Amber by Dan-Dwayne Spencer (e book reader .TXT) 📕

too.” He stood and pushed Rose’s arm away from him. “If we don’t get on the road, we’ll miss everything.” Jimmy’s voice sounded strained and tinny, he was getting really pissed.

Flower reached into a filing cabinet and took out a US map. “Every inch on this map is a hundred miles, meaning it’s almost two hours of driving time.” She handed him a metal-edged ruler. “Measure how far you have to go and calculate how long it will take you. Then compare it to how long you have allotted for the trip.”

Jimmy shook his head and pressed his lips tight.

“Take it, tiny,” Roger spouted off, “I’m dying to know how long we have before we get there.”

Jimmy made a fist, waved it at Roger, and loudly whispered, “Reynolds, you want to die, don’t you, numbnuts? After I do this, I’m going to break your arms off and beat you to death with them.”

Roger could be so thick-headed sometimes that he forgot, or didn’t care about what Dugan could and would do. Jimmy, as I saw him, was still the same bully who harassed us since the second grade and his new connection with me and Roger didn’t make us immune to his pranks and outbursts. At least, I didn’t think so. Jimmy had everything he needed and more to beat Roger to a pulp. Roger’s bravery was pure ignorance standing in the face of a two-fisted brawny pandemic named Jimmy Dugan.

Fuming, Jimmy sat back down and yanked the ruler and map from Flower’s hands. She laid a pencil down next to him. For a moment I thought he was going to break it in half, but instead, he silently seethed, measured, and plotted his route. Measured again and rerouted hoping the outcome would be different. Finally, he looked up, emanating pure rage.

Roger sounded like a heckler, “Well, big guy, you’re in charge. Say the word and we’ll do it. But what are we going to do?”

Jimmy threw the pencil onto the map and yelled. “Damn. Damn. Damn.” Looking right at me he yelled, “I hate this spooky shit. You hear me, Loveless. Stop it.” He put his hands over his ears. “Stop it, so you can be my friend.”

Silently I answered, I can’t. I’m on this ride till the conductor stops the train and nothing is going to make a difference—not even a powerhouse like Jimmy Dugan.

Roger replied, “Jimmy, pull yourself together. This is a glorious adventure. I wouldn’t have missed this for anything.” He turned to Flower and asked, “You said gifted people have a purpose. Beyond the fact you want to heal everyone who’s sick or injured, what’s your purpose?”

Again Flower met my gaze. “I’m at a loss. Only someone who possesses the gift of knowledge can know that.” She pulled stray strands of wispy blond hairs escaping from her braids back over her left ear. “My future is a mystery to me.” Placing her right hand on Roger’s shoulder, she said, “As for gifts, I think there are more, but these are the only ones I’ve been told about.”

Making fists, Jimmy gripped the air by the side of his head. Then he slammed his hands down to his sides. “Shut up the crazy talk.” Jimmy stared at me. “I thought you were my friend. Maybe the only one I’ve ever had and now you pull this. You never wanted to be my friend—did you?”

“What am I?” Roger dared to ask, “Chopped liver? Arland isn’t the only one who has ridden hundreds of miles with you, listening to your bad jokes and smelling your stinky farts.” He squatted down in front of Jimmy’s chair, well within the danger zone, and said, “Calm down and tell me how long it will take us to get to the concert?”

Jimmy rubbed his head, ruffling his manicured prince charming, J. Sebring style haircut. “As close as I can figure driving straight through nonstop, no breaks, no gas stops…nothing, it’ll take about twenty hours. I’ll add a bare minimum of three hours for fill-ups and necessary pit stops.

Flower added, “Then there’s traffic. Add another four hours for traffic jams around the Big Apple. You can’t move when it’s bumper to bumper, and the freeway is packed.”

“That adds up to twenty-seven hours,” Jimmy announced. “But we don’t have twenty-seven hours, so it’s impossible.”

“Just exactly how much time is left in the concert?” I asked. “You don’t know. You might make it yet.”

Roger checked his watch and reported, “Looks like twenty-eight hours.” He sighed regretfully. “We could get to hear a song or two…maybe.”

Jimmy’s face reddened. He gazed my way and gritted his teeth. “Arland, you knew we couldn’t make it in time and now here we are in Weirdsville, Kansas with a bunch of looney tunes. You got me into this mess. I’m not to blame, this is your fault.”

“How is this my fault? I didn’t check a map before we started and neither did you.” A cold sweat formed on my brow. If Jimmy went ape-shit crazy and started tearing everything up, not one of us could stop him. “We jointly decided to run away and join a hundred-thousand hippies, all enjoying the music of every known rock star in the world.” I stood up and faced him. “If you can’t share responsibility for this, and you’re needing someone to blame… Yes, blame me. All this was my idea.”

He yelled, “But instead of enjoying a concert with real hippies, we’re here with Oral Roberts’ sister and a bunch of nut-jobs.”

All I could add was, “But I never intended to end up here.”

Flower intervened. “Pardon me, but you all ended up here because it’s your destiny. You were guided here for this moment in time. You had to be, there’s no other explanation.” Then she huffed, “And, for your information, I am no relation to Oral Roberts!”

“Guided? You mean like