Our last day in Charlotte was a Monday, we practiced a little bit at the Smokin' Cue, we could not find any action, Gene was a bit under the weather and the full impact of his loss of his mom hadn't taken effect yet. I think he was still in shock.
The next day we packed up and began our journey northwest, we stopped in Knoxville Tennessee at the KBC, I saw some familiar faces there including Johnny Changas who was playing 1 pocket as usual and Mathew Braden sitting on the barstool in front of the counter. We only stopped there to use the restroom, wasn't much going on and we didn't have a lot of time so we headed back on the road.
By the end of the night we made our way to Indianapolis Indiana and stopped in the Brickyard hoping to get some quick action. There was no one there for me to play 9-ball with. Bobby SR was playing 1 hole $50 a rack with another regular. Tommy was playing $1000.00 sets with a golf buddy of his and was already up 2 sets and they began a 3rd set. Tommy tried to get his buddy to bet more per set but he wouldn't bet more than $1k a set.
Well eventually we headed out and drove to Lebanon Indiana and stayed the night.
The next day we began our northbound journey through all the tollways. As we approached the 2nd Chicago toll by the McDonald's the vehicle began to sputter. The engine light was on and Gene began to panic. We just rolled into the McDonald's parking lot. Gene definitely needed an oil change but when we stopped at a few places
he was offended by prices of nearly $40. He told me he refuses to pay over $19 for an oil change and that a lot of places in the U.S. run specials for oil changes between $15.95 to $19 you just have to pay attention.
Anyway he put a quart of oil into the engine, it didn't do the trick the van would not start. Then we sat there for about a minute and he grabbed his bike off the back of the van and gave me the keys to the van said he would be back. He began riding the bike on the narrow shoulder along the tollway toward a suburb of Chicago. When he got to the underpass he lifted the bike over the cement barrier and there was only one place where the grass was real steep about 40 feet down to the residential street. He worked his way down the steep embankment and then rode his bike with low air in his back tire quickly under the long bridge. After riding a half mile he finally reached a gas station off of 92nd street. This area was pretty tough. Gene was inside buying a gas can and a guy pulled up and put a dollar in the air hose to act like he was filling up his tires. Then along came another guy who tried to take Gene's bike, luckily the guy filling his tires tried to stop the other guy from taking the bike. Gene saw all of this going on so he ran outside without paying for the gas can to stop either person from taking his bike. Then he filled up the gas can, filled up his tire with air. And at the point the guy working at the gas station runs out and tells Gene he has to pay for the gas can. Gene gives the guy $10 and heads back.
When Gene gets back to the van he looks all sweaty. He rode against traffic on the tollway to get back. He puts the gas in the van and then says to me "Here is the moment of truth." At this point I am really hoping the van starts because otherwise we would have had to buy another vehicle. After a few tries Gene gets the van to start. We continue to the $4 toll and take the exit back to the same gas station. Gene wears his hood up with the strings tight. As hes filling the tank he tells me when you are in the hood always wear your hood up and they will not bother you cause they can't tell your age.
So then we get the oil changed and air the tires in the van. Even got a plug on one of the tires because it needed to be patched. We then head northbound through the jam packed rush hour traffic slowly approaching Wisconsin.
We eventually arrive in Eau Claire. Gene decided to drive by his Mom's house to show me where she lived. I could see his eyes tearing up a little bit. He really tried to hide it though.
We found a really nice room for only $204.30 for this week here in town. Had to go to bed last night without internet. After loading everything from the van into the room it was about 45 mins that had passed and Gene didn't want me to call the front desk to wake the lady up to get the password for the internet wi-fi.
