behind them. He shifted into neutral and rolled to a stop on the shoulder, shutting off the ignition before exchanging a worried glance with Spiral setting next to him. He found nothing obviously wrong under the hood and secured the carrier hatch before starting the engine again and pulling back onto the interstate. They began to accelerate and, once again, found themselves flying down the busy road. The Joker headed towards a quickly approaching exit ramp and shut off the ignition, coasting to a halt just before the intersection. Seeing a service station down the way, he started up and, once again, they shot like a bat out of hell down the old country road. They had left Palm Harbor less then two hours ago.
After they stopped outside the busy little truck stop the Joker walked into he garage. He found Slim and Jim Bob sitting with their feet up on a desk, having just popped the tops of a couple of ice-cold Buds. The Joker explain the problem to them and Jim Bob took a long swallow and walked out to the car. Spiral had put a leash on Gizmo and was walking him around the parking lot and Jim Bob caught a quick glance at her shapely legs before checking under the car's hood. The Joker sat in the shade of the garage's east wall. It was the first of October and still as hot now as it had been in July. The afternoon sun beat down over central Florida from a cloudless sky. The air was totally still. It was so hot that even the insects were quiet. Around the corner, Jim Bob spit tobacco juice on to the black top and tinkered under the hood. Semi engines rumbled over by the fuel tanks and the smell of oil and desiel was heavy in the air. He watched Spiral wonder along the other side of the parking lot. Every time he looked at her she took his breath away. She was beautiful and he felt so lucky. He would miss her cutoffs and tube tops in Connecticut. They would both need some heavy sweaters and overcoats. Neither of them had ever lived in New England before and they were very excited about going there. But it had been years since either of them had seen snow and he was a little concerned about the northeastern winters. He glanced around the corner at the p.o.s. mazda and hoped it would make it thru to spring.
He heard the hood slam down. Jim Bob had taken only ten minutes to figure out and fix the problem. A Palm Harbor mechanic had put a non-locking nut into the throttle assembly and every time the Joker stepped on the gas it tightened until it finally stuck the throttle wide open. He gave Jim Bob ten dollars and bought him a six of Bud from the truck stop store. Then they were on the road again.
They headed north up I-95, passing Savannah just before sunset and then took I-26 out of Charleston arriving in Charlotte well after midnite. They got the Joker's brother out of bed and he let them stay in a spare room and they feel asleep quickly and slept well. The left mid morning the next day.
Driving north thru the hills of North Carolina towards the Shenandoah Valley they listened for the verdict in the OJ trial. They tried to keep hold of the Charlotte station as long as they could but the signal got weaker as they went. Finally, only minutes before the jury announced the verdict, the Joker pulled over on the top of a mountain. If they passed on over into the valley they would loose the signal. They held their breaths and waited. Spiral was happily surprised by the verdict but the Joker knew that OJ would be aquitted. The prosecution had failed to prove his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. A year had passed since they began following the trial and they had seen it thru until the end. They kissed and drove on into the valley. A few miles later they stopped and bought tax free cigarettes and, feeling lucky, Spiral bought a lottery ticket. Of course she won $20.
The season changed as the drove up the valley. South of Roanoke it was still summer- hot and humid, lush and green. By the time they reached Maryland the leaves had turned and the air hinted at fall crispness. Along the way, the Blue Ridge Mountains rose above them to the east, their tops lost in afternoon haze and the smoke from people burning leaves. As the sun started to slip down behind the mighty Alleghenies to the west, they pulled into a small town and found the most charming colonial inn. They rested and relaxed while eating Chesapeake seafood and peanut butter pie. Spiral paid with her lottery winnings and they walked out into the fall evening. They sat in a gazebo over looking a little pond and huddled together for warmth while watching their first northern autumn sunset.
Refreshed, they continued their journey, leaving the interstate for Hwy 26 just over the Pennsylvania line and driving into State Collage well after midnite. They got the Joker's parents out of bed and they let them stay in their spare room. They hadn't seen each other for a few years and had a good visit. A few mornings later they left, stopping for bagels in a coffee shop across from the university before leaving town. A lite rain fell, knocking brightly colored leaves to the ground. Inside the car, Gizmo waited for them, his little nose fogging up the window. He barked excitedly when he saw them and Spiral let him out to run in the rain and chase leaves before they headed east down I-80.
It rained most of that day and they drove straight thru, eating bagels and listening to the radio. The fall foliage was awesome as they passed by the Poconos, thru the Delaware Water Gap and into New Jersey just after noon. Stopping for gas about one hour out of New York City, they laughed when they heard "Joisey" accents for the first time. Then they crossed the Hudson over the Tappenzee Bridge and entered Connecticut just before sunset.
They were heading for East Haven where MRA had arranged a furnished townhouse for them. The Joker would be working in a psych unit in Bridgeport about 45 minutes back down I-95 towards New York. As they passed the lites of strange cities the Joker felt the excitement of starting over in their new home but, at the same time, he was sad.
The trip was almost over.
10/95- Hamden, CT
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