Chapter 15

Twenty minutes had passed since the Rethink Avenue crew had bid their final goodbyes to their loved ones. The RV, piloted by Zeke, had weaved it's way through the Peach Creek, and onto the state turnpike; the large vehicle was currently cruising at highway speeds, on it's way to the busy metropolis of New York City.

In a cartoonish fashion, the interior of the RV appeared much larger than it did on the outside. From the center of the RV, a series of six stairs led upward from the single door to the spacious upper deck. Towards the front of the vehicle was a large living space, the walls of which were lined with red leather seats. Above the leather seats, long glass windows had been built into the wall, allowing full view of the quickly passing road lines, distant mountains, and the slowly approaching Manhattan skyline. Furthest ahead was the drivers area, where Zeke sat with his hands on the steering wheel, taking occasional sips of his coffee. The passenger seat was currently unoccupied.

On the rear side of the entry stairs was the combined kitchen/dining area. A long counter spanned one side of the vehicle, on top of which sat a microwave oven, toaster, and sink. Below the counter were several floor level cabinets, the doors of which displayed a cherry finish. Above the counter, an additional line of cabinets hung from the ceiling, their doors of all different sizes and displaying the same cherry finish as those below. On the opposite side of the vehicle were several dining booths, similar to those found in restaurants, each containing padded seat of various colors.

A winder stair in the rear of the vehicle lead down to the lower level. The stairs opened up to a small hallway spanning the length of the vehicle, lined with a series of doors leading into individual rooms, much like those on a passenger train. Each room contained a few small bunk beds, and were meant to act as sleeping quarters for the guests.

Despite the large amount of guests, the interior of the RV was rather quiet; the early wake up call and long drive, combined with the exciting previous afternoon at Lindsay's house elicited a mutual lethargy amongst the the teenagers. Accordingly, almost all of the occupants had elected to use their time by sharing a nap; some such as Double Dee and Marie, falling asleep while sitting on the living area couch, with Marie resting her head on Double Dees shoulder. Ed and May had fallen asleep as well; however the two lovable oafs had made a bed out of the carpeted floor; falling asleep with their heads next to each other as if they were a couple cloud watching on a hill.

While most of the remainder of the crew had retired to the lower level for their nap, Eddy remained in his position, seated on the couch and channel surfing the wall-mounted television set. After flicking through a few channels, he turned his head to the right where Lindsay had fallen into a deep slumber. She sat with her long legs crossed, her elbow placed on the couch arm rest, cradling her head in the palm of her hand. He then glanced downward, spotting the beautiful face of his girlfriend, Lee. She too had fallen asleep, using his lap as a pillow for her head, while laying her body across the remainder of the large couch. Her mouth slightly open allowing the sound of her breathing to be heard ever so slightly over the roar of the RVs tires.

Eddy smiled as he stroked Lee's red curls a few times, after which his urge to urinate had finally reached its peak. He slowly lifted Lee off of his lap, slid out from underneath her, and placed a small throw pillow under her head. He then proceeded to make his way downstairs to the restroom, in an effort to quell his uncomfortable feeling.

After relieving himself, the small Ed boy returned to the living area. Upon glancing towards the front of the vehicle, he spotted Zeke, the only other person awake in the vehicle, sitting in the driver's seat and taking a sip of his coffee. Bored and seeking social interaction, he made his way to the front of the vehicle, hopped into the passenger seat, and initiated a conversation with the college-aged man.

"E-zeeee-Ki-el!" said Eddy in a deliberate and exuberant manner, "What's happenin' bro!?"

"Wasss-uuup, Eeeedddy!" said Zeke, repeating Eddy's intonation, "What brings you up to the cockpit little dude?"

"All those pansies back there fell asleep," said Eddy as he declined the seat and placed his feet on the dashboard, "I figured I'd come up and hang with the cool kids."

"Far out dude, I had no idea I was still one of the cool kids," said Zeke, "But I thought you were playing paper football with Kevin and Rolf?"

"Yeah, I was," said Eddy, "Until they started ragging on me about what my mom did before we left. Stupid parents, having to make a scene with all their goodbye kisses and stuff. Now those two will never let me live it down."

Zeke giggled slightly.

"Man, I can see how that could be embarrassing," said Zeke, "But let me give you a piece of mondo advice, Little Dude. Don't worry about what the fools think...you're lucky that you have a mom and dad in your life. I wish I did..."

"What do you mean?" asked Eddy, his curiosity suddenly piqued.

"I grew up in an orphanage," said Zeke, "It was a pretty swell place, lots of nice kids, and the caretakers were cool, but there was no doubt I always felt something missing. From what I was told, my mom delivered me to the orphanage when I was only three months old, along with a small 3x5 card and a box containing two things that they she said were special to her and my dad."

Zeke took his eyes off the road for a brief instant, gazing into Eddy's eyes as he did so.

"Wanna see?" asked Zeke.

"I guess," said Eddy, "If you don't mind."

"No problemo," said Zeke, "You seem like a cool dude so why not? Just reach into my bag, it's in the brown shoe box."

Eddy paused for a few moments, after which he slowly reached down towards Zeke's brown book bag, located adjacent to the driver's seat. After a few minutes of fumbling around inside, he retrieved the box from within, placing it on his lap as he returned to an upright position.

"Go ahead, open it up and check it out!" said Zeke.

After a slight pause, Eddy lifted the lid off of the shoebox, revealing the three items inside. Just as Zeke described, a small index card sat on top of the other two items. On the index card were a few simple words, inscribed in black ink, and written in a rushed manner:

John Ezekial Chytka

Born May 17, (year blocked by Eddy's thumb)

Please take good care of my baby boy, and let him know his mommy will always be with him, even though she can't be with him now...

John Ezekial, one day we will be together again, I promise!"

- Love Mommy

After reading the index card, Eddy gazed into the interior of the box. Along with the letter, the box contained two additional items: a pair of white designer sunglasses, containing dark reflective lenses and displaying intricate flower-like design patterns near the area of the foldable ear supports, and a pendant depicting the patch of USS Louisiana, a US Navy Nuclear Submarine.

Before Eddy could respond, Zeke continued with his explanation.

"Those sunglasses and this letter are the only two things I have from my mom," said Zeke, "Even though I didn't know her, I can tell from her writing that giving me up was hard for my mother, and I know I'm my heart that she loved me and more than likely did the right thing. I just wish I knew what happened to her. As for my dad, well, after researching my last name and using this pendant as a clue I may have tracked him down."

"No kiddin," said Eddy, "Are ya gonna try to find him?"

"Way ahead of ya Little Dude," said Zeke, "All of these stops except for one were Julia's choice. The last stop, Seattle, was mine. Bremerton is the home port of USS Louisiana, and apparently I share a last name with one of its distinguished commanding officers. A lot of those guys retire and start careers with the shipyard out there after their stints in the military."

Zeke paused.

"I'll admit, it's a long shot, but he might be the man I'm looking for," said Zeke, "It couldn't hurt to try."

There was a long pause, after which Zeke turned towards Eddy, delivering his final statement regarding the topic.

"The moral of the story is to be thankful for what you have," said Zeke, "There are plenty of people who wish they had parents to shower them with hugs and kisses."

There was another bought of silence, at which point Zeke decided to bring the conversation into a lighter tone.

"But even if I don't find my dad, there's still a lot to look forward to in Seattle," said Zeke, "Can you keep a secret?"

"Sure," said Eddy

At that point, Zeke reached into his pocket and removed a small red box. He briefly took his hands off of the steering wheel, and proceeded to open it, holding it out for Eddy to see. The interior of he box was covered in a green, velvet padding, providing a beautiful accent to an upright golden ring, on top of which sat a large, exquisite diamond.

"Julia is the best thing that ever happened to me," said Zeke, "I think it's time to ask her to be my lady forever. I hope she says yes!

"You dog" said Eddy in a sly manner as he playfully punched Zeke in the arm, "I knew you were hiding something. And what's the doubt? She's gonna say yes! You guys are perfect together!"

Eddy paused, turning to Zeke as he decided to deliver a joke.

"Besides," said Eddy, "She pretty much has to after you spent all your moolah on this big trip."

The boys shared a quick giggle.

"You're a good kid Eddy," said Zeke, "I'm really looking forward to sharing this trip with you and your radical friends."

"Me too pal," said Eddy, "Me too."