#Chapter 212 – The End of the Road

The next day dawns bright and, fueled with a cup of perhaps too-strong coffee – Stephen winced when he drank it – we are off on the road as soon as we can. The boys’ interest in road life is renewed, luckily, when they discover a set of bingo cards that allows them to win by looking for disgusting things on the side of the road. “I saw a flat dead frog! I did! I saw it!” Alvin’s yell makes me wince, but I don’t stop him. Leaning against Victor in our usual spot, I let the boy’s eagerness suffuse my tired limbs, make me stronger. “You did not!” Ian argues back, pointing vehemently at the window. “It wasn’t a dead frog! It was just a gross old sock!” “Oh…” Alvin’s face falls as he considers this possibility. “Wait, no! I’ve got that too!” He draws a vehement red X on his board and stares eagerly out the window again, looking for more. “This game is gross,” Victor murmurs in my ear, but I can feel him smiling. “You bought it,” I murmur back. “I didn’t even know this RV existed,