The Chronicles of the Mint Green Camper Van

Chapter 5

There is no distinction between any of the three envelopes, and Kira nudges me in the back, clearly telling me to pick one so she doesn't have to. And for some reason, the one in the middle calls out to me. I stare at the envelope for a few seconds to let the gravity of this decision sink in, and then I start to open it up. I'm met with exactly what Dorian promised would be in here. I place the sealed note to the side that explains why Jess loved the destination so much, and I don't care to look at the food or housing recommendations just yet. All that matters is the place we're set to go.

Dorian chimes in as she senses my confusion while I pull out a blank post card, "I thought it would be nice to give you one of Jess' old post cards that he collected when he visited. Turn it over and you'll see where it's from."

I scoot closer to Kira and hand her the post card to let her do the honors. After a moment of hesitation, she turns it over.

"Alaska."

Alaska. Considering that Micah's Hollow is in Idaho/Indiana, this doesn't leave us with an easy trip. Lucky for me though, I've wanted to go to Alaska for years – I just never had a reason to justify going.

After the shock, surprise, uncertainty, and excitement settle in for us both, Kira leans her head on me solemnly. "There's no way I'll be able to get off work long enough to go to Alaska. I can't even get off random weekends sometimes, let alone for a six day trip through Canada."

I was riding on such a high of hoping this would work out, that I didn't even think there would be more we had to figure out to make this happen. The light that was in Kira's eyes only moments ago starts to dim as I look over at her again. I won't let our dreams be derailed simply because of work and its unreasonable confines.

I know it's a necessary evil for the world we live in, but that is a conversation that can be explored after our trip.