Chapter Three
“Hurry, Teddy,” Ally pleaded, “the rain is coming down harder now.”
Such was their trip so far. Mile upon mile, traffic, and the quick stops for gas, and her standing and waiting upon Teddy to relieve himself and get back in the car. The rain had become an added bonus in Virginia. And it continued to travel with them along the same route.
Mr. Jacobs had been true to his word. The old two-door vehicle had been checked over at D and J Garage, a new set of tires put on, and their luggage was stowed.
Teddy took his rightful place in the copilot’s seat, and armed with maps and travel tips, and emergency numbers, the pair had set out for Texas…
along with Annie’s cremains secured in the back seat inside an even more secure box.
Things went okay for the first couple hundred miles.
Then the heater stopped working. So, Ally pulled out another sweater to layer under the one she already had on, and they continued.
Laura, who was Teddy’s dogsitter after Annie’s death, had given her an old hat that had belonged to her father before they departed.
She had told her to put her hair up and wear it, and it would make people think it was a man traveling and not a lone girl and dog.
Skeptical at first, it wasn’t long before Ally had given it a try and somehow it did make her feel better.
Laura had also, along with Mrs. Jacobs, made sure she had a vast supply of homemade cookies to sustain her on the road.
Mrs. Davis and the pastor’s wife had supplied fresh fruit, apples and grapes and some chips, too.
Ally was most grateful that she had Teddy as her companion.
He listened to her break into song with the radio and seemed to approve of her musical selections.
As the miles passed, Ally felt a strange lightness beginning to replace the trepidation she had felt as they saw New York City fade into the background.
The note from Annie had instructions on the front that it wasn’t to be read until they had arrived in Destiny’s River.
Using the map inside, she would know where to find the spot Annie had always planned to return to for her last rest.
Ally had planned to stop for their third evening in Memphis.
That was a plus in the itinerary that had also been supplied by Mr. Jacobs’s office.
The hotel was quite lovely, and nothing she had imagined she would be staying in ever.
It was next to Graceland. She had never traveled so much in her entire life.
Annie had often entertained her with stories of the wonderful places she had been as a young girl and during her adult years.
It was fitting that Ally ended up staying so close to the musical icon’s history since Annie had been a fan to the end.
Yet, it was also a sad reminder of those who were gone much too soon from those who loved them.
“What do you think she was thinking, Teddy?” The little dog’s ears rose as he raised his head from the pillow it resided on.
His button eyes regarded her in their almost human way.
The click clacking of the roadway beneath their tires as they crossed the wide Mississippi below the old bridge had lulled the dog into a napping phase after they had pulled away from the hotel before the sun was too far up in the sky.
“I think she would have loved seeing all of this again,” Ally supplied the answer herself.
Teddy seemed to smile in agreement. A happy thought was soon followed by a semi-sad one as seemed to be the usual order of her memories.
Crossing the state line, so to speak, in the middle of the bridge, they entered Arkansas.
Just after noon, Ally pulled over for a quick bite, to exercise Teddy on his long leash, and stretch the kinks out of her body after being locked behind the steering wheel for so long.
Walking along the path sheltered by such towering trees, she was amazed at their colors and size.
Seeing the trees in Central Park was one thing but seeing them in a more natural environment was really amazing.
Her admiration was cut short by the rumble of thunder in the distance.
“Come on, Teddy,” she said with reluctance, “no time to waste now. The last thing we need is to be on the road in bad weather.” She hoped that the storm was not headed in the same direction that they were.
Once on the road, however, her hope was dashed.
The dark clouds descended around them, the wind buffeting the small car, and raindrops began to pelt the windshield.
The wiper blades were on high, but she was not having the best of luck in keeping the rain cleared from hindering her view of the road.
The other drivers didn’t seem to let the wind and rain convince them to slow down as they whizzed by and around her without a thought to the dangerous conditions.
Her grip tightened on the steering wheel.
Teddy was oblivious to the conditions. He was sound asleep as soon as the wipers began their constant swish-swash hypnotic sound.
Ally loosened her death grip on the wheel long enough to turn the radio on to make more sound to keep herself wide awake and vigilant.
The only station that came through with any clarity was a country station and so she allowed George Strait to accompany her down the scary highway.
Her first foray into country music had happened only the day before, but to her surprise she found it suited their travel, and it did grow on a person.
The storm blew on around her; lightning became worse instead of better.
Then she saw a sign informing her that Texas was just ahead.
Maybe things would be better there? And that thought kept her mind occupied for the next few miles.
Annie had told her so many stories of her life in that state that she felt almost like one might feel returning to a home after a long journey away from it.
Her fanciful brain at work. How could you look forward to returning to a place you had never been to?
Another bridge was crossed and then the sign welcoming her to the state of Texas appeared through the rain and, as if on cue, the rain lessened and through the remaining drops on the windshield, she could see that sunshine shone ahead even though the rain was still falling.
How strange! She shook her head. It was something she had not seen before.
But she’d take it. The dark clouds had decided to stay in Arkansas.
Whatever it was, Ally would take it as a good omen for their trip.
“Wake up, Teddy. Some copilot you are,” she commented as she took an exit onto a side road to pull into a large convenience store/gas station.
“Thanks for the help during that storm. Glad it didn’t interrupt your nap.
” She grinned at her companion as he raised himself up and stretched, looking out the passenger side window to see where they were stopping. Her words did not faze him.
The tank full once again, she pulled into a parking place and then took Teddy out to enjoy the dog park that was part of the amenities of their stop.
It seemed to be quite a popular spot judging by all the cars and people.
Securing the dog back inside the car, she ventured inside to grab a snack and check out what was the draw for such a place.
It was apparent the moment she walked in and was greeted with so many smiles and welcomes.
Texas friendliness was certainly the order of the day. It wasn’t just a slogan on a sign.
The aroma of the fresh-baked foods caught her attention and before long she had bought a sandwich and some other items. When she glanced at her watch, she was surprised at how time had gotten away from her as she browsed one aisle after another. After paying for her items, she returned to the car.
“Remind me to stop here again,” she told Teddy as he eyed her sack.
“This is quite a place. But I want to reach our destination before dark. And no, I didn’t forget you.
” She smiled at him as she withdrew a dog chew bone from the sack between them.
Teddy’s body began to wag in anticipation as he watched her unwrap it and then present it to him on his blanket.
He immediately went to work enjoying it.
“Okay, let’s head due west and see this place Annie loved so much.”
The road was definitely headed due west as the sun was intent on trying to beat them to the horizon ahead.
Its brightness gave Ally a headache and the sunglasses were not much help with the constant glare.
She was glad that she had some reprieve while maneuvering the traffic through Dallas and then through Fort Worth, both huge cities along her route.
For someone who had little experience of highway driving, she was fast becoming attuned to it, but she still was on alert and followed the speed limits when very few others did.
“I guess the posted signs are just suggestions and not the rule,” she joked to the animal beside her. But it was still nerve-racking for a person not used to driving much at all.
Once past the cities, the country became rolling hills, which were a change from the previous scenery.
The GPS on her phone alerted her an hour later that she would need to turn off the main interstate and take a two-lane blacktop country road to the southwest. The hills became even more pronounced, and Ally’s attention was divided more and more between the winding road and the changing countryside with its tall trees and intermittent creeks running through fields that appeared now and then.
The grass was more brownish and tanner in this area, and here and there black cattle could be seen in pastures.