Going Home

It was late March,1965. Johnson was president. I was preparing to go home to Chicago for Easter break. It was the first trip I would be taking alone since coming to St. Paul. My excitement was overwhelming. My Dad had said to take the train but, I insisted that I drive. It would give me an experience. I thought of it as an adventure.
All my bags were packed the night before and my friend, Nicole, had helped me map out my route. It would take me a day to get home if I drove straight through. I was allowing myself two and stop at my friends house in Madison and spend the night there.
I put on my favorite blue coat, grabbed my keys and left my dorm room on an adventure that would last the rest of my life.
Getting out of the city was easy and now I faced the open road for eight hours. My mind started to wander, would Adam still be there when I got home? Does he still love me? He said he would wait for me.
I needed to get out of my mind and pay attention to the road so, I turned on the radio. Elvis was belting out “Don’t be Cruel” and I started to sing along.
My first stop would be in LaCrosse, Wisconsin. Nicole had said there was a nice diner next to a service station. I could get a nice meal, fuel up and head back on the road.
Nicole was right. The diner was a small place but, the waitress was really nice. I had a burger, fries and a chocolate milkshake then went on to fill up on gas. I think I ate too much because when I got back to driving, I became very sleepy. I should have had a cup of coffee before I got on the road but, it was too late now.
About 20 minutes from LaCrosse I happened on a terrible accident.I craned my neck to see out my window and what I saw looked like a horse drawn buggy on it’s side had collided with a car. That was not something I would see in the city.
An officer walked up to my car and told me that the road would be closed for some time and gave me an alternate route that would take me to a town called Sparta. He assured me that it was a safe route but had many hills and curves so I should still be careful.
I turned my car around and took the next left road just like I was told. It seemed so peaceful here. About 5 miles on this road, I came to the hills and turns the officer had warned me about. I was so tired that it was hard for me to stay focused. I was nearly tempted to pull off and take a nap but, I knew I was expected on the other side of the state by dinner.