Note: This story was dynamically reformatted for online reading convenience.
 
 Summer Roadtrip by Jefferson Copyright (C) 2003 by Jefferson This story is
a work of fiction.  All events and persons, living and dead, are fictional.
Any resemblence to an actual person or event is purely coincidental.  This
story was edited by "Consonant Smile" with my deepest and eternal
gratitude. Chapter 3 - Day 3 Monday Daytona Beach The next morning I woke
up just after eight feeling very good about my idea.  Erin was nowhere to
be found but I figured she'd be back soon enough.  I got up, showered,
dressed and fixed enough eggs and bacon for two people.  I set out plates,
glasses filled with orange juice, a pot of black coffee and two mugs and
waited anxiously as the bacon and eggs got cold waiting for Erin's return.
I waited and waited.  Finally, unable to resist my growling stomach, I
reheated the bacon and eggs and ate.  When I was finished I went out and
started looking for her.  I asked the neighbors and the lot attendants but
no one had seen her.  I returned to the RV and settled in to wait.  I had
already decided I wasn't leaving until I had found her.  I didn't find out
where she was until almost noon.  I had watched some television, ate some
junk food, I had gone out hunting for her twice more and was about ready to
give up or report her to the police as a missing person.  I was loading up
the RV and was getting ready to head out.  I sat down in the drivers seat
and looked over at the passenger seat.  There on the seat was a small white
sheet of paper.  I picked it up and read it.  "Dearest Jason, While I
appreciate your kindness over the last day and a half, I must now make my
exit.  I have contacted friends back in New York and they are going to buy
me a bus ticket home.  I have called a cab and will be long gone by the
time you wake up and find this.  I have left you a present in the
nightstand drawer.  Please be careful and have fun on your vacation.  Good
luck in your future Life...  I will never forget you.  Erin" That was it.
No, "I have your number and will call you later." Nothing.  I didn't even
know what part of New York she was from.  No phone number, no address,
nothing!  I was pissed at her.  I was glad she was gone.  I headed back to
find the present.  I intended to throw the thing out and be done with her
forever.  I sat on the bed, opened the drawer of the nightstand and looked
inside.  There was not much in drawer to start with, so it was easy to
spot. A single picture from an instant camera was lying upside down.  I
reached in, picked it up and turned it over.  My eyes filled up with tears
and a smile crossed my face.  It was the happiest and the saddest I could
remember being in a long time.  The anger I had been feeling only moments
before was gone.  All I could do was think about her: her body, her spirit,
her feistiness, and her gentle touch.  I could still feel her small breasts
pressed against my chest.  I stared at the picture for maybe five minutes
before I could take my eyes off of it.  She was so beautiful.  When I
finally pulled myself away, I took the picture, went to the kitchen
cabinets and found my instant camera.  As I had figured, there was now film
in it and one picture was missing.  She had taken the picture with my own
camera, the little scoundrel.  I reached into the drawer and pulled out the
small photo album my mother insisted I bring.  She had bought the camera
also.  Mom knew I would want mementos.  No matter how much I fought the
idea, I realized at that moment, she was right.  From that day on, the
camera was loaded and ready at all times.  I sat at the table, opened the
scrapbook to the first page.  There was my smiling face.  My mother had
taken the picture the day before I left, right after my father drove up
with the RV.  The next page was a picture of the RV itself.  The third page
was empty.  I slid in the picture Erin had left for me.  I ran my hands
over it and then closed the scrapbook and put it away.  I wondered if it
was a good idea putting the picture in there, my mother had told me
specifically that she wanted to see it the day I returned home.  I
considered this for a few days and then left the picture right where it
was. Erin, her body and that picture were a large part of my first three
days on my trip.  There was no denying that.  A naked picture of the
beautiful young woman stayed in the scrapbook and my mother saw it when I
got home.  It wasn't her last surprise.  Two hours later I left the
campground and headed for my friends hotel.  I was supposed to have arrived
the day before to hook up with my friends who were here on a summer
vacation fling.  They were here for five days and they were now on their
third day.  I would have only two days with them before they would return
home and I would head somewhere else.  I pulled the RV into the beachfront
hotel parking lot and parked the monster in four spaces.  I grabbed an
overnight bag filled with clothes and necessities and headed inside.  The
clock behind the desk read just after 1:30 PM when I stepped up to the
counter.  "Hello, I'm looking for the room of Josh Daniel." The hotel clerk
was a cute little blond with big blue eyes.  She was cute but already had
endured a rather rough day at work.  She glared at me for a moment and then
checked her computer.  "They checked out," was the answer I got.  "They
were supposed to be here.  I was supposed to meet them.  Can you check that
again?" She did and then gave me the same response.  Apparently from what
she knew, Josh and Beck had a huge fight at three in the morning; Josh had
thrown a chair through the balcony sliding glass door.  The police were
called and Josh was arrested for destruction of private property.  Rebecca,
Josh's new girlfriend was given a room for the rest of the night.  When
Josh was released the next morning and returned to the scene, both were
politely asked to leave.  When Josh began to argue, the hotel manager told
him he had a choice: he could either leave or wait until police arrived and
arrested him for trespassing.  For the first time in his life, Josh chose
the better part of valor; he collected his clothes and left for parts
unknown.  I searched for most of the day calling the nearby hotels,
wandering the beach and checking the more popular hangouts.  I never found
them.  When I got home, I found out that they had caught a plane back to
Virginia that same day, about the same time I was leaving the campgrounds.
At the time I was unaware of any of it.  With the setting of the sun and
the growling of my stomach, I gave up.  I went back to the RV, spent the
night in the hotel parking lot with the manager's approval and then pulled
out the next day.  For the most part, my third day on the road was a big
waste of time and a royal downer!  I was glad it was over!