In which we actually, finally, make it to our cottage in Prince Edward Island...
29. Road Trip Part 2 (May 2013)
It was late
afternoon by the time the car was ready to go, and no one wanted to delay the
departure in order to get some early dinner. Why not just get it on the way?
Mister suggested ordering takeout pizza an hour down the road. The plan was
heartily approved, and a place duly found and called. About forty-five minutes
later though, Kate and Mister exchanged uneasy glances.
They called
up to the front seat, “Have you seen any signs for Biddeford ? Maybe Alfred St. ?”
“No-oo,”
came the uncertain response. “Could we have passed it already?”
Kate and
Mister kept a weather eye out for the anticipated pizza exit, but a few minutes
later it became clear that they were well past it. Kate thought forlornly of
the abandoned pizza behind them. If only they had internet, they could look up
another place and try again…time to call a friend! But Kelsey’s mom was unavailable. And Mister tried
his tech-savvy brother and cousin, also to no avail. Finally, Kelsey’s sister
graciously looked up a phone number, address, and directions from the
interstate for them. And by the time they got there, it was the best, most
delicious pizza Kate had ever tasted. She knew in theory that this wasn’t true,
but it was satisfying to the tips of her fingers and the point of her nose in a
way that made her simultaneously want to slowly savor each bite and devour an
entire piece all at once.
After
dinner, Kate took a shift driving. This was her favorite part of the day, with
the evening sun painting the sky with soft but striking colors. It
didn’t take long to get out into tree country, and Kate felt a cool peace
sliding over her soul. She grinned happily at Mister. “I love these trees,” she
said, quietly, in the way that she always did when she was dreadfully
understating something. “It’s just like being home.”
The sky
grew darker and the road grew slower and narrower, but Kate still loved the
open expanse of sky and trees. Then a sleepy voice piped up from the back. “Mommy?
I have to go potty.” Kate did too. She promised to pull over at the first gas
station. But another ten miles down the road and there was no gas station! Eventually, Kate just pulled off into a
clearing. She grabbed a tissue or two and did her business at the edge of the
wood. Little Rose, who had requested the stop, had never (in her short time of
being potty trained) gone potty without a
potty! The ordeal was too trying—or exciting—and she could get nothing out.
The trees
of Maine blurred into the trees of Canada , when
all of a sudden, there appeared a large clearing and a massive, intimidating
cold steel structure. They were at the border to New Brunswick! James, who was driving at the
time, handed over everyone’s passports. The Canadian patrol was stiff and brisk
as he asked the standard questions.
“Where are
you going?” (Prince Edward Island )
“How long
are you staying?” (Nine days)
“Are you
all coming from Oregon ?”
(Pause…No, from Boston .
Well, five of us from Boston ,
and two from DC)
Strange
look. “But the Oregon
license plate?” (Going through law school. I’m a student in Boston
and my brother-in-law is a graduate student in Virginia .)
“Okay. Any
explosives, weapons, chemicals?” (Looking around… Nope)
Once the
group was past the checkpoint, Kelsey whacked her husband’s leg. “What were
doing looking around...as if you weren’t sure whether or not we had guns or
explosives?”
James
merely grinned and said what any such accused husband could: “I don’t know.”
Many hours
later, James pulled onto a bumpy dirt road, jarring Kate fully out of her half
sleep. She opened her eyes, and only moments later they pulled onto the grassy
turf in front of a cute little cottage. Kelsey started unbuckling her sleeping daughters.
“We’re here in Prince Edward Island
“Where’s Anne?” she asked.
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