When they arrived at the car, Bill froze. It took a few minutes before he allowed himself to get into the passenger seat. That tug was stronger now and he substituted its pull for courage.
"Seatbelts." Ralph said.
"Wha? Huh?"
"Buckle your seatbelts."
They often drove in silence, sometimes taking turns napping and driving. They stopped overnight at a motel for some serious bathing. Ralph ran to a store to get Bill some clean clothes. Bill shaved his long beard and tied back his silver-white tresses. Ralph was happy to see Bill's face again, however aged.
They stopped only a few times along the way for fuel and food and all tolled, logged a good 20 hours of driving time.
Ralph called Pam and tried to allay her worry. She would meet him in Palmdale she told him. The unspoken part was "if 'they' would allow it". If he had to go, he did not want to go before seeing her. Now he was empathizing with Bill's misgivings.
"This could be it." he said without thinking. He was trying not to make these comments. Bill was having a rough time, fidgeting and fooling with the radio. They were close to the site, very close. Bill was visibly shaken, his nerves showing in his every movement.
"Ralph!" he gasped when they saw a Welcome to Palmdale sign.
"It'll be OK. We're gonna be OK…" But, for his part, Ralph was beginning to have serious doubts. If he could only see Pam and the kids one more time.