Chapter 3: To infinity….and hopefully not beyond (to the grave)

January 3 - 4

The time had come, we were on the road, and we were in a rush. There was a 4:30 p.m. showing of the new Sherlock Holmes movie in a Fort Collins theater which was actually the inspiration for our 3:45 move out deadline. It was pushing 4 when we left (for those of you who don’t know, Fort Collins is like 45 minutes from Cheyenne). We still needed gas, and I wanted to sell some books back to the college. After some frantic, stressed-about-time debating Hunter and I decided that we needed whatever money we could get. To the college we headed. Of course every single light in the whole stinking city had to turn red. I mean for real! It’s like someone was behind the scenes switching all the lights to red saying, “you’ll never shut down the real napster” (name that movie). Anyways though, medium-length story short, after like a million hours we got to the school and received $89 for our troubles. Kaching!

When we finally got to the theater it was a little after 5. We chilled for a while and watched the 6:05 showing. It was a pretty great movie by the way. Way worth it. Also, on a separate-ish note we had free movie tickets from Christmas. There was no frivolous spending involved. Anyways, around 8:30 p.m. we continued on with our 15 hour journey…

As you can imagine, there wasn’t too much excitement during those long, uncomfortable hours. It wasn’t until about 2 in the morning that we came to a realization, and it changed our lives forever………..

Not really, we were just really hungry, because we hadn’t eaten all day (and I don’t mean the new day of the 4th that started at midnight, though we hadn’t eaten that day either). Apparently in New Mexico, most food establishments aren’t open at 2 in the morning. Who would’ve thought right? Out of desperation we pulled into maybe 3 or 4 different towns. There was nothing, not an open sign in sight. Worrying that Hunter might just eat me if we didn’t find something quick, I made one last attempt. There they loomed, bright and beautiful, the golden arches (cue dramatic music). Never has McDonald’s tasted so good. Six burgers, $6, and enough calories to last a week (just what we needed) later, we were satisfied. The start of our new was just a little bit brighter.

Other than a minor margarine mishap – It had melted and was dripping… everywhere! On my scripture case…not pleasant. Down Hunter’s arm…not right. (What movie?) – We (finally) arrived in Thatcher at around noon without incident. We pulled into the college parking lot and turned off the Baby. Hunter and I looked at each other with “now what” expressions on our faces. I assessed our situation. I had just left my stable (though only marginally) life in Cheyenne and had moved to Arizona with my brother…on a whim. All of my “prized possessions” were in the back of my Baby Truck. We didn’t know anyone, and had nowhere to stay… Bring it on.