March 15, 2008
- Life, Jamie wants P to know, is "really really weird," but he's sure P knows that already.
- Jamie's off his medication, which makes him feel a bit like he's on meth. He wishes he had his drugs, because he could use a little focus right now.
- When he was at the rest stop, a big red convertible Chrysler LeBaron pulled up, and Jamie had a feeling the driver was going to be the next person to give him a ride. He was right.
- This guy was roughly the Major's age, but he was cool, wearing jeans and a black t-shirt and Chuck Taylors.
- After ascertaining that neither of them were serial killers, Jamie hopped into the LeBaron with the man, whose name was Kent.
- Kent could tell Jamie had been drinking. Jamie spilled his life story.
- They stopped at a Ponderosa Steakhouse outside Des Moines, and Kent asked Jamie if he wanted to ride with him across the rest of Iowa and Illinois. He might, Kent said, be able to take Jamie all the way to Memphis.
- On their second day together, they stopped in a town called Grinnell and got haircuts; Jamie got the black dye chopped off.
- In one of their long road-trip conversations about life, Kent told Jamie he was on a cross-country "thinking vacation."
- The next night, they stopped in a motel in a town called Geneva, where Kent's ex-wife Marty came and met them for a fancy dinner. Kent even bought Jamie some decent clothes that afternoon while Jamie was taking a nap.
- After dinner, Kent and Marty had a passionate goodnight kiss before Marty got into her Mercedes and drove away.
- Back in the LeBaron, Kent asked Jamie if he wanted to learn to drive. He took him to a parking lot, taught him, and Jamie drove back to the motel.
- And here's where stuff gets weird.
- The next day, Kent went out, and Marty came to pick Jamie up, dressed all fancy and wearing perfume.
- They went to a place called Santa's Village, where Marty proceeded to act strangely motherly, asking strangers to take pictures of her with Jamie and ruffling his hair and stuff.
- Did we mention Kent and Marty lost a baby? Marty tells him they did. She's obviously a little off, and she wants to pretend Jamie's their kid, though she never comes right out and says it.
- Jamie's freaked out and asks her to take him back to the motel and Kent. They have a confrontation in the car, which ends with him telling her he knows she left Kent for a rich guy.
- He calls her a "skanky bitch," she slaps him, he punches her in the breast, and she leaves him on the side of the road.
- Jamie walks back to the motel. Kent's not there, so Jamie waits outside. When Kent returns, Marty calls him and asks to talk to Jamie. She's apologetic, and he tells her he doesn't hate her and quickly gets off the phone.
- Kent and Jamie hit the road again, stopping for the night at a Holiday Inn in Joliet. There, Kent's gorgeous daughter Albertina comes to visit.
- Long story short: Albertina has lupus, but she's still hot. Kent leaves them alone in the room together and they lose their virginity to each other.
- As they fall asleep, Jamie's pretty sure he's in love, but he's afraid to tell her.
- The next morning, he wakes up to find Kent and Albertina gone. He doesn't know what happened, but thinks Kent might have seen the condom wrapper.
- Albertina left her hairbrush behind, so Jamie took it, left the motel, and bought another Greyhound ticket.
- Now he's really on his way to Memphis.