I woke up in a cheap motel room, snuck into the bathroom, took care of business and moved towards my backpack sitting on a chair when I felt an eye on my back and imagined the other upon the door. I exhaled, knowing I was busted trying to slip out onto the campaign trail.
“Where you going?” Shari asked.
“Getting a cup of coffee,” I answered.
I should hire her to create a documentary of my campaign, I thought as the toilet flushed. Sitting on the edge of the bed, I absentmindedly watched Headline News till Shari emerged from the bathroom. Awkward, at least for me, small talk filled the air between us till we hit the C-store.
“What is your old man in the can for?”
“He’s a bit hot tempered. He beat a fellow he thought was sleeping with me.
We were just friends, nothing ever happened. Don’t worry sugar plum,” she said patting my knee. “I won’t utter a word and Moses, he don’t follow politics and anyhow, he can’t read. You’re free and clear.”
“Keep an eye on the road,” I responded. The prospect of driving closer to a man – with his wife – in prison for assault was unsettling. I was a gut check, for if elected, I would be facing crises that would require intestinal fortitude.
I considered not reporting on this fandango, no one would ever be the wiser and I could continue onward without drawing attention away from the issues, but, it would be a missed opportunity. Unlike John Edwards, who made himself look silly, I am standing up and saying that I committed biological indiscretion. I screwed up and I had sex with this married woman.
The further we drove, the lighter my mood became. We crossed the Tug Fork River at Williamson and entered Kentucky. We were in the heart of Appalachia, the heart of coal country. Its people’s welfare correlated to the dying coal industry. We drove through many small towns, one seemingly poorer than the next. I pondered what my administration could do for the good people of the region. My only immediate answer was the reintroduction of the CCC. It was stopgap at best until we could come up with an alternative energy source whose production could benefit the region.
We stopped for gas and a tall blonde in Betsy Layne. In the Frontier Lounge, Shari introduced me to the barkeep and told her my story. “Do something ‘bout healthcare, darling, and you got my vote.”
“I need your vote to do something about healthcare.”
Within a half-hour, we were back on the road, taking the off the beaten path tour of Kentucky. Frankly, I couldn’t wait till we got to Beattyville, the endless talk of being wronged by everybody and everything was wearing thin. If there were railroad tracks nearby, I would have jumped out the window. An hour and a half later I got my wish, near Jackson tracks paralleled the road. Being so close to our destination, I thought it would serve better to ride it through to completion.
Beattyville: At the eastern fringe of the Daniel Boone National Forest sits this town a barely a thousand. Prisons seem to be the growth industry in this county seat. One public facility that serves numerous counties and a private facility that has contracts with Kentucky and Vermont. Shari dropped me off on Main and Locust and wished me well. I didn’t tell her to say Hi to Moses for me. I stopped in the APPCO 75, shared a coffee with the counter jockey and two locals, purchased a bottle of water and some jerky. I bid farewell and followed the tracks westward. They hugged the Kentucky river as it wound through the forest.
So far, my route through Kentucky was a bust as far as campaign stops, but that would change once I got to Winchester. An hour and two or so miles later I wondered if I would make Winchester, there wasn’t any signs of train traffic.
About four PM, the rumble of an approaching freight echoed through the canyon. I hopped the slow moving monster and settled onto the only flatcar on the train. After a series of wide S bends the canyons widened and the train rolled past fields.
Evening: Winchester. Apparently Frontier Lounge is a popular name in Kentucky, I slipped inside Winchester’s version exhausted from my day. I enjoyed a tall blonde as I watched the Olympics. After finishing, I slipped out without stumping and found a quiet corner of the Winchester Country Club to bed down upon. I promised myself a more energetic canvass tomorrow.
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