Meet Me in St

Meet Me in St. Louie Prologue

Summary

Randy goes on a school trip to Missouri, but something bad happens along the way. Will Randy ever see his family or his home state of Michigan again?

Prologue

'Mom, we need to hurry up. I can't miss the bus' said 17 year old Randy Taylor.

He was leaving on a school trip to Missouri on the morning of January 20, and is due back in Detroit on January 29.

'Okay, so Randy, do you have everything packed that you'll need?' Jill asked as she came running down the stairs, car keys in hand.

'Mom, for the millionth time, I have everything I'll need!' said Randy, obviously frustrated by his mother's constant nagging.

There was a big snowstorm forecasted between Detroit and St. Louis, but the teachers in charge were determined to ride down there anyway.

Both Randy and his mom silently listened to the radio on their way to the school.

Needless to say, Randy was excited. This would be his first out of state trip without family. And he was ready for it. Brad and Mark had been driving him absolutely crazy over the past few weeks.

Randy and his mom began to pack his luggage on board the bus on which Randy would be riding. It began to snow as he hugged his mom goodbye. She started to kiss him on the cheek, then realized what she was about to do, then she stopped.

'Bye Randy. I love you. I'll miss you' said Jill, fighting back tears.

'I'll miss you too mom. Your other sons, I can't say the same about' Randy said, trying to contain his excitement.

As Randy looked out the window of the bus, he saw his mom's car sitting there. It was the only one left that belonged to a parent who wasn't chaperoning. He knew this was hard for her. But he knew he had to put this all behind him, so he could enjoy his vacation to Missouri.

As Jill sat there in the Austin Healey, staring out of the window, watching her middle son start a journey of over 800 miles.

She was the only parent who was still there, but it was hard for her to leave. This was the first time one of her children would be out of state without her or Tim being there with them.

'It's just all part of him becoming a man, an adult, and becoming independent' she mumbled to no one in particular on her way home.

Eventually Jill just began thinking about other things. She decided if she thought positively, and didn't think about Randy too much, the nine days would just fly by. Yeah, that's what she'd do. Just think positive.

Jill had decided by the time she got home, she would just have a nice cup of peppermint tea and a bagel with fat free cream cheese, and enjoy her morning.

A/N: So, what does everyone think? I know the trip may be farfetched, but I've been looking for a way to incorporate my home state into a Home Improvement fan fiction. Please R&R, even if it's a bad review, I can only become a better writer from it. So, be brutally honest with me.