Road Trip
by Shauna Checkley
Jonas stared about the bustling church basement. It was after service, and people were milling about and socializing. The place smelled of old, dried putty and the rich aroma of freshly percolated coffee. Banners bearing religious messages like Peace or Joy or Love adorned the walls along with some recent art by the congregation’s children.
Plates of lemon cookies were being placed on the long tables as he became lost in thought: “Now what was it she said to me?” He could picture Mrs. Rothwell vividly in his mind, slightly stooped with a shock of white hair that somehow stood upright. But her words eluded him.
Looking about the basement, he saw Mrs. Rothwell sitting in a corner, half-slumped with a group of other older ladies. Striding up to the group, Jonas said, “Well, hello, ladies. Thanks for coming out today.”
They all beamed approvingly at the young pastor, even Stella Bradshaw, who was notoriously cranky.
Then turning to address Mrs. Rothwell, he said, “As you were saying before, when we talking in the foyer? I was a little preoccupied.”
Mrs. Rothwell wore a bright yellow dress with matching accessories and a large purple corsage though there was no special event at hand. She blinked. She looked at him blankly. Shook her head. “I can’t remember now.”
Darn! he thought, and it was so good! “That’s okay. Maybe it’ll come back to you.”
She shrugged so deeply that it seemed like a convulsion going through her,
Hope I didn’t cause her to have a stroke, he thought. “Are you okay?” he asked.
She nodded and grinned.
Jonas whisked quickly away.
* * *
On the drive home, he continued to wrack his brains to try and recall what Mrs. Rothwell had said to him. Still nothing.
“Will ya pay attention to the road,” said his wife, Charmaine. “Remember: I wanted to pick up some coffee.” Her forehead had tightened and crinkled.
“Will ya pay attention to the road,” Riley their five-year old repeated. He was an asthmatic redhead. His green eyes were round and large, giving him a permanently quizzical expression.
Jonas asked Charmaine quietly, “Did he get his meds this morning?”
“What do you think? Of course.”
“Uhh right... Listen, we’ll get some on our way out tomorrow,” Jonas assured.
Charmaine groaned. “Remember that I need my coffee or there’s trouble first thing in the morning.”
Don’t I know that! he thought.
Charmaine was his high-school sweetheart and, though now in her thirties, she still could almost pass for a teenager. She was a mousy blonde with a slight build and possessed a somewhat prickly nature.
* * *
That afternoon, they packed up their roomy SUV with camping gear, tent, sleeping bags, pots and pans and utensils, rain gear, and what have you.
“I think we got everything,” Jonas said.
Charmaine smiled. “Yes, we’ll just pick up the food tomorrow, and we should be okay.”
They were going on a camping trip. They had to leave the next day on a Monday morning, since Jonas couldn’t miss delivering Sunday sermons. Charmaine, however, was taking a weeklong vacation from her job in a busy insurance office.
At school, it was summer holidays, and Riley, the recent kindergarten graduate, was raring to go as well.
Once the packing was done and the family was settled, with the child playing video games and Charmaine preparing lunch, Jonas sought a quiet space. Introverted by nature, he needed solitude at times, a respite from others.
It still bothered him that he couldn’t remember the old lady’s words. A diligent minister, he was always on the lookout for fresh material for his next sermon, and he often found the best topics in passing snippets of conversation, even news headlines or — at one time — a pizza flyer that kept coming to his mailbox. The source really didn’t matter. Rather, it was the message that he could shape meaning from, messages of hope and love, forgiveness and inspiration.
Aww, I’ll just turn the matter over to Jesus, he thought, and let it go. That’s just what I’ll do. Besides, he had bigger problems than that at his church. The oldest parishioner, Stella Bradshaw, had recently announced she was not eating anymore. She was cranky to others and, of course, the youngest ones didn’t want to do their Bible studies with her. There was always the issue of a dearth of money, and the subject made him squirm in discomfort when he had to announce it to the congregation. Couldn’t things be easier, he wondered, fewer trials?
Jonas prayed for his church to flourish, but not out of naked ambition. He wanted to grow it for all the right reasons. Sincere and dedicated, he wanted only to serve God. He was in his early thirties. He was tall and gangly with light brown hair and a gap between his front teeth, and a dimpled chin. Though he was baby-faced and looked younger than his years, he possessed a wisdom that was profoundly spiritual rather than worldly.
Still, he wondered how his congregation viewed him. Do they see me as some wildly naïve upstart? Or what? He had been on the receiving end of puzzled looks, even frowns on a number of occasions. Just what could it all mean and where was it leading?
One thing that he knew for certain was that Riley had probably inherited his nervous nature from him, because Charmaine had a tough exterior. Just another thing to add to my prayer list, he thought trying to remain cheerful. Just. Another. Thing.
* * *
Shopping for the camping groceries the next day, Jonas encouraged mother and son to sleep in. “I can do it. You guys get a good long rest. You’ll need it.”
He knew that Charmaine was not keen on camping. However, they were unable to afford a real vacation, and it was the best that he could do for his family. Opting to treat Riley to the wide outdoors, he hoped it could pass as a real trip and be a bonding experience for them all.
Scooping up bacon, eggs, a loaf of fresh bread, a bunch of bananas, bottled water, hot dogs, hamburgers, and marshmallows, he flew through the list. But seeing signs that read “inflation fighters,” his mind instantly flew to when David slew Goliath.
That’s it! Now there’s a possible sermon idea, he thought. The fact that obstacles in our life are like giants bearing down on us. Perfecto! Could maybe store that away for future reference.
Crumpling the grocery list, he stuck it in his pocket. He was excited! But he had missed one crucial item. On such a high at the self-checkout, he forgot all about the coffee.
* * *
Missing the turnoff for the campground, as he was absorbed in the David and Goliath scene, Jonas shrank in his seat. Winding in a serpentine fashion, the road had beguiled him.
“Honestly, Jonas, how could you be any more absent-minded?” Charmaine said. “I don’t understand where your mind is at sometimes.” Charmaine was sipping on a coffee she had bought at Petro Canada when they filled up for gas.
Seeing an approach ahead, he turned the vehicle around and headed back to the turn off for Buffalo View camp site. It was a lovely place with wild peacocks and an unheated swimming pool, playground, and a small camp store. They were packed in like proverbial sardines, however, and were relegated to the tenting section of the sprawling site.
They put their tent up quickly and readied themselves. Cooking a breakfast of bacon and eggs and toast, Jonas manned the grill.
“You forgot coffee, didn’t you!” Charmaine cried. She grabbed her purse and galloped for the camp store. But she returned only with an overpriced take-out cup. “They just sold their last can of coffee,” she groaned. “But at least I can get takeouts.”
“I’m bored!” Riley said between mouthfuls.
“Look,” Jonas said, “I’ll take you to the pool or the playground or wherever you want to go.”.
“I want PlayStation!” Riley said.
Here we go, Jonas thought, throwing Charmaine a furtive glance.
She took it on cue and whispered, “I saw to it he got his anxiety meds and vitamins.”
Jonas sighed deeply.
“Can I play on your phone?” Riley asked his mother.
“We’re just going to enjoy the outdoors this trip,” Charmaine said.
“Yes, nature,” Jonas added.
“Nature is stoopid!” Riley said
Dipping his toast into the runny egg, Jonas decided to respond after breakfast.
* * *
The remainder of the day was uneventful. Riley played as Jonas chaperoned him. Charmaine sipped Diet Coke and read a beach novel: Lover’s U Turn.
It was all relaxing until the first drops began to come down. Rushing inside the tent, they just beat a cloudburst and a loud crack of thunder.
“That wasn’t in the forecast,” Charmaine said.
“I want Play Station!” Riley began to demand in earnest. “I want a phone!”
Listening to the rain pelt the tarp like tiny bullets, Jonas thought, How long will this last?
Charmaine inhaled deeply. Then exhaled in exasperation. “I wonder how long this will last.”
Riley began to howl. It was a high, nasal near-yowl, and Charmaine quickly handed her phone to him. Soon he was playing, oblivious to everything else.
They had a supper of uncooked hot dogs, marshmallows straight from the bag and bananas. They washed it all down with a bottle of water they passed from one to the other.
Hoping for a reprieve from the storm, Jonas continued to check Environment Canada. He listened fearfully as the rain pounded the sides of the tent. The weather lasted for two days, and the wind even picked up on the second day.
“I say we get outa Dodge,” Charmaine whined.
“Me too! I wanna go home!” Riley wailed.
It was beginning to feel claustrophobic in that tiny tent. Riley refused to sleep or settle down, and the infernal racket of nature’s outburst drove even the adults up the wall.
When the rain slowed, they pulled up stakes and left for home.
Mercifully enough, Riley fell asleep in the back seat; car rides often did that to him.
Charmaine looked grim, however. “To think that I wasted my vacation time for a tent in the rain.”
Tightening his grip on the steering wheel, Jonas spoke softly: “I know it didn’t turn out for the best, dear. But we’re all on a spiritual journey really.”
“How so?” she asked
“We are all put on this earth to experience good or bad. And hopefully we learn from it and just do our best.”
She nodded. “I get it.” Smiling, her tone had softened somewhat.
The road before them seemed to be less choppy than on the drive down. Jonas didn’t miss any turn-offs. It was a peaceful ride.
* * *
At church that Sunday, Mrs. Rothwell ambled over to Jonas. The eighty-year old was balanced on a bright, multicolored cane. She was still wearing her purple corsage and also had a bright blue outfit with matching accessories. “How are you? I hear you were on a little road trip this last week.”
“Ya,” he said, making a face.
Then her face lit up. “Say, I recalled that conversation you were asking about. It was about having the patience of Job, about being delivered from Egypt after forty years, that sort of thing. Remember I was speaking about that care home that I live in and all that goes on there.”
“Right,” he exclaimed, “that’s it! Thank you.”
Lightly pounding her cane on the floor several times, she continued: “And did I ever tell you how beloved you are here at the church? Even Stella Bradshaw said, ‘He’s the light and the salt, the incense and gold.’ And God knows how cranky she can be at times.”
Jonas beamed. Riley ran up to him and hugged his legs. Charmaine joined the group standing there.
Mrs. Rothwell concluded: “Well, let’s all go downstairs and have some coffee and cookies. It is that time, y’know.”
Meanwhile, as they all chatted and partook, Jonas lapsed into his inner world once again. He concocted visionary sermons of David and Goliath, Job’s endurance, the Red Sea parting, pizza flyers, supermarket signs, news headlines, everything. That is, until Charmaine said, “Could you please pass the plate of cookies our way?”
He grinned and did so.
Copyright © 2025 by Shauna Checkley
