The Business Trip

Epilogue

"The grand leader." he laughed. " Huh, to Tennessee I go."

"Make it count." she said.

"I will hun, no worries." he said. "It's just a couple weeks."

"Two tops, okay." she said sounding sad.

As he went down the expressway he noticed things had changed. It had been sometime now since he had been down here, this so far south. Marketing and researching if you can call it that for the black nior. An ecommerce business he was expanding and growing. He did his normal first stops.

"Hey, how are you?" He said in a cheerful voice to the gas station clerk.

"Great." the clerk replied "A lot of robberies here lately."

"Here lately?" he asked.

"Yeah around the west side of the mountains." the clerk laughed.

"Really got to love the gang." John replied. "Have, a nice day."

"You, too" the clerk said.

As he excited the gas station he saw the police outside already going.

"Where to start?" he said as he looked in the rearview mirror. "Let's go Knoxville."

Tennessee was hot again just like any normal March. Going from snow in Ohio to summer in the heat. a neat experience where you got to take your jacket off halfway through the trip. jack was driving an old silio not to old, not to young. the normal transmission problems any would have he missed his old alia all the way. the muscle car though would service his business look well though. It was a grayish green and went up to 120 mph.

"Looks like it'll be the taco shack today." Jack said below the music.

As he was pulling through he was surprised to find his old buddies cousin. he was shocked it was an old affair he use to have. Now felt ancient and in the past. Elena was young energetic, a young Latina ready for a new life, for a new start. She was about five foot three, had brown eyes and black hair. A young taco folder and wrapper working the cash register.

"Welcome to the Taco Place, May I take your order?" she said Gleefully.

"Yes, I would like a number five." Jack replied.

"Thank you for your order, what would you like to drink?" she finished.

"A regular soda pop." he ended

He started to pull around, he was going through to get his card out. as he stopped he felt a sudden surprise. As she began to holler, he never thought she would say hi with how shy she was.

"Hey, how have you been?" she said.

"Been good got to have fun with my new job plus looking to find where to open the retail shop." he said.

The shift manager was behind her giving the look. the shift manager was normally mean to her, but had been more so in the past few weeks. Valerie was an mid age thirty six year old that had worked there for years. they would always spoke her by acting like slavery was coming back.

"Hey you remember how we play?" she asked Jack.

"Yes." he laughed.

While she was handing him the food and drink she said. "And you be a good boy, okay."

Than she turned around and gave the look back to the shift. He laughed as he drove off. He was in town finishing his business the day seemed normal as can be in the normal way the sun had started going down as he drove out.

He had started his way to Georgia. He was making his way through Chattanooga. The sun was up everything seemed as if it was going to be an easy trip to Phoenix, Arizona. than all of the sudden he heard it, but was still ignoring it. he was in the restroom at the gas station as they started to make fun of what they heard up north, but something seemed off. It just felt different. He was still gonna make his way to Georgia and call later...