SOMETHING OLD, SOMETHING NEW
Chapter Eighty Five “Thanks so much for all your help,” Rose said to Margaret. Earlier in the day, her neighbor Frank had come over and put the timing belt back on. Margaret took them to eat one more time and took them to get supplies. They had made sure to get two Wick’s pies for them and a sack of White Castle hamburgers. Now the three of them stood beside their van saying goodbye to Margaret and Bill. “It was so nice to meet all of you,” Margaret was saying. “I hope you have a safe journey.” She pulled an index card out of her pocket and handed it to Rose. “I copied this for you last night. It was my mother’s recipe for sugar cream pie. I figured since you liked it so much you might want to make it yourself.” Rose glanced at Alan and saw the delighted look on his face. “Believe me, this recipe will be used and used often,” she said. All of them hugged her and Bill and with one last wave, they got back in their van and shut the doors. Rose tried the ignition. “Yes!” she said when it turned over. “Thank God, let’s get outta here and get back to sightseeing.” Alan grinned at Awinita. “She doesn’t do domestic like me,” he said. “And I didn’t feel comfortable sleeping in that room with Bill walking around muttering under his breath,” Rose added as they drove off. “Oh yeah, that reminds me, you missed something last night, Awinita,” Alan said. “I missed something?” she said as Rose snickered. “Mm-hmm let me show you what happened when you were off in dreamland.” He put his fingers to her temples. Awinita was silent for a moment and then her mouth dropped open. “Um, okay, I’m glad I was asleep during that,” she said when Alan let go of her head. “Wow, um…okay, I’m glad he didn’t get down on his knees and beat me up for sleeping on the floor. My great grandmother was in a nursing home and there were a couple of senile people there who got violent with the staff. I mean I’m sure the guy is harmless but you never know.” “Well, Rose got up and locked the door after he went to bed.” “Wondered why it was locked this mornin’, thanks for showing me the reason.” She settled back into her seat with a sigh. “So, on to Indianapolis, I guess?” she said. “Yup, you found some stuff we could do, didn’t ya, Rose?” “Yeah, there’s this place downtown called White River State Park. They have a bunch of things there. They have the state museum, the zoo, the Eitlejorg which is a Native American and western art museum. They have the baseball park there and a concert venue. They have a Congressional Medal of Honor memorial. All in that one spot. And then downtown they have another art museum and they have a children’s museum, but according to the site there’s a lot there for adults as well like a carousel and a steam engine and they have a huge dinosaur exhibit you can walk through.” “That sounds neat,” Alan said. “Plus they have a huge mall downtown with shops and restaurants,” she said. “They have the motor speedway and an Indy 500 museum there and the State fairgrounds but that’s closed now. So, what’d ya guys think?” “I’d like to see the Eitlejorg thing,” Awinita said. “I think the Children’s Museum might be fun,” Alan added, “and the zoo and the Eitlejorg and the art museum as well. I love looking at artwork.” “They also have this place called Connor Prairie which is kinda like that Colonial Williamsburg we went to. It’s what Indiana was like back in the 1800’s with the actors and things.” “Hmm, that might be worth a look too,” Alan said. “Williamsburg was pretty interesting.” “Are you gonna do the same thing you did there and walk around and ask everyone if you can use their mobile?” Rose said. “Maybe, you know, they’re supposed to stay in character. I was just testing them,” Alan said as Awinita laughed. “I’m sure they’ve heard dumber questions before.” “Well, they also do little skits for the public like Williamsburg did.” “That must be interesting doing that,” Awinita said. “It’d be hard to stay in character though. I’d probably slip up and say something I shouldn’t.” “Alan wouldn’t slip up, he’d say stuff on purpose just to mess with people’s minds,” Rose said. “Yuuuuuuup, I would say anachronistic phrases like, yo, welcome to our village, biatches. You’re gonna love our dope pioneer life, fo shizzle.” “See what I mean?” Rose said to Awinita. “I know the boy all too well now.” “And I know you,” he said. “You’d roll those little eyes of yours and say in a world-weary tone of voice, Alan, grow up, will ya?” “You’re right, I would.” “See how compatible we are?” Alan said to Awinita. “We’re starting to know each other inside and out now. Pretty soon we’ll be finishing each other’s sentences and then we’ll be borrowing each other’s clothes.” Awinita snickered. “Somehow I doubt the whole borrowing clothes thing, Alan,” Rose said. She found her exit and got off on I-465. She eased the van into the heavy traffic and looked at them. “So, what’s first?” she said. Alan and Awinita glanced at each other. “You pick, Alan,” she said. “Sure?” “Yeah.” “Okay, how about the Children’s Museum then?” “Children’s Museum it is,” Rose said. “Brilliant!” Alan enthused. They were at the Children’s Museum staring at the side of the building. There was a rounded wall with a brown skinned long necked dinosaur coming out of it as if it were breaking through the wall. In front of her were her two babies. All of them looked as if they were running away from the building. “That is cool!” Awinita said. Alan glanced at Rose who was taking a picture of it. He suddenly had an idea. “Wait a tic,” he said to her. “Awinita, follow me, we’ll give Rose something to take a picture of.” Awinita followed him. He led her over in front of the dinosaurs. His eyes widened and he jerked his arm out and pointed at the statues. “AAAAAAAAH! Dinosaur stampede! Run, Awinita!” He turned and posed himself in a running position, his mouth hanging open in a silent scream and a look of wide-eyed terror on his face. Awinita laughed and threw her arms up while she mimed the same thing. Rose bent over laughing for a moment and then stepped back until she got all of them in the shot. “Thanks guys!” she said after she took a couple of pictures. “That’s ten times better than just the dinosaurs themselves.” She smiled at them. “Ready to go inside?” she asked. They nodded and all of them headed for the entrance. Alan stared transfixed at a large water clock just inside the entrance. He glanced at Rose who was in the queue waiting to pay admission and walked over with Awinita. It was 26 feet tall, suspended between the floor and the ceiling and the large pendulum in the middle of it glowed with a green neon light. On either side of the pendulum were little glass bubbles that the water flowed into. The left side marking hours and the right marking minutes. Red liquid flowed into each side telling the exact time. Alan was fascinated. “Ingenious,” he said to Awinita. “Yeah, I wonder how long it took to make it?” “I would think it took quite some time,” Alan replied, “and a large set of lungs to blow all that glass.” He sensed someone coming up behind him and turned to see Rose staring at it in wonder. “Wow,” she said. She took a picture of it. Alan grinned, got in front of it and did his running pose again. She laughed and snapped a picture of him. “Are you going to be doing that for every exhibit?” she asked when he walked back to her. “Nah, sometimes I’ll just riverdance in front of them,” he said. “You riverdancing, now that’s something I definitely gotta see,” Rose said. They took each other’s hands and walked through the main entrance. They barely got through before they were once again stunned into silence. There were ramps leading up to the different levels that twisted up and around the sides and in the middle of the open area was an enormous glass sculpture that reached up to the ceiling. The sculpture was made of colored blown glass that was bent and twisted in S’s and curly cues and corkscrews. All of the individual pieces had been fitted together and resembled a large multicolored glass tree. They stared at the glass shapes in awe, their primary colors a stark contrast to the white walls around it. Rose looked down and noticed the floor around the sculpture was made of transparent glass and had more glass shapes embedded underneath it. She stepped back and took several pictures of it. “Wonder how long it took to build this one?” Awinita said. Alan noticed a plaque nearby. He walked over and read it silently. “This is 43 feet high,” he told them. “It’s got 2,500 individual pieces of glass in it. In the floor is 1,600 more pieces. Doesn’t say how long it took him to blow all the glass but it took a fortnight to build the tower and get it in place.” “Blimey, “Rose said. “I hope whoever had to do it was paid well. All that glass to install, must have been a headache getting it done.” She opened the little map they gave her at the ticket counter and studied it. “You guys wanna start on the lower level and go up?” she said. They nodded and followed her when she walked over to the entrance to the Dinosphere exhibit. They headed down a long corridor to the lower level. Walking into it they saw that they were inside the circular room the dinosaurs had been breaking out of. What amazed them was the interior. It had been decorated to look like the outdoors with prehistoric plants and trees. There were sound effects coming from overhead. They could hear crickets chirping and water flowing and the grunts and roars of dinosaurs. They started at one end of the room and walked around in a semicircle staring at the dinosaur skeletons posed in different tableaus. They looked up and noticed the ceiling was lit up to resemble the sky with clouds and artificial sunlight. Rose took pictures of different things while Alan pointed to the skeletons and gave Awinita a few dinosaur facts. Suddenly, they heard thunder overhead and looked up to see the “sky” darkening. They stared at it, fascinated, as lights flashed and they heard thunder and rain. Alan looked at Rose and grinned. “This is so cool,” Rose said. “I know,” he replied. The thunderstorm stopped after a minute and the ceiling went back to its blue color. All of them finished walking around the semicircle and headed off into a second area with glass cases displaying fossils. The rooms of the exhibit were divided into different geological times and they slowly passed through them studying the fossils. After they got through the last room, they walked out and down a long corridor to the other side. On the way out they passed by another enormous dinosaur skeleton. Alan paused by the plaque beside it and read aloud… “From the blistering sands of the Sahara, University of Chicago paleontologist Paul Sereno has pulled an incredible find: the nearly complete remains of Sarcosuchus imperator, one of the largest crocodilians to ever walk the Earth. As long as a city bus and weighing in at about 10 tons, "SuperCroc" lives up to its nickname. Sarcosuchus imperator, or "flesh crocodile emperor," lived roughly 110 million years ago when rivers coursed over what is now sub-Saharan Africa. Sarcosuchus prowled the rivers' banks, crushing fish and other creatures in its massive jaws. Sarcosuchus didn't walk with the dinosaurs; it ate them for dinner!” “Jesus,” Awinita said. “I’d hate to meet that thing in a dark alley. That’s massive!” “The Doctor has met things like that…maybe not in dark alleys, but he has met them,” Alan said, walking over to her side. “Did you ever see anything like this” Awinita asked Rose. She shook her head. “No, thank God, I don’t think I would have been able to get away from it fast enough before it ate me.” “Nah, the Doctor would have wrestled it barehanded to save you.” Rose gave him a skeptical look. “When we get the TARDIS, can we go back to when this thing lived so I can see you wrestle one barehanded? Just…you know, so I can picture the Doctor actually trying to defeat this thing.” “Nah, that’s boring. It wouldn’t be much of a challenge for me,” Alan said, sniffing. “Besides I don’t want to show off, I’m much too modest for that!” His eyes widened when Rose let out an enormous, “HA!” Awinita grabbed the railing around the exhibit and laughed hysterically as Alan gave her an incensed look. Rose gave him an innocent look in return and walked off towards the exhibit at the end of the corridor. “Yay!” Alan said when he entered the room behind Rose and saw the life sized train. “A steam engine! I love steam engines! I’ve always wanted to drive one!” Rose glanced at Awinita. “Whatever train he drives, make sure I’m not on it, yeah?” She ran away when Alan made a grab for her. They walked up to it and Alan read the plaque. “The center of the All Aboard exhibit is this 35-foot long, 55-ton steam engine designed by Reuben Wells in 1868 to conquer Indiana’s Madison Hill, the steepest railroad grade in the United States. This train is a one of a kind, built to push cars up the steep 5.89 grade. You can walk around to the front of this magnificent train and stand face to face with this mighty engine that used 12 tons of power to push, not pull, cargo up the hill in Madison, Indiana. Blimey, this isn’t a replica; it’s an actual steam engine!” Grinning like a kid at Christmas, Alan took Rose’s hand and they climbed the narrow steps up into the train. They went into the passenger car and looked around at the wooden interior. Rose noticed a sign fixed to the wall and read it. “They have a little movie simulation every half hour,” she said to them. “Is it going to start?” Alan said. “Dunno, it doesn’t list any times. But it’s twenty past, I s’pose it’ll start in ten minutes then,” she replied, shrugging. They sat down in the wooden seats and rested. Alan glanced out the window and saw a huge movie screen. “Come on, start! We wanna see the movie thingy!” he yelled at it. He looked at Rose. “They need to have sensors that detect when people are in here so it’ll start instead of having to wait every half hour,” he said. “We have a whole museum to see and other things to see after that.” “Just be patient, love, it’ll start soon enough,” she said, patting his leg. “In the meantime, just rest and relax.” Alan sat back in the seat and looked around the interior. “I have a thought. I think I’m gonna become a trainspotter, Rose,” he said. He let out a melodramatic gasp and pointed around them. “I spotted a train! And I’ve only been a trainspotter for two seconds, hurray for me!” he said as they laughed. He grinned at her. “I’m very good,” he said. Rose nodded. “Yup, you are, you’re an expert trainspotter,” she said. He sighed and looked out at the movie screen. “Time?” he asked, looking at Rose. “Two more minutes,” Rose said, glancing at her watch. Alan turned his attention to Awinita who was sitting in the seat in front of them. “Howdy, little lady,” he drawled. “What’s a purdy lady like yourself doing on a train like this?” Awinita smiled. “I’m going out west to become a schoolteacher on the prairie,” she said sweetly. “Well, you shore are the prettiest little schoolmarm I ever did see.” “What am I then?” Rose asked him. He studied her. “You’re Belle, the tart of the west,” he said, waggling his eyebrows. She smacked him on the back of the head as Awinita bent over laughing. They heard the sound of a bell clanging and the hissing of steam from a speaker over their heads. “’Bout bloody time!” Alan said. They turned and looked out the window. The blank white screen was replaced by the image of a wooden train station. “All aboard!” a man announced over the speaker. “We’ve been aboard for ten minutes! Go!” Alan yelled at the speaker. “Feel better now?” Rose asked. “Tons,” Alan said, smiling. “Nothing like a good yell at a speaker to relieve one’s stress.” On the movie, the train pulled out of the station. Chugging sounds came out of the speaker while they watched fields whizzing by on the movie screen. Then the scene changed and the camera started to go up a steep hill. Alan looked at Awinita. His hand formed a gun and he held it up to her. “Alright, this is a stickup!” he said in a menacing voice. “Give me all your money and jewels or I’ll jump out, run several miles with you in my arms and tie you to the tracks. Then I’ll stand there and watch your melodramatic distress while I laugh and twirl my long black mustache!” “I thought the Doctor didn’t carry a gun,” Rose said. He stared at her with wide eyes. “Um…I’m not the Doctor, am I,” he said. “Sorta, kinda,” she said. “In a technical sense you are.” He pursed his lips and gave her a stern look when she sniggered. “Okay, changed my mind. Give me your money and jewels, Belle, or you’ll be the one who’s tied to the tracks!” he said, pointing his finger gun at her head. Rose stared at him calmly. She reached into her pocket, pulled out the recipe and held it in both hands. “Put down the gun or I tear up the secret formula,” she said. They laughed when Alan quickly folded his hands in his lap. Rose kissed him on the cheek and put the recipe back in her pocket. The next exhibit involved three different things. There was another dinosaur exhibit, an undersea room and an ancient Egyptian room. The three of them walked slowly through it looking at everything. When they reached the Egyptian room, they paused at a glass case containing a mummy case. The case was divided into three sections showing the bottom of the sarcophagus, the mummy and then the lid. “Cool!” Awinita said. “I love how they painted the mummy cases,” Rose said, snapping a picture. “Would you like one?” She looked at Alan. “Huh?” “Would you like one when you die?” “A mummy case?” “Yes, I can take the TARDIS back to ancient Egypt, have you professionally embalmed and display your sarcophagus in our bedroom for all eternity.” “No, thanks, I’ll pass,” Rose said. “You don’t wanna be preserved for all time?” Alan said. “Nah, that’s alright, I don’t like mummy cases that much.” “Can I bury you alive then?” Rose looked at him. “Why?” “Because I’m devilishly eeeeeevil!” he said, cupping her face and giving her a maniacal look. “I will entomb both you and Awinita alive and laugh long and loud while you scream and scream until you diiiiiie!” Rose put her arms around his neck. “You ever think about cutting down on caffeine so you’re not a hyper little maniac 24/7?” she asked. “You don’t enjoy my eccentricities?” “Mmmm…I do, but there’s a time and a place.” “And the time and place would beeeee…” “Somewhere where people aren’t watching and thinking about ringin’ the funny farm to come and collect their escaped mental patient?” He cleared his throat. “Starlight, I seem to recall a rainy day not too long ago. You and I were standing in a Wal-Mart car park and I told you not to give a flippity flying floo about people and what they might think of us…and then after that we sang together…and then I went splishing through several puddles like a giddy schoolboy…remember?” “Yes, I remember, Alan.” “Good, keep what I said in mind then. This is our own little world here. The only one who matters besides us is Awinita and she’s been with us long enough to know we’re both mad as hatters. Ignore the rest of planet Earth.” Rose turned and looked at Awinita who had an amused look on her face. “He’s right, you’re both mad as hatters,” she said. “And nothing you two do surprises me anymore.” She looked at Alan. “You sang in front of Wal-Mart?” she said. “Yes, Rose once told me she was going to enter a singing contest and her daft little friends told her not to do it so I made her sing for me in the Wal-Mart car park so I could see if she was talented or not.” “Like I said, that doesn’t surprise me in the least,” she said to Rose. “Singing in a crowded parking lot fits Alan’s personality to a tee.” “See, Awinita know what we’re like, so no worries. We are one, all of us. No one else counts except us! We are the daft nutters club and our membership is closed until further notice.” “Cool, do we get membership cards?” Awinita said. “Um, wait till we get back home,” Alan said. “I’ll have Torchwood make us some. They’re ace when it comes to making phony documents look real.” “Say that a little louder, dear, I don’t think the police heard ya,” Rose said. Awinita laughed when Rose slammed her hand over his opening mouth. “Another human lesson, Stitch. Sometimes humans say things that aren’t meant to be taken literally. It’s called a sarcastic remark,” she said to him. “Moh, mee mee,” Alan muttered through her hand. She took her hand away. “What?” “I said, oh I see,” he said. Rose swatted his chest and he gave her a kiss. They held each other hands and went through the rest of the exhibit. They slowly made their way up the levels until they got to the top floor. On one side of the floor was a huge hall of science and on the other side was the carousel. “Hmm, science or horsies, what’s Alan gonna pick?” Rose asked Awinita. “Dunno, I would think the geek in him would be drooling over the science stuff but then again he can’t pass up a wooden horsey either. What will poor confused Alan do?” They laughed when Alan shot them a look. He grabbed Rose’s hand and walked towards the carousel. “We’re heading towards the horsies,” Rose said, looking back at Awinita. “Guess he likes those better.” “That’s a switch; I figured Mister Quantum Physics would have gone the other way. Guess we don’t know him as well as we think we do.” Rose got some tokens for everyone and they stood in the queue. They slowly moved through the line listening to the calliope music while the carousel spun around and round. After about five minutes, they went through the entrance. Alan followed Rose while she chose a horse to ride. He waited until she found one before getting on the one next to hers. He looked around and noticed Awinita wasn’t with them. “Where’d she get to?” Alan said. “She probably found something she liked on the other side of the carousel,” she said. Alan shrugged. Rose held her hand out to him and he took it while he wrapped his free hand around the pole. There was a moment of stillness and then the carousel slowly started moving while the calliope music started up. She gave his hand a squeeze and he smiled in return. He mouthed I love you to her and she nodded. After two minutes, the carousel slowed and stopped. They climbed down and hopped off the platform. They found Awinita waiting for them at the exit. “Where’d you get to?” he said. “I found a giraffe,” she said, smugly. She giggled at the shocked look on his face and pointed to it. “Now see, if you hadn’t gone off with Rose, you coulda kicked its ass,” she said. “Blast, another opportunity squandered!” Alan said, looking at it. Rose rolled her eyes. “Come away from the wooden giraffe, “she said, taking his hand. They walked through the exit. “Did you guys enjoy the romantic ride?” Awinita asked. “Yes, except there were all these damn potholes the horses kept falling into,” Alan said. “Damn those potholes, the government needs to get in here and fix them before they tear up the carousel!” He grinned when they bent over laughing. “I wondered how long it’d be before he started making jokes about that,” Awinita said. “Me too. I thought it’d be sooner than this. I’m surprised he waited this long,” Rose replied. They walked out of the room. “Well, onto the hall of science, I guess,” Rose said. They walked across the room and entered. Alan’s face fell when he saw the exhibits. All of them were for little kids. “Aw, hon. I’m sorry. I don’t really think you can do anything in here,” Rose said, patting his hand sympathetically. “He can look at the huge diorama of the marshland,” Awinita said, pointing to a large Plexiglas case. “Whoop-di-bloody-do,” Alan said as they laughed hysterically. “Wheee, fake swamp! That just makes my whole bloody day right there!” He turned and walked out of the room. The women followed him as he walked over to the chest high concrete wall that enclosed the floor. He folded his arms on top of the wall and leaned over as stared at the glass sculpture. “So, you guys wanna go over to the state park and do something there before we find a hotel room for the night?” Rose asked. “Sounds good to me,” Awinita said. Rose looked at Alan who was gazing out at the sculpture. “Alan? That okay with ya?” she asked, putting her hand on his back. “No.” The two women glanced at each other. “Why not?” Rose said. Alan slowly turned. “Because we’re not finished here,” he said. Rose gave him a confused look. “Yeah, we are, we’ve been to all the floors and saw everything. What’s left?” He grinned and grabbed her roughly. “The lover’s death plunge beside the huge glass sculpture thingy!” he yelled. Rose gasped when he leaned her backwards against the wall. “Alan! Quit it!” she said, half laughing. “It’s no use, my Starlight, let us flee this futile existence and shred our fragile bodies to bits on the blown glass below!” he said, melodramatically. He gave her a kiss and winked when she laughed harder. He righted her and held her close to his body “Yeah, we can go to the park,” he said, giving her back a quick rub. “Gee, Alan, I guess you really don’t give a flippity floppidy floo who sees ya,” Awinita said, pointing to a couple of people standing by the entrance to the carousel who were giving them odd looks. “Nah, let them gossip all they want, they don’t know any of us!” Alan said triumphantly. “They’re probably thanking their lucky stars right now,” Rose said to Awinita. She squealed when Alan suddenly picked her up off the floor and swung her around in a circle. He sat her back down and noticed the people were staring quietly at him. “I’m happy!” he yelled to them. “It’s a beautiful day and I’m having fun! You’d be happy too if you were with these people!” “Alan, for Christ’s sake, get goin’ right now!” Rose said, pulling him down the ramp by his shirt. Awinita looked at the people who had gone over to the concrete wall near the entrance to watch them. They looked at Awinita. She grinned, shrugged and followed her friends down the ramp.
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