My Chevy Van

On January 2, 1974, President Nixon signed the Emergency Highway Energy Conservation Act into law, reducing the speed limit to 55 MPH nationwide. This Act was passed into law in response to the spike in gasoline prices and scarcity due to the Middle East Oil Embargo. Needless to say, cross-country trips became more tedious because of the reduced speed limits.

© 2022 Candy_Kane54

***

September 1979

It was a dark and stormy night.

No, really, it was, and I hated it. I didn't like driving at night in the first place, and I really hated it when it was raining. The almost constant flashes of lightning and claps of thunder didn't help either. However, the circumstances required me to drive right now, and I wasn't too pleased about it. I had wanted to make it to Kingman, AZ, before stopping for the night, having just left Flagstaff, AZ, an hour ago.

I had seen the heat lightning off to the west when I departed Flagstaff but didn't think it would be an issue. However, thirty minutes into my drive, the first big splatters of raindrops against my windshield told me I had been overly optimistic. I had been making good time but had to slow down as the rain fell harder.

The random gusts of wind didn't help either. My vehicle, a 1975 Chevy G10 sports van, kept getting pushed around by the wind, making driving down the highway quite the experience. It was my means of transportation and my temporary home for the past two months, so I certainly didn't want to wreck it.

The van had been my dad's, but it was mine now. It wasn't the easiest vehicle to drive, equipped with a three-speed manual transmission, but it did have a 350 cubic inch small-block V-8, so it had plenty of power. I would have preferred an automatic transmission, but beggars can't be choosers. Dad had gotten it with the optional roof-mounted AC, for which I was thankful, having made good use of it while driving through Texas for the past few days.

I acquired the van when my parents were killed in a car accident earlier this year. Neither of my brothers wanted it, so I decided to keep it. I didn't mind since I had enjoyed the camping trips we had taken in previous iterations of the current van before I went to college.

The accident killed my parents instantly, devastating our family. As it turned out, my direct manager at IBM, whom I had worked with daily, had been the driver crossing over the center line and hitting my parents head-on. He survived but would be in a wheelchair for the rest of his life. The police investigation found mechanical failure the reason for the accident. Still, I suspected he had been drunk since I knew he spent a lot of time in the local bars after work.

To add insult to injury, my manager planned to return to his position once he was out of the hospital. I loved working at IBM, but when I heard that, I couldn't face working there anymore. I put in my notice and began searching for another software development position. Since IBM dominated the field in Allentown, I'd have to move elsewhere to find a decent one.

My oldest brother, Jim, bought out mine and my older brother Steve's share of the house since he wanted to move his family into it. Along with my cut of the insurance payout, I had a nice nest egg to keep me afloat. Since I now had the van, I sold my car. It was a sweet dark Corvette-green metallic 1976 Corvette Stingray I had indulged in after receiving my signing bonus from IBM. I loved that car but couldn't keep it and the van, so I found a local lawyer willing to pay top dollar for it, feathering my nest egg even more.

Mark Mason, the head of the IBM office in Allentown, PA, understood my reasons for leaving. He connected me with his friend, Joe Hamilton, Northrop's Chief Technical Officer (CTO), in Northridge, CA. I talked with him, and after an intense grilling, Joe told me to send him my resume with a cover letter stating we had talked and Mark had referred me.

I had done that, and a week later, I received a certified letter from Northrop, wanting me to come out to Northridge for a position opening up in October. The offer was substantially better than what I had been making, even considering the cost of living in Northridge was much higher than here. I wanted out of Allentown, so I jumped on it. I told them I'd be there on the date and time indicated.

That was two months ago. I decided to take my time getting to California and spent that time seeing the country. My van was the perfect vehicle for that. I had removed the back seats, so I'd have room to sleep without curling up since I was 5'10", and sleeping across the rear bench seat was uncomfortable. I packed the belongings I couldn't do without and gave away the rest to my friends or the local St. Vincent De Paul when I gave up my apartment.

The wipers gallantly tried to keep the windshield clear enough, so I could see where I was going. As I fought to keep the van on the highway, I remembered how sad I was to tell my friends goodbye, especially Stephanie. She had been my best friend through high school before I went away to Georgian Court College in Lakewood, NJ.

When I returned to Allentown after graduation, I looked Stephanie up and found she had gotten married in the interim. His name was Ray, and they were deeply and happily in love. We picked up our friendship after letting it languish while I was off to college, becoming nearly as inseparable as we had been through high school.

Before I went off to college, I had thought I loved Stephanie, but she was straight and stubbornly so. She knew I was gay but didn't let it bother her. When I confessed my feelings for her, Stephanie didn't laugh or make a big production about it. She gently explained how she didn't feel the same toward me but loved me like the sister she had always wanted. We hugged it out, and that was the end of that. With the sexual tension gone, we became even tighter, and I became the sister Stephanie had always wanted.

Stephanie was instrumental in helping me get over Virginia, my roommate, during my senior year at Georgian Court College. Virginia and I had fallen hard for each other, although we knew it would likely end at graduation. We talked about our futures and realized we were going in different ways. While I would have liked to have pursued a relationship with Virginia, I couldn't ask her to give up her dreams, and I didn't want to give up my dreams. We parted as friends, but I still thought about Virginia and greatly missed her.

I remembered how Stephanie had reacted when I showed her a Polaroid of Virginia and me when I stopped by to say goodbye. Virginia and I had the picture taken during one of our many visits to the Cosmopolitan. It was a nice off-campus restaurant where Georgian Court students hung out. We spent many evenings there when we didn't have any homework to do. Stephanie's eyes got big when she saw how much Virginia resembled her, right down to the sapphire blue eyes I loved so much.

Stephanie grinned at me and said, "She looks familiar, don't you think?"

"Yeah, I guess she does," I admitted sheepishly.

"So, why don't you go look her up?" Stephanie asked.

"I tried," I said. I went on to explain how I had tried to find out where Virginia was in a moment of weakness last year, even writing to Sister Joyce at Georgian Court College. I knew Virginia wanted to find a job at a pharmaceutical company and had several interviews planned. She had yet to find a job when I had last seen her after graduation. Nobody I had contacted knew what had happened to her. However, I received a sweet letter from Sister Joyce, apologizing for not being able to help me but glad to hear I had done so well for myself.

Stephanie had commiserated with me, pulling me in for a hug I wished was coming from Virginia. I cried in her arms for a beat but pulled myself together quickly, not wanting to make Stephanie uncomfortable. I would have to resign myself to going through life, always wondering what had happened to Virginia.

I was startled from my reverie by a gust of wind nearly blowing me off the road and the flash/bang of a very close lightning strike. I managed to keep control of the van and pulled off onto the shoulder, shaken by the incident. I sucked in a shuddering breath and blew it out, easing my death grip on the steering wheel. I flexed my fingers to get the blood flowing in them again.

Once my heart started beating normally, I put the van in gear and took off. I reconsidered my plan to make it to Kingman for the night, so I needed to look for the first place I came to that had a decent motel. I didn't need a motel since my van was my home, but a motel usually meant there was gas and food nearby. I mentally kicked myself for having passed up the Ash Fork, AZ, exit a while back. "Oh, well," I said aloud over the loud patter of raindrops hitting the top of my van, "I didn't see a sign for anything there anyway."

I had never felt as alone as I felt at this moment. I realized I couldn't remember the last time I had seen headlights in either direction. I thought it couldn't get any worse until I heard the loud clatter of hail hitting my van and saw it bouncing off the pavement. "Shit," I swore as I slowed down almost to a crawl as I worried my windshield would shatter. Luckily, the hail was only an issue for about a minute. Although it had set my nerves on edge, my van survived intact.

Eventually, I saw a sign for the exit to Seligman, AZ. According to the map I had looked at back in Flagstaff, it was the halfway point between Flagstaff and Kingman. I've had enough of driving in this storm, so I decided to get off at the exit, find a place to park, and sack out for the night. I'd forget about Kingman and push through to Barstow, CA, unless I saw something interesting to stop and visit along the way.

When I got to the exit, I saw a fueling plaza just off the end of the ramp. I pulled into the lot and up to the station. I found a place to park near the entrance and killed the engine. I heaved a sigh of relief and closed my eyes to savor the fact I had made it in one piece. After a moment, I opened my eyes and looked around to ensure no one could jump me before I unlocked the door and got out.

I quickly darted inside, getting soaked in the process, looking for the sign to direct me to the restrooms. I saw the sign and hurried into the Women's Room, needing to empty my bladder. I made it and heaved a sigh of relief as I hovered over the bowl and relieved myself.

When I finished with my toilet, I purchased a bottle of Perrier and a bag of chips before returning to my van. Again, I got wet from the short trip from the door to my van, but I didn't let it bother me. I pulled my van over to where the big rigs were parked but ensured I parked in a well-lit area away from the other rigs.

I made sure all of the window shades were closed and the blackout curtain was pulled shut that I had installed behind the front seats before I turned on the lantern I used to light up the back compartment of the van. I quickly ate the chips and drank the water before getting ready for sleep. Before I turned the lantern off, I made sure my dad's S&W K-38 was close at hand for protection. He had used that pistol while he was an Army MP and taught me how to use it while I was growing up. He had been in favor of women knowing how to use a gun for protection. I thanked him again for doing so as I teared up, thinking about how much I had loved my dad and how I dearly missed him.

I closed my eyes, and, despite the pattering of the rain hitting the roof of my van, I quickly fell asleep. As I entered Sandman's realm, my mind drifted back to the events that had transpired over the past twenty-four hours ...

***

... As I came out of the canyon, I saw the city of Albuquerque, NM, spread out before me. It was getting late in the day, and the sun was in my eyes. I was tired and hungry from having traveled across the sere New Mexico landscape all day.

Leaving Lubbock, TX, I took US84 to Texico, NM, where I got on US60. I stopped at Fort Sumner, NM, for lunch and visited the Billy the Kid Museum. I then continued west on US60 until I reached Encino, NM. I then took US285 to Clines Corner, NM, where I got on I-40/US66 and traveled west to my present location.

I decided to make my way through Albuquerque past the I-25 interchange and across the Rio Grande River before I pulled off to look for gas and food. I looked to my left as I passed the exit to Carnuel, NM, and Central Avenue (Historic Route 66) through Albuquerque. I saw a small hill seemingly encircled by tall fences, and I had no idea what it was. I was distracted from wondering about it by the cluster of hot air balloons that appeared to be hanging motionless in the air ahead of me.

After having encountered hardly any traffic all day, the late rush hour traffic made the drive a little nerve-wracking as I traveled through Albuquerque. I saw the signs for the I-25 interchange as the hot air balloons fell behind me. The traffic was bumper to bumper through the junction but opened up once I passed it. I crossed the Rio Grande River, noting I'd seen creeks back home wider than the river I was now crossing.

As soon as I crossed the river, I saw signs for gas and food and took the Coors Boulevard exit. I had expected that since the map I had looked at earlier showed this would be the last exit of any import until I reached Grants, NM, where I had planned to stop for the night. I turned north onto Coors Blvd., seeing a gas station just ahead. Off to my left, I saw three worn rock columns sticking up in the air. I guessed they were the eroded remains of three extinct volcanoes. I momentarily marveled at the length of time it would take to do that as I pulled into the Enco gas station and up to the pumps.

As I filled the gas tank, I looked around and saw I had a choice of places to eat. There was an IHOP right across the street, but I wasn't in the mood for pancakes. There was a Denny's just before the exit ramp to get back on I-40W, so I decided to grab a bite to eat there before moving on. I saw a sign in the station window advertising cold beer for sale as I went in and paid for my gas.

I checked out their beer selection and noticed that, along with the national brands, there was Brown Derby and Coors beer available, neither of which I've tried before. I liked trying new beers whenever I visited somewhere for the first time. I discovered they would sell individual beers so I wouldn't have to buy an entire six-pack. Although I prefer bottles to cans, they only had those beers in cans, so I got a can of each to try later. I stashed the beers in my cooler before driving to Denny's and parking near the front entrance.

I got out and headed for the door. When I got to it, I stopped, almost paralyzed with shock, as I saw the woman who had just come out the door and was holding it for me. I looked her up and down and loved what I saw. She was a couple of inches shorter than me, with auburn hair and green eyes that were just mesmerizing. She had pulled her long hair back into a low ponytail with the hair on the side of her head cut so short it looked almost shaved. She wore a long-sleeved flannel shirt with the sleeves rolled up and the shirt tails tied up under her breasts, exposing her beautifully taut and tanned core. She was wearing daisy dukes that showed off her long tanned legs. Her knee-high boots and backpack clutched in her other hand finished her ensemble.

We held our gaze for a long moment before the corners of her mouth curled up into a grin. I think I was grinning, too, as I hastily tore my eyes away and muttered, "Thanks," before heading inside.

I heard a chuckled, "No problem," behind me before the door snapped shut.

In a trance, I walked up to the hostess's desk, lost in my thoughts about what I had just witnessed. The hostess queried me several times before I realized she was talking to me. I hastily gathered myself and answered, "Yes, just one, please."

The hostess led me to a table by the window in front. By the time I reached my table, I had mostly recovered and smiled at the hostess and thanked her. I sat down and saw someone had left a newspaper on the seat next to mine. Thinking it would distract me from thoughts of the woman I had just encountered, I picked it up and noted it was the Albuquerque Tribune. The main headline was about the wildfires in California and how one of the fires had burned its way inside the Ventura city limits.

Having looked at maps to see where Northridge was, I knew Ventura was only about 30 miles west of Northridge. I thought, "Great, now I have to worry about wildfires in addition to earthquakes." I had seen the movie 'Earthquake,' starring Charlton Heston, and I knew I would have to get used to having the threat of the 'big one' hanging over me while living there.

I glanced up from the newspaper when my waitress approached the table, asking if I was ready to order. I scrambled to look at the menu and quickly ordered the cheeseburger and fries with an unsweetened iced tea. The waitress, who had introduced herself as Patty, smiled and said, "I'll get your order in right away," before bouncing off. I couldn't help but follow her with my eyes, enjoying the view of her seductively moving ass until she went out of sight.

I sighed and turned to look out the window. I took a double-take when I saw the woman I had met at the door standing near the road, looking like she was trying to hitch a ride. I couldn't help but run my eyes over her body, loving how her tight daisy dukes barely covered her ass, lifting and separating her ass cheeks. My heart clenched, and my nipples tightened in response to the view. Her ass slightly swayed as she shifted her weight from one foot to the other. I nearly moaned from the desire welling up inside me as I envisioned clenching that ass in my hands while holding her body tight to mine and kissing her.

I realized I was holding the newspaper in my hands, but I was too busy looking out the window to read it. Fascinated by what I saw, I watched a car pull up to the woman. After a brief exchange, it was apparent they weren't going where she was going because she smiled, shook her head, and stepped back to let the car continue on its way. I wondered about her and where she was going until Patty returned with my meal and drink. I dug in, hungry from the long drive, washing the burger down with the unsweetened iced tea, wishing it was a Yuengling Dark Brewed Porter and I didn't have to drive any further for the night. I sighed, knowing I couldn't enjoy my favorite beer anymore. There was no chance in Hell that anyone in California would carry Yuengling beer since it was a regional beer, so I'd have to find something new.

I briefly wondered if I could get Jim to ship me some Yuengling beer while I finished my meal. I wasn't even sure if it was legal to do so, so I just sighed and looked out the window while waiting for Patty to bring my check. The woman was still out there after apparently turning down another offer. I saw her glance back at the restaurant several times and wondered if/fantasized she was waiting for me to come out and take her away. My chest clenched at the thought, and my heart beat a tattoo as my nipples tightened and ached and my pussy got hot and wet.

When Patty showed up with my check, I quickly covered it, leaving a nice tip as I thanked her for the meal. I promptly got up and visited the restroom before heading out. As I approached my van, I looked for the woman and saw her glance my way. I thought I saw a smile grow on her lips, and my chest clenched again. I got in my van and started it up, thinking I'd stop and ask her where she was going. I hoped it was the same way I was going because she intrigued me. But, as a matter of caution, remembering my dad's training, I ensured my pistol was accessible in case she turned out to be trouble.