What do you get when you put three men and a romance author in a van for eleven hours?
Between long stretches of silence, while non-driving men napped and familiar scenes passed by you get multiple, varied conversation. Sports, bands, church history and politics dominated during the morning. After two hundred miles I requested a stop. And while I got credit (?) for causing stops in later conversations they didn’t hesitate to comply.
It was over lunch in a BBQ and Oyster Bar in Mississippi that I revealed my second career/occupation. The talk had turned to taxes and I inquired about a reliable tax man/accountant. Of course they asked why. And I said I actually had a contract for my writing, romantic fiction.
“All romance is fiction.” That was the reply from the divorced man of the group.
I guess he doesn’t believe in “happily ever after”. That will not deter me. I’ll continue to be an optimist and let my characters find true love.
My conclusion. Three men and a romance author make for an interesting group on a trip. It helps if you have another common bond. In our case it was doing construction mission work.
