Let's Ride

Chapter 19

Chapter 19 Home is Where the Heart Is

As we passed the I-80/I-57 interchange, I saw a sign indicating there was a tollbooth up ahead, "Crap!" I thought, "I've got to pull over and dig some change out of my pocket. As soon as it was safe, I did so, and stuck it in a rain suit pocket where I could get to it easier. Going through the plaza I almost dropped my change trying to stick it in the machine. A few miles later, we passed over a huge open gravel pit, and then Jessica requested I stop at a rest area so we stopped at the Lincoln Oasis. I took the opportunity to call the motel we would be staying at in Michigan City. It was a Red Roof this time. Jumping back onto the interstate, I had to weave in and out for all the trucks on the road. There was a lot of motorcycle traffic on the road so we weren't alone, we passed another Cabella's on the right at Hammond, and soon we were in Indiana, Jessica thought she'd been around here before, once we passed the I-80/I-65 interchange, the truck traffic cleared a little. I wasn't planning on taking the toll road, so I didn't exit past Ripley Avenue. Once past the exit for the Toll Road, truck traffic really thinned. It started to sprinkle a little near the Chesterton exit, but stayed pretty much a sprinkle. I stopped at a TSA truck stop at Portage to gas up, we looked around in the travel center a little, but since it was well past 6:00 their time, we didn't stay long.

We also took the opportunity to take off our rain suits and pack them in the side bag, back out on the highway, it about twenty minutes later I exited at route 421 north for the motel, I also spotted the familiar Harley sign south of me, a possible hit on the way home. We checked in and got another second floor room as usual. Rather than go to Denny's again, we rode back down the street a little to a Bob Evens for supper. I had the pot roast sandwich while Jessica had the Chicken and noodles with a salad. I don't think I've ever eaten at a Bob Evans, they don't have any in Utah, however the sandwich was pretty good. It was dark when we got back to the motel, I decided to have a chat with Jennifer, it was something I'd been thinking about all day, and it would be the last chance I would have, I was tired, but this was important.

Once we were settled in our room, I called her mother, "Hello, Mrs. Winters? This is Nikki Cormak, yes, we're in Michigan City right now, probably be hitting Three Rivers about mid-morning, yeah…I understand, so they're giving you the day off, good," I got some paper and a pen and wrote down the directions to her house. "Turn right off M-60 onto Broadway, cross the river another right onto 3rd, got it, all right we'll be there tomorrow mid morning, see you then, bye." Although I was tired, I needed to talk to Jessica, this would be my last chance, so I had better make it count. "So, Jessica, thought about your situation and what you're going to do?" She looked at me and just shrugged, "I dunno," "You know, we've had quite an adventure together, it's not going to be the same when I head back by myself, going to be pretty lonely. The point is that I've gone to a lot of trouble and effort to help you, I can't think of many people who would do that, much less stop to help a teenage girl standing in the rain along a mountain road. I chuckled, "You know it's funny I'm never going to be able to pass that intersection without thinking of you, and when I think of you Jessica, I want to think my efforts helped you to turn your life around."

Jessica looked at me again, and sniffed, I could see tears in her eyes. "I know you've got a lot of pain and hurt locked up inside of you, that pain is preventing you from seeing things clearly." Jessica began to tell me about how her mother would never buy her the things the other girls had like I-phones and Aeropostale designer clothes, but it seemed to be the fact that she wasn't allowed to date yet. "So you feel so much pressure from your friends and shame because you don't have the same things they do, is that basically it?" I asked. "Yes" "Well Jessica, I don't know what to tell you, I mean I can look at all those things you told me and shake my head, "You know it's funny there's only ten years age difference between us, but in that ten years I've learned so much about the world, I've seen a little bit of it too, admittedly, a lot of what I've see isn't very pretty, but I wish I could just touch your head and you would automatically gain that ten years, then you would really begin to see the reality of things, things you see as essential in your life right now, but with that ten years added there you could really see how silly and useless they were." Jessica started to protest but I held up my hand, "It's true Jessica.."