Rules of the Road

When Jenna tells her mother about Mrs. Gladstone’s offer, she replies with a resounding “‘Absolutely not’” (38). In her mother’s opinion Jenna is too inexperienced, and while she is listing all the reasons why Jenna should not be Mrs. Gladstone’s driver, Jenna choses to share that “‘Dad’s back’” (38). This revelation stops her mother in her tracks, and the conversation veers into a heated discussion about her father. When her mother tells Jenna she doesn’t have to see him, Jenna explains, “He’s my father! What do you want me to do when he comes around? Walk away? Leave him lying in the gutter! I can't do that! I've got to know he's OK! I've got to make sure he gets someplace safe! I don't hate him like you do!’’” (38).

Opal jokingly says that Jenna will quit after two weeks because Mrs. Gladstone is a “bonafide Hansel and Gretel-eating witch” (39). All Jenna can think about is the trip, and Jenna’s mother also starts to seriously consider the offer. She takes Jenna out to practice driving in difficult conditions and even pretends to have a heart attack to see how Jenna will react. The last straw comes when Jenna’s father, drunk, starts calling the house and asking to see Jenna (seeming to forget that he has two daughters). Jenna begs her mother, “‘I need to get out of here…I need to go to Texas” (41). Her mother agrees.

Jenna has two weeks to pack and catch up with her grandmother before the six-week road trip with Mrs. Gladstone starts. Jenna visits her grandmother at the nursing home and brings her daisies and the news of Jenna’s upcoming trip. Her grandmother doesn’t understand the details about Texas, but her roommate Gladys happily chats to Jenna about Texas and the trip. Jenna changes the subject and turns to the big scrapbook she made for her grandmother when her Alzheimer’s started, and they go through the pictures together and savor the happy memories. Before leaving, Jenna puts a sign on the memory board on the wall that reads: “Jenna's gone to Texas. She'll see you when she gets back” (44). Back at home, Jenna explains again to Faith how to get the bus to the nursing home, how to go through the scrapbook with Grandma, and how to put messages up on the memory board. Faith doesn’t enjoy going to the nursing home and never knows what to talk about, but she promises Jenna she will visit Grandma every week. Jenna worries about how Faith and her mother will cope without her. She also starts to worry about being in a car with Mrs. Gladstone for six weeks and second guesses her decision to be Mrs. Gladstone’s driver.