Extended Vacation
Doyle Duke
- Sam
- Henson
- is
- a
- bitter,
- cantankerous,
- old
- redneck
- whose
- world
- is
- a
- prison
- of
- depression
- and
- anger.
- It
- was
- not
- always
- so.
- Once,
- he
- had
- the
- love
- and
- adoration
- of
- his
- wife,
- Martha,
- and
- children.
- Now,
- his
- wife
- has
- deserted
- him.
- His
- daughter,
- Karen,
- who
- provides
- his
- home
- healthcare,
- is
- stealing
- his
- money,
- and
- his
- son,
- Tom,
- is
- gay.
- Sam’s
- health
- is
- bad
- and
- he’s
- terrified
- of
- dying—the
- means,
- not
- the
- final
- results.
- The
- thought
- of
- being
- bed-ridden
- and
- completely
- dependent
- upon
- his
- daughter
- is
- more
- frightening
- than
- the
- images
- he
- conjures
- up
- of
- an
- extended
- and
- painful
- death.
After
- a
- terrific
- argument
- with
- Karen,
- he
- determines
- to
- take
- an
- extended
- vacation.
- He
- liquidates
- his
- savings,
- puts
- his
- house
- on
- the
- market,
- loads
- his
- RV,
- and
- heads
- from
- Macon,
- Georgia
- to
- Alaska.
- His
- plan
- is
- simple,
- along
- the
- way;
- he’ll
- spend
- all
- his
- money
- and
- shoot
- himself
- upon
- arrival.
At
- a
- truck
- stop,
- he
- meets
- Terri
- Warner,
- an
- eighteen
- year
- old,
- black,
- road
- whore
- running
- from
- her
- own
- demons.
- They
- come
- together
- like
- milk
- and
- beer—splashing
- at
- each
- encounter,
- but
- unable
- to
- mix.
- Terri
- is
- adept
- at
- spinning
- self-serving
- lies
- and
- Sam’s
- bigotry
- works
- like
- a
- poker
- in
- hot
- coals.
- Even
- so,
- she
- reminds
- Sam
- of
- the
- daughter
- he
- loved,
- and
- he
- begins
- wondering
- about
- Terri’s
- past.
- In
- his
- loneliness,
- Sam
- reveals
- bits
- and
- pieces
- of
- his
- story,
- and
- Terri
- learns
- of
- his
- family,
- the
- reason
- for
- the
- trip,
- and
- its
- intended
- ending.
- But
- it’s
- the
- dark
- secret
- Terri
- hides
- that
- shatters
- their
- world
- and
- forces
- them
- along
- a
- path
- of
- friendship
- and
- devotion
- neither desires.
pro-mbooks3 : libris
