The Road Trip Across the Country
This is the first in a series about a young couple taking a road trip across the US. They talk of growing up as in this part.
"OK, Jaine," said Jim, "Slide over," as he looked into the car window at her.
"But you said I could drive after we ate," said Jaine despondently.
"Yeah, you can; but I want to get out of Fargo first. There are so many tricky turns. First we've got to get on to I29 and then on to I94 and out of town. THEN I will let you drive."
Jim got into the car as she slid over to the passenger side of the car. Still pouting a bit, but thinking he was right: She really didn't need to be driving around a big city. He went up and around and down on various interchanges in Fargo, but soon was in Moorhead.
"I had an uncle that lived here in Moorhead when I was small. I stayed with them for a couple weeks when my mom had a baby. I could not believe how much free time my cousins had. They had to take out the trash once in a while. They mowed the yard once while I was there. Otherwise they were running around with their friends all day. My oldest cousin had a driver's license and an old car, so they were always running around," Jim said, "My uncle died a few years ago, and she moved back to her home town, and I have no idea where my cousins are now."
"I've never met any of my cousins," she said, "I think I have two, and no more, but they live in Montana, and I've never been there. Tell me more about when you were small."
"Well, I will," he said as he pulled over to the side of the freeway, "But wait until you start driving. We are far enough out of town now."
Jim got out of the car and got back in on the other side as Jaine slid over behind the wheel.
"Once, when I was nine or ten, I rode my bicycle all the way from the farm into town. It was a five mile trip. I had a quarter and wanted to buy a comic book, now I'd need a couple dollars to buy a comic book," he said.
"I remember when I was that age too," she said, "My uncle came by and took all of us kids to the circus. It was the first time I ever had cotton candy. A big part of it fell, and I felt like crying. Still, no one else noticed, and I kept back my tears. Later, though, it was so much fun."
Jim then said, "The next week after walking to town I found out that some sixteen year old kid on a motorcycle had just bought it. He didn't make it home, he was killed going around a curve on that highway. They said he must have been going over a hundred miles per hour."
"That's sad!" Jaine exclaimed, "His parents must have been devastated!"
"Especially his father. The kid begged his father for weeks to buy him a motorcycle. The father finally gave in, took him to town, bought the bike, and told him, "Now you have your cycle. Take it out and kill yourself."
"He didn't!!"
"Yeah he did, He took the death pretty hard-He got drunk for a week, which didn't help at all. He still had to milk his cows morning and night. I can't imagine he did a good job at that, though he was enough of a farmer it probably didn't make much difference, he probably did do a good job."
They were both quite for a while.
When they went through Fergus Falls, he commented, "I had an uncle that lived here too once. He was the manager of an elevator, but he is long gone now. Most of his kids live in the cities, though some live out west now."
"You have relatives everywhere," she said.
"Not everywhere, but there are a lot of them. I'll tell you about them as we go."
"But you said I could drive after we ate," said Jaine despondently.
"Yeah, you can; but I want to get out of Fargo first. There are so many tricky turns. First we've got to get on to I29 and then on to I94 and out of town. THEN I will let you drive."
Jim got into the car as she slid over to the passenger side of the car. Still pouting a bit, but thinking he was right: She really didn't need to be driving around a big city. He went up and around and down on various interchanges in Fargo, but soon was in Moorhead.
"I had an uncle that lived here in Moorhead when I was small. I stayed with them for a couple weeks when my mom had a baby. I could not believe how much free time my cousins had. They had to take out the trash once in a while. They mowed the yard once while I was there. Otherwise they were running around with their friends all day. My oldest cousin had a driver's license and an old car, so they were always running around," Jim said, "My uncle died a few years ago, and she moved back to her home town, and I have no idea where my cousins are now."
"I've never met any of my cousins," she said, "I think I have two, and no more, but they live in Montana, and I've never been there. Tell me more about when you were small."
"Well, I will," he said as he pulled over to the side of the freeway, "But wait until you start driving. We are far enough out of town now."
Jim got out of the car and got back in on the other side as Jaine slid over behind the wheel.
"Once, when I was nine or ten, I rode my bicycle all the way from the farm into town. It was a five mile trip. I had a quarter and wanted to buy a comic book, now I'd need a couple dollars to buy a comic book," he said.
"I remember when I was that age too," she said, "My uncle came by and took all of us kids to the circus. It was the first time I ever had cotton candy. A big part of it fell, and I felt like crying. Still, no one else noticed, and I kept back my tears. Later, though, it was so much fun."
Jim then said, "The next week after walking to town I found out that some sixteen year old kid on a motorcycle had just bought it. He didn't make it home, he was killed going around a curve on that highway. They said he must have been going over a hundred miles per hour."
"That's sad!" Jaine exclaimed, "His parents must have been devastated!"
"Especially his father. The kid begged his father for weeks to buy him a motorcycle. The father finally gave in, took him to town, bought the bike, and told him, "Now you have your cycle. Take it out and kill yourself."
"He didn't!!"
"Yeah he did, He took the death pretty hard-He got drunk for a week, which didn't help at all. He still had to milk his cows morning and night. I can't imagine he did a good job at that, though he was enough of a farmer it probably didn't make much difference, he probably did do a good job."
They were both quite for a while.
When they went through Fergus Falls, he commented, "I had an uncle that lived here too once. He was the manager of an elevator, but he is long gone now. Most of his kids live in the cities, though some live out west now."
"You have relatives everywhere," she said.
"Not everywhere, but there are a lot of them. I'll tell you about them as we go."
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