Something of a Storm (All in Good Time Book 1) Read Online Free PDF Page A

my car, so I called her and told her the time and place.
    Lexi was trilled about the truck. I told her with the added space the toolbox provided we'd be able to bring more than twice the stuff than we originally planned, and she went on and on about how she'd get to take all her clothes and shoes and even the lava lamp now. Her excitement only served to enrage my mother even more, and eventually, Lexi got the picture that maybe she should put a sock in it. She and I both did our best to avoid our mother for the remainder of the evening.
    The following afternoon, I met Tara and Uncle Rick at the hardware store to make the vehicle switch. Uncle Rick was driving the company truck, and my cousin, Justin, pulled up right behind him in their SUV. I couldn't help but notice that they'd taken off the logo magnets.
    Justin and Uncle Rick both gave me a hug and wished me well, and within a minute, were both in the SUV headed home.
    I was standing there with the keys to the truck in my hand watching them drive away when Tara and her dad pulled into the parking lot. This transaction took longer than the first, but not by much. Tara handed me eight hundred dollars in cash and I gave her the keys and the title. She and her dad made a little small talk about the girls' graduation and our travel plans, but we were done in less than five minutes.
    The cab of that truck seemed huge compared to the front of my tiny little hatchback. I stared at it for several seconds before I climbed into the driver's seat. The long bench seat stretched from one side of the cab to the other. It seemed to go on forever, and I smiled to myself as I imagined ten people sitting comfortably side by side. Okay, so maybe it could fit three, but it seemed really big, even as I climbed up there and sat down.
    My feet didn't come close to reaching the pedals, and I glanced around nervously hoping there was someway to adjust the seat. It only took me a minute to figure things out. I repositioned the seat and the rearview mirror, and before you know it, I was on the road.
    Uncle Rick had classic rock programed on the radio. It was a beautiful day, and I rolled down the windows and turned up the song that was playing. I didn't know the lyrics, but it was a familiar tune by Credence Clearwater Revival or someone who sounded a lot like them. The truck ran like a dream, and I couldn't contain a smile as I drove home in it.
    It was a good thing we had plans to leave first thing the following morning, because I don't believe my mother could have handled looking at that truck a moment longer. She was extremely emotional about it all evening saying over and over again how messed up it was that her brother could give her daughter something but not her.
    Lexi and I did our best to ignore her. We spent the evening packing. I didn't think we had so many things we'd be interested in taking with us, but once we started packing, I realized I had underestimated our belongings. The toolbox was completely packed and we put as many things in the cab as we could without making it impossible to sit down or see out of the windows.
    There was a mound of things stacked between us by the time we were done, and we laughed at ourselves for ever thinking we could pack everything we wanted to bring into a duffle bag to bring on the Greyhound.
    Lexi was laughing about it before we went to bed that evening, and my mom got so enraged that she slapped her across the face. It was something she'd done to both of us on occasion, but it hurt that it happened to Lexi the night before we left. I didn't want that to be the last encounter she had with our mom before we took off, but since Mom went to bed not long afterward, it seemed that's the way it was going to work out.
    We had plans to hit the road no later than 9am, and even though Mom knew that, we assumed she wouldn't be awake to see us off. It surprised us both when we went into the living room at 8:30 and saw our mother sitting at the table drinking a