Escaping Nowhere: Chapter 3
88 Road to Nowhere, Strangetown
Jenny drove through Road to Nowhere until she stopped at what looked like a little chapel right in front. “We’re here! This place used to belong to the Strangetown City Government, until they abandoned it many years back.”
She then led Mary-Sue and Goneril to the white building right beside the chapel, which appeared to be a tiny store with a bit of everything one can think of: gadgets, groceries, and gadgets.
It wasn’t the best in terms of variety, given the size, but enough basics to get by for a quick stopover.
Goneril pursued the rather limited selection in front of her. “Watcher, the threads here look flimsy, to say the least. I doubt this would last even one cycle in the wash.”
“We can’t all be choosers here, Gon.” Mary-Sue said. “This isn’t a bespoke shop.”
After practically scrambling the clothing rack, she found a few pieces she liked and went up the changing booth upstairs. While waiting for her to finish changing up, Mary-Sue went ahead and chatted with some of the Strangetown residents
“Loki Beaker, world-renowned scientist. And you?”
“Mary-Sue Pleasant. Mary-Sue Oldie once my divorce is finalized. Currently...in between jobs at the moment.”
Jenny gave Mary-Sue a little nudge once she sensed that the conversation with him could get longer.
Soon after, Goneril peeked out of the changing booth with her first choice. “Hmm, is this okay?”
Jenny shook her head, forcing Goneril to go back to the changing booth to try another set of clothes.
“What about now?”
Jenny forced a grin. “That is a very cute outfit, and it looks great on you.”
“But, it’s not really appropriate for Strangetown weather.” Mary-Sue continued.
Goneril sighed and went back. “Man, I wanted to keep the top.”
A third and fourth try finally clinched the deal. “Okay, I’m taking these. This is oddly comfortable.”
It was quite a departure from her usual attire but, the more she thought about it, a welcome one.
The act of choosing clothes seemed like a trivial exercise to some, but for her, something about doing it in a place where she didn’t know a single soul felt so...freeing. Knowing that her every move wouldn’t be watched by prying eyes helped her relax immensely.
Contrast that with her life back home - where the nearest shop back home was right across from her father’s house, where whispers and murmurs would surely happen if she did anything that remotely circumvented the facade she was struggling to keep up with...
Having new company outside the three families she saw day in and day out certainly helped.
The Smith House, Strangetown
The rest of the day was spent back in the Smith home, basking in the sun. For hours, they chatted about everything from private school stories, to politics, to the best restaurants.
Suddenly, Jenny smelled something burning from beside her. “You smell something, ladies? It’s like something’s on fire.”
Turns out Jenny was right. PT turned up the heat to prep some barbecued chicken a little too much and set the grill on fire instead.
Mary-Sue rushed to get the fire extinguisher from the porch. “I got this!”
Due to her quick reflexes, the flames died down after a few minutes.
“I hope you’re okay with char-grilled chicken for dinner tonight.”, PT sheepishly offered.
After everyone settled down for dinner, Mary-Sue offered a proposal to Jenny. “So, Jenny, do you want to join me and Gon on a road trip tomorrow? We have a bit of time to kill, so we decided to try to rent a car and hit the road until we could fly back.”
Jenny winced in apprehension. “I don’t know. I haven’t ventured on my own, much less outside Strangetown since Johnny was a toddler. What if something happens to the kids and I’m not there?”
Goneril supported the proposal. “Come on, Jenny. It’s gonna be fun. We have a rough idea of the places we’re gonna go but otherwise it’s all open-ended. Besides, PT’s here. They’re gonna be fine.”
“But--”
Just then, PT held her hand in reassurance. “We’ll be fine, my love. Everyone’s gonna be in one piece when you get back.”
Jenny pondered for a moment. Perhaps a break would do her a lot of good before she retired from her nursing job in a few months. “Oh, alright, I should give this road trip thing a try. Just no grilling until I get back, okay?”
PT gave a hearty laugh. “Okay, okay, no barbecue for two weeks.”
The next morning, just before sunrise, Jenny, Mary-Sue, and Goneril loaded Jenny’s van and prepared to jet off for the trip that simply happened.
Before they rode the car, Jill ran off for one last hug. “Love you, Ma. Don’t forget to send photos of the ocean.”
“Of course, sweetie.”
“Take care, Ma. You’ll come back in time before I move to LFT, right?”
Jenny laughed. “Johnny, I’ll only be out for two weeks. Not two months.”
PT was the last person to send her off. “Have fun, dear. Don’t forget to write when you can.”
“Oh, PT, I wish I was taking this trip with y’all.”
PT looked into her eyes with the same sense of calm he always had. “Jenny, you’ll be fine. I’m sure they won’t let anything bad happen to you on the trip. In any case, I’m just call away if you need me.”
It had been a long time since Jenny had gone on a trip without him by her side, which didn’t help with her nerves one bit, but PT always knew exactly what to do, what to say.
She also knew that the moment she got in that car and drove away, she would lose that safety net of home.
“I know, but I’m still kind of nervous all the same.”
PT simply smiled at her and squeezed her hand. “Love you, Jenny.”
“Love you too, PT.” Jenny answered back, choking back some tears.
She then let PT go and got inside the car. “Bladders already empty?” Jenny asked her passengers, “we don’t want anyone getting a UTI during the trip.”
Mary-Sue and Goneril responsed in chorus. “Yup, ready!”
“Alright. We’re gonna go to the gas station to fill up first before we leave Strangetown.” Jenny continued.
“We should probably buy some snacks in the store too.”, Goneril said.
Jenny then revved up the engine and zoomed out of the house she wouldn’t be seeing for the next couple of weeks.
