28 – All Good Things
Felicity sighed in resignation as they drove past the sign leaving Yellowstone. She'd made some amazing memories there…she and Ben. "I'm going to miss this place for the rest of my life."
"That much, huh?"
"Yeah."
"I guess we'll have to come back some time."
Surprised, she looked over at the passenger seat to find him grinning as he crunched into an apple. "Really?"
"Yeah, why not? We're veteran travelers now. The open road. Whitman, and all." He unfolded the map in his lap as if to illustrate.
She beamed and turned her attention back to the road. "I want to head toward Blackfoot. Which way?"
"What's in Blackfoot?"
She dimpled at him. "The World Potato Expo."
"The what?"
"Idaho is famous for potatoes, right? So they have a whole expo on them. It's basically on our way, anyway, so we should go. Just for fun."
Ben gulped down a chunk of apple. "You want to go see a potato thing?"
"The World Potato Expo," she repeated haughtily. "Potatoes are a big business in Idaho. It's all in the travel book."
He started to laugh. "Between that and the roller skate museum, I don't know what's weirder. Next, it'll be roller skates made of potatoes."
Felicity giggled.
- - - - -
"What's more pathetic? The fact that people actually pay to see these things, or that we're doing it, too?" Ben chuckled. They rolled into the parking lot and parked beside a giant Styrofoam replica of a potato.
"See what you would have missed if I didn't come with you on this trip?" laughed Felicity. She turned the engine off with a grin.
Ben didn't reply. Curious, she glanced up to see him watching her, but he looked away immediately and opened the passenger door. She shook it off and got out of the car.
"Give me your camera," Ben said as they walked toward the building.
Felicity dug it out of her purse and handed it over. With a laugh, he held it up and took a picture of the giant Styrofoam potato. "No one's going to believe this place exists unless we get pictures."
"Hey, they do free baked potatoes for visitors. It can't be all bad, can it?" she shrugged.
"All this and free food, too? Let's go," he laughed again.
The expo proved to be the most exhaustive tribute to potatoes either of them had ever seen. It did include some serious material regarding Idaho's farming history, but that was quickly eclipsed by the more tongue-in-cheek things on display. They chuckled their way through exhibits of Mr. Potato Head, a giant potato chip, and clothing made from burlap potato sacks. By the time they got around to their free baked potato, both of them were laughing so hard they could barely finish eating.
"I am picking the next stop," Ben declared, shaking his head.
Felicity sniffed in mock derision. "You learned something, didn't you?"
"I learned that your taste in roadside attractions is a little scary."
She swatted at him, but he dodged it with another laugh.
- - - - -
They finished up their trip through Idaho with a stop at the Shoshone Ice Caves, a volcanically-created natural underground cavern that remained partially frozen even in summer. The chilly air was a refreshing change from the early-summer heat outside. "See, didn't I tell you this place was going to be better than potatoes?"
Felicity smiled. "Well, I guess natural air conditioning is a big plus. I wasn't so sure when I saw the cheesy dinosaur statue outside."
"Looks can be deceiving," Ben smiled, stuffing his hands in the pockets of his coat, which had been provided at the start of the tour.
True, she thought.
- - - - -
It took them two days to get to Reno, and even though they were almost to California, they stayed there an extra day. It was as if, by unspoken agreement, they weren't ready to call an end to their trip. Ben wasn't.
They took even more time in San Francisco, staying two nights in the city before returning the car to Mickey. Sunday morning dawned bright and clear. Freshly washed, vacuumed and polished, The Baby sparkled in the sun as it pulled to a halt in the driveway of a beautiful Spanish-style suburban home. Ben looked over to Felicity in the passenger seat. She looked like he felt: disappointed that they'd reached their destination, after all. "I guess this is it."
"Yeah," she murmured.
Ben sighed. No sense putting it off any longer. He honked the horn.
Mickey emerged from the house in a pair of sweatpants and a 49ers T-shirt. "Hey, you made it!" he beamed. Two little girls trailed curiously behind him, one dragging a doll by its arm. They remained on the porch stoop while Mickey came down to the driveway.
Felicity and Ben got out of the car. Ben pulled some of their bags from the trunk while Mickey walked around the car, inspecting it. "She looks good. Not a scratch."
"Yeah, we took good care of it. It's going to be hard to let it go," said Ben, plastering a smile on his face.
"She's some ride, isn't she?" Mickey laughed. "Theresa! Josie! Get back inside and finish your breakfast, you two!" The girls hurried back into the house, and Mickey turned back to Ben. "Your friends called about five minutes ago to say that they were in town and should be here in a little bit to pick you up."
"Thanks, Mickey. Thanks for letting us use your car, too," Ben nodded, shaking his hand.
Felicity came around the car to get her bags. "We really appreciate it," she chimed in.
Mickey laughed and shook her hand, too. "Sure thing. Any time you two need a road trip somewhere, you just call me. My baby looks better than even I treat her. Did you want to come in for a drink? Are you hungry?"
Ben carried their bags to the side of the driveway. "No, we ate already, but thanks. Do you mind if we just sit out here and wait?"
"Sure, sure. You kids let me know if you need something, okay?" Mickey accepted the keys from Ben and went back into the house.
Ben sat on the front steps.
Felicity sat beside him. "Why didn't you want to go inside?"
He looked up at her, studying her face. I hate this. I hate that we're home. Her necklace flashed in the sun. He remembered how stiffly she sat when he put it around her neck, how surprised she looked that he'd gotten it for her. He remembered going down to the jewelry shop a few blocks from campus to get it, feeling bad that her grandmother's necklace had been stolen and he couldn't have stopped the guys who took it. It wasn't anything special, just kind of an arrowhead thing that reminded him of her. Sleek. Sharp. Pretty. Someone with direction. And, more often than he wanted to admit, she'd pointed him in the right direction, even when he didn't realize it at the time. Like a compass arrow. He was sure it meant more to him that she wore the necklace than it did to her. He'd never tell her that, though. It was more than he had in him to say.
When he didn't answer, Felicity gave him a puzzled smile. "Ben?"
Instead of speaking, he grabbed her face in his hands and kissed her soundly. She gave a startled squeak at first, then relaxed. He liked the way she went all soft and melted against him. He wished his buddies would get a flat tire on the way over. Engine trouble. Something that would take them a few hours to sort out. Anything to delay the return to reality.
Felicity drew back with a smile. "What was that for?"
"Just everything," he grinned. "This was a great trip."
She sighed. "Yeah."
Ben made to reach for her hand, but the honk of a horn made him look up.
An old white four-door turned into the driveway. Jason leaned out the driver's side window. "Look, guys, it's the prodigal son!"
Ben cleared his throat and ran a hand through his hair, standing up. Beside him, Felicity stood as well. The boys got out of the car and came toward them. Jason clapped him on the back. "How you doing, man?" Ben smiled.
"Can't complain." Jason took a step back and eyed him with a frown. "You're looking good, Covington. What have you been doing, actually working out, or what? They feeding you at that school?"
Ben laughed. "If you can call it food." He gestured to his friends. "Felicity, this is Jason Beckwith, Eric Melendez, and Kurt Angiolillo. Guys, Felicity Porter."
"I remember you," Jason said. "You're that smart girl who drew stuff."
"Enough, Beckwith," Ben muttered.
Jason pushed Ben aside to address Felicity. "No, no. You used to be in some after-school club. Your stuff was always on the wall outside the art department. Covington used to—"
"Jason. Shut it, already."
"You shut it," Jason scowled, edging around his friend. "He used to walk past it on the way to the gym and stop to look at it. Nice to meet you, Van Gogh." Jason held out his hand with a grin.
Felicity, who'd stood silent for the entire exchange, blushed and shook Jason's hand. She looked sidelong at Ben. "I thought you only saw one of my drawings."
Ben rubbed at the back of his neck in embarrassment. "I saw a few of them."
Kurt and Eric said hello to her, mercifully not adding to the commentary on Ben's high school life. They said goodbye to Mickey and piled their bags into the trunk of Jason's car. Eric moved to the backseat to give Felicity and Ben the front passenger and middle seats.
Felicity edged into the seat between Jason and Ben. Ben got in and shut the passenger door. Already, he could feel a frosty vibe in the car, in spite of Jason's friendly greeting. He glanced around and grinned at Eric and Kurt. Eric returned it, but Kurt raised an eyebrow and jerked his chin at Felicity, who, thankfully, hadn't seen. Ben shrugged and turned back to the front, staring out the window. I'm pretty sure the next half hour is going to suck.