Knight in Shining Armor

The panic in Arnold's voice came from the bedroom. He had closed the door when his only sister called. His voice rose in volume the longer he spoke, then sudden silence. After a few moments, he spoke again, this time quieter. He sounded as though he was talking to a distressed child. The reassurance tome made Roxanne thing the question, "What is going on?"

Arnold took his time after saying goodbye to come back into the living room. He looked haggard and distressed. He sat heavily on the sofa, running his hand through his hair. Hunched over, he told the news.

"My sister broke up with her abusive boyfriend," Arnold growled. "She had enough of him not working, yelling at her, and this time," Arnold raised a fist in the air, "he hit her! If I could get my hands on him, I would kill him. My sister wants to leave now! She wants to come here for a fresh start. We need to go get her before he hurts her again."

"Whoa, wait a minute. You can't just leave work and go get her!" Roxanne said with anguish. "This is sudden. how are we going to help her? We have a baby, and the rent is due here in two weeks. We can't go to Wisconsin! Where is she wanting to go?"

Arnold glared, they yelled at her. "She is MY sister, and she needs me NOW! I don't care what happens here. SHE NEEDS ME!" He pounded his fist into his hand.

Roxanne winced. If she wasn't careful, she knew she could be where the fist landed next. The baby started crying. Roxanne picked up baby Esther to quiet her, rocking her.

"We don't have a place for her, where does she want to go, and how are we to afford going there?" Roxanne asked, trembling.

"I will quit my job if I have to. We do have some money, and I can ask for a loan. But we need to leave immediately. I will talk to Donna and let her know she can come here."

Roxanne's heart fell. Once again, they would be trying to live on pennies. Arnold had just gotten his job.

Billy Swan had recently released a single hit that played on the radio, I Can Help. The next day Arnold purchased a 45 record, playing it over and over again on the turntable. Arnold's hard expression and narrowed eyes challenged Roxanne to cross him.

Roxanne soon became tired of the song, since Arnold said this is how he felt towards his sister, not her. Roxanne again realized that she wasn't as important to him as his sister was.

The next day, Roxanne spoke to her mother letting her know that Arnold and she would be driving to Wisconsin, taking all the money they had. Roxanne asked her mother, "If we run out of money,, can I ask you for enough to get back home again?"

"Yes, but it is a mistake to go. You don't know if she is really leaving her boyfriend. You don't know anything about her. How long has she been with this boyfriend?" Mom asked.

"I have never met Donna. I don't know anything about how long she and her boyfriend have been together. Arnold is determined to leave as soon as we pack."

"Well, I think this is as big mistake." Mom said. "Can't you stay here and let him go by himself?"

"No, he will not let me stay here. He thinks I will not be here when he comes back."

"If you get into trouble, I will see what I can do. But, I am not giving you any money now." Mom's expression was worried. She continued, "It is December, and if you are going to travel through Montana and North Dakota, there might be snow and a blizzard. I really don't like you going now. The car you are driving, are you sure it will make it there and back?"

"Well, Arnold is determined to go right now. i really don't feel i have much choice."

The next day. Arnold and Roxanne packed up the old Ford Fairlane. Roxanne had made a cradle to hold baby Esther in the back seat. Esther was a quiet baby at six months old. The rhythm of the car rocked her to sleep.

Arnold and Roxanne took turns driving, planning to drive as far as possible before stopping. Arnold thought they could drive straight through without stopping, from Seattle to Sheboygan Wisconsin. By the time they got the Minnesota, they were so tired, they had to get a motel room. The chose the cheapest room they could find. The room was cold, they heat had been turned down. By morning, the room had barely warmed. The frost on the car verified the temperature about 32 degrees. Arnold help rearrange the back seat before leaving the motel. Roxanne turned the heat up for baby Esther to get warm.

Crossing northern United States wasn't hard driving. The cold and ice on the road made Arnold vigilent. Even though the threat of a blizzard loomed, they made it safely to Sheboygan Wisconsin in three days. Arnold drove to his father's house.

His father wasn't happy to see his son. The first words out of his mouth, "Why haven't you written and what do you want? You don't even call, and here you are." At first, Arnold's dad wasn't going to let him in the house, but Arnold's stepmother spotted baby Esther and invited the family in. It was a rather tense night. Gratefully, baby Esther didn't become fussy. Before leaving, Arnold borrowed money from his father to continue to Donna's home in Sheboygan.

Donna was both happy and unhappy to see her brother. Arnold played the Billy Swan son, I Can Help. It didn't have the emotional effect he wanted. His sister brushed off the intent Arnold wanted to portray. He was going to be the 'Knight in Shining Armor." Donna wanted none of that. She wanted her brother to reassure her that all was ready for her in Seattle.

The lack off planning become evident. The conversations were heated. Soon yelling arguments.

"Where is the U-haul truck you were to bring? Where are the movers to load the furniture and my stuff?" Donna demanded. "I am bringing my boyfriend with me."

Arnold exploded to the questions. "Truck! Movers! You are to only bring a few items we can fit in the car! You can't bring furniture; you will be staying with us in our apartment until you get settled. NO, your boyfriend is NOT coming with us! What about the money you were to give me to cover the gas going to Seattle?" Arnold swore at Donna, stomping for emphasis, slapping his fist on the counter.

Roxanne was relieved Arnold didn't raise a fist to Donna. There were several times she thought it could happen. Neighbors came to see what the yelling was about, ready to call the police.

Donna noticed Roxanne's reaction to the yelling. She squinted her eyes knowingly, her jaw set. Donna didn't back down her demands.

After several hours of yelling, fighting, and slamming doors, Arnold and Roxanne left. Donna was on her own. Arnold was so angry, he didn't even say goodbye to Donna. He did make certain to pick up the 45 record before slamming the door as they left.

Arnold turned the radio to the local station and heard that Montana and Minnesota were in the middle of a winter blizzard. The roads were impassable. He made the decision to travel south to Oklahoma.

Shortly after leaving Sheboygan and heading to Chicago, Arnold realized there wasn't enough money to buy gas or food for the longer drive home through the southern states. Roxanne called her mom for money.

Mom said she would send money through Western union to Joliet, Illinois. Arnold drove to Joliet and found a cafe to rest and find out where the Western Union office was. All they could afford was a cup of coffee each. Two police officers came to the cafe looking for the driver of the car with Washington state plates. They spoke to Arnold. Roxanne's mom had called the station to look for a Washington car, and to let Roxanne know they needed to drive to Springfield. The officers were so concerned for the stranded family, they gave Arnold about $50 of their own money to make sure they didn't run out of gas on the way.

Arnold and Roxanne got to Springfield after the offices closed and had nowhere to stay. They were out of money, The police station there directed the family to the Salvation Army Shelter for the night.

The shelter was warm and clean. The family had a chance to shower and sleep comfortably. During the night, light snow fell. The blizzard that hit Montana and Minnesota would soon hit Springfield. Arnold and Roxanne were thankful for a safe place to sleep with baby Esther, but they needed to leave as soon as the offices opened.

Arnold received the money Mom had sent, about $300. He hoped that would b e enough to get back home to Seattle travelling the southern route. The family would have to be careful with spending anything except for gas.

Taking off that morning, Arnold remembered that highway had toll booths that would eat into the little money they had. He drove the highway until he came to a frontage road. Then he drove through the small towns bypassing the tollbooths. The evasion of the tollbooths made the trip a bit longer, but finally after non-stop driving, made it to Oklahoma.

The non-stop driving continued with Arnold and Roxanne trading off night driving through northern Texas and New Mexico. They were so tired driving and caring for baby Esther, the hours blurred into each other.

As tired as Arnold was, he couldn't forget the intense rage he felt for being wrongly accused of selfishness by his sister. Even though Arnold didn't always speak, his rage was evident by the pounding on the steering wheel and the speed of the car. Roxanne kept quiet, putting her attention on baby Esther.

One highway on a long straight stretch the lasted for miles, Arnold drove at 90 miles per hour. The family was so tired by this point; Arnold could have been half asleep at the wheel. He did come alert when he heard siren sounds from a police car.

Arnold pulled to a stop. Roxanne leaned over the seat to frantically look for her purse; it was under the cradle in the back seat. As the police officer slowly walked up to the car, gun drawn, he motioned Arnold out of the car. He kept his eye on Roxanne rummaging through her purse for her ID. When he realized what she was doing, he relaxed at bit.

Arnold explained they were trying to get back to Seattle as quickly as he could, they were just about out of money.

The officer looked at Arnold and Roxanne's ID, saw the baby, and gave the ID back. He let Arnold go with a verbal not to drive over the speed limit. Arnold was pretty shook up, but drove slower the rest of the day. Shortly, Roxanne took over driving.

The family stopped to get formula for the baby Esther, also peanut butter and bread. That was all they could afford not to run out of money for gas.

Continuing driving, Arnold thought about getting another hotel for the night. Roxanne vetoed. They needed to get home, to get a room would cost too much money.

Soon, the family was in California, then Oregon. The gas money wallet became thinner and more worrisome. By the time the family made it close to the Washington border, the few dollars were becoming fewer. Arnold fumed about only having peanut butter sandwiches, and swore loudly he would never eat another one for the rest of his life.

The more tired he became, the more angry he was with his family. 'I WILL NEVER SPEAK TO ANYONE IN MY FAMILY AGAIN!" he growled. Roxanne was relieved he wasn't angry with her.

The moment they crossed into Washington, Arnold let out a tired whoop. Almost home. Even then, the three hour drive up Interstate 5 seemed longer than the night drive across Texas and New Mexico.

Finally Arnold drove the tired Ford Fairlane into the apartment parking lot. They didn't even take anything out of the car, unlocking the door and falling into bed. They had made a long trip, nothing turned out as expected.

The journey for the "Knight in Shining Armor" ended up in disaster. The only thing that went well was getting home safely.