The Journey to Freedom: Path to WW3

Chapter LXXII

The truth is incontrovertible. Malice may attack it, ignorance may deride it, but in the end, there it is.

Winston Churchill

I get off the plane in Billings International airport and go get my bag and the girls' bags. I go to the car rental and ask for something that fits at least six people. I sign all the paperwork and they give me the keys and we walk to a suburban in the lot. I put the bags in the back and sit the twins in the seats and buckle them up. Once everyone is in the suburban we drive off to the town of Acton. I call the guy and tell him that I was on the way to Acton and that I would meet him at the only restaurant in town. He says ok and that he would be there in 15 minutes. I hang up with him and I drive to the restaurant that was showing on the GPS on my phone. I park at the restaurant and help the girls get out of the suburban. We go to the restaurant and the waitress asks us if we wanted something to drink and I tell her to bring us all water for now. She says ok and then says that she'll be back. I open the menu and ask them what they wanted to eat. They all order different things and I just sit there looking at the menu. The waitress comes back with the waters and I order two plates of chicken tenders with fries and order a burger with fries and a salad. She tells me that she'll be back with our order when it is ready. The girls just giggle and laugh and joke around. Then the waitress comes back with some coloring mats and some crayons. I thank her and the girls say thank you in a shy way. I smile at them and then we all sit in silence.

After about 20 minutes the server comes with the food and puts the plates on the table.

"Excuse me, but can I get a chicken-fried steak covered in white gravy with a side of green beans, corn, and mashed potatoes with brown gravy."

The server takes the order and says that she'll be back when the order is ready. I thank her and then my phone starts to ring. I see that it was the guy that I was buying the land from. I tell the girls to behave and I step outside. He tells me that he was barely parking outside. I look around and someone calls me from across the parking lot and I wave at him and tell him that I see him. I hang up and he walks up to me and shakes my hand and tells me that it was a pleasure to meet him.

"My girls were hungry, so I stopped to get them something to eat. I don't know if you're hungry, but I'll buy you something to eat if you want." I tell him and he says that he'll take a cup of coffee with a slice of pie.

I tell him that it was on me, he thanks me and we walk inside the restaurant.

"Hey, Jeff!" The waitress calls out to him.

He greets her back and they banter a little bit and finally, I tell her that whatever he was ordering, to put it on my tab. She says ok and I walk to my table while he sits in a different table and talks to the server. I see that Melfina sits where I was sitting. I sit down where Melfina was sitting and sigh. Ayeka hands me a fry and I take a bite.

"They're really good sweetie," I tell Ayeka.

I look across from me and I see a pair of eyes staring back at me. I look away because I didn't want to cause any problems. The girls tell me that they were finished and I ask the server to give me to-go plates for the girls. She leaves and then comes back with four plates. I ask her to give me the check and she hands it to me right then and there. I pull out my credit card and hand it to her with the check so she can charge me for it. She tells me that she'll be right back and I look at the girls. The twins were talking and laughing and then they start throwing things and I tell them to behave. They smile and I tell them that I was serious because they were making a mess. They smile and say sorry. The server comes back and I sign the check and give her a $10 tip. She thanks me and we start to make our way to the door. Jeff asks me if I was ready and I say yes and he leads the way outside and tells me to follow him.