Adventure - Finally

Adventure Part III… After leaving the kitty behind we headed out with the hope of driving as far as we could` without a break. we stopped just short of Columbia South Carolina at a Mcdonald's to relax, refresh, get gas, and eat!! Skippy was kind enough to buy us all lunch, and after we finished, we actually were refreshed, Skippy was physically able to continue in her place on the floor of the Truck between the seats (she was on pillows) and we moved on. With a full tank and a refreshed body, we moved on. Now, I mentioned earlier that I-26 in South Carolina was a rough drive, and it was, it looked as if the state was attempting to fix the roads, cutting the highway to enhance drainage, or just specifically trying to fix bad concrete/asphalt. What they did, however, was to make the road more bumpy, causing the truck to bounce and dance extremely hard, making the drive worse than it should have. As we moved on to Georgia we passed the exit to Augusta, and I nearly cried because I have always wanted to go to Augusta National, but we moved on. Georgia wasn't a big deal, the road was fine, and there were no issues. We passed the Florida Border and both Skippy and myself said to Squishy… Welcome Home… she was excited, relieved, and for the first time in a couple of years she was excited for the future, which made Skippy and I very happy. This trip was all about her, and to see her happy to be back in Florida was a strong relief to us. The biggest obstacle remaining was Jacksonville… I hate driving through Jax because it is a huge city and the roads through the city can be confusing. Hence the GPS (Google) took us to 295, instead of driving straight through on 95, so we went the long way around the city, in my mind, delaying our arrival by 20-30 minutes. we finally get back to 95 with no incident and headed south to Daytona, where we would branch off to I-4 so that we can pick up Skippy’s car at the hotel we stayed at on Thursday night. The route caused us to take a toll road… now keep in mind that we did not activate the E-Pass on the truck, so after stopping and paying for the first leg of the toll road, we then proceeded to use the express lane, depending on Toll by plate. Though it was easier to go that way, I later found out that there would be a daily charge plus tolls for pay per plate. I haven’t received that bill yet, but expect it to come soon enough. After all of that, we arrived at the Hampton Airport Hotel, picked up Skippy’s car, and she and Squishy got into the car, leaving me alone in the Truck for the last leg of the journey to Ft Pierce, FL. We took the Beeline Expressway (also a toll road) to I-95 and headed south. after 90 minutes, we arrived at our exit to Ft Pierce and proceeded to drive to Squishy’s new home. Skippy lives in Vero Beach and was 40 mins from home. we decided to unload the truck immediately so Skippy could get home. We unloaded the truck, and put Squishy’s belongings in the house, after which, Skippy left for home, I sat and chatted with Squishy and her new roommate for about an hour or so, partaking in some alcoholic beverages to mellow me out and relax. At about 10pm I finally crashed, sleeping like a baby for several hours, waking up at 7am the next morning. after having an expresso, I proceeded to Budget to turn in the truck and get the rental car I had reserved Wednesday night to get me home. I returned the truck, and they gave me a Mazda SUV to get me to Lakeland, nice car, but not exactly good enough to say I would buy one… before I headed home I made a stop in Vero to Skippy’s Barbershop to get a haircut. We said our goodbyes and promised we would see each other soon, and I was on my way. On the way out of town, I stopped at Wendy’s for lunch and ate as I drove to get out of town. Now, as for the drive, imagine if you will… driving from Vero Beach to Lakeland, involves driving SR 60 to Lake Wales and then to Bartow. The road is 4-lane from Vero to Yeehaw Junction, but after that it is just a two-lane highway for 40 miles. There are three spots that are called passing lanes and I was able to make up some time. after getting through Lake Wales, I was in the home stretch, I arrived in Bartow, shortly before 3pm, and headed north on US 98 towards Lakeland. I stopped at a Race Track to top off the tank and managed to get home at about 3pm on Monday. I had until noon on Tuesday to return the car, so I decided to wait overnight to return it. My neighbor was kind enough to follow me to Budget to return the car, and then take me back home. I was sore, I was tired, and luckily I had Tuesday off. I rested all day Tuesday, trying to refresh for work the next day (today) . I went to work today full of hope and promise. In closing, I want to get romantic, reflective, and hopeful for the future. Skippy and I spent the majority of the weekend rediscovering each other, catching up from the last 30 years, getting to know each other again, and discovering that we still, after all of these years have so much in common, the same likes, the same music, the same politics (kind of) and realizing that after all of these years, we still love each other. I can’t imagine a future without her, I can't imagine growing into old age without her by my side, and I can't imagine her not being in my life. I never thought I would ever rediscover love in my lifetime, after two failed marriages, horrible dating experiences, and spending the last 15 years of my life alone. I have a refreshed outlook on the future, and in a place I haven’t been in a very long time. I am grateful to have her back in my life, and we are just now planning for the future, which will involve one of us moving our life to a new place. I will end this story on a positive note… I will always remember this adventure and will look back as the defining moment of the final chapter of my life. I am in Love, I don’t care how anyone looks at it, nor do I regret anything. I love her, I need her, and I want to spend the rest of my life with her. Thank you for reading this journey, please wish me well for the future.