Route 66-based story
written by OC,SH’s founder, inspired by his September 2009 Route 66 road trip

CHAPTER 8: RESEARCH & A TEST

A couple days later, he still wasn’t sure exactly why his younger brother had returned. His brother had told him he still works for WSM, everything is OK, & he “just had to be home”, though he never explained WHY. Perhaps, that is what bothered him the most … his younger brother couldn’t explain this sudden “need” to be home. It was eerily similar to how he couldn’t explain his need to be in the “big city” of Nashville when he left the small town life behind years ago.

But, this time, he couldn’t wait for his younger brother to figure it out. He had to do what he needed to do. So, he contacted several people to start gathering information … people his parents knew in Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Arizona & California.

The morning of the fifth day, while he was checking Email to see if anyone else had replied to him, his brother interrupted him: “Mind if I borrow the Caprice today?”

“But, you HATE that Caprice,” came the stunned response.

“I know.”

“Then … why….?”

“Because I want to explore some stretches of Route 66 today, & that car seems to be the best for the drive.”

He couldn’t argue that point; his younger brother was correct, of course. But, he still had some reservations. Instead of voicing those, with something else entirely in mind he asked: “How long are you going to be here?”

A quizzical look engulfed his brother’s face. “I don’t really know.”

“How about a ballpark figure?”

“Probably about a month. I was told to take as much time as I needed away from WSM; my job will always be there. Besides, it gives them a chance to have some different people at the mic for a while.”

“OK….” He scratched his forehead a bit, trying to figure out what to say next. This latest revelation made him wonder if his brother was thinking about doing the same thing he was, but he didn’t want to reveal his plans. So, instead, he countered: “Tell you what. Why don’t you come with me to the business today & greet visitors? Then, we can talk about exploring Route 66 another day.”

This clearly was not what his brother wanted, but his young sibling quickly realized the use of the Caprice was not going to be granted. For a split second, he saw his Dad standing in front of him instead of his older brother. “OK, sounds good.” He left to finish getting ready to go, albeit to a different destination than he had hoped.

Left alone again at the computer to finish checking Email, the oldest sibling instinctively picked up the phone & dialed his sister’s number.

“You are planning to be at the business today, right?”

“Yep, of course.”

“Good. I think it is about time we have a chat with the ‘come back home kid’.” He described to their sister what had just taken place. She agreed.

He hung up the phone, shut down the computer, grabbed his keys & called out to his younger brother that he was ready to go. As his brother met him at the door, he tossed the Caprice’s keys at him saying, “Here, drive to the business today.”

“But….”

“I’m not giving you total permission, here. It will ALWAYS be MY Caprice. Today, it’s just a drive to the business.”

It was just a drive to the business, literally; but, for the eldest sibling, not figuratively….