The Comfort of McDonalds and Sleep
The RV sped down the country roads of Monroe as the clouds swirled in the sky overhead. The air was cold outside and the heat blew warmly over the feat of the passengers. "The only good thing about this contraption is the heat!" said Dustin as they passed over a particularly deep pothole that rattled the entire vehicle. He then looked down at the dirty carpet and frowned. "You know…I haven't thought about it until now but now are we going to sleep in here?"
Everyone looked up at him curiously. Wil replied, "You're right! There is only one bed! But I'm not getting in that bed after Mr. Rogers has been in it. You don't know what kinds of disturbing things have happened in that thing!" They grimaced as they looked over at the bed at the very back of the RV. The covers were dirty and covered with a mysterious layer of grime. Not to mention there were small bits of molding food and cat poop that were who-knows-how old. There were multiple stains on the mattress and a pair of underwear was hanging over the right side.
After a few minutes of arguing it was decided that Sue would sleep in the armchair by the door, Dustin would sleep in the couch behind the driver's seat, Joey would sleep in the driver's seat, and Wil would sleep in the passenger's seat.
The sun was setting and the trees along the road were casting long shadows on the RV as is sped through the mountainous terrain of western North Carolina. The group had contented to watch Public Access television and play with a deck of greasy cars for the last few hours.
Dustin rose from his laying position and looked around the room. "What do we have to eat in this deathtrap?" he asked as Joey came over to sit down beside him. Mr. Rogers looked between the crack of the seat and the wall to look and him and replied. "I made some granola for all of you! It's in the cabinet! it's got Prunes, and M&M's and Banana Chips in it! It's yummy!" Dustin made a disgusted look. Silence once again pierced the camper, only the sound of the falling rain and distant thunder. "There's some Chef Boyardee Ravioli in there too!" Roger yelled as he turned back to the wheel.
Wil mumbled something under his breath and continued to draw a snowman in the fog on the window. The neon lights of Monroe were shining in through the window into the dark RV creating odd shadows on the floors and walls. "I'm hungry!" complained Sue as she began to try on her newly "Pimped-Out" tennis shoes. "Me too!" complained Joey as he laid his book on the table in between the diver's and passenger's seat. "Fine!" Dustin replied "Fred! Take us somewhere to eat! I Will even foot the bill! Just stop somewhere!"
Mr. Rogers turned to face the group and replied, "Well that sounds like fun! Let's go eat at McDonalds! Everybody likes their food!" Dustin shook his head and glanced around the room at everyone else. "I suppose it Will work."Within a few minutes Fred turned off the highway and into the litter filled parking lot of McDonalds.
"Let's just go trough the drive through." Said Joey as he continued to look out of the window above the couch, painting little pictures of random things in the mist that was collecting on the window. "Okay, Neighbor!"The drive through was unusually empty for the time of night. Nine got up from his seat and stood beside Mr. Rogers, "I'll order. Okay?" Fred just smiled at him and leaned out of the way.
"Wat' Choa' Be Whantin!?" screamed a black woman from the speaker."Let's see here… A double cheeseburger value meal, plain and a Apple Pie for Wil… For Sue, Two BBQ Chipotle Snack Wraps, an Apple Juice and a dollar Fry. For Roger… A happy meal with Chicken McNuggets and Honey mustard with a small orange juice."
"Will that be a boy or a girl's toy?"
"Bo--- GIRL!"
"Is That It!?"
"I'll tell you when I'm done!"
"For myself, a quarter pounder, with cheese. A super-sized fry and a large coffee. For Joey, two dollar menu cheeseburgers, we can split the fry. It's cheaper."
"Why are you telling me who wants this stuff, sir? I don't care. That Will be Twenty-two fifty."