Well, thank you for the reviews I've gotten! I'm glad people like this. Well, I've decided that this won't be a very long story, probably no more than five chapters but who knows, that might change. Well, they pick up a couple of hitch hikers in this chapter, read and see who they are! Please enjoy! :)
When night came they ate the fried chicken the preacher's wife had packed them and had a little picnic in the front seat, sipping on the second bottle of coke and telling stories and jokes.
They had parked along the side of the road, which was a perfectly acceptable thing to do. They hadn't passed a farm for miles and hadn't seen any other vehicles in ages.
Mei laughed her sweet little laugh at his stories and it was always nice to have an audience who was so attentive. Alfred was a great one for telling stories and he had a great many of them. Everything from the horses she so greatly seemed to love to Farm hands who's been missing a few marbles. He had funny ones of chickens and cows and of plowing adventures but through his story telling, he grew to realize just how much he missed his farm. It had been his parent's farm before him and he felt that in a way, he had let them down.
Mei didn't know that, she simply liked his stories and kept asking for more, loving how he did voices for people he'd know and people that she would never know. It was fun and for her, it kept her mind off of other matters that might cause her to cry.
Eventually, though she tried to help it, her eyelids grew heavy and began to droop and with a stomach full of fried chicken she finally drifted off to sleep, pulling her legs up on the seat. And it wasn't long after that Alfred too fell to dreams.
During the night, Alfred awoke to the sound of crying. It wasn't loud, bawling sobs, it was small, sniffles and whimpers. He cracked an eye open. Mei was siting up, looking out the window and crying. Her small upturned face was streaked with tears that glowed in the moonlight and her eyes were red. She rubbed her eyes with the palms of her hands and cried quietly. Alfred reached across and patted her back. "Hey Honey," He aid. "What's the matter? Why you crying?" He asked.
She jumped, she hadn't known he was awake. "Mama and Papa!" She gulped. "I don't wanna leave them. If I go away I might not find them again and then they'd be all alone! I don;t wanna move." She whispered. " I don't wanna go to Vicksburg."
He sighed and nodded. "I know." He held his arms open and she crawled over for a hug. He kissed the top of her head, trying to comfort her. "Mei, it'll be alight and you won't forget your mama or your papa or your town."
She nodded again and sniffled, curling up against him on the seat. "I know."
He patted her head as she drifted off again and then shifted to make them both more comfortable. He was left with the lonely thoughts that he didn't know what he'd gotten himself into or what kind of girl he was caring for. He gazed up at the stars and then down at the little girl curled up next to him. He sighed, shifted again and drifted off himself.
In the morning, Mei made it clear that she did not want to talk about the night's pain and instead remained her cheerful self. She smiled and talked about her plans for adulthood.
"I'm going to be a lad, like my mama." She said.
She laughed. "I thought you already were."
She glowed at the compliment.
They came to a little town and he sent her into the store to buy them two more cokes and while she was gone, he filled up the gas tank. She came scurrying back and climbed into the back seat to change into fresh clothes.
It was then that he came to the dilemma of money. His wallet was emptier than the Grand Canyon. He looked around. The gas station attendant was stooped in his chair, reading the paper and smoking aimlessly. Alfred looked the other way and saw no one. He ducked back into the car and leaned back to speak to Mei. "Hang on, kiddo! You and me'r going for a ride." He said, slamming the door and stepping on the gas. They shot forward, just in time to see the attendant leap from his seat. "Hold on, Mei!" He yelled, laughing.
Mei shrieked and climbed up too look out the back window as they sped away from the gas station. The cokes rolled on the floor and Alfred let out a wild laugh and the town sank into the distance. "You hanging on?" There was a yelp and she tumbled over into the front seat, he noticed the big pink flowers in her hair and laughed. "Where's you get those?"
She pulled herself up and patted them, making sure they were still in place. "Picked them."
He grinned and pushed up his glasses. "Looks real pretty." A little ways away he slowed back to a normal speed and laughed. "Wasn't that exciting?"
She giggled. "That was fun!" She had changed into a nice little pair of boy's overalls and shirt and sat looking happy and bright. "Are they gonna come after us?"
"I doubt it and they can't catch us!"
She clapped her hands on her knees. "Good job!" They bounced along and with cheerful thoughts. It wasn't long before they passed a rickety old truck piled high with a family's belongings. Two little boys sat on the very back and they waved at Mei and she waved back, leaning out the window. She yelled a greeting but they didn't hear and soon they were gone, leaving behind cloud of dust. She hung out the window, trying to snatch a final glimpse of he long gone truck and didn't return to her seat until the dust began to burn her eyes.
Alfred laughed at her foolishness. "I wonder where they're going." She said.
"Maybe they're going to Vicksburg too." He suggested. "Maybe you'll see them when you get there."
"That would be neat! That would be really neat!" She said, pulling her feet up onto the seat. She hummed a bit and he thought it wise to teach her some of his songs. They were mostly fol ones he'd learned from other travelers and she liked them and learned quickly and before they knew it they were both singing.
Mei had a bright childish voice and she sang out loudly. They made a good time of it until they both tired and things slowed down again.
It was nice to have company, for the most part Alfred's wanderings had all been lonely. He'd been pretty much by himself since he's lost his home and he was a people person. He'd been indescribably lonely for so long that he was happy to have someone that he was happy to have someone to talk to, even f it was a child. He smiled to himself and then at her and she set his smile with a confused face but he only laughed.
They finally turned in a bend in he road and came a pone an interesting sight. Two boys stood on the edge of the road, thumbing for a ride. Judging by the new and cheapness of their suits, they had recently come from prison. Hey stood squabbling.
Alfred slowed to a stop. He knew from experience what it was like to have to wait a ride. "Hiya, boys." He said.
They stopped bickering and smiled. "Hello!" One of them stepped forward. "Can we get a ride? My brother and I need to get to the next town." He had a happy, smiling face.
Alfred looked at the supposed brother. They did indeed look as though the could be brothers. "What's your names?"
"I'm Feliciano and this is my brother Lovino."
"Italians?" He nodded happily. "Well, before you get in, I gotta ask: what did you do time for?"
Feliciano's face fell for a minute. "Prohibition." He said. "We were selling liquor."
Alfred laughed. "I don't consider that a crime. Hop in. Mei, will you get in the back?" He promptly climbed over the seat.
"Cute little girl, Mister." Feliciano said. "I don't suppose she's yours?"
"No, I'm taking her to Vicksburg in Mississippi."
Feliciano reached back and shook her hand.
"So how long did you two do for the liquor?"
"Two years." Lovino sighed. "We got caught when they broke down the door to our apartment. We were keeping a still in the basement. Someone tipped the cops off and we got sent to prison."
"Two years, that's crazy!"
"Tell me about it." Lovino shook his head. " I don't care, we're going back in business. We're gonna head to Louisville and set up there."
Alfred nodded. Far be it from him to judge another man for how he made his living.
"So why are you headed to Vicksburg?" Feliciano asked.
Mei bit her lip a little and gave look to Alfred to tell hm to go ahead.
"Well, little girl's all alone and a preacher gave me the job of take her to an orphanage in Vicksburg."
Both brothers gave Mei a sad look and Feliciano patted her hand. "Aw." He said quietly.
Mei slouched back into the backseat and stayed quiet. The Italian brothers took turns trying to cheer her up and Alfred had to laughed at their attempts and eventually Mei did too.
The car rocked on, bouncing and clanking down the old road with four friendly companions saeted within and talking congenially. The car had an early form of radio and Alfred flipped it on, catching a few snippets of music and a lot of static.
Lovino and Feliciano promised Mei that one day they wold visit her at the orphanage and she cheered up about the place.
That night they a slept in the car, the three men lad out in the front seat and Mei curled up in the back and the next morning they headed on again. Feliciano took it a pone himself to teach Mei Italian songs and even though she didn't get the pronunciations right, they sounded pretty and made everyone laugh.
"So, why Louisville?" Alfred asked.
"Good business." Lovino said, over his brother and Mei's wailing. "It'd be a good chance to dive in. I read that people drink more in the south and Kentucky is right in the middle so I'll be able to get liquor from Canada and run it down south."
"And Louisville is a bog enough city that we can supply a couple of speakeasies there too!" Feliciano chimed in.
Mei laughed. "What happens if you get caught again?" She asked.
"We run for it!" He said with a laugh.
"We made a run for it too! Alfred didn't p for the gas and we had to run!"
They all laughed. "Looks like we're with a couple of fugitives." Lovino teased.
"Please don't rob us, Mei!" Feliciano cried, throwing up his hands.
Alfred laughed as they hit a bump and everyone bounced up in their seat. "I dunno, we are a little short. Mei, what do you think?"
She made a gun with her hand. "Bang!"
More laughter and more bumps and Mei climbed up too look out the back window. A big cloud of dust rose up behind them, stretching out as far as she could see.
"What are you looking at?" Feliciano asked.
"Just my home. It's way back there." She pointed.
"Oh. Well, if it makes you feel any better, we've left our home too."
She nodded and rested on her arms on a lazy sort of way. The heat was catching up to them and making all drowsy and slow.
When the finally came to a small city, Lovino and Feliciano took their leave. "Goodbye, little princess." Feliciano said. "We'll look for you in Vicksburg someday."
She nodded and hugged them both.
"You boys stay out of trouble!" Alfred called out to them as they turned down a street to look for a bus.
"Not a chance! It's back to bootlegging!" Lovino called. "We're gonna be rich!"
They laughed and continued through the town, the car seemed much quieter and empty. Mei hummed a little but it wasn't the same as it was with the two cheerful brothers. The radio picked up a better signal in the city and they listened to it quietly. Duke Ellington's hits played over the static and the car was willed with jazz. Alfred drummed his finger on the steering wheel until they got too far away and lost the signal.
"I miss them." Mei said.
He smiled. "They were fun people. You know, you never know who you're going to meet on the road."
"I met you!" She said.
"Yep. There's a whole world of people on the road. They're all trying to get somewhere."
"Where are they trying to get?"
"Well, most of 'em wanna try their luck out in California and some wanna go to New York and some wanna go to Florida but all of them wanna get somewhere better."
"Where are you trying to go?"
He paused and laughed. "I'm one of them just trying to get somewhere better."And then he proceeded to tell her about the dust bowl and the Okies and the migration to California and the men who hopped trains and the families that walked a thousand miles because their farms were covered in sand. He told her all about the people he'd seen and the friend's he'd made. The camp fires he'd sang around and the stars he'd slept under.
"That sounds awful lonely." Se said.
He laughed "It can be but that's what makes it nice when you meet someone new and he's on the road just the same as you are."
"And they really walk? All the way to California?"
"Yep."
She shook her head wisely. "I don't think I could walk all the way to California. My feet would fall off. Hey, Mr. Jones? How far have you walked?"
He thought for a minute. "Well, lets see now. . . I started out near Enid... so pretty far."
She shook her head. "Did you walk the whole way?"
"Nah, I caught rides here and there, just like those brothers."
She nodded. "Where will you go after I leave?"
"I dunno, I gotta go back to your town. Tat way I can get my money and give them back the car."
"Oh. Wen you do and you say hi to my mama and papa?"
"Sure can, sweet heart."
She smiled. "Take them flowers and tell them they're from me."
He patted er head and ran is and over er silky black air. "Hey sugar, I've been meaning to ask, and don't take this the wrong way, but what were your parents doing in that town? There aren't a lot of Asian people in this area of the country."
She thought for a minute. "Well, mama and papa's families live in California and they're really far away. Mama and Papa left cause he wanted to be a farmer. They were really poor in California and so they left."
"Did they make the money?"
"Well, I dunno. They never talked about money around me."
He nodded. "Well, don't worry. Te market will get back up soon."
She shrugged.
"I mean it!" Alfred clenched is fist in the air to sow how serious e was. "Now that we have Roosevelt for president, things will shape up before you know it!"
She laughed, thinking him silly.
Interesting fact and poor luck for the Vargas brothers, Prohibition was repealed in December of '33 so even if they set up sop in Louisville, it won't do them much good! Poor boys will be back to the drawling board!
Thank you for reading!