Fortune Cookie That Did Not Lie: Part Two
Fortune Cookie That Did Not Lie: Part Two
by Rod Jones Artist-Writer
You're probably wondering where the fortune from an innocent fortune cookie is going to take you in part two of the story. If you like suspense, supernatural drama, and a small measure of romance, here’s an idea. I suggest that you go to your favorite place, a cozy place I hope, sit down and read. I guarantee you won't be disappointed, perhaps a little surprised, maybe even shocked, but definitely not disappointed.
The two principal characters, Jetta Wong and Ethan Brown were destined to meet and it all started with a fortune cookie. You might say it was a simple happenstance. Nothing could be further from the truth as you will discover when you read the conclusion of The Fortune Cookie That Did Not Lie.
Jetta pushed Ethan hard, encouraging him to take her to his fifth wheel trailer. Her conviction in Ethan's way of thinking was extremely aggressive. In his whole adult dating life he had never run into a woman who could be so demanding to the point of almost being insulting.
"Jetta, why is it so damn important for me to take you to my trailer? That's where I live, that's my private domain. I don't take people I just met in a restaurant to my home. It's not that I don't trust you, and it's true that I am enamored by you, but come on, do you have to see where I live today?"
"Absolutely, yes, Ethan. We must go this afternoon. You need to take me in your truck. I need to see where you live. I need to see your trailer. When we get there I will explain more. This is not going to be a romantic adventure. I'm telling you, you need to do this, I need you to do this for me. But you will also be doing this for yourself, you just don't know it yet."
"If you don't mind me saying so, you are insane Jetta. You may be absolutely beautiful. You certainly know how to be flirtatious. You make me want to be with you. I'm just a simple firefighter. I don't have a lot of experience with women, especially aggressive women. When I look at you I feel like I could really fall in love with you. But then the way you talk to me and your assertiveness scares me. You're like a small unattended campfire. All of a sudden, a gust of wind blows the embers into the trees. Within a short time it starts a raging forest fire."
"I'm not that careless Ethan, and I'm not going to be a raging fire in your life. I can assure you that you are about to witness something… Oh well I'm not gonna say anymore now. Let's go to your trailer. I promise I'm not going to do anything stupid. I won’t try to rob you. And I can assure you I'm not going to try and seduce you. And I'm quite confident that you're not going to try and seduce me. I trust you Ethan.
Ethan drove back to the restaurant from his trailer at 3 PM to pick up Jetta. She was waiting for him out front by the main entrance to the restaurant. He drove up next to her and rolled down his window.
"Okay Jetta, I'm here. Hop in. My trailer is only about 15 minutes, if that from here."
"Thank you Ethan for picking me up. I'm looking forward to seeing where you live. You can look in my handbag to make sure that I'm not carrying any weapons."
Jetta was being both serious and humorous when she made the offer to open her handbag. Ethan did not think it was particularly funny. She picked up on that by his expression. On the way to the trailer park, neither one of them spoke. She knew that Ethan was not real happy about taking her to the trailer. He was also hoping that none of the neighbors that lived in trailers that surrounded his would pay too much attention to her. Ethan parked the truck as close to the door to the trailer as he could.
"Okay Jetta, this is it. For a fifth wheel trailer it's top-of-the-line. And I am making payments on it in fact, and making payments on my truck too. But fortunately I have a good job as a fireman and it pays reasonably well."
Ethan was very proud of his trailer and his truck. For him it represented freedom. Not being locked down to owning a home or living in an apartment he thought would be stressful. Any time he wanted to he could just back his truck up to the trailer, hook it up and take off. Always thinking of exploring the Southwest, especially Arizona and New Mexico.
"Your trailer and truck are wonderful Ethan. They will do perfectly."
"Let's go inside Jetta. I'm not sure what you meant by saying… that my trailer will do perfectly. I hope you're not planning on living here with me, because that ain't gonna happen, no way, no way."
Ethan after opening the door, encouraged Jetta to step up into the trailer. She looked around, she even opened a couple of cabinets and opened the door to the small bathroom. Again she said, talking to herself, "this is going to work perfectly." She said it under her breath but Ethan still heard it.
"What do you mean this is going to work perfectly Jetta? I don't think it's polite to go into someone's home and start snooping through their cabinets and looking into their bathroom and closets. You won't be living here. You're just a guest. Stop being so nosy."
Jetta kept saying to herself, “This is going to be perfect.” She realized it was time to tell Ethan what was going to happen to the two of them. She thought that it made the most sense to only share what she felt he needed to know at this point.
"Can we sit down at the table Ethan?
"If you would like Jetta, yes we can sit down. I hope you're going to tell me in all honesty what's going on. And why my trailer is so important to you?"
"Ethan, you and I are going to take a trip using your truck and your trailer. I can’t tell you exactly where we are going, but we will be going to the state of Nevada. And no we are not going to Las Vegas to get married. This is going to be the most important thing you've ever done in your life, and perhaps for me too. Before I explain further I need to tell you that I was not born in Hong Kong. I'm not Chinese, I am ethnic Mongolian. I don't have a family. I actually grew up in an orphanage at first, and then a very old and wise Mongolian couple took me in. There is some truth to my relationship with the United States government but I'm not going to discuss that with you right now."
"Well thank you Jetta for being somewhat truthful with me. I knew there had to be more to your aggressiveness. You are so deliberate in your tone and actions. I've never met anybody like you before. By the way, where is Mongolia? Regarding going on a trip with you in my truck pulling the trailer. I have to go back to work at the fire department in two days. I need to work to pay my bills, especially my monthly payments on the trailer and the truck. Even if I wanted you to kidnap me or better yet hijack me to take you to Nevada it just isn't in the cards my dear."
"Don't worry Ethan, I will pay off your truck and your trailer tomorrow. After you see where we're going and what we're going to be doing, you may never want to go back to being a fireman again. Just call in sick. I will take care of all the finances. You just need to drive. When we travel you sleep where you always sleep. I can tell the area where the table is must make into a bed, that's where I will sleep. Tomorrow we will pick up plenty of food. I hope you're not alcohol dependent, we won't be taking any of that with us. I'm pretty sure you don't do drugs otherwise they wouldn't keep you on as a fireman. Take me back to the restaurant now. Get a good night's sleep. In the next 48 hours you will be going on a trip with me. It's going to change your life forever, in fact it's going to change my life."
"I don't know about you Jetta. To say that I'm confused is a huge understatement. My curiosity says, yes let's go I'm up for an adventure. My practical side says, what the heck are you doing to yourself Ethan? You don't know anything about this person. Jetta you've lied to me once. How I know you're not conning me into something. Or if we get out on that lonely road in the desert, and you abandon me there, worse yet you could just take me out."
"Well Ethan, if I'm going to pay off your trailer and your truck, why don't I just go out and buy my own. And I'm sure I can find someone to share the driving with. Trust me! Trust me Ethan. The trip we are about to embark on is much bigger and more important than us. I picked you for a reason. This is your destiny Ethan. You may not understand that now but you will. Once we leave California and drive into Nevada I will tell you more."
"If I discover anything about you Jetta, or what we're doing is illegal or unethical, I will turn on you in a minute. Don't mess with me! I admit personally I want to get to know you better. Although I'm not sure why. There's something about you that gives off energy that I seem to be very attracted to. Okay I'm game. I guess the worst thing that can happen is we part ways. But I end up owning my trailer and truck free and clear, right?
"The title of the truck and trailer will remain in your name, of course it will. Consider that as my gift to you for going on this trip with me. You won't be sorry, a little shocked, perhaps. For a period of time afterwards you may not completely understand what had taken place, but in the long run you will be thankful, very thankful."
Ethan drove Jetta back to the restaurant they agreed to meet the next morning at 10 AM. Driving back to his trailer Ethan was experiencing a roller coaster of emotions. Excited one minute, and then his thoughts turned to his own personal safety. "This Jetta girl is certainly beautiful. I have a hard time keeping my eyes off of her. But I can't help but think she can be very dangerous. She makes standing in the middle of a forest fire seem safer than what she has in mind." This and a million other thoughts went through Ethan's mind. He went to bed early that night, but little or no sleep happened. He was filled with worry that would morph into an exciting adventure, then back to being downright scared.
"Good morning Ethan, it's 10 AM exactly thank you for being so punctual. We have a lot to do today. Let's start by getting your truck and trailer paid off. I suspect that will take some time. We probably won't be able to leave today, it will most likely be more like tomorrow. Maybe the best strategy is to get that taken care of. Then go to the store and buy all the food we're going to need. It also might be a good idea to have some extra gas cans in the back of the truck just in case."
Jetta was right, there was just too much to accomplish. They were going to leave early the next morning. Ethan would get everything ready on his end. It was understood that she would spend the night in the trailer so they could leave early the next morning.
"Where is your stuff Jetta? I mean like where are your clothes, or whatever else you need to take with you?"
"Good thought Ethan, I forgot about that which is completely unlike me. Maybe it's just because I'm excited about what you and I are going to see and do. Let's go back to the restaurant. Everything I need is there. Yes I do live in the back of that restaurant. All of my belongings which don't amount to much are in a locker. I do not have much that I will need to take."
Ethan woke up before Jetta. He could see that she was sound asleep. But he knew that he was going to need some strong coffee to start the day especially if he was going to be driving a lot. He went over and gently nudged Jetta on the shoulder. She woke up and turned towards Ethan, giving him a tender loving smile. This was something that Ethan for sure wasn't expecting. She stood up in her nightgown, went over to him and gave him a very passionate hug. Kissed him on the cheek, looked deep into his eyes and whispered, “Thank you, thank you Ethan. I can sure go for a cup of coffee and maybe some eggs." Ethan could not believe what a warm and loving thing she just did. But he loved every second of it and somehow made him relaxed inside. He knew everything was going to be okay with the two of them.
Everything was ready to go, they were all loaded up in the truck and they started their drive towards Las Vegas. Periodically Jetta would look over at Ethan with a loving smile. The warmth coming off of her was more than he had ever experienced in his life. She truly was everything he could ever want in a woman. He thought to himself this all started over a simple fortune from a fortune cookie.
This is the end of part two. In part three which I hope will be the completion of the story you will discover what happens to Ethan and Jetta once they start their journey on US 95, in Nevada. They will be changing several highways and then they will end up traveling small roads and eventually traveling on dirt roads. What happens to them and the impact it has on America will be revealed in part three.
You won't be disappointed, probably a little bit shocked. But I guarantee you will remember the story for quite some time.
Thank you,
Rod Jones Artist-Writer