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Chapter 5: From Independence

The drive from Saint Louis to Kansas City, Missouri is one road. Interstate-70. You would think that from downtown Saint Louis it’s easy to find the highway. This is not so. I made a U-Turn, almost heading back to Louisville. I sat in traffic on an entrance ramp for several minutes before I finally figured out how to get to the Interstate. Little did I know I could have gotten right back on 54/40 and gone straight through with no hassle. I guess I just didn’t have the guts to give it a shot.

[Calla – “Don’t Hold Your Breath” MP3]

The skies opened and let forth a torrential storm. Cars parked on the shoulder unwilling to move. Their hazard lights kept time as bolts of lightning struck down around us. Thunder rolled and rattled the ground beneath tires. The rain eventually beat itself into submission. The remainder of the drive was both uneventful and disinteresting. Construction caused traffic snarls all across the state. Stops for gas or coffee were intermittent. When I arrived in Independence, Missouri, I found my room and wished to retire for the night. I started to look for places to stay in Oklahoma and Dallas, and managed to book both room with little problem. With my free time, I started drinking. I drank without relent for the remainder of the evening, as relentless as the afternoon’s storm. I wandered the hallways looking for trouble or girls, but found neither. Kansas City, in the rain, offered little opportunity for entertainment. I stared at myself in the mirror and studied the lines of my pale face. Some summer.

[Magnolia Electric Co. – “I Can Not Have Seen The Light” MP3]