"Well, I was thinking of heading out to Gros Morne National Park, if that is O.K. with you?" The dog approached me for a pet, and I obliged it. I rubbed behind his ears, until he laid his head against my leg. "Are you a good boy? I bet you wish you could go too, right boy?" I looked back up at Alice. "I traded in my rental car for a truck, so we don't have to get yours dirty, or run your gas down."
Soon we were on the highway, headed toward the park. I had been shopping, and I packed the lunch this time. It was nothing fancy. I had made peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and bought a small vegetable tray. Besides this, I had brought a small bag of kettle chips and a couple of iced teas. I figured that it was healthy eating, at least, except for the chips.
As we rode along I found myself remembering the fairy tale from the night before. It seemed all the more improbably, by the clear light of day. I wanted to ask her what her plans for the future were, but I was unsure how to phrase the question. I already knew that university had been to far from home for her. She was a small town gal, to be sure. As it was, I let her do the talking, since she often did enough of that for the both of us. After a bit though, I worked up my nerve. "So, are you going to be a waitress the rest of your life?" I regretted the wording when I said it. I sounded like some pedantic old father, inquiring what she was going to make of her life. Still, the question hung in the air.
It took nearly two hours to reach the park, and the drive up was beautiful. I stopped a few times to take pictures of mountains and valleys, but they always had the intrusions of power lines and other modern conveniences. It was my hope that in the park such modern things would no longer be an issue. We passed small towns on the way, all of which were picturesque and made me want to stop and take pictures. I figured I could almost do two books with all the beauty that Newfoundland offered.