Chapter IV is here! Packing is taking a toll on Madeline, she still doesn't want to move. And who even likes long car rides?
Trailer Park "Darling" Chapter IV
For the rest of the weekend all Madeline did was pack and clean. She packed up all of her clothes, books, collectables, and posters. Cleaning was the harder part. Madeline wasn't used to doing many chores, but now it was even worse. Scrubbing toilets, mopping floors, washing all the dishes so they could be carefully packed. It was exhausting.
Even with all this work, there were only two moving trucks. One for all of Madeline's and her mom's belongings, plus a few stray boxes and the other for everything else in the house. Even with the trucks packed full, they had to get rid of some of their belongings. Including most of their furniture. Madeline's mom said not to worry about it and they would get some new stuff, but where? A yard sale? The thought of that made Madeline want to gag.
Monday through Friday was spring break, it was currently Tuesday. Madeline's mom had explained to her that she was going to get enrolled at the end of this week and start at the new school on Monday. There was only one and half months of school left. Would they even have the same curriculum as Madeline's old school? Would she be able to keep up or would it be dumbed down? Wednesday morning they finished packing everything up. Madeline had an apple for breakfast, their fridge was completely empty and they were leaving it behind too.
Around ten a.m they got on the road, the tank was full of gas, it only cost around fifteen bucks to fill it and they had been eating nothing but toast and apples for breakfast, dinner was usually spaghetti or chicken and rice. Madeline sat in the passenger seat, the second row of seats and the trunk were full of stuff they would need for the first week and for a night in a motel. For about an hour neither Madeline or her mom spoke, the radio was the only sound. It was playing some pop station, mostly Britney Spears, who Madeline didn't care much for.
Around eleven thirty Madeline started to dig through her purse, she pulled out a marker, a red one specifically. It was Crayola, it could wash off easily. Madeline began to draw on her self, alternating colors to create a bundle of stars on her knee. It didn't take long for her mom to notice, with a quick glance over at her daughter, she snatched the red marker out of her hand.
"Hey!" Madeline shouted, she attempted to reach for the marker but her mom calmly threw it out the window. Madeline was stunned, usually her mom hated littering. Madeline slumped down into her seat and turned away from her mom. Even with the radio blaring the car felt so silent. Madeline decided to speak
"I'm hungry" she complained, she threw her purse back into the backseat and looked at her mom expectantly, did she pack something or were they gonna stop somewhere?
"There's sandwiches packed into a cooler in the trunk, I'll pullover soon and you can grab one then" her mom told her, she was focused on the road, traffic had gotten pretty bad and she didn't want to risk getting hit.
Madeline rolled her eyes, she didn't want a sandwich. Especially if it was turkey and cheese. She hated that.
"But I'm hungry nowww!" She whined, pouting her lip and looking at her mom again. Her mom glanced over but didn't waver.
"You're just going to have to wait Maddy" She said, her tone wasn't anything but normal, but her brows were tightened into a scowl. Madeline sighed, she really didn't want a sandwich but she also didn't want to make her mom upset.
They had a long car ride together and if Madeline made her mom upset it would be insufferable. Another thirty minutes passed before they eventually pulled over. Just barely into the state of Connecticut, there was a small gas station. To Madeline it looked disgusting but she was starving so she couldn't complain much.
Just as she had dreaded, the sandwiches were turkey and cheese. Not even a classic pb&j was in there. Madeline groaned, but her mom quickly shot a mean look at her. Madeline grabbed the smallest sandwich she could identify, plus a bag of chips. She really wanted some candy from the store but she knew her mom would say no.
They didn't need gas yet, so once her mom got done using the bathroom they were on the road again. Madeline nibbled on the sandwich, it really sucked but she couldn't ignore the gnawing feeling in her stomach. The chips were nice and salty.
Around two p.m Madeline drifted off to sleep. There was still six hours left to the drive, so a nap wouldn't do any harm.
When she woke, there were nothing but trees surrounding the car. The radio was playing music she didn't recognize. The sun was bright and in her eyes. Stretching, she looked over at her mom. Her face was a lot more relaxed and she had her window down.
"Where are we?" Madeline mumbled, yawning. Her mom looked over, smiling at the sight of her being awake.
"South Pennsylvania, almost in Virginia" She explained, reaching to turn down the radio a little bit Madeline glanced at the time. It was six p.m, only two more hours of the drive.
They stopped at another gas station, refueling and using the bathroom. Her mom actually let her buy a hotdog for dinner. The concept was bizarre to Madeline, a hotdog from a gas station? But contrary to her belief it tasted amazing.
The rest of the drive was quiet. As soon as they crossed the line into Virginia Madeline struggled to find a pop station on the radio. It blared nothing but country or rock n roll. But she didn't dare turn it off, the silence would be worse.
The motel they would be staying at was small, it didn't seem dangerous but it was a little dirty. Madeline was too exhausted to notice, the only thing that bothered her was the shower. The water was sharp against her skin and it smelt like mildew. Sleep was easy that night, she needed to be up early so they could get on the road and stop somewhere for breakfast.
She dreamt about the life they were leaving behind, their money, the higher class luxury, her friends, her school. It was a lot for Madeline to take in. Next she dreamt about her new life, no money, a cheap house, new or no friends, a different school. It all terrified Madeline but at the same time she was intrigued.