When
I woke up on our last day, I had a sickening feeling in the pit of my stomach.
Trevor was already awake and ready to go: I could tell he’d probably woken up
early because he was so stressed.
We hopped in the car to get on the
road at about seven. But when Trevor tried to start the car, it wouldn’t turn
on. I hopped out and opened the trunk, and even though neither of us were car
experts, we finally discovered that we had a broken water pump. It was a pain,
especially because it would set us back a few hours.
Our broken water pump!
I used my phone to find a repair
shop nearby; luckily, there was one only a few miles away called Scott Crump
Toyota. We called them, and asked if they could repair a broken water pump in a
1998 Toyota 4Runner. Within about ten minutes, they were there with a tow truck
ready to go.
The tow truck that picked us up
The drive to the shop was fairly
short. I figured we would run into some problems today, but not this early! I
tried to stay calm, but it was incredibly difficult because I knew we were
running out of time. It only took about an hour for them to fix the car, but it
cost $50 for the towing, and a whopping $500 dollars for the repair! We only
had about $100 dollars left; now there was no way that we would make it to
Sarasota. All that we could do was get as close as we could, and hope for the
best.
As soon as we left Jasper, a
worrisome silence filled the car. It was as if we had an unspoken agreement
between the two of us, that even though we both knew we would never make it to
Sarasota, we would go as far as possible. My stomach began to grumble, telling
me I needed food, but I barely noticed the pain. I was afraid that if even one
word escaped my mouth, I would be burst into tears. And I couldn’t do that just
yet. I had to stay strong.
Finally, I gave into my hunger. Trevor
and I ate about half the bag of pretzels and drank some water. The salt of the
pretzels almost burned my mouth. Trevor noticed how troubled I looked: he tried
to make me laugh by singing some cheesy, goofy song that I didn’t even know. It
helped a little bit, but it didn’t help for long. When he realized there wasn’t
much he could do, he just held my hand. And truth be told, it made me feel a
lot better to know that my close friend was there with me.
In Georgetown, Georgia, we stopped
at a gas station to fill up the tank. As the tank filled and filled and the
cost rose and rose, I couldn’t help but wonder if we would be making another
stop at a gas station. How far would we even get? We had to at least make sure
we were in a major city where we could find food and shelter. I felt like
curling up in a ball and just having a good cry. Had all this hard work been
for nothing? I didn’t know what I could have done to make it better. I tried to
make myself feel better, saying the classic, “I did my best,” but that didn’t
help. I knew I did my best, but that didn’t reduce the pain of knowing that I’d
failed my entire family.
We stopped in Albany for a quick
rest. I’d been driving all morning, and it gave us a chance to eat a short
snack. We needed to save as much money as we could, so we just ate some more
pretzels and chips for a lunch. Again, a silence filled the air between us, but
this time it was uncomfortable. I felt as if one of us should voice what both
of us were thinking, but what was I supposed to say? I think we should give up?
Sorry, we did the best we could? We might not have enough money to survive? As
all these thoughts ran in my head, I couldn’t help but burst into tears. I put
my head down on the table for a minute as the tears came in a never-ending
stream down my cheeks. When I lifted my head up, Trevor looked as if he was at
a complete loss for words. Confused, I watched as Trevor looked at me before
quickly running the car and opening the trunk. When he came back, he was
holding, of all things, our preschool yearbook! He had packed it in one of our
old boxes: I couldn’t believe he’d taken it with us. Before I could yell at him
about being able to pack something more important in the car, he sat down and
opened the book. I gasped as I recognized familiar faces and images, ones of
teachers and friends and some of the happiest times ever. We only had time to
look at it for about ten minutes, but even after that short amount of time, I
left the rest area feeling much better, but I still couldn’t come to terms with
what had happened. I had failed.
Our adorable preschool yearbook pictures!
A sigh releases my mouth and I lean
back in my chair. Although Kate and I have both had our suspicions about
whether or not we would reach Sarasota, our car malfunction has solidified our
failure. This whole day has gone by with very minimal talking, for there was
nothing to say. Failure had its name and we couldn’t seem to get out of its
grasp. Avoiding eye contact with Kate, I walked solemnly out of subway to our
car. The only problem we had was time. It seemed to be a race and if need be,
Kate and I would drive through the night to reach our destination. Then the
water pump robbed us of 500 dollars and a new card was on the table. Our hopes
flew away when we found out that not only will we not have enough time to get
there, but also we didn’t even have the money to sustain ourselves along the
journey. Kate and I both solemnly hulled ourselves in the car and the car
drifted away without a purpose or destination. Although the drive was mostly
spent in silence Kate and I talked about what we could do now that Sarasota was
not an option. The final conclusion was that we would try to obtain a job in
Ocala and once we require enough money, we will go on. Although failing my
family has given me one of the worst feelings possible, the knowledge that Kate
and I are doing all we can has assuaged some of my pain. I stare ahead at the rode
and suddenly fear a ball of anger start to boil up inside me. Needing to blame
this incident on something I turned to the thing that had seemed to harbor me
throughout the journey. I somehow feel betrayed by the highway. I put my trust
in the broken pavement, but in return I only receive regret and remorse. I slam
my fists against the door and scream mentally. Confined in this metal box and
although “free”, I have no choice or say in the following actions to come. All
I want to do is stop, put on a pair of running shoes and run away. Run away
from the car, the highway, and start anew. I liked the life I lived. I miss the
rolling hills submerged in fog, and memories of my friends seem to haunt me in
my dreams. Although my family says this move is in our interest, I was still
reluctant to leave. I realized that change is not always good. I believe that
one should always try to succeed and not be afraid of what lay ahead. I also
stand by Steve Prefontaine saying, “Don’t be afraid to give up the good to go for
the Great”, but sometimes what you have is better then what lay on the other
side of the grassy hill. I never realized how great my home, friends, and
community was until I left it. I close my eyes and sigh, trying to let go of
all of the what ifs, and should haves. What’s done is done and I can’t change
that, so I might as well move on. I close my eyes again and let my mind drift
away.
My slumber was broken by the heavy
jolt of the car when it went over a speed bump. I rubbed my eyes and looked
around and was instantly happy when I saw the sign read Ocala, Florida. Kate
and I parked the car and walked into the Super 8 hotel and found our bedroom. I
unpacked my cloths and belongings as Kate ordered dinner from Pizza Hut. I might as
well get comfortable for we will be here for a week or so. I stared out the
window as a family of four walked together laughing and smiling. Suddenly the
feeling of failing engulfed me as I lay down on the bed. The thought of my
family occupied my mind and a new sharp pain tore through my mind. A single,
chilled tear ran down my cheek caring my hopes and memories with it.
The Super 8 Motel in Ocala, Florida
Details of Day 5:
Route:
Continued on I-22 E to Birmingham, AL, where we merged onto
I-65 S. Followed GA-50 E to Tifton, GA. Then, we followed I-75 S to Ocala, FL.
Breakfast:
None. Main priority was finding a repair shop.
Cost: $0.
Lunch:
Not enough money to eat lunch. Just ate some of our snacks.
Cost: $0.
Dinner:
One dinner box at Pizza Hut.
Cost: $10.
2327 S Pine Ave
Ocala, Fl 34471
Hotel:
Slept at a Super 8 Motel in Ocala. Less expensive than a
campsite.
Cost: $10.
3924 W Silver Springs Blvd
Ocala, FL 34482
Gas:
Stopped first at a gas station in Georgetown, GA.
Cost: $59.5.
1213 Us Highway 82
Georgetown, GA
39854
Repairs/Supplies:
Had a broken water pump. Got towed to a repair shop in
Jasper, AL. Had to get a replacement water pump.
Cost for Tow:
$50.
Cost of repairs:
$500.
3815 Highway 78 E
Jasper, AL 35501
Money spent on
Day 5: $629.50.
Money left after
Day 5: $18.61.
Miles Driven: 506 miles
Hours Driven: 9 hrs.
Bibliography:
Unknown. Broken Water Pump. Mx6.com. Web. 6 March 2012.
Unknown. Ross Valley Preschool. Facebook. Web. 7 March 2012.
Unknown. Super 8 Motel Ocala. Destination360.com. Web. 7 March 2012.
Unknown. Tow Truck. IdahoReporter.com. Web. 6 March 2012.
