FFXIAH Linkshell Ni

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Somewhere near Tallahassee....

We finally limped into florida on a wing and a Buddhist prayer after so many stops the hippy couple were in tears when we pulled over YET AGAIN, about ten minutes after we left the rest area, this time at a mall. The hippy guy was screaming now, hysterical after this 47,000,000th stop.. The problem now, as Jim Dandy explained it, was that on top of hope we were also out of money, gas, oil, radiator fluid, food, beer etc. and we could no longer continue on...

Not without a full day of panhandling to refill or depleted coffers. Well, that was final final straw and hippy guy's brain snapped. He abandoned hope, and they decided to press on, on their own, by foot if necessary ANYTHING, including walking to tampa would be better than god knows how many more days it would take us to limp there in that god forsaken van. So they grabbed their things, stopping only long enough to berate Jim Dandy for squandering their money and sanity a few more times and they stormed off towards the highway...

We spent the day hustling rubes for change in the mall, Adventure Mickey and I had already picked up all the tricks of the trade from Jim Dandy and the Gypsies and by Tallahassee we were seasoned veterans.
We kept about 90% of what we earned contributing the rest to the community pool. But even with our merciless skimming off the top, by nightfall we had earned enough to restart our trip and the night shift mall cops were not very happy we were still around.

As we eased the Pequod back to the road and onward towards the highway, and low and behold, Adventure Mickey in the crow's nest spotted the young hippy couple with their thumbs out on the entrance ramp to the highway. "Do you want a lift?" Jim Dandy asked as if he had just seen them for the first time in his life... The answer, a stream of profanity, left no question that the young hippy couple were still dead set on fending for themselves rather than subjecting themselves to even five more minutes in that van. Jim, still not recognizing them, shrugged and drove away.

The gypsies were next to quit... somewhere near jacksonville, the pace slowing again to a standstill, they hugged everyone goodbye and set out. And so, having no need to continue on towards Tampa (which we had never made the turn south towards anyways) we turned hard to port, heading north now... drifting lazily.. Somewhere in there Jim Dandy adopted Adventure Mickey and I and in his con we became his sons. Our van was in desperate need of repairs and he and his two sons were on our way up north back to our jobs which waited for us there.

Alas, at some point even Adventure Mickey grew tired of the pace of travel, The reason the pace was so merciless was this. We would panhandle all day, drive a little ways, then drink and fall asleep for a few hours and repeat.So one night he and Jim Dandy found a van like "ours" at a used car lot and pilfered a new.radiator, the tires, and god knows what else while I was sleeping. They worked almost until sunrise stealing everything they could with the makeshift tools from Jim Dandy's tool box. Fully rested I drove while they slept and we made a huge leap North!!! Bounding across georgia waves passing stop after glorious stop while Jim Dandy slumbered.

Jim Dandy was a little upset we had passed by so many opportunities but A-HA!!!! Now we were cooking with gas. Quickly the new plan was firmly set in motion. I slept that afternoon while they panhandled and then at nightfall we fed Jim Dandy beer and sleeping pills and I took off driving like a bat out of hell for Cincinnati again.

Maybe it was the exhaust fumes but swear I heard the angel's choir upon seeing the Cincinnatti skyline it was a glorious trifecta I had never been so happy to be out of a van, away from a person and in Cincinnati as I was on that day. When Jim Dandy woke up groggy eyed, he was sad to find us leaving. But we're just getting started! Let's keep going! he exclaimed. But we were done. Our journey was still far from over, but the chapter with Jim Dandy, had, at long last come to an end...

Go easy "dad"
/wave

I know so much about cars! They go VROOOM!