The little white lines on the road flashed by, a trail leading to… anywhere. I followed, settling into the shush of tires on pavement. The second step in my journey. Starting in Edmonton, I had driven down to Calgary and spent some time visiting. I had worked a bit more on the car, with the help of my dad, and his tools. Tracking down the faint coolant smell resulted in a new radiator and one hose. Not too bad, all told. The parts for the tiny old civic continue to be cheap. The new seat covers were also admired. I knew my fine taste would be appreciated! That done, I figured my car was pretty likely to make it over the mountains to Vancouver, the next leg of my journey. I had meant to set out that night, but Doris produced a bottle of wine, and I simply had to stay for a glass. By the time visiting was done, and I do loathe to hurry visiting, it was rather late. Since the forecast for the next day looked like rain, I figured my little non-ac car and I could make a day run over the passes. No real need to travel at night. So I stayed one more night in Calgary. My mum was kind enough to put Dog and I up for another night, so we stayed there. The only thing about my mum’s place is her obscene idea of morning. Keep in mind this was on a saturday. She knocked on my door at about 6:30. I muttered and sent out the dog. That ought to distract her for a bit. I did manage to get an early start however, and it turned out well.
It was just after Banff that I started feeling a bit tired. I blamed the early hour of rising, and found a pull out to stop at. I parked the car behind a resting big rig, and lay down across my passenger seat. I closed my eyes, for however long it took to refresh me.
I stood in the mist. Swirling grey patterns all around me, none of it distinctive. A woman came walking out of the mist, dressed in blue jeans and a red t shirt. her long brown hair seemed unaffected by the wet air. Indeed, she seemed to be walking in a beam of sunlight. Odd. She came up to me.
“Do you have your papers in order?” She asked, kindly brown eyes meeting mine. I stared back, uncertain.
“I…I think so.” I replied.
“All your papers? You should check.” She was reassuring, and I found myself smiling back.
With that, I woke up. Glancing around, I reoriented myself. Still parked behind the rig, still raining slightly. The wind moaned thru the straps on the rig in front of me, producing an eerie mournful sound. It reminded me of the Ocean Pipes in Croatia. I smiled at the favored memory. What a strange dream.
Slowly, a thought surfaced, like a sandbar as the tide goes out. Did I have my papers in order? For crossing the border? Yes. What was tugging at my mind? Ah, my car registration was about to expire. Well, at the end of the month, but I would still be in Cali at that time. I checked my iphone. THe BC border loomed just before me, withe the last Alberta registry in Banff, sixteen kilometers behind me. Even happened to be open on a Saturday. Guess I better do that sooner rather than later.
I checked the clock. I had only been asleep for about ten minutes. Just long enough for the message to be delivered.
Wherever you are, Be There 