Cards in the Cloak
Page 24
Chapter 16
“The Slowest Road Trip Ever”
The old men had traveled down highways and back roads for a few hours when the lawnmower started to sputter. The majority of the journey had been spent staring at foliage along the side of the road, but now they could see a few low structures in the distance. The engine released pop after pop as the machine drew closer to civilization. Now that the lawnmower jerked and spat as it moved, the timing couldn’t have been better. The groundskeeper drove his tiny vehicle into the nearest gas station and parked it at the pump, just as the engine cut out.
“Do you have any money on you?” the groundskeeper asked.
Norman shook his head. The last time he had any money on him, Reagan was trying to defeat communism. The old man checked his pocket and found a few bills. He cycled through each one before putting them away.
“Well, we have a slight dilemma,” he said. “I only have enough to get the lawnmower back to my cottage. We could keep going, but I know there won’t be enough gas to finish the trip.”
Norman wasn’t sure what to think about the situation. Although the thought of spending three hours on the road for nothing wasn’t exactly disappointing to him, he would’ve liked it more if he were able to reach his destination. Certainly he appreciated getting out of his stuffy room for a change, but the seat on the lawnmower was quite uncomfortable. It had left his entire body feeling tense. He even wondered if it had contributed to his unseasonal dizziness. Unfortunately, destiny had been taunting him his whole life, and now it seemed it had given up on him.
“Okay, forget it,” said Norman. “Let’s just go back.”
The old groundskeeper rotated his torso just enough to show Norman the corner of his left eye.
“There is, however, one more option,” he said. “How badly do you want to get to the beach?”
“I can’t rest until I do.”
The man nodded. Before Norman could figure out what he was up to, the old groundskeeper dismounted the lawnmower and trudged toward the pay phone next to the convenience store. The old man’s cheeks were rosy from the smile he had on his face when he came back a short time later.
“Well, it looks like I can still get you there,” he said. “Does Daytona sound okay to you?”
“Well, of course. I thought that’s where we were going already.”
“No, I was taking you to Cocoa.”
Norman wrinkled his brow. He must’ve been losing his mind to go anywhere without checking the destination first. That was a first for him.
“Oh, okay, so I probably should’ve clarified which beach I wanted. So, why the sudden change?”
“Well, my son is on his way there with a bunch of his friends for the week, and I asked them to pick us up. That okay with you?”
Norman nodded. He didn’t see any reason to argue this.