Chapter Thirty

When they exited I-41, Sebastian began to notice Jaxsen becoming a bit fidgety. “Jack, you need to go to the bathroom?” He nodded. “Are you hungry or want to snack on something?”

“I’m not really hungry, but I’m thirsty. Can I have some chips?”

“Whatever you want, sweet boy.” Jaxsen smiled. He had never mentioned it before, but he loved when Sebastian called him that. His father used to call him that and he wondered that if when he was a baby, Sebastian called him that endearment. They let Jaxsen use the restroom and walk around and grab an assortment of snacks ranging from sweet to salty, and in twenty minutes were back out onto the road again. They took the W-115 exit, traveled another twenty-five minutes and exited again.

“Welcome to Camelia Population 12,010,” Jaxsen read as they entered the city limits. “Daddy, is this the town you grew up in?”

“Nope, sure isn’t. I grew up in Peoria, Illinois. Mom moved here when I was still in the Marines, not long after my dad passed.”