WE GATHER TOGETHER by Edward L. Woodyard

We Gather Together Chapter Forty-One

Scott McCulloch wiped the last shaving soap from his face and rinsed his razor in a gas station men's room faucet. He took a sheet of paper towel from a dispenser next to him and dried his face. He scrutinized the mirror again to check how well he had done shaving. A more thorough examination was interrupted by scratches and cracks in the mirror, as well as a graffiti tag by Chico from Provo.

Scott put his razor and toothbrush back into his Dopp kit, then applied deodorant before putting on clean underwear, the green-striped shirt and blue jeans he had worn the day before, and finally his bomber jacket. He checked the men's room again before exiting; it could have been worse, Scott thought to himself. At least the water had been warm and the rest room comparatively sanitary. He took another sheet of paper towel from the dispenser and wiped his whiskers out of the sink. He remembered that it was Wendy who had trained him to perform that courtesy after he shaved. He tossed the wet paper toweling into a wastebasket in a corner by the door and said to himself that the place was cleaner now than when he had entered it ten minutes ago. He had hoped that no one was waiting outside to use it.

He opened the men's room door and saw that the gas station was quiet this early in the morning. The Bimmer was parked beyond a set of gas pumps. He felt surprisingly well rested; Maya had done a good job of driving last night.

The sun was coming up in the east and Scott knew he'd be staring straight into it once he and Maya were back on the road. They would be climbing into the Wasatch Mountains east of Salt Lake City, which already had snow at higher elevations. He hoped to reach Laramie, Wyoming before noon.

He thought they should try to get through Wyoming and Nebraska and hopefully well into Iowa before they decided if they'd stop somewhere or continue driving through the night. Right then, it was a damp cold with overcast skies and he could feel that it was going to snow at some point later, probably when they were crossing the Rockies. He'd have Maya check the weather forecast, either on the car radio or on a cell phone app.

He turned toward a small restaurant associated with the gas station, seeing if Maya had exited yet. She had gone in to use the ladies' room and to determine if the restaurant would be a good place to get breakfast, or at least a large cup of coffee to go. He noticed a hand-written sign taped on the inside glass of the front door offering a "Thanksgiving Dinner Special for Travellers this Thursday."

Scott checked his cell phone for messages; in addition to news alerts, there was a text from Brian Gardner for Scott to call if he wanted, as well as two e-mails, one from his attorney about a business transaction and the other from his utility company letting him know that there had been a power outage in his neighborhood but that power was now restored. He still didn't know what he was going to do about his apartment.

Scott opened the trunk of the Bimmer and put his Dopp kit in the back as Maya came up behind him to hand him a large cardboard cup of coffee and then to put her make-up kit in her roller bag.

"Half-and-half and two sugar packets," she said, indicating his coffee cup.

"Thanks." They touched coffee cups. Maya took a sweater from her bag and checked the shoebox with the bonsai. Scott consulted his wristwatch before he shut the trunk.

"You made some good time," he said to Maya.

Maya looked over at the restaurant. "This place seems okay. We should get something to go for breakfast, and maybe for lunch. The car is handling awesome, so we should probably make some more good time."

"Weather permitting."

"I didn't know what you wanted. They have breakfast sandwiches we can take with us."

Maya led Scott toward the front door of the roadside restaurant as a boy in his mid-teens pushed his way through the door, followed by a couple who were probably his parents. The man yelled to the boy, "How can you be so stupid?"

The woman interceded, "Bill, lighten up. He's just a boy." She noticed Scott and Maya trying to enter, "I'm sorry. I apologize."

"No need," answered Scott. But the man was oblivious. He persisted as he watched the boy head to an SUV in front of the gas pumps and get into the backseat, "How will he ever be a man if he doesn't learn?! I can't believe a son of mine can be so stupid?!"

"Bill, you tell someone long enough that he's stupid, he's going to believe it."

Scott couldn't take his eyes off this scene being played out in front of him. He opened the door for Maya, but his attention was still on the couple with their son. Maya saw that Scott was feeling sorry for the boy. She also sensed that Scott may have experienced something similar between his own father and him.

"What was all that about?" asked Maya.

Scott quickly changed the subject, "Want to go to Mexico instead?"

"Are you avoiding something, Scott?"

"So, we have a choice to make here."

"New York or Mexico?"

"Sausage, egg and cheese on a roll. Or bacon, egg and cheese on a roll."

Scott opened the front door of the restaurant for Maya. As she entered past him, he again noticed the sign for the "Thanksgiving Special for Travellers." It made him think of his last Thanksgiving at home; that too had been special.