“And what about you, hon?”
“I’ll have the Royal Burger Delight,” Shonna said.
“Another good choice.”
The waiter left and Shonna held up her water glass. I held up mine, too.
“To best friends. It’s taken us thirty-two years to take our road trip, but we’re doing it,” Shonna said.
We lightly tapped our glasses and took a sip. A stop at Lou Mitchell’s was the perfect way to kick off our Route 66 adventure.
The burgers and atmosphere were definitely worth the wait. They hadn’t been kidding about the pile of green pimento olives and Shonna’s burger was topped with green peppers, onions and fresh mushrooms. One word – delicious.
Neither of us could finish our meals.
“I’m glad we came here,” Shonna said. “But I definitely can’t eat this much at every meal or I’ll gain sixty-six pounds on this trip.”
I laughed. “Me neither. I think the key will be smaller portions. If we stop somewhere known for a particular food, maybe we should split it.”
“Great idea. That way we get to try it but not overeat and feel guilty afterward.”
After waddling out of Lou’s, we headed to our hotel near Lincoln Park. There were so many great places to stay in Chicago, but we’d opted for a historic property with a European feel.
“Selfie time,” Shonna shouted when we walked in the front door. We’d also taken a selfie at the restaurant.
“Remember,” I told her. “If you put it up on Facebook, no tagging me!”
“Oh, come on!”
“I mean it. No tagging.”
Shonna took out the selfie stick she’d bought for the trip and we posed in the hotel lobby.
“Am I going to have to pose for a selfie at every stop?” I asked.
“Yes. Maybe I’ll use them for a calendar and have one made for both of us.”
“That’s a cool idea.”
We checked in and went to our room.
“Which bed do you want?” Shonna asked.
I pointed to the right one. “That one’s fine.”
Shonna plopped down on the other bed. “I’m exhausted.”
“Me, too. We could take a cat nap and then hit Navy Pier and the Willis Tower.”
“Sounds like a game plan.” I set the alarm and an hour later it went off. I heard Shonna moan.
I got up and started bellowing the chorus rise and shine!
“You sound awful!” Shonna put her pillow over her head.
I went over and pulled on the pillow and an all-out pillow fight ensued. We started whacking each other as hard as we could and tumbled on the bed laughing.
“I can’t believe we just did that,” I said. “The last time we had a pillow fight we had to be in elementary school.”
Shonna sat up. I know precisely when it was. It was the night you and Jake shared your first kiss. We went to our seventh-grade dance and you guys made out in the corner. You tried to hook me up with Andrew, Jake’s basketball buddy, but he was too nerdy-looking for me.”
“Well, you always did like the bad boys.”
Shonna nodded. “Which is why I could never figure out how I ended up with Roger. He’s definitely not a bad boy. In fact, I wish he had more bad in him. He’s too much of a goody two-shoes. Bor-ing! Take sex, for example. He never wants to try new things. I brought home a vibrator the other month, thinking it might spice up our marriage. Instead, it did the opposite. I think he was threatened by Big Blue.
“Big Blue?”
“That’s his nickname. So now I only use him when Roger’s not around, which isn’t very often.”
“Well, at least you have a man. I haven’t had anything hard, except for Jack, my vibrator, in ages.”
“I didn’t know you had a vibrator,” Shonna said. “I thought you told me everything!”
“I got it as a gag gift a long time ago but broke it out one night and discovered the only part of a man I need, I can buy.”
Shonna laughed.
“Sometimes I think I’ll forget how to do it,” I confessed.
Shonna waved her hand. “Nah! It’s like riding a bike. You just hop back on and you’ll be in the swing of it in no time.”
We checked out Navy Pier and Shonna talked me into riding the 150-foot Ferris wheel.
“Okay, but you have to ride the musical carousel with me.”
“It’s a deal.”
The view of the city and Lake Michigan from the top of the Ferris wheel was amazing. But the carousel was more my speed – and height! I chose a galloping horse while Shonna jumped on a leaping zebra.
“I can’t remember the last time I was on a carousel,” Shonna said.
“Me neither.”
We wandered around Navy Pier, visiting the beer garden, viewing the outdoor art and stopping for a slice of the famous Chicago stuffed, deep-dish pizza.
We left Navy Pier and headed toward Willis Tower on Wacker Drive. The traffic was heavy and we almost got rear-ended by a beat-up sedan that looked like it’d seen better days.
“Watch out!” Shonna yelled.
I laid on my car horn. “Jerk!”
We found a parking spot and made our way into Willis Tower, winding our way through the interactive exhibits and watching a film until we reached the 103rd floor.
Shonna pointed to the right. “There’s The Ledge.”
We walked over to The Ledge, a glass box with a glass floor that extended about four feet from the Skydeck . I took a deep breath and Shonna and I stepped onto The Ledge together. It was the perfect day to get a bird’s-eye view of Chicago. And standing on The Ledge, looking through the glass floor to the city below, made my heart skip a few beats.
Shonna had forgotten her selfie stick, but she pulled out her camera and snapped a photo of us standing on The Ledge.
“Now that was freakin’ cool,” I said. “I’m so glad we decided to come.”
We ended our day driving down the Magnificent Mile, the northern part of Michigan Avenue between the Chicago River and Lake Shore Drive. We drove past architectural landmarks, such as the Tribune Tower and the John Hancock Center.
Our favorite building was the Old Water Tower, which was built in 1869.
“Did you know,” Shonna said, “that the Old Water Tower survived the great fire in 1871?”
I shook my head.
“And it survived numerous demolition attempts.”
I laughed. “You’re a walking Wikipedia! But you have to admit it does look out of place among all the modern high-rises.”
“Exactly! Which is why it’s great it’s still here. Despite all the crap that’s gone on around it, it remains standing.”
“Like us!” I laughed.
“Right. Like us. I’ve decided we only get better with age.”
Chapter 21
I was determined to exercise on our trip, so I set the alarm for six. When it went off, I wanted to roll over and go back to sleep. But I didn’t. I glanced over at Shonna, who was wearing a black sleeping eye mask. She has a smallish head and the eye mask made her look like a big bug. I laughed and grabbed my phone to take a picture.
I wasn’t the only person crazy enough to hit the gym so early. A couple who looked to be about my age were working out. I turned on the treadmill and started walking. I listened to one of the workout playlists I’d made and the time slipped away as I got lost in the rhythm and my meandering thoughts.
I wondered what Tory and David were up to. I made a mental note to text them later. Maybe I’d call on the way to Springfield. When I’d called Mom the night before, she said both Tory and David had called her. I was glad they kept in touch.
I ended up working out fifteen minutes longer than I’d planned. When I returned to the room, Shonna was just beginning to stir.
“Rise and shine, sleepy head!” I shouted.
“Go away!” She rolled over.
“Do you want me to sing?”
&n
bsp; “No, please don’t sing. You suck at singing.”
“Then get up!”
I pulled the covers off her. “Rise and shine and…”
She sat up. “Oh, God, no. I’m getting up, all right? See, I’m up.”
I jumped in the shower and, when I’d finished, expected to see her getting ready for hers. Instead, she was back in bed – sleeping and looking like a big bug again!
“Okay, that’s it.” I picked up a pillow and whacked her with it.
She sat up. “You’re worse than Roger.”
I laughed. “Well, the more time you spend in bed, the less time we have on the road. We want to make it to Springfield, Illinois, today and hit a couple of stops along the way.”
“I’m beginning to rethink this trip,” Shonna said. “Maybe we should have booked an all-inclusive resort at a Caribbean paradise.”
“But it wouldn’t have been a Route 66 road trip,” I pointed out.
“So, does that mean it’s too late to change my mind?”
“Yes.”
Eventually, after a quick breakfast at the hotel, we headed for Springfield. We planned to stop at Ambler’s Texaco Gas Station in Dwight and the Route 66 Museum in Pontiac along the way. We both wanted to visit Lincoln’s home, and decided to save that for the following day.
As the days unfolded, one after another, Shonna and I felt like we were seventeen again. We took selfies at every place we stopped. The World’s Largest Catsup Bottle. Meramec Caverns. The Giant Milk Bottle. Cadillac Ranch. Wigwam Village Motel. Blue Swallow Motel. Eleven days after starting out, we stood on Santa Monica Pier.
Shonna hugged me. “We made it!”
Tears pooled in the corners of my eyes. I nodded. “It might have taken us thirty-two years, but we’re finally here.”
We posed for a selfie at the “End of the trail” sign and it occurred to me that traveling Route 66 was more than just an adventure across the American West. It was a journey that symbolized the free-spirited independence I’d somehow lost so long ago. Shonna and I had made it. Through metropolitan areas and small towns. Down meandering roads and past tall grass prairies. From the cornfields of Illinois to the golden sands of Los Angeles, we’d crossed the Rocky Mountain divide to the Pacific Ocean. And suddenly, standing on that pier, I became overwhelmed with emotion. The road that had symbolized freedom and mobility to so many who’d wanted to escape the Dust Bowl symbolized the exact same thing for me. I was free. I could reinvent myself.
“Why didn’t we do this sooner?” Shonna asked.
“We let life get in the way. We spent too much time thinking and not enough time doing. That’s what my list is all about. It’s about doing, living in the present. I don’t want my dreams to slip away again.”
“It makes me wonder how many other things I think about and don’t do,” Shonna said.
“So, make a list. I know you don’t have the list you wrote in that pizza shop so many years ago, but I bet if you made a list tonight it would be very similar.”
“Except the marry Butch part.”
I smiled. “True.”
We walked around the pier, stopping in a cool store that sold Route 66 merchandise made in America. Several T-shirts and shot glasses later, we walked out of the store, happy with our souvenirs.
I checked the time on my cell phone. “We should probably head for the hotel. I definitely want to shower before we meet Jake.” When we were planning our trip, I’d told Shonna about Jake wanting to meet for dinner and she was game, so I’d made arrangements with him.
“So, what do you think Jake’s surprise is?” Shonna asked as we walked to our car.
I shrugged. “I have no idea. He just said he has a surprise for me. It’s probably an old prom photo or something.”
The traffic on Santa Monica Freeway was bumper to bumper and I was driving. “Man, we thought the traffic was bad in Chicago; I-10 is crazy!”
We drove downtown, passed a tattoo parlor.
Shonna pointed out the window. “We need to get our tattoos.”
I cleared my throat. “We should ask Jake if there’s a tattoo place he’d recommend.”
“Is Jake a tattoo type of guy?”
I shrugged. “To be honest, I don’t know. I couldn’t see the Jake I knew in high school getting a tattoo. But who knows now. Three decades have passed and a lot can change in thirty years.”
After checking into the hotel, Shonna and I got showers. I held up two sundresses. “Which one do you think I should wear? The white sundress or the yellow with blue flowers?”
“White. You look great in white.”
We arrived at the Italian restaurant and asked for Jake’s table. He had texted saying they’d arrived early and been seated. We followed the maître d’ through the crowded, dimly lit dining room, past tables dressed in white linens and topped with red roses in bud vases. Sounds of Sinatra filled the room. As soon as I saw Jake he stood up and hugged me. Then he hugged Shonna. I noticed a wedding ring on Jake’s finger. The seat next to him was empty but there was a full glass of wine on the table. I assumed Jake’s wife must’ve gone to the restroom.
“It’s so great to see you after all these years,” Jake said.
I blushed. “It’s great to see you, too.” Jake looked just how I remembered, sans the hair. Same smile, same dimples, same chocolate eyes.
We sat and, a few seconds later, a man who looked like he could’ve been Denzel Washington’s twin brother approached the table and touched Jake’s shoulder. Jake looked up and smiled. “Steve, this is Scarlett and her best friend, Shonna. Ladies, this is my husband, Steve.”
Jake must’ve noticed the expression on my face. “I told you I had a surprise for you.”
I felt Shonna hit me under the table.
“Well, this is quite a surprise. I had no idea. It’s so nice to meet you, Steve.”
“And you, likewise. Ever since you and Jake reconnected online he hasn’t stopped talking about you. It sounds like you were quite the couple.”
I laughed. “Well, yeah, I guess. Back in the day. But when did all of this happen?” I waved my hand at both of them. “I thought you were married.”
“We are.” Jake held up his hand and Steve’s to show matching black titanium wedding bands.
Steve smiled. “I don’t think that’s what Scarlett means. She’s talking about Jen.”
“Who’s Jen?” Shonna finally said something. “I’m confused.”
“Jen was my wife,” Jake explained. “We were married about five years but things obviously didn’t work out.”
“Any kids?” I asked.
“No. Just my dog, Sam.”
After the initial shock of learning my old flame was gay, we settled into reminiscing about the old days.
“So…” Steve said. “Jake tells me you were his first love.”
I smiled. “And he was mine. I thought I’d marry him and we’d live together happily ever after.”
Jake laughed. “You know my heart was broken when you left me for Mike. So, what happened between the two of you?”
“The first few years were good, but things unraveled over time. Especially when the kids came and we moved back home to be closer to my parents. I think Mike was embarrassed his wife worked at the school cafeteria. I didn’t care what anyone thought. My focus was on the kids; they came first. Mike, however, put himself first. Eventually, I grew tired of the jerk he was and got out.”
“Believe me,” Shonna said, “she’s better off without him.”
“Well, you look fabulous, Scarlett. I’m surprised you haven’t been snapped up by someone by now.”
“You tell her, Steve,” Shonna said. “I keep telling her to give online dating another try.”
I shook my head.
“That’s how we met,” Steve said. “And it obviously worked out.”
I sighed. “Well, I obviously haven’t had as much luck. I seem to draw the crazies.”
Shonna laughed.
“It’s not funny.”
“I know. Sorry. I was just thinking about the guy you met online who said he’d like to have absolute sovereignty over your nether areas. Or the one who was into toe sucking.”
We all laughed.
I sipped the wine Jake had ordered. “Never again!”
One story led to another and another and my mouth hurt from laughing so hard.
“Remember the time we skipped school, got my neighbor to buy us a case of beer and went to the mountains?” Jake asked.
I nodded. “I remember throwing up in the woods while you held my hair out of my face.”
Jake nodded. “I remember that, too. I think it was the greasy chicken.”
“Well, I’m sure drinking too much had something to do with it as well.”
“Shonna, you were there, weren’t you?” Jake asked.
Shonna nodded. “Oh, yeah. That was the day Butch and I got lost in the woods. And you and Scarlett found us.”
“Why is it these stories only get better with age?” Jake asked.
“It’s like lasagna,” Shonna said.
We all just stopped and looked at her.
“You know,” she said, “Lasagna tastes better the next day.”
We laughed and started naming things that got better with age.
“Eggs,” Jake said. “Older eggs are better for hard-cooking because their shells won’t stick to the cooked egg white.”
“I got one! I got one!” Steve said. “Compost.”
We laughed so hard heads started turning toward our table.
Jake nodded at me. “Your turn, Scarlett.”
I held up my wine glass. “Friendships! They definitely get better with age as we realize the value and joy they bring.”
Jake tapped my glass with his. “Well said. To old friends and new friends, may we always be friends.”
I couldn’t remember the last time I’d had so much fun at dinner.
“Why is it that gay guys are always so much fun?” Shonna laughed. “Seriously. I’ve had a fabulous time.”
I nodded. “Me, too. And you definitely surprised me, Jake. But it was a nice surprise.”
“Well, if you two ever want to return to the West Coast, you can stay with us. We have plenty of room.”
A Year of Second Chances Page 14
