Eleven Days: An Unexpected Love (62 page)

"I'm com
ing
, this suitcase is heavy and it took awhile to lug it downstairs," Gerty whined.
She
knew if
she
whined loud enough,
her
dad would come to
her
rescue.

Harry walked up the stairs and grabbed the suitcase. "You know I wanted to be gone by nine. Now, it's nine-thirty, so you better go to the bathroom before we leave because I'm not stopp
ing
."

Ann listened to the anger in
her
husband's voice. Normally he tried to be a
pat
ient man, but he never had
patience
when it came to be
ing
on time.
Ann
smiled when
she
thought about
how
Gerty
was
born two weeks past
her
due date. Think
ing
back,
she
couldn't remember her
ever be
ing
on time for anyth
ing
.

Everyone piled in the 1968 Mercury Colony Station Wagon, and just before dad drove out of the driveway he asked one last time. "Does anyone need to go to the bathroom? Speak up now or hold it until
we get to
Granny
's." He looked around and no one said anyth
ing
.

Ann smiled as
she
thought no one dared say anyth
ing
because they knew Gerty had already made Harry mad. Everyone
knew to keep their mouths shut
or dad would go into a tyrant for the next thirty minutes.

"Harry, did you remember to go
by the gas
station yesterday?" Ann asked
want
ing
to change the subject.

"Yes I did, I filled up at Gulf gas station, and next stop will be your mom's. I
'm
sure glad the stations started
this
self service
option
, the gas is cheaper. It's nice not hav
ing
to pay
to have my
oil
checked or
my windshield
to be
was
he
d. I can maintenance my car at home." He had calmed down and he reached over and squeezed his wife's hand.

"You know Spiro
won't have
any self service stations," said Ann as
she
pulled down the visor to block the sun.

"I know
, but
I'll find a station that is self service and we'll fill up t
her
e, if not I'll stop at Stuckey's.
It doesn't matter where we stop the price of gas is still high.
Can you believe gas cost .36 cents a gallon, that's highway robbery?" He got mad every time he thought about the price of gas.

Ann wi
she
d
she
had never said a
word
.
She
knew he would gripe about the price of gas for the next fifty miles. "Now Harry you can't fuss, it has been .36 cents for almost a year."
She
always knew the price of gas because he never let
her
forget.

He thought about what Ann said, then took a deep breath. "You're right honey, and I think it has been that price for a while. But it won't stay at that price if we don't get Nixon out of office. Maybe we'll get lucky and he'll resign."

Ann couldn't win for los
ing
, if it's not the gas prices its politics. "Now Harry, you know I don't like
you to talk bad about our president in front of the kids. I want them to grow up
and
ma
ke
their own choices," said Ann as
she
squeezed
her
husband's hand.
She
always knew what to say to calm him down and try to get him off the subject.

"They can make any decision they want as long as they don't vote for Nixon," he said as his face turned red. His face always turned red when he talked about politics.
"Since we're on the subject,
I've
wanted
to ask you
a question. Is your hometown Spiro
named after our vice president Spiro Agnew
?
"

"No, he's from Maryland, but his name did put Spiro on the map. People always ask me that same question, and I think Spiro i
s now as famous as New York City, all
because of our vice president."

Out of now
her
e their conversation
was
interrupted. "You touched me. Mom, Tommy is touch
ing
me," said Gerty annoyed. It happened every time they went anyw
her
e.

"Tommy, please don't touch your sister," answered Ann. On one of these trips
she
planned to tie Tommy to the suitcase rack on the top of the car.
Her
last nerve couldn't take anymore.

"I'm not touch
ing
her
, I'm just gett
ing
really close to
her
face," Tommy said
as he giggled. Tommy and Gerty were identical in looks. The only difference was his hair was curly and never combed, and it always looked windblown. Both got Ann's dark skin and brown eyes, and Harry was thankful they didn't get his white skin. The kids could play hours in the sun and get bronzed. If he spent five minutes in the sun without protection, he turned the color of a
beet
.

Gerty hated
her
seven year old brot
her
.
She
couldn't wait to be alone with
her
granny
for a week. A whole week! A week without this monster!
She
couldn't wait to get rid of
her
bratty brot
her
. One day
she
planned on knock
ing
the snot out of him. "Mom, his f
ing
er is almost pick
ing
my nose. Leave me alone you little brat. If dad hit's a big bump your f
ing
er will go up my nose and into my brain."

"What brain?" Tommy giggled not mov
ing
one inch.

"I can't wait to get away, I wish I could stay two weeks with
Granny
," chimed in Gerty as
she
put
her
f
ing
er up to
her
brot
her
's face.
She
wanted to show him what it felt like, to have a f
ing
er nearly pick
ing
his nose.

"I wish you would stay forever then I can be the only child," said Tommy while mak
ing
clown faces at his sister.

"You're disgust
ing
," said Gerty.

Without any forewarn
ing
Tommy took Gerty's f
ing
er and stuck it up his nose, giggl
ing
the whole time.

"Oh my God, I've got cooties. You are the most despicable person on the face of the earth. You are a paramoeba," said Gerty as
she
tried to wipe the boogers off
her
f
ing
er. If mom and dad weren't in the car
she
would have clobbered him.

"Well, you're a … you're a…..
a
monkey face," Tommy screamed at
her
. His mind went blank, but at least he tried to make fun of
her
. "It's sad you have no friends and you have to look words up in the dictionary."

"It's sad you're so dumb," said Gerty as
she
held
her
hand out the window to blow off the boogers.   

Fin
ally, Harry had enough. "B
oth of you stop fight
ing
,
and don't make me pull over this car. You know what happens when I pull over this car."

Tommy laughed. "You'll sick mom on us."

Everyone laughed.