Stage 8 - A dumb idea and a new friend
teams included:Hillbilly Rollers by @Knugcab, Chitko by @MrdjaNikolen, Shift Happens by @Madrias, Firulais by @Angelustyle. The train for the photoscene has been provided by @Mikonp7
also as kitschy as some teenie romance in some parts, but thats because the real Chanty wanted to write more of her dialogues herself…
Chanty started her day with a serious hangover - the Highway Hooligans usually party VERY hard, so not only beer but also booze was consumed, and she was not woken up by her team in order to not make her emotional breakdowns worse by adding fatigue. But she finally did get up, and heard people chattering about… the spider!
“DAD! YOU BROUGHT THE SPIDER HERE?”
“Sure, stuffed it Marie in her throat. I think that is a fitting revenge for what she did to you.”
“NO! That spider was running across the camping site and this could scare people!”
“It´s just a spider and it will escape into the forest anyway. Spiders have a good sense of orientation and it will find the way back to the castle easily.”
“You have NO right to put other peoples feelings in question, that is invasive behaiviour of you.”
“Your generation is really … some pathetic snowflakes, come on, grow up.”
“Impose boomer standards that are going biological extinct anyway soon on people that will outlive you by decades and making them suffer for nothing but the sake of your small ego is pathetic!”
You could hear a leaf falling now, as it became very silent after Chantys rage, but suddenly some group of younger team members applauded Chanty, making her feel a bit uncomfortable. To escape the situation, as she didn´t want to stand next to her annoyed father for an eternity until he finally figured out to rant back, she decided for a shower, while Thomas just mumbled “young people are really weird these days”, but otherwise seeming to accept that he was considered being in the wrong.
By walking to the shower with her bag, Chanty passed Andrea who looked quite desperate this time, so for once it was not Andrea comforting Chanty but the opposite.
“Oh, you look so sad… what is wrong?”
“You don´t look much better, so… you first.”
“Just a hangover and I am still scared by that dead cat and the spider…”
“SPIDER? WHERE?”
“Ah, I will tell you on the way to the shower. You are coming with me?”
“That is the problem! A wild boar… or something similar raided my bag. We should really not have left our cookies in the bags, that´s attracting the local wildlife. Most of my clothes are gone!”
“OH NO! Can´t you take something from Pi, at least for your… upper half?”
“Pi´s stuff is also gone.”
“Ah well, I have an idea then. Finally I can tell Jan and my dad that bringing tons of stuff isn´t unneccecary!”
Chanty provided her friends with some of her clothes, which looked… weird. Pi loved her anime t-shirt, while Andrea looked funny in the hello kitty pyjama that was waaaay to oversized for her, but was grateful for the help, although she propably would had asked someone with a more… usual taste, but didn´t tell that, as she did not want to hurt Chantys feelings. She regretted not having asked Jakasxandra quick enough to not have been offered stuff by Chantal.
“You don´t like it?”
“Oh, I do, it´s fine, really. Its only for a day anyway, as we might have the opportunity to shop at the next destination anyway.”
Chanty, being happy to be of assistance and giving back her friends some support, leaned against Andrea and started cuddling with her.
“Oh, if we weren´t attracted by men, you`d be my one of my possible choices, sweetie.”
“I am actually Bi, but don´t tell that Jan, he is already jealous enough at boys!”
Both laughed until Thomas passed by in the Primus, honking and making wild gestures.
“COME ON! WE NEED TO GET TO THE STARTING LINE!”
“Let me drive! We need to win for once!”
“Are you sure that you are fit for driving?”
“YAAAAAAAAAAAAASSS! Move your not-bad-for-your-age ass to the backseat!”
It could have been an easy drive, despite narrow and windy roads, but Chantal was by now used to the rather large Primus. But when they passed the Hillbilly Rollers for a start, Marie yelled something very mean at Chanty, and she almost started to cry, still trying hard to surpress it.
“Chantal? What is it? Was it what Marie said? I didnt hear it really, what did she say?”
“Thomas, you better don´t know, but I got it, too, and it was … not very nice.”
Jan put his left hand on Chantys right hand, and since they drove an automatic, were able to put their hands on the center console, and Chanty made sure she did not let loose for even a second, but being upset anyway, she drove again faster than one should, and they were quite far up front when they approached a railroad crossing. Actually, they were leading for the first time.
“Ah shit, all that speeding for nothing, you can have a stop now for a cigarette, it seems you need a smoke to cool down. That steam cloud seems like a train is coming.”
“NO WAY! We can do this!”
“Chantal, no, that won´t work. We are too far away to safely pass the crossing. I can´t tell it from that distance as I don´t see the train, but my experience tells me we will just wear down our tires and brakes for nothing.”
The engine of the Primus roared, as Chanty did a kickdown all the way back in second gear, which executed the old and worn transmission with a jerk that made all parts of the car clattering.
“BABY NO! THOMAS IS RIGHT!”
“CHANTAL JOLINA NILFERT, DON´T KILL US FOR FUCKS SAKE!”
“Relax, we have enough space left to catch up.”
“Eeeeeh… at lightspeed, maybeee… but it will be a close one! How fast are we going? The car almost falls apart on that road at that speed!”
“A… 130…135…140!”
“You two are aware that the speed limit here is 60? AND NOT 160???”
“Jan, we can read. Ok, this should be fast enough for survival. But … it SHOULD, not it IS. I would rather not do that, Chantal.”
“YOU TWO CAN´T BE SERIOUS!”
“Jans concern is valid, if I tell you to stop just before the point of no return, YOU DO THAT, UNDERSTOOD?”
Jan pulled the handbrake, but Thomas still hasn´t repaired it since it failed in Nevada.
“Are you insane, if that handbrake worked we would have spun in the ditch!”
“That is at least better than being crushed by a FUCKING STEAM TRAIN!!!”
“Oh, damn, CHANTY, WE ARE NOT MAKING IT! STOP! STOOOOOOOOP!”
“WE CAN DO IT!”
Now Thomas voice was full of fear, as he realized that the distance of maybe 400 Meter to the crossing is too long to pass before the train that is much slower, but only has like 200 meter left to travel. Jan tried to jump out of the car, but that would have been lethal at that speed as well, so Thomas stopped him by holding the door lock control rod down, overriding the door handle.
“NO, JAN, THAT IS LETHAL! CHANTAL, IF YOU DON´T STOP NOW, I WILL KICK YOU OUT OF MY LIFE IMMEDIATELY AND REFUSE ANY CONTACT! YOU ARE DEAD FOR ME THEN!”
Thomas then slammed with his head against the headrest of the passenger seat in front of him, as the Primus came to standstill with both rattling ABS and screeching tires, as Chanty pressed the brake pedal as hard as she could. In just that moment, the train passed them with a distance of maybe 5 centimeters, with the drag of the air causing the large car to shake like it was a small fishing boat in a thunderstorm in the ocean.
“Ooooofff… that was close! Are you all right?”
Jan left the car without saying a word, slamming the passenger door so hard that the window fell down. Chanty was still not even loosening her seatbelt, but silently crying.
“Heey, yes that was a very dumb action, but I won´t kick you out. You saved us by doing the right desision and listening to me. Heeeey, Chanty…”
Thomas put his hand on her shoulder, knowing that what he just verbally threw against her broke her heart in thousands of sharp pieces, but he did not have enough time to think of something milder that makes her stop in every case immediately.
Suddenly Jan, who first walked away from the car in order to not let his anger out at the others, made the unfortunate descision to come back, and ripped the driver door open, starting to yell at Chanty.
“I AM SO TIRED OF YOUR BULLSHIT! ENOUGH IS ENOUGH! I THOUGHT THAT I CAN LIVE WITH EVERY OF YOUR SHIT, LIKE EXPOSING YOURSELF LIKE A SLUT ON THE INTERNET, COMING HOME LATE AND DRUNK AND I DONT KNOW WHERE YOU WERE, REFUSING TO LEAVE THE BED, TELLING ME DAILY HOW SHIT YOU ARE EVEN IF I TRY SOOOO HARD TO PROVE YOU OTHERWISE BUT IF YOU START NOT JUST HARMING YOURSELF BUT ALSO ME THAT RECKLESSLY…”
“JAN! Take a breath! Don´t you see she´s totally collapsed? I see your point, really, and I am also REALLY pissed but that is bad timing! We will discuss th…”
“NO, THOMAS! NO! I AM OUT HERE. I will now use that ring and…”
“NO! Don´t leave her alone like that at this moment. Do me the favour of staying until our destination and then we will discuss that matter, but with fair play, not by completely wrecking her.”
“Funny, Thomas, usually it´s you who yells at her, and now I do it for ONCE, because she finally carried it WAY TOO FAR, and suddenly you are the saint and I am the idiot?”
“Please, Jan, be a man, get in the car, and I will continue the driving for today.”
“NO, I AM WALKING! NO WAY I WILL EVER ENTER A CAR WITH YOU TWO AGAIN! I AM DONE WITH YOU, CHANTAL! GO KILL THAT MINDREADER BUT NOT ME!”
Jan walked off, despite Thomas trying to convince him to just take a deep breath, and Chantys panic attack from being yelled harsh at by Thomas not only doubled but tripled from Jans outbreak, and she exited the vehicle, running to the intersection and sitting down on the rails, continuing to cry desperately in what is propably her worst panic attack yet.
“AH NO, NOT THAT! That was really missing at the moment to make the disaster perfect!”
Although he didn´t want to have Jan out of sight, Thomas decided to pick him up later, and sprinted towards his daughter.
“GET OFF THERE! The next train maybe arrives soon.”
“I DON´T CARE! It´s all useless anyway…”
“Yes, I think this time he´s REALLY pissed, but… it´s mostly the shock. He doesn´t want to leave you for real, but that was an extreme situation that you caused. You have to go through that for the next hours now. After that, he will surely calm down.”
“NO, HE WON´T, DIDN´T YOU HEAR WHAT HE SAID?”
“It would be the best for now if you heard what I say, and this is now that you should come with me in the car and get off the rails, and then we will somehow get Jan back on board.”
“NO, JUST LEAVE ME HERE! Everyone is better off without me.”
“CHANTAL! I still have duct tape in the car. You want me to use it?”
She shook her head, and then followed Thomas with hanging shoulders, while her father hastily lighted a cigarette, which he then inhaled in less than a minute.
“Damn, where is Jan? Are you a bit better now?”
“Aren´t you also hating me now?”
“Of course I am quite angry at you, but nobody hates you. And it wouldn´t help if I explode now as well…”
“Just erease me from your life as you said, and continue a better life without me… I will survive here somehow, and if not, nobody cares, and I could prevent some wild animals from starving, I am fat enough that they don´t need to stay hungry…”
“I AM TRYING TO BE PATIENT LIKE A MONK WITH YOU TODAY BUT ONE MORE WORD AND I WILL GET THE DUCT TAPE AGAIN! Damn, this is not a race, didn´t you listen to the driver briefing in Nevada?”
“Sure, but I wanted to win something to make you proud.”
“I am a winner, Chantal, I have a beautiful and lovely daughter, and Jan is a winner, as he propably has the best girl he could pick. It´s pointless to risk your life then in order to get something we don´t need. Give me the team radio.”
“Here…”
“Rhinos here. Has anybody seen Jan? He got … lost on the way. Please report to me if you spot him, thanks.”
Everyone reported negative.
“Crap, I think we need to ask Shift Happens to locate him. But that also means explaining this shit, damn it.”
Just in that moment, Thomas had a short brainfreeze, then turned the car keys.
“AH! I think I … somehow know where he is, not far from here. Weird. Anyway, you stay in the car then, I`ll talk to him from man to man.”
Thomas drove down a small forest road, and they found Jan after only five more minutes. It needed another 10 to convince him to at least enter the car and continue the stage to the finish line, and then discussing how to continue.
Nobody spoke a word. Thomas focussed on the driving, trying to keep it sane in order to not make Jan boil even more, Jan was… staring out of the passenger window, and Chanty was silently crying in the backseat, cuddling with her Rudolph.
“Eh kids, I need to speed up a bit, Jan, are you OK with driving a bit faster, just a bit?”
“Why that?”
“Look in the mirror. These swedes are about to catch up. Do you really want that Gollum finishes in front of us?”
“Actually not. Yes, Thomas, keep them behind us.”
Upon arrival, all three were silent, until Jan asked for the car keys in order to drive to the center of Hofrost to get an own tent, which Thomas considered childish, but he thought like letting Jan doing a drive on his own might cool down his temper. At least the fact that Jan looked for a tent meant that he would consider staying with the team and Chanty in general instead of going home and really breaking up with Chantal. Thomas also noticed, that even if Chanty still had some random crying attacks, she also giggled a bit between them.
“What is that funny? It´s ok that you have something to laugh about in that situation, but I want to as well then.”
“The town´s name… it sounds like Bofrost and NOW I AM HUNGRY!!!”
“Yeah, the food from Bofrost wasn´t that bad, true… mmmmh, yes, let´s cook.”
When the food was ready, the Primus rolled back onto the campsite, and it seems Jan found something, as he started to build it up after getting a bowl of food without saying a word to his girlfriend.
Suddenly, he was greeted by Kasiya, the god of Peace and Renewal. He sensed that he might be needed, and offered Jan to discuss the matter with an independent person, having even more life experience than Thomas but being emotionally not involved. It seems it helped a bit, and when Kasiya left, Jan announced his descision to stay in Holsia, and Chanty ran towards Jan and hugged him, giving him many kisses.
“So… you still love me?”
“I love you, yes, of course. but I am not sure if this is sufficient. I maybe have underestimated how our different characters can conflict with each other when I agreed to be together with you… Propably my fault.”
“That…means… you still want to break up?”
“Honestly, I just said I leave, not that I break up, that is what you make out of it because you are a drama queen, but I do not want to make a descision on that now, especially not so briefly after such an argument.”
Chanty then ran away in tears, and Thomas was about to run after her, but Jan stopped him.
“No, no, Thomas. I think if everyone talks and talks and talks to her over and over again it will not make anything better. She needs some time for herself just like me.”
“So, you, the idiot causing her crying, now tells me how to treat my daughter?”
“Thomas, I think I am NOT an idiot for being honest to her, this is what she deserves, because I really love her and I just do not want to tell her a single lie. Would you prefer me pretending something?”
“No. I don´t feel to well, my heart… I might lay down a bit.”
“Yes, but take care. I`ll clean up the dishes here, and DON´T DRINK ALCOHOL AND DON´T SMOKE WHEN YOU HAVE ALREADY ENOUGH SYMPTOMS THAT YOU ACTUALLY ADMIT YOU ARE NOT WELL!”
“Yeah, yeah, fair point, but just promise me to keep an eye on Chanty and… please don´t make too quick descisions.”
When Ana went to the toilet shed aside the train tracks for an obvious reason, an elder train employee carefully knocked against the doors of the ladies restroom, calmly asking someone to get out.
“Eeeeh, that´s a longer dump then, eh?”
“Excuse me, WHAT?”
“Uhm… sorry madam, that was a bit informal.”
“Indeed it was! But, maybe you can help me. It seems someone from your tourist group has a really bad day and locked herself in, crying. I do not want to be impolite, but… people need to get in there, and would prefer them not standing on the train tracks to wait for her to finally get out. The first ones are already waiting here and it is a security risk, although this rail is used to park your train, but you get the point if more and more people are piling up here!”
“Hm, thats propably Chantal. I`ll try. Psssh! Hey, Chantal?”
“M-hm?”
“Ana here. I don´t want to interrupt your session there, but you start to build up a queque here, so I suggest… you get out of there and tell me what´s wrong.”
“I thought you hate me!”
“No, I don´t, and that lady here also doesn´t judge you, it´s just that… we have needs, too.”
“But it was me who dyed your hair…”
“That was obvious, but you know what? I started liking it. Now, please open the door and let me guide to some safe place where you can tell what happened, ok?”
Ana was still considering Chantal as a very annoying person, but she developed a bit of sympathy for her on the previous stage, when Angel told about his mindreading experience, so she thought she could get to know her a bit better and offer emotional assistance, although Ana was generally bad at that. A bit later, Jan struggled to build up both tents, and Thomas was asleep after taking some strong medication, as Andrés walked by.
“Oh, you have two tents now?”
“How many do you count?”
“Two!”
“So, you answered that question now yourself, Andrés.”
“Jan, you seem upset.”
“You would be too, if you had to build that trash up! And be a bit more silent please, Thomas is not feeling well, and I measured his heart rate, it´s not good.”
“You mean, he will die like in Sweden? OH NO!”
“Pssssh! Damn it! As far as I can see, it´s serious but not yet dangerous with his health right now, and if he has a rest, this will be sufficient… at least for the moment. So, what do you want?”
“You are interessed in biology and read a lot of books about Holsia since you are here, right? So, can you tell me if… the nearby lake is safe to swim?”
“I can look that up as I know in which of the books it was written about Bofrost, yes, but as you see, I am busy.”
“Bofrost? You mean Hofrost? I can build up that tent for you, I am not too bad at such stuff. You are more the intellectual, I see.”
“Yeah, there is some food company named Bofrost in Germany so I mix that up. Anyway, that sounds like a plan.”
In the evening, Ana and Chantal were still swimming, although Chanty was now feeling really cold - and exhausted, as sport is not really something she usually does.
“Hah! Sending Andrés as mailman worked well. I am so smart!”
“Please, I can´t any longer. Since the sun is gone, I am freezing and I am also very exhausted.”
“All right, let´s get back to our teams…or if you are scared of them still being pissed, just come with me. But hey, that action was really savage. But guess what? I would have tried to race that train, too, without a doubt.”
“Yes, but your team wouldn´t hate you for it.”
“Oh, come on, Jan will calm down. I am astonished that he is such a phillistine, from everything you told me about him and your life as couple. He looks so cool, and then you find out he´s a pensioner just looking like a cool guy. Thats like buying an Audi and then seeing it´s just a VW anyway.”
“But… he´s the first not only using me for the one thing.”
“I guess, he is lame there, too.”
“Well, so lazy that I am afraid that he would rather get a pregnant woman instead of making kids with me when he finally wants some.”
“HAHAHAHAHA, CHANTAL, YOU ARE SO SASSY! I really like that! Listen, how about challenging Marie once more? Your face is almost normal again, but I enjoyed you looking bruised like having kissed a sledgehammer a lot…”
“That was so painful, that´s not funny! I really thought she broke half of my bones and I have to compete for the remaining stages in the back of an ambulance! I will dye your hair green if you don´t take that back!”
“Hey, at least a stretcher would have been more comfortable to sleep on than your matress. Hm, how about then… even after looking like having kissed a sledgehammer, you were still a beauty?”
“That´s a lie to please me, I guess?”
“Do I look like a people pleaser like Angel or Andrés?”
“No…i…think?”
“Come on, I was just mean at you because I was jealous of how a great person you are, hm? Argh, stop it Chanty, I am not a plush tooooooy!”
Well, Ana was indeed a bit lying to make Chanty happier, she really didnt consider her very chubby figure attractive, and even if she liked tattoos in general, having as much as Chanty wasn´t to her taste at all, not to forget that Ana would be the last person considering crying as normal, especially in the amount that Chantal does. But, Ana was actually doing something in order to let someone feel better for the first time in a veeeeeeeeeery long period, and she developed some sympathy for Chanty since that was really an archievement. Also, Ana, not really a physical person, would usually feel annoyed or even disgusted by hugs, but Chantys love dose finally made Ana feel something again, so she did not bother to stop Chanty any longer and accepted her fate.
When she went back to her campsite, she was very shy and insecure, knowing that the conflict was not solved yet, so she just stood there mute after arrival and was not really knowing what to do, so Jan, reading one of his scientific books, made the first step.
“Oh, there you are. I was starting to worry, and I am surprised you haven´t been with Angel, you were not with him when I saw him.”
“No…am I allowed… to come back? Where is my dad?”
“Inside, he´s tired, but don´t worry.”
“I… I fucked it up, and he´s in danger because of the stress I caused…”
“No, just tired. Don´t worry.”
This was clearly a lie but telling Chanty that she indeed caused an incident that made Thomas feel not well would not have improved the situation at all.
“Please, don´t sleep seperately, I can´t sleep with Rudolph alone…”
“I was about to talk about this matter, yes.”
“Please… make it short then… I can take it, I guess?”
“Please, don´t cry again. I haven´t said anything yet. So, the reason I did not follow you is that I wanted to have some time alone without you, and you propably without me, after we were more or less together on very little space all the time. So, how was it without me?”
“Terrible. I mean, I can do my own activities, but knowning you`re not “there” like you used to is a very cruel torture. I would rather go through Marie beating me up with a baseball bat every single day over and over than this.”
“That won´t happen because Marie would need to get past Thomas and me first, which we wouldn´t allow. To be honest, I also felt really shit being here alone without you. And this tells me, that you are indeed the other half completing me. That doesn´t mean that we don´t have to work on some things, and that definitely includes your social media addiction and … well, not trying to bring yourself and others in danger. And maybe, I need to relax a bit more, a bit of our arguments is surely on me for being stinky.”
“So… you are no longer mad at me?”
“Ah, now that my adrenaline is back on a normal level, I am over it. Actually, the result of our time off from each other was exactly as bad as I had assumed, and I am happy you are back here to clear this up. So, what to do with the empty second tent then? Renting it to Angel so that he doesn´t have to sleep in a car?”
“Hrhr. You know what couples are supposed to do after a really bad argument? Let´s move my father over there! He snores anyway.”
“Oh no, Chanty…”
“This was not just a proposal. Come on! You said yourself you need to relax more!”
“This is definitely not relaxation with you.”
“That´s your fault then, move now!”
