Page 6 of Longest Ride

We drove for three solid hours and Travis finally pulled in for gas at a station in Golden. We filled both vehicles with gas, then got ourselves some lunch at a McDonald’s drive-thru.

Me and Virge went inside and got drink refills for the road. We got on the highway again, and we hadn’t gone too far when Travis pulled into a car wash.

He parked and pointed at the vacuum and the trash containers. “Clean her out and then we’ll put her through the wash before we try to trade her in.”

We all worked on the Jeep. I vacuumed the interior while Virge got rid of the garbage. When I finished with the vacuum, Virge ran her through the wash while Travis and I had a smoke.

He came out and wiped the Jeep down. “Don’t look so bad, Dad. I wouldn’t mind keeping it.”

“It’s got a VIN number, son. We have to get rid of it and leave it up here in Canada. We’ll trade for something else.”

“What about the plates?” I asked. Travis wasn’t stupid. He would have something in mind.

“Umm… thinking on that. We’ll try a big box store when we get to Calgary and get us a different set of plates.”

I nodded. “Good idea.”

“How far is Calgary from here?” asked Virge.

“About two hundred and fifty miles.”

“Jeeze,” said Virge. “Harlan can drive for a while.”

“What about me?” asked Travis. “Don’t I get a break?”

“Sorry, Dad. Ain’t your turn to sleep yet.”

Enderby Hospital.

I sat in the waiting room for a couple of hours and was allowed to see Eldon only three times. He wasn’t even close to waking up and talking to me.

“Let’s go home and come back later, Tammy,” said Mama. “We’re wasting our time here, and it’s only upsetting you.”

“You’re right, Mama. Let’s come back tonight.”

“That’s my good girl.” Mama hugged me and we left for home.

Home Depot. Calgary. Alberta.

The sun had set over the Rockies leaving an orangey glowing twilight quickly fading to darkness. We drove into the huge Home Depot parking lot following behind Dad. He pulled up tight to an SUV at the back of the lot near the dumpster.

Virge parked beside him, and we both hopped out in case Dad needed help, but he didn’t. He switched out the plates so slick and fast it was scary.

Virge was in awe of the skills Travis possessed. Strangers never got to see the skills from Dad’s days undercover as Dale Burden—one of the most feared bike gang leaders in Texas. We were the lucky ones.

“Done,” said Travis. “Let’s get a hotel and some food. You guys hungry?”

“Sure are, Dad.”

“Pick a hotel close to a restaurant and we’ll stay here for the night. The car lots are closed, and we’ll have to wait until morning to do the trade-in deal.”

Watching the exits as we came into Calgary, the next one had a long strip of hotels, restaurants, and service centers.

Best Western Hotel. Calgary. Alberta.

Virge pulled into the Best Western. Dad pulled in behind us and went inside to get us a room. By the way he walked and held his side, I could tell he was bone-tired and hurting.

He came outside with the key card in his hand. “Park the Jeep and we’ll go eat. We got us a room.”

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