America: Jean in South Carolina
“Telling America’s stories my way from the highway.”
Saturday, March 1, 2014
If you ever pass through Santee, South Caroilina, you most likely won’t see Jean there. She’s a snow bird traveling with her son from New York to Florida and just stopping through to get fuel.
Jean and I start sharing travel stories as late night patrons of the EZ Shop 25 stumble between us, arms full of midnight snacks and cases of beer.
She’s telling me the story of her son getting snowed in and stuck at a truck stop in Iowa years ago and as if on queue, he walks up just then shaking his head remembering the cold week spent in the middle of nowhere until the Army Reserve rescued the lot of stranded drivers. He adds that the only place he will drive in the winter anymore is down to Florida.
“I get sick of shoveling all the snow, so we go down four or five times a year!” June chimes in. He doesn’t want to be in the photo and she reluctantly lets me grab this shot. The mother-and-son-duo smile, wave, then walk out the door.
Behind the dirty impact-resistant glass stands the young cashier who doesn’t want to be here on a Saturday evening, ringing up a new group of customers that are lined up, arms full of spirits for the evening still ahead of them in their small town north of Savanah.