One week after I was settled in my dorm room my parents, Nicolas and Anna McKenzie, decided to take a long overdue vacation. We had family out in California that were in the business of wine. Their brand, Marble Lavender, was a renowned wine that was extremely expensive on the market. Despite its price my parents bought it quite frequently. I wasn't really allowed to have alcohol due to its possible affects on my liver. But I do remember getting whiffs of the beverage when we had dinner parties. It was fragrant of blackberries yet it was subdued by that strong, piercing smell of alcohol.

As we drove away from Burlington and into the open country of Northern America a thought occurred to me. Me and my sister would probably never see them again. Up until we left from the wreckage of Burlington's esteemed hospital me and Christin had only been concerned about what was happening. We of course gravitated to one another like most siblings would, but our thoughts for our parents seem to drift away. Apart of it could've been the shock. Most of what I witnessed was enough to bury me in a mental ward for the next 10 years. There was also the possibility that maybe we had outgrown our parents.

For me, the last couple of years I spent with them were quiet and uneventful. My parents tried to step in occasionally to help me with school or even those little problems you face in high school. But they didn't do much more. I grew tired of being spoon fed my life. Not being to take control of who I was or what I was going to do. In some way I became resentful, but I never showed that side to my parents. I think all of us at one point hit that milestone where we're tired of being held on a leash. That we want to learn and grow not be tended to. Once my feet planted themselves on a college campus I realized that I finally hit my destination. My escape from the chains of adolescence and my parents. My sister expressed that same emotion when we dropped her off four years prior.

But now we sat silently. Unable to cope with the idea that somewhere out there they laid dead. The thought was gruesome and unbelievable and beyond any horror that a child should know. I looked over to Christine and without saying anything I knew she was thinking about them. All those good and decent memories that seem to pass by like a light in the dark. They might've not been perfect but they were our parents.

We made it halfway through Iowa before we ran out of gas. The town we stopped in, Desmond, had little in way of resources. However, they did have a motel which me and my sister were interested in. The motel was named "Little Davies Inn." I couldn't really tell you who Little Davie was nor how the motel came to be named Little Davie, but as far as we were aware it was a place to rest up. Christin agreed to go into town to start scouting a regional hospital and bring back oxygen. If she was unable to find a medical center then we would have to turn our eye to the senior center that we passed as we entered Desmond. I know its not exactly the most honest thing to do, but if we had any hope of making it to Washington then we had to conserve as much oxygen as possible.

The small civic we stole back in Burlington backed out from the motel parking lot and out to the town road. It was mildly cloudy outside with some little sprinkling of rain. I approached the front office to get a set of room keys which laid on the wall behind the desk. The clerk wasn't anywhere to be seen. At this point I was expecting a dead body but I was spared of any potential carnage. I walked the grounds to find the room number 216. The exterior of the building was built in the style of a home found in Maine. As if the motel lied close to a sea. It was covered in matte white paint with finishes of blue that outlined edges. A couple of walls seem to have off setting decorations like a anchor and a old vintage campbell's soup ad. At one point this place could've been a restaurant or even a office building. Decorations and style aside it seem to have a set of nostalgia that I could not put my finger on.

As I approached the room the wooden boards beneath my feet began to ache heavier and heavier. The weather most of warn down most of the support of the building leaving it with crackling features.

My hand settled on the door knob of room 216. As I turned the key in its socket I heard the small metal hinges within release and finally the door opened in a quick and violent nature. I turned the lights on revealing a typical two person bed room. The style was definitely something of the 70's. I closed the door behind me and sat on the nearest bed. The fatigue of the previous 14 hours grew heavy on me as I frequently yawned and stretched. Maybe it wasn't too bad of an idea to get some sleep while Christin was out.

I laid pack on the bed and felt my back come to a stop. The mattress was firm enough to be confused with hard plastic. I looked up at the ceiling fan as it spun around and around. I laid there letting my thoughts drown under the slipping feeling of slumber. But just as I was about to let go one thought crossed my mind. A memory that I had when I was with Crenshaw.

"Its hard to realize our true potential in life. Often we only find it when we are much older."

I looked to him, I think I was 10 at the time, curious about what question he would test my brain with. He smiled. "Will, what is one goal you have in life?" he asked me. I shrugged. "I wanna play sports eventually...but I can't now."

Crenshaw leaned back in his chair. "I know. But its a goal. So eventually it could happen. One day your lungs might heal. A soft tissue might form and rejuvenate your lungs and from that day you'll be able to do just as well as any other athlete. I mean that is what you see correct?"

"Yes." I replied.

"Did you know at one point that I couldn't sports?"

"No. I didn't know that."

"Yup. Before I was interested in being a doctor I wanted to be a football player. Given I didn't really have much knowledge on the physical challenges of being a player. But I knew I wanted to do it. I would have posters hung up in my room. Different teams from different cities. I didn't have one particular team I liked, because I liked all of them. I bought jerseys and trading cards. Eventually I was able to own a football."

"Why didn't you play?" I asked Crenshaw.

"My mother was very critical of my academics. So she thought it was best to avoid any distractions." he answered. I didn't see Crenshaw as a potential athlete. Sure had his life gone differently maybe he could've been a killer wide receiver or a good safety, but I think his mannerism was more suited for medicine.

"You could've told your mom that football was what you wanted to do. I mean I usually tell my mom when I want to do something and sometimes she says yes."

Crenshaw smirked, "If only it were that easy Will."

I sat deeper in my seat. "My family has a saying. One that I've carried onto my own family. I think it would be good to hear," said Crenshaw.

"What is it?" I asked.

Crenshaw leaned in close and in a soft tone said, "Perhaps destiny is divine and truthful."

Crenshaw continued, "Regardless of our restraints we often grow to be something far greater than we could've guessed. For me it was being a doctor and for you..."

"Who I will be?"

"You may just change the world one day Will."

A car horn signaled me back to the present. I walked outside the motel room and waved down Christin. She was able to retrieve five oxygen tanks along with some IVs. I wasn't sure what the IVs were about but I knew it had to be for a good reason. She stepped into the motel room carting the two oxygen tanks behind her. "This is a ugly room," she mumbled. I closed the door behind her. We replenished our oxygen supply and sat down to relax.

"What's with the IVs," I asked Christin.

"Well we're going to have to eat eventually. So I rounded up some IVs, a plastic tube, needle and apple sauce."

"You know I don't like applesauce right?"

"I'm well aware but unfortunately we can't take a chance with solid food. So be a man and eat the goddamn applesauce."

After our steady dinner of applesauce we rested in bed. We planned to get up around 6 or 7 to get a early start towards South Dakota.