Justin G. Roy

260 Miles West

Sitting here in a hotel in Fremont, OH. It’s quiet. One of those, sigh of relief, let me think about things, where are the taxi cabs beeping but I am so glad they are not here, kind of quiet.

My day started at 8am (yes, I set the alarm clock) after a full night of tossing and turning wondering if the 16’ Truck was large enough and how I was going to tetris-move and fit everything.

Rewind a bit…..

Southwest Airlines flew into Chicago at 7:05pm with a certain passenger who has not flown in over 25 years, a passenger who wondered why the bags of peanuts still look the same, a passenger who called a “few” times to go over what do to at the airport (walk to security, do not look suspicious, everything in the bin, walk through, go to gate, get on plane, sit down, get up when land, walk to baggage number 1), and a passenger who I call Dad. This was his first time to Chicago as well; to help me move and he really wanted to see my condominium before it sold.

At 7:06pm, I arrived at Midway Airport to pick up said father at the agreed upon location (baggage #1). I waited. Then I waited some more. Dad went to baggage # 7; but don’t worry there was a pay phone nearby (he is the last person I know who still uses a pay phone), allowing him to call my mother to tell her where he was, and she told him (again) where to go.

Finally we get on the Orange Line and head to Clark and Lake, where we walk a few blocks (in what I would consider warmer weather for Chicago, but Dad tended to disagree) to Smith & Wollensky for a few steaks and French fries (courtesy of a gift card I received from a former client – Thank You again, Terry).

After dinner, we take the train (this killed me – the restaurant was only a bit over 2 miles away – we could/should have walked) back home, where Dad walked around to “professionally assess the situation” of my packing, organizing and amount of “things” I have decided to bring with me (everything).

Fast forward back to the morning….

We wake up, take Frank The Tank (the dog) out for a quick morning walk, then off to get the Truck with many thanks to Evan for driving us (I wanted to walk, of course, the 3ish miles there) us to the Budget Rental location. Start loading at 10am and end at about 3pm. We held the contents inside as we shut the door, it is packed to the max. Sorry, no pictures of the inside available right now, but will post when I arrive in Wilbraham.

In the middle here, I did receive a very generous lunch from Ramon DeLeon of Dominos, there was Pizza, Coke, and Lava Cakes (delivered right when I needed it the most too!). Nobody does it like Ramon, period.

On the highway by 3:30.

Now, for the next 260 miles, I got to know a bit about my father, and I will highlight some of the funnier sayings (no, I am not trying to compete with that guy who runs a twitter account all about “stuff” his Dad say’s) and lessons learned thus far (these are in no particular order):

• My father, for some reason, needs flip-flops for the bath tub/shower. I asked why, and about 7 minutes later, I regretted that question. Good thing I mastered the smile and nod at such an early age.
• My father thinks eating three Filet O’ Fish sandwiches is a complete meal. From a fast food joint.
• My father thinks 68mph in a 70mph zone is excessively fast. He then told me that the Speed Limit meant it was just the limit and I could drive anywhere below that. Again, read the first bullet here – smile and nod.
• When my gas tank hits ½ full – he thinks it means ½ empty and we should get gas asap. When I pass a service station, he lets me know about it; even 5 miles later, he reminds me that I had passed it. 7 minutes later, he says there is a chance we could run out of gas. 8 minutes later, I voted myself to walk to get gas and leave Dad with the truck. 11 minutes later, I was praying for the truck to run out of gas.
• Truckers are the nicest people on the road – as long as you are also driving a truck over 16 feet
• Folks – when driving on the highway, be aware of whom you slam on your breaks in front of to sneak in last-minute on an off ramp: 16’ Truck packed full does not stop that fast. You are lucky I have cat-like reflexes Mr. I-Want-To-Cut-In-Line-At-The-Off-Ramp.

Well, I think that will be all for now. Nevertheless, I want to leave you with a few last thoughts:

I love my Father, no matter what I said above; he is extremely supportive, always there for me when I need it (and when I think I do not), and a kind and gentle person.

I will miss Chicago more than you will ever know. However, I am looking forward to returning to MA for many reasons. Luckily, for those who are still reading, we can all communicate online.

Tomorrow I hope to cover 500 miles; I would go for 650 miles, but my Father also thought it was strange that I drive for 5 hours without needing to get out of the car, stretch, move, etc. I told him that when something needs to get done, gosh darn it, I will get ‘er done. (seriously, 4 minutes after that, I regretted even suggesting this)

(I will write about the drive tomorrow, in the night. Stay tuned!)