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Authors: K.W. CALLAHAN
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to get around, and Gordon had realized that without gas stations or reliable transportation for many flu survivors, being able to get from point A to point B was not as simple as it sounded. He painted several of his vehicles bright yellow and would send them up and down A1A and US1 three times a week to make the run from south Jacksonville to north Daytona. He told us that he’d tried running all the way to Miami in the beginning, but two of his cabs never returned from their trips. Therefore, he labeled that portion of coastline too dangerous. Now he kept his cabs close to home. With phone service no longer available, creating a regular schedule allowed riders to be out and on the side of the road for pickup at pre-set times each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
One of the major stops on the line was Gordon’s own trading post, which was attached to his garage shop. In this way, people could fulfill their weekly shopping needs at his store while at the same time using his cab service. It was a win/win for him and his establishment. He had actually been thinking of expanding his operation to open two more stores, one at the north end of his route and one to the south so that he could begin and end his cab service entirely from businesses that he owned. The loss of his two sons and nephew had been a severe setback though in this area as he had planned on having them help get the two new locations up and operating as well as to eventually assist in running the stores and taxi service.
At the end of our multi-week stint with Gordon and his family, I let him know about our plans to continue our trek south. He brought Will, Ray, dad, and me over to his garage for beers while the women shopped in the attached store and picked out some new clothing and other accessories for the trip.
Gordon had a private tiki bar out back, complete with bar stools and thatched palm frond roof under which we could sit comfortably in the shade. Gordon played the role of bartender, pulling cold beers from a cooler full of ice, popping them, and lining them up before us on the bar. Then he popped one for himself and took a long swig.
“ Ahh ,” he exhaled. “That’s good. Amazin’ how much you appreciate a cold beer these days,” he nodded.
We all took drinks ourselves, relishing the carbonated coolness as it trickled down our parched throats.
“So you’re leavin’ us?” Gordon said after another drink of his beer.
“Looks that way,” I nodded. “We need to move on. We have a plan we’re trying to stick to and we’ve been enough of a burden to you and your family.”
“No burden at all,” Gordon countered quickly. “Fact, it’s been a pleasure. But if you’re set on goin’, y’all best be careful out there. The Fort Lauderdale and Miami areas ain’t like they are up here.” Then he snorted, “Heck, even up here don’t seem all that safe anymore. I used to think I had it made here, that I’d be able to retire soon and let the boys handle everything.” His eyes became red and watery at their mention. “Now that’s all changed.” He wiped them dry with the back of his hand. “Hate to see fine folks like y’all get yourselves into trouble.”
“Thanks Gordon,” I smiled at him. “But we’re pretty good at taking care of ourselves.”
He nodded, “Yeah, I suppose y’all are if you’ve made it this far, but still…it ain’t no joke down there.” He paused and took another drink. “When y’all thinkin’ ‘bout leavin’?”
“Probably a couple days from now…if you’ll have us that much longer,” I added.
“Our pleasure,” he smiled.
He paused for a moment, considering, and then said, “I’m gonna throw somethin’ out there for you to ponder on. Don’t wanna put a kink in your works or anything, but it’s another option…maybe a safer option. And options ain’t all that plentiful these days.”
We sat sipping our beers,
One of the major stops on the line was Gordon’s own trading post, which was attached to his garage shop. In this way, people could fulfill their weekly shopping needs at his store while at the same time using his cab service. It was a win/win for him and his establishment. He had actually been thinking of expanding his operation to open two more stores, one at the north end of his route and one to the south so that he could begin and end his cab service entirely from businesses that he owned. The loss of his two sons and nephew had been a severe setback though in this area as he had planned on having them help get the two new locations up and operating as well as to eventually assist in running the stores and taxi service.
At the end of our multi-week stint with Gordon and his family, I let him know about our plans to continue our trek south. He brought Will, Ray, dad, and me over to his garage for beers while the women shopped in the attached store and picked out some new clothing and other accessories for the trip.
Gordon had a private tiki bar out back, complete with bar stools and thatched palm frond roof under which we could sit comfortably in the shade. Gordon played the role of bartender, pulling cold beers from a cooler full of ice, popping them, and lining them up before us on the bar. Then he popped one for himself and took a long swig.
“ Ahh ,” he exhaled. “That’s good. Amazin’ how much you appreciate a cold beer these days,” he nodded.
We all took drinks ourselves, relishing the carbonated coolness as it trickled down our parched throats.
“So you’re leavin’ us?” Gordon said after another drink of his beer.
“Looks that way,” I nodded. “We need to move on. We have a plan we’re trying to stick to and we’ve been enough of a burden to you and your family.”
“No burden at all,” Gordon countered quickly. “Fact, it’s been a pleasure. But if you’re set on goin’, y’all best be careful out there. The Fort Lauderdale and Miami areas ain’t like they are up here.” Then he snorted, “Heck, even up here don’t seem all that safe anymore. I used to think I had it made here, that I’d be able to retire soon and let the boys handle everything.” His eyes became red and watery at their mention. “Now that’s all changed.” He wiped them dry with the back of his hand. “Hate to see fine folks like y’all get yourselves into trouble.”
“Thanks Gordon,” I smiled at him. “But we’re pretty good at taking care of ourselves.”
He nodded, “Yeah, I suppose y’all are if you’ve made it this far, but still…it ain’t no joke down there.” He paused and took another drink. “When y’all thinkin’ ‘bout leavin’?”
“Probably a couple days from now…if you’ll have us that much longer,” I added.
“Our pleasure,” he smiled.
He paused for a moment, considering, and then said, “I’m gonna throw somethin’ out there for you to ponder on. Don’t wanna put a kink in your works or anything, but it’s another option…maybe a safer option. And options ain’t all that plentiful these days.”
We sat sipping our beers,
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