MARTHA BEGAN TO SPEAK MORE during the second day of the journey — looking back at her daughters in the back-seat, through the rear-view mirror...

"When we reach Columbus at your Aunt Florence's place, I want both of you to be in your best behaviour — especially you Roberta."

Roberta had met her aunt some years back when she visited them at Wellsville. She did not like that person from the city, whom Roberta felt was even bossier than her own mother...

"Why do we have to stay with her, I don't like her one bit! Why can't we get our own place there in Ohio — or, we can stay in a hotel, you know?"

"You listen here, Roberta, we can't afford to be choosy — and your Aunt Flo is the only one who has agreed to take us in," Martha retorted back at her daughter's sass.

The mother added that it is only temporary, and once everything was settled — they would go back home to their farm. She knew that was what her husband wanted to hear the most — about returning to his crops.

Bored by the journey, Roberta emoted again aloud...

"When will that happen? I miss my friends — I just want to go back to school!"

Laura reposted at her haughty sister's constant whining...

"There is no school until this virus problem is over, you dummy!"

This irritated Roberta, who sarcastically quibbled by mimicking Martha's voice...

"Don't you miss school, Mimi? I bet your injured legs have healed by now, right Mimi?"

"Shut up, Robbie!"

Laura turned away to the window, back to her secede-self — she saw an overtaking truck with many Mexicans who were riding at the back. Most of the men looked sickly like her father. She then caught sight of a Mexican woman playing with — the little, blond girl in the red dress...

The child turned Laura's amort mood into a smile. The angelic, little, blond girl then turned and waved to her in the Buick — and it startled Laura in a good way before the Mexican truck accelerated further ahead.

Laura's seraphic Robin had survived.

*

Masses of cars were parked in the Colorado Desert for the night, with hundreds of small campfires everywhere. Herbert coughed badly while he slept in the back-seat of his car. Martha fed her husband with some medication and water. She assuaged to relieve him before covering him with a blanket.

Laura and Roberta walked pass rows of medical, makeshift tents that were attended to the sickly men, where flu shots were given to alleviate their miseries.

The girls then passed a felicity group partying — hale, Black women were dancing to a blithe, hip-hop song from a car stereo while they entertained the men who were too stricken to join them — but they clapped, teased and cheered at their women.

Laura and Roberta then joined at the back of the line to collect their food ration. The girls gawked at the people around them — Roberta looked uneasily at the crowd...

"There are so many strangers whom I don't recognize at all, Laura — where are the folks from Wellsville?"

Laura replied that she did not know — and assumed that they were probably in a different group from theirs. Roberta then babbled about her class friends and named a half dozen boys' names whom she missed hanging out with.

Laura ignored her sister and went on people-watching — but, she too was thinking more of her best friends, whom she also missed to be with at that moment — reveries of her penchant of their weekend's indolent outdoors ─ of their itinerant, outings activities on their bikes and swimming in the nearby lake.

Roberta disrupted her sister's Wellsville oneiric with a question...

"Is it possible they are all already dead like Johnny and Jimmy, Laura? Those boys were sick before, and most of them were absent from class."

"I really don't know, Robbie — and I pray too that they are alright."

Roberta then hoped that her friends were okay too — and were travelling in a different group. Laura nodded and then peeked at someone familiar — he laid on the ground with a critical condition that needed immediate medical attention.

"Robbie, look — it is that man who stole the car the other day!"

They saw the redneck, the one who attacked the rich-couple and stole the BMW — leaving the little, blond girl in the red dress stranded by the road all alone. The man was now sickly and he vomited blood. The two women with him were in a state of panic and called out around for help to the apathetic people around. A couple of medics in full protective Hazmat suits soon rushed over and pronounced him dead. Both the women wailed in grief. Laura gawked at the demised situation — not knowing that they were in the front of the line until a friendly Black cook in medical mask got their attention...

"Don't stare there, girls, come, here is some extra pudding. Eat up well, kiddies and sleep tight — your next meal will be 12 hours from now