Chapter III: An Unwanted Journey
As the truck rolled down U.S. 35 towards Richmond, Garfield began to wonder if there had been some symbolism in the dream he had had the night before. Was it some sort of prophecy as to his attempts to get Nermal out of the way? By the time that the truck had crossed the border into Ohio, he was regretting having stolen Nermal's leftovers from the fridge. He thought: If Jon ever finds out, he's going to put me on a diet or send me to obedience school. What if he never feeds me again?
Finally, the truck stopped at a depot in Columbus around four in the afternoon. Garfield saw a chance to attempt an escape, so he moved slowly and quietly such that he wouldn't be caught. He made sure there were no humans who could see him by moving behind boxes. Unfortunately, by the time he got one-fourth of the way through the semitrailer, the cargo door had been shut again, so he would have to endure more trucking until at least Pittsburgh. He sighed and jumped into the nearest box.
When the semi crossed over into Pennsylvania, it was six in the evening, and Garfield was downright hungry. Even so, he resolved to make an effort to get out of the truck at the next possible opportunity. Such an attempt became possible at a warehouse near Pittsburgh, so this time, he decided to move across the floor of the semitrailer while under the box he had hopped into in Columbus. Just as he was approaching freedom, though, the truck again closed up and took off again on its eastward journey. Would Garfield never eat again?
It was in that bleak situation that Garfield sensed some canned ravioli in the corner. "Hmm, what should I do?" he asked himself. "It's probably uncooked, but it's better than nothing to eat. God only knows when I'll be able to get off this wretched truck. If this is Monday, make the most of it, I guess." Sure enough, the box in the corner had ravioli in abundance! Garfield opened a can with his claws and devoured it. The fact that there was food at all in the truck made this ordeal all the more bearable as I-70 gave way to the Pennsylvania Turnpike.
Even so, there was the issue of Jon. Garfield had not talked with Jon since stealing Nermal's leftovers. Jon is probably worried sick now, he thought. I need to call him the next chance I get, but I won't know anyone in Downtown City who can help. Finally, at 9:30 that night, the truck driver decided to spend the night at a truckers' motel just outside Carlisle. At that point, Garfield also decided to sleep, so he crawled into his makeshift bed and laid down. Such was the importance of even the most minor comforts in life.
That night, Garfield had another dream. In it, he had arrived in Downtown City and was standing before a pet shop. An elderly lady took him in and put him before a variety of unusual pets. To be fair, there were some typical pets, such as a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and a rabbit. However, there were also a banded mongoose, a skunk and a panda, among others. When Garfield noticed this, he complained: "This is a pet shop, not a zoo!" The other animals, though, took offence at this and started to circle about him. He then saw a teenage girl walk up to the pack. He asked her: "Could you tell these pests to leave me alone? I just want to get home to my owner Jon and maybe get some lasagna along the way."
"Sorry, Garfield," the girl replied, "but that's not very social of you."
Garfield jumped up onto the girl's leg, pleading: "I don't care about socializing! I just want to go home?"
"Where does you human live?" asked the girl.
"He lives in Muncie, Indiana."
"I hate to say this, but we don't serve that area. I believe that you'll have fun here while waiting for him, if indeed he's coming. Enjoy your new friends while I'm at school."
One of the pets held a small butcher knife in Garfield's presence, declaring: "We've been looking for something to supplement our boring diet of typical pet food. You smell like good Italian cooking, you know."
"You don't say!" cried Garfield. His fur was beginning to curl. "Is this your idea of play?"
"I wouldn't put it like that," replied the pet. "It's our idea of a nice meal for once!"
At that point, the opening of the hatch awoke Garfield from his nightmare. Fortunately, the truck driver didn't seem to notice that there was a cat in the semitrailer as he loaded more parcels onto the truck. Thus, Garfield was able to continue his ride to Downtown City. However, the nightmare he had had would not be forgotten until he arrived at the pet shop he had seen in it.