The Road Home by Clifford Beck - HTML preview

Chapter 65

Winter came and went with the occasional storms rolling down from the mountains, pounding the already snow-laden earth beneath. By this time, Maya and Aurora were certain beyond a doubt that they were alone in the town of Pinehurst and eventually, they learned to enjoy their solitude. As the snow melted, a different issue arose – rain. It soon became clear that mountain ranges can and often do create their own weather. Moreover, these weather patterns tend to be unpredictable and severe. The girls were sometimes confined to the RV for days at a time, but cracking a couple of windows helped to keep the air circulating, cutting down on the humidity that gathered on a regular basis. The snow that had accumulated over the winter was now the main ingredient in the muddy slush that covered the road, making the transport of food and other supplies difficult. Yet, when these items were needed, the girls managed to walk through the mush and get them. Of course, keeping the shopping carts near the RV was also helpful.

Although it was spring, the night air was cold but still incomparable to the frosty ambiance of winter. But warmer times were, no doubt, forthcoming and summer in the mountains promised to be beautiful despite the approaching heat. However, a new problem arose. As the snow and ice melted from around the RV, the girls felt it slowly tip towards the left front wheel. “Uh,” Aurora began. “What is that?” Maya felt it too.

“Shit!” she said. “That better not be what I think it is.”

Walking to the front of the vehicle, Maya climbed out and checked the left front wheel, and, as she suspected, it was flat.

“Fuck!” she said. “I thought so. It must have cracked and gone flat during the winter. God damn it!”

Aurora, having gone outside to see for herself, also had something to say.

“Son of a bitch,” she said. “Well, looks like we’re not going to Colorado even if we wanted to.” Climbing back in, they put their minds together and came up with only one solution. As that tire was the only one to go flat and neither knew how to change a tire on an RV, they agreed that to avoid walking on a tilted floor, the other tires had to be deflated. If they needed to go elsewhere, a car could always be found and gassed up. At least, they had options.

So one by one, they went to each tire and let the air out, knowing that in the event of an emergency, it would take far more time to procure a car, load it up with what they needed, and leave town. They even checked the other RVs parked in the campground and found at least one flattened tire on each.

“This does not look good,” Aurora said. “Do you think we should check some of the cars in town?” Maya’s hopelessness was suddenly broken by an epiphany, one that frustrated her deeply.

“Oh, shit,” she began. “I am so fucking stupid. Yes, the other RVs have at least one flat tire, but we can use the others, and we just let the air out of all of ours. God fucking damn it!”

“And each one comes with a jack. Shit!” Aurora replied.

Both fell back to a sitting position on a sleeping mat with their heads in their hands, shocked at the solution that was in front of them all along. “We’re Going to need an air pump,” Maya said. “Does the engine still turn over?” Aurora asked. Maya knew what she was thinking and, getting to her feet, sat in the driver’s seat. Taking the keys out of her pocket, she turned the ignition while touching the gas pedal and by some miracle, the engine roared to life.

“Fuck, yeah!” she yelled.

She was about to shut off the engine, concerned about gas consumption, when Aurora interrupted her.

“Wait a minute,” she began. “Not yet. Let it run for a few minutes. It needs to get all the crap out. It’s been sitting for weeks.”

Yes, Aurora knew a few things about cars. “We should get some dry gas to clean everything out,” she continued.

Maya could drive the RV, but beyond that, she knew nothing about what made them work. “I have no idea what that is,” Maya said. Without providing an explanation, Aurora provided as simple an answer as possible. “It’s engine detergent,” she began. “It’s like giving someone an enema.”

Although the metaphor was accurate, Maya couldn’t help but look away with a faint smile. The list of items they needed for their new project was short but essential, and the tools they needed were already stored not only in the RV but in every RV that surrounded them. The only remaining issue was how to inflate the tires, but this would be remedied, in time and Aurora knew it would take a great deal of time.

Further exploring the town, the girls wandered with one goal – to find an automotive store. Aurora, consulting the map again, quickly found what they were looking for and making their usual entrance sought out what they needed and returned to the RV. Due to the spring rains, they decided to postpone their project – waiting for drier days. However, Aurora was led by an urge to investigate, and opening the hood of the RV checked for any signs of damage, including nesting material. She had no grievance against nature, but if there was anything living within the bowels of the engine, it would have to be removed. She found everything clean and free of wildlife, but repairs needed to wait.