by Larry Hunt
Chapter Thirty-Nine
DOWN AN ICY ROAD
Leaving the Ponderosa on their way down Clem and Penelope’s long, snow covered road, which led to the main highway, Olive Marie remarked, “Forrest, I’m scared. This snow is getting pretty deep. I think we should turn around and go back to the safety of the Ponderosa. I don’t know if I can do this.”
“You’re doing fine Sis, just keep’er between the ditches. With this snow and the speed we’re making, it’s going to take quite a while to get to Clint Murdock’s place. That’s assuming we don’t get lost or stuck. I figure it will be in the middle of the afternoon before we get there, and it’s imperative we be at his place tonight. We have only one chance and tonight’s the night.”
Slipping, sliding and churning on through the snow they finally reached the Celina to Dallas highway. “Turn right Sis, Dallas is that way,” he said pointing south with his finger. “We will follow this road until we reach Highway 279. That Texas state highway should take us directly into Dallas. The Murdock place is on the north side of Dallas, to the left of 279. You keep this thing on the road, when we get close to Dallas I will look for the Addison Airport turn-off. It should be on our right. If I remember the map correctly, the Cedar Springs Road should be right across the highway.
“Okay, sounds good Forrest. Now what is the ‘Plan’ once we get to the Murdock place?”
“Well Sis, The thirteen-acre estate comes complete with seven bedrooms, eight baths and a mere 19,600 square feet of floor space. The antebellum styled home is located at the end of a long, water oak lined driveway. The drive ends in a circle, in front of the main residence.”
“Thanks Forrest for the tour, I don’t want to buy it... just explain ‘The Plan’.”
“Oh, sorry Sis, I got carried away. Okay, ‘The Plan’, there is only one way in and only one way out of the mansion – it’s the long driveway. I figure we can park across the street from the driveway entrance and wait until around 6 or 6:30 tonight. While waiting we will change into Clem’s chauffeur and Penelope’s maid outfit, and when the time comes we drive down the driveway. That’s it Sis, I’m blank, I have nothing more.”
“What do you mean, ‘That’s it’! That’s It! Are you crazy Forrest? Where is ‘The Plan’?
“Okay, I have exhausted all I had on ‘The Plan’, I only figured on getting to the Murdock house. Now I need to come up with something else, let me think...”
“Okay genius,” Olive Marie said. “What about this: the party will probably begin, I’d say, around sevenish or so. The guests should start arriving about 7:00 or 7:30. You stay outside, dressed in your cute, black, chauffeur’s uniform and take note of the guests coming into the house. Just mingle with the other chauffeurs; they will never get wise to your plans.
“I will, at the same time, go around back to the kitchen entrance. I will tell the person in charge of the serving staff that I was sent over from the temp agency to help with the party. They probably have so many servants; they will never notice one more server. Once I get inside, I’ll carry drinks and hors d’oeuvres to the guests and listen to any conversation I might hear. If I see President Johnson come in, I will try to work near the room where he is supposed to have his ‘assassination’ meeting and see if I can hear what they are talking about.”
“Dog-gone it Sis, that sounds like an interesting plan, it might actually work. In fact, that was almost the same plan I was about to come up with.”
“Yeah, right, but we have another problem Forrest, the tank was full when we left Grandpa’s cow pasture, but by the time we get to Clint Murdock’s estate we will be running on fumes. Do you have any money?”
“No problem Sis, I have about two hundred dollars in my wallet.”
“What type money?”
“What do you mean what type? Fives, tens and twenties... good ole American greenbacks, cash, dough, you know, spending money.”
“Forrest, you cannot use our ‘new’ currency. Remember we are in 1963!! Our money is not real to these people. Your money is from the 21st century. It is fake money to them. Wait, what is that look you are giving me? What? What is it Forrest?”
“I left some money for Clem and Penelope on their hallway table. Two ten-dollar bills - two new 2012 ten-dollar bills!”
“What are we going to do Forrest? The money is probably not a problem anyway, I’m sure all the service stations are closed due to this blizzard.”
“Give me a minute, let me think... We can’t worry about Clem and Penelope now, but, you’re right, gas is a big problem. I noticed a garden hose and an empty five-gallon gasoline can in the bed of this truck. We need to find a car and ‘borrow’ some of its gas.”
“You mean steal it!!! Forrest I’m ashamed of you, stealing someone’s gas!!”
“You got a better idea, or do you just want to sit in this truck and let your toes and fingers freeze when we run out of gas? In addition to being froze we will miss the Murdock party, besides you already said I couldn’t leave any more of my ‘new’ money for payment, so yes ‘steal’ it, it’s the only way. I’m sorry, but sometimes a wrong is not necessarily wrong. There are international laws in the case of emergencies that cover situations just like ours.”
“Where did you hear such a ridiculous idea?”
“I don’t know, but it sounds better than ‘stealing’.”
Thinking hard about their predicament, she reluctantly said, “I’ll keep an eye out for an empty car where the owner has abandoned their vehicle. Hope we can find one with a full tank!”
The likelihood of finding such an automobile seemed particularly good – no one else was crazy enough to be out on this wind and snow driven road on this cold, blustery, wintery day. The automobiles that had ventured out and gotten caught in the storm were being left unattended up and down the county road leading to the main Highway 279.
A few miles down the snow covered Farm to Market Road Forrest noticed a Texas highway sign. Although, partially covered with windblown snow, he could barely read the numerals “279”. The rest of the sign was illegible, but he was sure it was indicating the main thoroughfare lay just ahead. Before entering the road south to Dallas, they had noticed a large grouping of cars had been left on the side of the road. Their owners abandoned them to seek shelter from the blizzard. Perfect opportunity thought Forrest.
“Stop anywhere in the road Sis. You cannot pull over to the side, but it doesn’t matter there is no traffic on this road anyway. Stay here in the cab, keep the heater going and I will be right back.”
Jumping out of the truck, Forrest grabbed the five-gallon can and a six-foot section of rubber garden hose. He had not lost his siphoning skills, in a couple of minutes he had a can full of fuel. Using a funnel from the back of the truck Forrest had the five gallons poured into their tank in no time; however, he could not pass up the opportunity – he quickly moved on to another vehicle and withdrew another can of gasoline. Getting back into the truck after pouring the last five gallons into their tank, he tried to thaw his frozen hands with the warm air coming from the heater vent. “Ooh Forrest, you smell of gasoline.”
“Fine, complain of the smell as you stay nice and warm for the next few hours.”
Once they started down the main highway, Highway 279 to Dallas, instead of making better time, stranded vehicles left in the road hampered their progress. Olive Marie had to maneuver around the abandoned cars and trucks, paying close attention not to slide into any of them or off the road into the roadside ditch.
Little did Forrest and Olive Marie realize it, but their Pegasus ride back to 2012 was at that precise moment, beginning to dematerialize and was about to disappear. For the last five minutes, it had been sitting in full view in the cow pasture, northwest of Celina, Texas with its entrance hatch opened widely awaiting someone to enter; however, no one would enter since the two people it was waiting on were at this very minute traveling down the snowbound Texas Highway 279 from Celina to Dallas, Texas.
T
hey were about to miss their Pegasus return flight home!
The time was 12:29, Thursday, November 21.
