Our Journey Through Hell

Writer's cramp 8/24 entry

Writer's Cramp:
A large truck, a cross-country journey, and...
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The fact that my fiancé, Dennis, and I from one state half way across the country did not occur to me that it would be the trial of the century. It was definitely harder than I had expected. The move from California to Missouri was a nightmare waiting to happen.

First of all we got stuck on the top of the Cajon Pass in the California desert in the 100ºF heat when Dennis’s car decided that the fan belt broke. He went to the Call Box on the side of the road, which was no help at all. The operator told him point blank that if he did not have AAA there was nothing they could do. They could not even call for a tow truck or police officer. So that was a failure and we are still stuck on the side of the road.

As we sat there in distress I asked Dennis “Hun is there any way you can coast the car down the Pass?” as I pointed down the big hill I added “I see a garage down in the valley there maybe they can help us.”

His immediate response, before even really thinking was “No!”

“OK, what do you want to do then?”

“I don’t know,” I guess I should add that Dennis has never done well with the unexpected.

I continued questioning him about getting down the hill until finally trying my recommendation of trying to coast it down the hill. Although grumbling and reluctant still he agreed to try my option. Heck, he had not thought of a thing.

Anyway, to make a long story short, we made it to the garage and the mechanic told us that indeed the belt had disintegrated into ash. He added that it usually happens when the belt is put on too tight.

OK, about 3 hours later we were back on the road with a new belt and two people that were distressed and ready to kill each other. Thankfully, we were in separate cars or I think we would have killed each other. I was following Dennis because of the fact that his car was the most likely to breakdown as it had done.

We made it only to Kingman, AZ that day because of our mishaps. I was just glad to get into a hotel room and rest that night. The first day was only the beginning of a very long journey to Columbia, MO. The second day became worse than the first.

On the second day we got to Flagstaff, AZ around lunchtime. We knew that a thunderstorm was nearby because of the dark clouds, that made it look like night, were very close to Flagstaff . So we quickly made sandwiches and got back on the road.

We did not even get out of Flagstaff when the thunderstorm hit us with a vengeance. With the large to trailer semi truck ahead of us Dennis decided to pull over and wait out the storm. So we sat in our individual cars for about 15 minutes. Luckily by then it had subsided enough where we could see.

This was the day that Dennis decided that we needed to get to a certain place before stopping for the night. What this meant was driving for nearly 13 hours. He was convinced that because we lost time the day before that we absolutely had to pick it up the very next day.

We made it to Santa Rosa, NM with my emotions flaring. I was mad because I was at that time hungry, tried and much much more that I will not mention here. I will say that at Denney’s that night I was furious and was ready to turn back towards California the next day.

I did end up sticking it out though. I was angry, though. He knew never to do that to me again.

The very next day we made it to Norman, OK where his sisters were waiting for us to arrive. Thankfully Iwe got there pretty early that evening. We enjoyed the evening.

The next morning however when we got ready to take our last leg on our journey to Columbia, MO my car would not reverse. There was something wrong. Shit, what now?

I tried to take it to a garage in Norman but they did not have time to get it in that morning and thus we started to leave. That was when my car started working again, with a sigh of relief I reversed and we were able to start back on the road again.

By the time we actually got on the highway it was 12pm, lunchtime. This is a nightmare, The hell we have had to pay all along the way was dragging on me emotionally and physically. I could not stop crying wondering why a pregnant woman, as I was, was trying to make this journey in the first place. I should stayed in California was my only thoughts at this time.

Somehow, someway we made it to Columbia, MO with emotions flaring and both of us extremely exhausted. But we made it. Here we where the place we would call home for the next 5 years. We were in Misery our destination.