Free The Road to Grace (The Walk) by Richard Paul Evans Page A

knows about Wall Drug.”
    “Yes, I stopped there.”
    “How was it?”
    “It was a really big drugstore.”
    “I’ve got to go there someday,” she said.
    “So, the reason I called. Do you remember that scene in Dances with Wolves , where Costner hunts the buffalo?”
    There was a long pause. “Yeah. I think so.”
    “I’m standing next to that very buffalo.”
    “It’s still alive?”
    “No, it never was. It’s an animatronic buffalo.”
    “A what?”
    “A robot buffalo,” I said.
    She laughed. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
    “I’m great. Really. How are things? How is Kailamai?”
    “She’s exactly what you said she’d be. She’s a remarkable young lady. She’s already enrolled in college.”
    “How’s my dad working out?”
    “He’s been a lifesaver. We’re getting things in order. I’m getting IRAs, mutual funds, and a bunch of things I know nothing about. But who cares about my boring life? Tell me about your adventure.”
    “Not much to tell you. I’m still on my feet.”
    “I think about you every day, you know.”
    I was quiet for a moment. “We had some good times together, didn’t we?”
    “Yeah, we did. If you ever get tired of walking, there’s always a place for you here.”
    “For the record, I was tired of walking before we even met. But thanks for the invite. I’ll keep that in mind.”
    “I’ve thought a lot about the time we spent together. I …” She paused. “I miss you.”
    “I miss you too.”
    “Promise me that I’ll see you again.”
    “I promise.”
    “Okay,” she said. “That will do for now.”
    “May I talk to Kailamai?”
    “She’s out with some friends. She’ll be disappointed she missed you. She has a whole new batch of jokes she’s been saving for you.
    “Here’s one she told me this morning. A golf club walksinto a local bar and asks for a beer, but the bartender refuses to serve him. ‘Why not?’ asks the golf club. ‘Because you’ll be driving later,’ replied the bartender.”
    “That’s really awful,” I said.
    “I know,” Nicole laughed. “But it’s so funny that she tells them.”
    “It sounds like the two of you are doing well.”
    “We are,” she said.
    “I’m glad to hear that.”
    “Good. Because you’re responsible for it.”
    “Good to hear I’ve done something right.” I sighed. “Well, I better let you go.”
    “Okay,” she said, sounding disappointed. “Call again soon.”
    “I will. Take care.”
    “See ya.”
    It was good hearing her voice. Still, our conversation reminded me of how lonely I was. I stowed my phone back in my pack then walked out the back door of the barn into the park.
    1880 Town was an ambitious re-creation of the Old West, covering more than fifty acres. There was a post office, dentist office, bank, pharmacy, jail, a one-room schoolhouse, a livery full of authentic horse wagons, and at least two dozen other buildings, the whole being even more ambitious than Montana’s Nevada City. The most peculiar exhibit was a live, pretzel-loving camel named Otis, who was corralled in a pasture behind the town’s church.
    I didn’t plan to walk any farther that night, so I hung around the town for about an hour, long enough to wander through every building. When I’d seen all I cared to, I walked back to the diner car to get something to eat.There weren’t many other customers, just two families, and I sat at the opposite end of the train car, laying my pack on the red vinyl bench across from me. I looked over the menu, then sat back and waited until the waitress came over a few minutes later. She was young, with short red hair and a badge that read MOLLY.
    “Hi,” she said. “Sorry for the wait. May I get you something to drink?”
    “I’d like some water. A lot of it, like a carafe.”
    “A what?”
    “A pitcher,” I said. “A whole pitcher.”
    “Okay. Do you know what you’d like to eat?”
    “How’s your meat loaf?”
    “It’s good. I had it for