John Dornbrook is forty-nine years old. He's been doing the same job for fifteen years and hates it. But when he’s laid-off, it hits him hard and his world turns upside down. When he meets Hollis Lombard, his neighbor’s grandson, the unexpected happens.<br><br>Hollis Lombard is determined to get John out of his funk, so he offers to take him on a summer road trip. They head out west in search of adventure, but John is touchy and lashes out easily. Hollis, aware of the attraction between them, doesn’t want to take any chances which could hurt their budding friendship.<br><br>It's all a frightful muddle, and it remains to be seen if they can overcome their issues in time to reach their final destination. Will the journey be worth it?

Unexpected Journey

“Why are you doing this, John?” he finally asked, sounding frustrated and turned on at the same time. Second step accomplished.


Our food arrived and I pretended not to hear him. “Eat up. I know you’re hungry,” was my only reply. Hollis glared at me, but I just smiled and focused on my food.


Over coffee, I changed the topic entirely. “Tell me why you chose philosophy. Of all the things in the world you could study, what on earth can you do with that?”


Hollis was still mad at me for ignoring his question, but he answered me readily enough. “I’ve always been interested in how the universe works, and the ‘why.’ Why are we here? What’s the point of all this strife and suffering? Why was my mother unable to handle her world? How come my dad died before I could ever really know him? Would I have been a better person? Worse? Why did Gran get raped when she was sixteen? Better yet, what do I do with all these experiences? Is there a reason behind it all?”


Chapter 11