Road Trip: Blogged (Day Two)

After two days on the road with Tiffany's dad, I know one thing for sure: I like his style. Of course, I've known for seven years that I like Gary's style--well before I consented to his company on our cross-country road trip. But now I like it even more. He's all about maximum efficiency.

When we stop for gas, Gary comes back from the station with his fists full of napkins for "just in case." Never mind the fact that I packed just-in-case napkins (and toilet paper, tissues and paper towels). I say, the more the merrier. Gary and I could make full sets of bedding with our paper products. Who knows... we just might need to some day. It goes without saying we'd make one for Tiffany as well.

Gary also cleans our windshield at every stop even if we've killed no bugs in the brief span of time between fill-ups. This is especially helpful. Although we have plenty of windshield-wiper fluid, our windshield wipers are absolutely useless because we haven't turned them on in six years (I blame the state of California).

At one of our stops this morning, Gary finished with the windshield and then paced back a few yards from the front of the car.

"Hmmm," he said to himself. "I guess I don't need to do the headlights."

I thought he was joking, so I laughed. When he didn't laugh, I immediately agreed the headlights did not need to be scrubbed.

Anyway, Gary is so efficient that he volunteered to wake up at 3 a.m. today to take the first shift driving.

"I'm still on East Coast time, girls," he said boldly.

I only had one request. I asked him if he'd carry me to the car in my pajamas and place me on a pallet on the floorboards the way my parents used to do when I was little.

I guess he thought I was joking because he laughed, and I had to walk to the car a few hours later.