Page 6 of Catching Dreams

“I could tell you the exact time if your mom would let me turn on my phone,” I said as I turned in my seat to look at the little girl.

“Oh my gosh, you’re as bad as the kids!” Penelope said with a roll of her eyes. “Get out the map, Molly.”

The only place we had been able to find a paper map of Indiana and Illinois was at a rest stop in the middle of Indiana. When we asked several gas station attendants if they had a map, they all looked at us like we were crazy.

“What town did we just pass?” I asked as I opened up the map. “And what highway are we on?” It had been forever since I had read a paper map. I was really glad my Papaw had taught me how.

“Um, we’re on Highway 74, and we’re just outside of Indianapolis. Oakville, Illinois is 82 miles away, according to that sign,” Penelope said.

“82 miles? Crap! It’s already 7:05, and we’ve got over an hour left to drive. We’re going to miss most of his game. Tyler’s gotta be freaking out that I haven’t called. He knows we went to the doctor today, and I should have called him by now.”

“Molly, stop,” Penelope said and put her hand on my shoulder. “You forget, Illinois is an hour behind Indiana and Ohio. So it’s only 6:05 there. By the time we get there and find the stadium, it will be around 7:45, so we won’t have missed too much. And yes, your man is probably freaking out, but do you know how happy he’s going to be when he sees you in person? It will all be worth it.”

I took a deep breath and nodded at my friend. “Ok, you’re right. No more freaking out.”

“Mom, I’m hungry,” Penelope said from the back seat.

“I am, too,” Camden called out.

“Ok, we’ll get there around eight after we stop for dinner. I could also use a coffee,” Penelope said. I never realized how much coffee my friend drank until recently. “It looks like there are a lot of fast food places to choose from at the next exit for Whitesburg.”

After we went through the drive-thru, which took longer than I wanted, we were on the road again eating our greasy, delicious food. Penelope sighed heavily into her coffee cup with a huge grin on her face.

“So, there is a game my Papaw taught me when we would go on roadtrips together. Do you guys want to play?” I asked as I turned around to look at the two children in the backseat.

“Yes!” They both chorused.

“I will start with A, and we’ll go around the car in a circle. I’ll look around, outside, or inside the car for a written word that starts with the letter A. Then Peyton will go and look for the letter B.”

“And I’ll look for the letter C. Just like in my name!” Camden said, very excited.

I grinned and loved their enthusiasm.

“And Mommy will look for D,” Peyton said.

“You’re going to be a great mom,” Penelope said, and my heart warmed at her praise.

“Thank you. I sure hope so. I’m scared to death but excited.”

“Very normal feelings,” Pen said.

“Less talking, more playing!” Peyton said impatiently. “Molly - what is your letter A item?”

I looked around the car and didn’t see anything with the letter A, and then I looked outside and saw the perfect sign. “Look, the next exit says the town Arnold is to the right! How perfect!”

“And here is a B on our Burger Barn bag!” Peyton held up the bag proudly.

“Does the letter have to be the first word, or can it be the second?” Camden asked.

“What do you mean?” Pen asked.

“Well, that sign says Arnold Creek, so can I use the C in Creek as my word?” Camden asked as we went over the bridge of the small creek below us.

I looked at Penelope and shrugged, “It’s our game. We can make our own rules. I say if it’s the first letter of a word, it should count.”

“Sweet! Then it’s your turn, Mom.”

We played the game, and before we knew it, we were driving past the "Welcome to Illinois” sign, and Oakville was the first exit.

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