Chapter 1
“Am I doing the right thing?” Mariah asked herself as she pulled away from the office where she had worked as a bookkeeper for the past few years. Her former employer and coworkers had given her a nice luncheon and a big bouquet of roses. It had been all she could do not to start blubbering like a baby as the guys, who had been like her own sons, had each hugged her goodbye.
She has finally retired! She had been working for a long time to put away enough money to be able to do this but now the day she had longed for was finally here. She was uncertain and more than a little afraid that maybe she was making a mistake. Was she going to have enough money to be able to live comfortably for the rest of her life? What if……….no, she wasn’t going to let herself worry about the “what if” obstacles that life seemed to have an extremely uncanny way of aiming at her. If it was going to happen, there wasn’t much she could do about preventing it and she would deal with it, if or rather when it happened, just as she always had. Besides, she had a plan this time! Her mother was probably doing flip flops in her grave but for once, Mariah wasn’t going to think about whether or not anyone else approved.
“Besides, if things don’t go as planned, at least I still have the income from my stories until my social security kicks in to keep me going.” She thought to herself as she pulled onto the highway. It was a short trip to the house where she had lived for the past few years. She didn’t think of it as “home” because no matter how much effort she put into the house to bring it up to date or how many times she had rearranged things, it had just never felt like a home to her. It was just where she kept her stuff until now. Some stuff had gone into storage but she had spent most of every weekend for the past few months having garage sales to get rid of a lot of the stuff she had managed to collect over the years. Last weekend, she had an auction company come in and sell all of the remaining furniture and stuff that she would not be keeping. The only really “frivolous” thing she had kept had been her fairy collection because they had all been gifts from family and friends over the years and silly as it may sound to anyone else, they were special to her and she could not bear to part with them now. She had built a large special shadow box to house them and they would be hung on the bedroom wall of her new home.
Mariah had poured money into the 1950’s ranch house for years and while everyone else had thought she was nuts for having spent the money, no one could deny that she had made remarkable improvements. Enough so that she was able to sell the house for almost double what she had originally paid for it. She had updated the kitchen because it didn’t have enough counter space and the layout made it hard to prepare a meal without wearing herself out. The original and only bathroom had been small and cramped. The toilet, the sink and the bathtub were all the turquoise green that had been such the rage back in the 50’s! The toilet had been cracked and even though it didn’t leak, it seemed to collect some kind of crud around the base that could only be cleaned with a paint scraper on her hands and knees. That and the fact that she had no water pressure in the shower meant she had to redo the plumbing anyway so a couple of years ago, she bit the bullet and fixed it all at once in addition to adding a second bathroom at the other end of the house for guests. She was very pleased with the results and now the expense was paying off.
As she turned onto her street, she saw a car parked in front of her house and as she pulled closer she realized it was the realtor that had sold her house to the sweet young couple that would be moving in soon.
“Hi Mr. Wilson. What brings you here?” Mariah asked as she parked in the driveway and he came down off the porch, another addition she had made to the house.
“Hi Mariah. I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news but very happy that I also have good news.” Mr. Wilson said as he opened her car door for her.
“Uh-oh! What’s up?” Mariah hesitated getting out of the car, thinking that maybe she had better remain seated for any bad news he was going to give her.
“Come on, let’s go inside out of the heat and I’ll tell you what’s happening.” Mr. Wilson held out his hand to help her out of the car. It was mid-August and the heat was overpowering, so he got no argument from her.
“Ok. There’s not much left to sit on. I was just stopping by to do a final check that I have everything. I’ve got a cleaning service coming this afternoon to do the heavy cleaning that I just couldn’t manage on my own. They should be here soon.” Mariah said, as she opened the front door.
There was a folding yard chair and a plastic crate, that she had been using as a step stool and table over the weekend when she had been here packing out, that were sitting in the middle of the floor in the den. She had been sleeping in her sisters’ spare bedroom for the past week since all of her belongings had been sold or put in storage.
Once they were seated, Mr. Wilson on the plastic crate and she in the chair, he put on his reading glasses and opened the folder he had been carrying. “Well, like I said, I hate being the bearer of bad news but the financing fell through for the Coopers, the young couple that had planned on buying the house, and they are having to back out of the deal.”
“Oh no! I thought it was all arranged! Oh what am I going to do now? I’ve already signed a contract to buy the RV and I’m supposed to meet with them tomorrow to make the payment and pick it up so I can start my trip. I can’t do that unless I have the money from this sale!” Mariah felt like crying. Her day had started off so nice but it seemed that it was going to end in disaster!
“Now don’t get all upset. I told you I’ve also got good news.” Mr. Wilson said, patting her hand. “I’ve already got another offer on the house. They are paying the full asking price and are at the bank right now making all the arrangements. They have even offered to pay all of the closing costs because they don’t want to negotiate. They just want to move in as soon as possible! That will save you a lot of money! Apparently, they need to move in as soon as possible. They’ve been living in a hotel for the past couple of weeks and from the sound of it, she’s about to divorce him if they don’t find a place soon. She loved your kitchen and the fact that they are within easy walking distance to an elementary school. They have 2 kids in 2nd and 3rd grade so this place will work out perfectly for them. They had looked at it right before the Coopers did and had liked it but they were new to the area then and wanted to look a bit more before deciding. She was very upset when she called last week to hear that we already had a buyer.”
“Oh that is good news! Whew! I thought I was going to have to call my boss and tell him not to hire the girl I’ve been training to do my job!” Mariah said. “So will this cause me a delay with my plans?”
“Well, if these people get the approval from the bank then it shouldn’t be more than a few days at most.” Just then his phone rang and he excused himself to take the call. Mariah stood to begin her final walk through the now empty house while Mr. Wilson talked on the phone. She couldn’t help but overhear most of his conversation as he was one of those people that seemed to think they had to raise their voice when on the phone, like the person on the other end wouldn’t be able to hear them if they didn’t almost shout.
“Yes, if everything is in order with the bank, I’m almost positive there won’t be a problem with you moving in right away. Let me check with the owner and I’ll get back to you.” Mr. Wilson said. Mariah heard him snap his phone shut and step back into the room.
“You know without even asking, that they could move into tonight so long as they have the money.” Mariah smiled at Mr. Wilson. “I’m sorry but I couldn’t help but overhear. Sound really carries in an empty house.”
“I thought that would be the case. I’ll call them right back and let them know that they can move in as soon as they have the check to cover the sale.” Mr. Wilson smiled at her and reopened his phone and hit redial.
Just then the doorbell rang and Mariah went to answer the door. It was the cleaning crew and while Mr. Wilson finished up his call, Mariah instructed the cleaning crew on what needed to be done. Mariah prided herself on the fact that she had always left any place she lived cleaner when she left than it had been when she moved in. The only difference this time was that she had hired a cleaning crew to do the work she usually did herself.
Mr. Wilson called the buyers, then his office and gave his secretary all the information and told her to have the paperwork ready for signatures this afternoon. “The buyers are very anxious to get out of that hotel.” He said to Mariah as soon as he hung up. “Can you stop by my office around 3 o’clock to sign the paperwork?”
“I’ll be there with bells on and pen in hand.” Mariah smiled back at him.
Exactly one week later, Mariah was finally on her way. The contract had been signed for the sale of her house and she was finally able to take possession of the RV she would be living in for at least the next year while she toured the US. She had visited and put flowers on her parent’s graves and said goodbye to her sister and her family. Her friends had given her a whiz bang going away party Saturday night and she wished she could take them all with her.
But for this leg of the trip, her only traveling companion would be the dog she had adopted from the pound a couple of days ago. Mariah had not intended to adopt a dog the day she went with her sister to update her dogs licenses but she had let her niece, Ariel, pull her into the kennel area while they waited for Laney to finish her business at the counter. Mariah had spotted the small dog watching her as she moved through the kennel with her niece. It never took its eyes off of her and stood and wagged its tail as they approached. When Mariah had read the posted notice outside its cage, she didn’t even stop to think about all the reasons she didn’t want the responsibility of a pet, especially now. But the sign said that the small 2 year old, fixed female would be put down in 3 days if she wasn’t adopted soon and that had tugged at her heart and she just couldn’t walk away and hope that fate would step in and save the cute little dog. The lady at the front desk had told Mariah that the dog must have had some training as she followed simple commands like heal and sit and she was housebroken, which in Mariah’s book had been the deciding factor. She was not up to training a dog to go outside to take care of its business. The small reddish brown dog had reminded Mariah so much of another dog she had adopted many years ago, not because of her coloring but because of her temperament.
Happy, a Maltese/terrier mix, had been a good dog and a great companion and it had saddened Mariah for months when she had died. This new dog didn’t look anything like Happy, who had been a mud-caked mess when she had first seen her, had curly white hair after she had been bathed and trimmed. This new dog had been described on the kennel flier as a dachshund mix but what she was mixed with was a mystery. She wasn’t as short as most dachshund’s but not a tall dog at all. Her nose wasn’t as pointy as a dachshund either, it was more rounded. She did have short, smooth hair and the pointy ears and smallish paws that made her look very dainty when she walked. She had the same markings of a mini pincher and Mariah wondered if that was at least one of the mystery breeds in her background. She barely weighed 3 lbs when Mariah had adopted her but after some good food and care, she now weighed closer to 5 lbs and her coat was a smooth reddish brown with light beige patches on her chest, under her chin and around her eyes. Mariah hadn’t really decided on a name for her yet but the dog didn’t seem to mind and would answer her instructions without question no matter what Mariah called her so she was in no rush to decide on one but so far, Lady seemed to fit her except when anyone came to the house or near Mariah, then the dog would turn in to a noisy little ball of energy, barking and growling like crazy. Mariah was seriously considering Sybil after the movie character known for split personalities.
“Just one quick stop at the store for something cold to drink and some sandwich supplies and we’ll be on our way!” Mariah told the dog in her travel kennel on the floor behind her. Mariah had allowed the dog to sit on the seat next to her only once and it had nearly given her heart failure when they pulled up at a stop light next to a truck loaded with large hunting dogs tied in the back and the dog felt she had to protect Mariah from the “threat” of the other dogs. She had gone off like a firecracker, barking and jumping up and down on the inside of the door. It was a good thing that Mariah had secured her to the seat and had only rolled down the window a crack or the dog would have jumped out of the window to its certain death. Suicide had almost become her name that day!
Mariah quickly got what she wanted at the store, including some doggie treats for her newly acquired pet and made her way back to the RV. She couldn’t help but giggle to herself as she climbed in. “How convenient when you can park your house right outside the supermarket!”
Mariah put away her groceries, gave the dog her treat, Mariah used the bathroom and they were on their way. Mariah started the RV and carefully checked the rearview mirrors, as she wasn’t really used to the backup camera screen that was installed on the dashboard, out of habit more than necessity since it took two stalls to park the large vehicle. She had parked using two stalls at the very end of the parking lot so that no one would be inconvenienced or cause unnecessary damage to the vehicle. She pulled onto the road that would take her to the interstate then smiled and waved at the biker whose jaw dropped when he saw it was a woman driving the large RV as she stopped at a traffic light.
Mariah had visited the RV dealership weekly for months before deciding on the one she had chosen. She knew she would be living in it for at least a year so she wanted to make sure she had one that would accommodate all of her needs. After all, this was a big investment and she didn’t want to settle on one that would make her regret her decision to sell her house. Granted this was a big step down, space wise from her 3 bed, 2 bath house. But she still had a queen sized bed and a tiny but full service bathroom that wasn’t totally disgusting to maintain and she felt she could be perfectly comfortable living in it, at least for a while. It also had a compact but full service kitchen that could be used even while moving and the bench seats that served as seating for the dining table could be folded out for more sleeping areas, if needed, and a pop up that had spaces for 2 twin bed cots on top. All in all, it could sleep 6 people. But even with all of that, it drove like a bus or large truck. It wasn’t brand new but had only had one owner before her, who had maintained it very well. She had gotten a really good deal on it, thanks to her former bosses’ brother who was a partner of the RV business where she had purchased it.
Mariah drove for several hours, enjoying the scenery and listening to the radio. She almost didn’t hear her cell phone ringing. She glanced at the display and quickly pushed the answer button and then the speaker icon on the screen. “Hang on and let me pull over.” Mariah told the caller. She was already in the right lane so she slowed down and turned on her blinker before pulling on to the shoulder. Once she had parked, she hit the flashers button, grabbed the dog leash and quickly hooked it onto the dogs’ collar before grabbing her cell phone. She opened the door to the RV and didn’t even have to encourage the dog outside as it quickly followed her to the ground and ran for the grassy area near the side of the road to take care of its business.
“Hi kiddo! What’s up?” Mariah said, to her oldest daughter, Samantha.
“Hi Mom. Was just wondering how things were going? How far have you gotten? Which direction did you decide to go?” Samantha asked.
“Ha-ha! Things are going great so far. Just got on the road this morning! The sale of the house got kind of messed up at the end but I finally got it sold and the money is in the bank! I’m headed north for the moment. Didn’t you download the link I told you about? I wish you would. It would comfort me a lot to know that someone is hooked up and keeping somewhat of an eye on my whereabouts.” Her boss had gifted her a GPS locator unit and the guys had installed it on the RV a couple of days before she left. Anyone that had access to the website could see, at any given moment, exactly where she was.
“I think Kevin has it figured out but he’s not home right now. You know computers hate me! Are you going to go see Aunty Jessica?” Samantha asked.
“Yeah, I told her we would head in that direction but she still says she doesn’t want to go. You know how she is, Sam. She’s become such a hermit in her old age. Would do her a world of good to get out of that house but she refuses to go anywhere! I don’t care, I’m going to see something of this country! I’ve always wanted to do this and I’m really excited about it.” Mariah told her daughter.
“I know. I just wish you had someone with you. Scares me to think you might break down somewhere and you’ll be all alone.” Samantha told her. Mariah could hear the worry in her daughter’s voice and tried to reassure her yet again that she was going to be fine traveling alone.
“Stop worrying about me, Sam. I’ll be fine. Besides, I’ve got the dog now. She’s a great alarm system!” Mariah laughed.
“Haven’t you given her a name yet?” Samantha asked.
“I’m thinking about Sybil after the Sally Fields character. She changes from a dainty little lady into a loud furry firecracker when anyone comes near the RV or gets too close to me. Besides I’ve got my pistol if someone doesn’t take her seriously.” Mariah reassured her daughter yet again.
“Just promise me you will pick crowded RV parks or better yet, nice hotels to sleep at night?” Samantha almost begged.
“Well, there are not going to be any hotels or motels since they cost money that I can’t see wasting since I have a perfectly comfortable queen sized bed to sleep in. Besides, most places don’t allow dogs and she would probably bark all night and keep everyone up. Don’t worry, I’ll be fine!” Mariah said. “Well, I’d better get back on the road before someone thinks I’ve broken down and stops.”
“OK, mom. Just please be careful. Love you!” Samantha said.
“Love you too, kiddo! Give Kevin and the kids hugs and kisses for me!” Mariah said and then hung up.
“Well, Sybil, that was Sam. She’s worried that we can’t handle this. How about we go show her we can. Let’s get back on the road.” Mariah told the dog as she picked her up and carried her back into the RV.
Mariah quickly used the bathroom again before she settled behind the wheel and restarted the RV. She checked her rearview mirror for oncoming traffic before pulling back on to the road. She glanced down at the fuel gauge and realized they were going to have to stop for gas soon and hoped they would be able to find one of those stations where the truckers stop. They usually had the cheapest gas and she might be able to find an RV park close by or could get directions to one. It would be dark in a couple of hours and she didn’t want to drive after dark, if she could help it. It wasn’t a big deal to hook up the water and electricity to the RV but it helped to do it while it was still light outside.
She drove on for another hour before she spotted a truck stop and pulled off the highway. It was a really nice station but also very busy. The parking lot was almost full with truckers pulling in for the night. It was well lit and amazingly clean looking. Mariah pulled in next to another RV and hooked the leash to Sybil’s collar. She walked over to the grassy area and let the dog relieve herself and sniff around for a while before she put her back in the RV and locked the door. She didn’t lock her in the kennel and the dog quickly jumped up on the passenger seat and barked through the window as Mariah made her way into the convenience store. She was out of drinks and just wanted to pick up something until she could find a supermarket or Walmart. She was near Pigeon Forge in Tennessee and had not been here in years. She decided that she would stay there for at least the night and maybe for a few days.
She found the Riverbend RV Park and got a spot to park. It was almost dark and she was kind of tired from driving all day but she was hungry. She called a cab and rode into town for dinner. She remembered a pizza place that had the best pizza she had ever had called the Mellow Mushroom and asked the cabbie to drop her there and to come back for her in about an hour.
She ended up staying in Pigeon Forge for a total of 3 days before she headed over the Great Smoky Mountains to Cherokee and spent a day there. She was disappointed that it was so commercialized. Almost everything they had to sell was made in foreign countries. She did buy a warm fleece jacket that had a picture of a bear on the back of it and a pair of moccasins. She had wanted a pair of boots but they didn’t have her size in the only ones she had liked.
