I settled down next to Mom.
Doggy Bag laid down between us,
his head resting on my lap.

We all got a fizzing spray of the
syrupy mist when Mom popped
her soda open.

The warm soda spewed up
like a fountain.

"Ooups. Sorry 'bout that," she apologized.

I laughed while Doggy Bag shook his head
vigorously to clear his face.
That gave us another spray.

I squinted to discern the heat wave mirage
that looked like a puddle of water in the middle
of the road.

By now we had gone through over a box
of tissue wiping perspiration.

"Mom," I asked, "What would uncle Brentz
do if he were here?"

A wishful expression came in her face.

"Same as always." she replied with a smile.
"Dennis would stick his head under the hood lid,
jiggle a few things down there in the engine,
and say, try it now,"

I'd turn the key. The car would start,
and he would get in and drive us away
from this forsaken place."

I peered down the road.
My eyes followed it until it got
as thin as Mom's sewing thread,
and disappeared over the horizon.

There...distant white clouds and spacious skies
made things seem further away than perhaps
they really were.

If this road had an end...I thought...
we were a far-cry from the same.

"How far do you think we are away from
the naval base?" I asked.

Mom breathed her reply with a sigh.

"Perhaps twenty miles or so.
Every since I made that wrong turn
back there...I'm not quite sure."

I took another survey of the road...both ways.

"This road isn't traveled a heck of a lot,"
I said dryly...hoping to see any sign of anybody.

"We've been out here for more than four hours,"
Mom said, "I expect we'll see a boat before we see
a motor vehicle."

I reached for the soda that she offered to share with me.
The can was warm...so was Mom's hand.

"I wonder if any people live any place along this road."
I made this sound like a question.

"Maybe," Mom replied, "but even if they did,
what good would that do us?
Nobody knows we're here."

"Oh. I wouldn't say that," I changed.

Doggy Bag lay watching a doe and her fawn,
that he noticed that had been watching us.

They seemed more curious than afraid of us...
but seemed careful to keep their distance.

"Look over there," I beckoned,
"I'm sure they know we're here."

That was the first time I saw Mom's face beam,
since our car conked out.

Her eyes began to twinkle.
The adoration in her heart
seemed as warm as the summer air.

"Now there's a mother and daughter
team that certainly don't mind being out here."
She said in a tinkle.

"How do you know that the little one is a girl?"
I questioned.

"Because they're both fragile, like you and me,"
Mom whispered with a tiny chuckle.

"And they're both nosy...
like you and me," I added.

Mom's laughter made me laugh.

They stood so still. Then when Mom and I laughed,
like magic, in a flash...they disappeared into the trees
like phantoms.

"Let's name them," I suggested.
"Yes," Mom agreed. "We'll name them after us."

"Good idea, Mom. We'll name them
Noreen and Brittney."

"Do you think the engine has cooled enough to start?"
Mom asked.

"It has, if it's like Doggy Bag.
He's been as cool as a cucumber.
I guess we can say that he's just not sweating this."
I said wiping my brow.

When Mom stood up...Doggy Bag jumped up...
so I popped up too.