Chapter 2...Part 2

The girl had never been to a truck stop before except to get gas or snacks and didn’t understand what she was getting into. Before they even got to the Petro the guest told her do’s and don’ts about spending time at the truck stop. He told her that they would park close, but not in the parking lot of the truck stop. He told her that they needed to go inside the doors and directly up the stairs without letting anyone notice them. Once they were upstairs, the guest told the girl that she need to put things like their small cooler under the table so it wasn’t noticeable. He told her that if anyone asked why they were there she was to tell them they were waiting for a load and that they had a flat bed truck.

The couple waited all day to hear from the caretaker. Finally that evening the caretaker (friend) texted the guest and told him that he would be there at around 3am the next morning. He was supposed to head their way after he got off of work and drive. The girl was really scared and not really sure what they were going to do. They had spent all day at the truck stop playing on the laptop and watching movies (truck stops tend to have TV/movie rooms) and trying not to freak out.

Late evening came and the only choice the couple had was to sleep in the SUV. They took out all their clothes and put them on the bed of the SUV and attempted to sleep. The girl watched her mini DVD player for a while trying to sleep. It was very hard, she was really stressed and it was getting cold.

Around 3am the girl was awake and started counting time. Finally the guest woke up and he said they needed to get something to eat and he would text the caretaker and see what was up.

The couple had been eating variations of ramen by this time. They didn’t have much else left. Some canned fruit and veggies and that was it. The girl found out that ramen isn’t half bad if mayonnaise is added to it.

The guest texted the caretaker who said that he found out he needed to work and would not be able to come get them until Friday. That was 2 days away! The girl was really stressed by this time. At least she had the laptop and she was going to be able to finish her online class for school. She was also stressed because she was supposed to be back to school the next week to start a new term. What was supposed to be about a one week trip, including going to Florida was already taking longer than expected. It had only been a few days but this was dragging out.

The next couple of days were spent in stress and making what meager supplies they had left last. They spent their days in the truck stop and their nights trying to sleep in the SUV.

Finally Friday came. Yeah. It was the last day that they were going to have to spend time in a truck stop and sleep in a car. Phew! That was an experience the girl never wanted to repeat.

The guest texted the caretaker and asked him if he had left. He said that yes, he had left and was on his way. Several hours later the guest tried texting him again and didn’t get a response. He then texted the caretaker’s wife who told him that the caretaker’s truck had broken down in Lake Tahoe. He wanted the guest to drive to Tahoe and help him out. Now it seemed all hope was lost.

The girl looked at the things that she had brought with them and decided it was worth attempting to pawn her portable DVD player. Surely this would get them enough gas money to get to where they were going.

That morning the girl had submitted her final for school and was free of that for the next three days and she was willing to see what could be done. The couple also met a traveler who had a little bit of money and was willing to help them out if they could get him into California.

The three of them drove off looking for a pawn shop. They found one and the girl took in her portable DVD player. She found out they would be willing to give her $20.00 for this. $20.00 would barely pay for food. She thought long and hard and finally asked them how much they would give her for her laptop. They told her they would give her $100.00 if it all checked out.

The girl went back to the SUV and told the guest what could be worked out. He agreed it was a good idea and they left the store with $120.00. Surely this would be enough to get them to Visalia and to the house. She made the guest promise her that they would be back for the laptop and even left the case and paperwork in the case there hoping they would know she would be back for it.

The three of them stopped and had a good breakfast then headed west towards Lake Tahoe. The traveler slept most of the way. When they came to Lake Tahoe the girl asked the guest if they should stop and try to find the caretaker. The guest told her that it would be better if they just drove on, got to the house, got the Dooley pickup and went back to get him. The girl thought that was an odd idea when they could take the caretaker with him but felt he knew what the best decision was.

Before they got to Sacramento, they left the traveler off at a truck stop and started looking for a room for the night. They drove down past Sacramento and stopped for the night at the Motel 6. The guest told her that it wasn’t that far to Visalia and they could stay for the night but then be able to go on the next day and be able to make it there.

They stayed for the night and it was early the next morning that the guest told her that they didn’t have enough gas money to get to Visalia. Now the girl had given up everything she had with her except her camera which was very precious to her and she really didn’t want to lose. She called a couple of friends. At this point she was still under the impression that they didn’t need that much money to get where they were going. She got a hold of a friend who sent her money which, according to the guest, should more than get them to the house. They picked up the money and headed to Visalia.