Chapter 10 - Day 1: Up In Smoke
His wife, meanwhile, exited the women's restroom with Alexa.
"I did a good job!" Alexa squeaked.
"Yes, you did, honey!" Kim smiled, patting her daughter on the head, "That gives you and your brother candy!"
She bought a couple pieces of candy for Justin and Alexa, two Nachos with cheese for Rufus and Ron, and a diet soda for herself at the register.
"Please and thank you!" Alexa said to the cashier.
Kim smiled at this and said, "I used to say that when I was your age, shortly before I met your dad in pre-K!"
Rufus crawled up on Kim's shoulder and chittered.
"What is it, Rufus?" Kim asked to the mole rat.
Rufus pointed out to Ron rushing up to the convenience store and he was panicking.
"Ron, what is it?" Kim questioned.
"My keys are inside the van and it's locked!" Ron screamed.
"This is so the third time in a month that this has happened!" Kim sighed, "Let me just get my..."
"No, KS! This is the job for the man of the house!" Ron exclaimed before asking the cashier, "Uh, do you , by any chance have a crowbar that I can use?"
"I'll see if my manager has one." the cashier replied.
"Ah, thank goodness!" Ron said with a sigh of relief, "I thought this trip would end up in disaster!"
The store manager brought him a crowbar and said, "Bring it back, okay?"
"No, problem, dude!" Ron grinned.
"Ron, you know that I..." Kim sighed, trying to intercede.
"Don't worry, KS. I got it all under control!" Ron replied with the crowbar in hand. He went back to the van to try to open it.
Kim groaned loudly and carried the nachos with cheese. She had the candy and sodas in a plastic bag.
Ron got to work and used the swan neck of the crowbar on the door. But unfortunately, he made four small dents on that door and he dented the door handle, This earned a facepalm from Kim.
"Wise guy, huh! Well, Mr. Locked Door, we'll just see about that!" he yelled as he used the crowbar try and break the glass window, but all he could do was a few cracks with his small frame. Justin, meanwhile, was enjoying all the destruction, clapping his hands. He had crushed small toy cars before with a brick.
Unfortunately for Ron, the keys fell off the seat and into the console.
"Oh no! Now how am I supposed to get to them now?" he complained.
Kim cleared her throat and took out her lipstick from her CCB handbag.
"KS! I though we can't use GJ gadgets in civilian life except in case of emergencies!" Ron exclaimed, for he had read most...key word most...of the GJ handbook
"Hello! Hyperactive 5-year old trapped in a van qualifies as an emergency, Ron!" Kim countered. "Section 48 Clause 14 Subsection Delta authorizes the use of gadgets in this department!"
"Let me show you how the real experts do it, Ron!" Kim replied while taking out her laser lipstick. She aimed and fired the laser at the door lock. The lock melted, forcing the door to open.
"And there you go. That's how you force-open the car!"
"Okay, that solves that problem!" Ron said, giving the crowbar back to the manager. "Ah, thanks for bringing my food, KS!"
"You're welcome, Ron!" Kim replied as she escorted Alexa back to the van.
Kim got back into the car as well. She dug her hand through the compartment and handed Ron the keys.
"Ah, there they are! Now let's roll!"
Ron started up the engine and the van went off the Dinoco back onto the interstate. They were about 70 miles from the Juanna farm on US 385.
(12:30pm)
Luckily, after the whole door incident in Sterling, the Stoppables encountered no other problems as they reached exit 180, the last exit before the Colorado-Nebraska state line. They headed south on US 385 en route to the Juanna farm.
After driving about five miles, Ron saw a mailbox that had the last name Juanna on it.
"This is the place!" he replied as he pulled into a long dirt driveway that must've stretched for two more miles on the Colorado prairie.
The Juana house was a one-story ranch-style house that was about 3,000 square feet, 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms. It also contained a very small farm of a peculiar drug that was legal in Colorado and nine other states plus DC.
"Ron, I'm not sure about adding two more people on the trip." Kim said as the vehicle came to a complete stop.
"Why? The Stoppable-mobile can seat up to 8 comfortably!" Ron replied, pointing to the empty third-row bench.
"It's also not just that..." Kim said.
She then insisted to her husband "Keep Justin and Alexa in the car."
Kim then crept around the house.
"Aunt Ednel?" she called out. "Are you around? "
And then she caught sight of a young woman in her mid 20s wearing a bell-bottomed off-the-shoulder white shirt tied in the middle in the front so that a good amount of cleavage was shown and undone dark denim men's work overalls that were slightly too big for her. It was also clear to Kim that a) she was barefoot and dirty and b) she had no panties on. She had long blonde hair that went down her back and brown eyes. She had a mood crystal around her neck
This was Mary Juana, granola girl and vegan extrodinarie and the daughter of Ednel.
She was doing yoga on a mat, humming along to the sitar music being playing on a CD player.
"Mary?" Kim then asked.
"I detect the presence of an outsider..." Mary hummed, "...but since she is related to the blood of one of my cousins, I shall speak to her."
She was about to stand up.
"Mary, please! Can you at least hook up one strap of your overalls?" Kim insisted, "I do not want to see a bad sitch of your bare ass, especially the fact that I have two very young children around!"
"The last time I checked, Kim, you did not come from my mother's womb." Mary snarked. "But since you mentined the kids, I will hook them up."
"Thank God!" Kim exclaimed, "Now can you please tell me where Aunt Ednel is?"
"She's in the house making lunch." Mary said while hooking up the left strap of her overalls but leaving the right one unclipped. "Grandpa Wilbur is also inside."
"Goody...him again!" Kim groaned.
She was only here for two minutes but it felt like more than an hour to her. And the Stoppable still had yet to reach the South Dakota border.