Chapter 20 Arrival at Gulfstream Aerospace

"Hey, bro, should we help them? They look so pitiful."

"Do you want to help them? It may not lead to anything good."

Just as Carter was contemplating whether to ask around if CNN existed in those days, Melissa's probing voice suddenly came to his mind. Carter wasn't surprised by this. Even a simple matter that made him a bit uncomfortable was enough to make Melissa, who was only 13 years old, feel sympathetic, especially seeing the black boy around her age in such distress.

However, when facing Melissa, Carter didn't have so many thoughts. If she wanted to help, then help she should. The kindness of children should be encouraged.

"Well, I don't expect anything in return. It's just that he looks so pitiful. He's the same age as the kids at our school, and they can all go out and have fun happily. He must envy his classmates a lot, right?"

"Probably. Here, it's just a dollar, take it. And take the check over there. I'll go back to the car to pack up."

Carter nodded without hesitation and handed a dollar bill along with the just-signed check to Melissa. He then proceeded to pick up the two chairs they just bought and the packed tent, heading back to the car.

With a store attendant around, Carter wasn't worried about Melissa's safety. After placing the items in the trunk, Melissa came out skipping. "A rose given is a rose gained," might not be a phrase foreign to Americans, but the sentiment was the same. Melissa, with a slight smile on her lips, like a cheerful canary, jumped into the passenger seat. The moment she did, Carter's previous discomfort seemed to lessen, and the sunshine appeared brighter.

"What do you want for lunch? We'll probably stay overnight in Savannah tonight. Think about what else we might need. Once we leave Atlanta, it might be hard to find certain things."

Seated in the car, fastening his seatbelt, Carter asked.

"I think we're good, right? We have snacks in the car, enough water and drinks, and the tent. Oh, look, they're coming out, and it seems like they're coming towards us."

As they left the parking lot, Carter parked the car on the side of the road. He lifted the hem of his polo shirt, retrieved the gun, removed the magazine, and cleared the chamber. As he caught the ejected bullet, preparing to reload it into the magazine, Melissa spoke up with an amused smile.

Carter had described the world outside as quite dangerous before they set off. But now, when he reached for the gun, Melissa's heart almost jumped to her throat. What could possibly happen now?

"Better safe than sorry. We don't initiate harm, but we also need to be cautious. Help me put it back."

After reloading the bullet into the magazine and inserting it back into the gun, Carter handed the gun to Melissa to return it to the glove compartment. Although he had a concealed carry permit now and could carry the gun on his person, having a lump of iron around his waist while driving was rather uncomfortable.

In most cases, it was better to keep the gun in the glove compartment. In case of a police check, it was more convenient. If the gun was in the glove compartment, the driver couldn't quickly reach for it, thus couldn't threaten the police immediately. So, keeping the gun in the glove compartment had become a sort of unspoken rule, especially when encountering police checks.

"You can tell the police that I have a permit and my gun is in the glove compartment for you to check. For those who keep their gun in the glove compartment, the police's first impression would be that you're a 'law-abiding citizen,' and it can avoid a lot of unnecessary trouble. These are just some tips Carlos taught me when teaching me about guns."

Carter didn't want to challenge American police with his current white skin in the future; that would be courting death!

"You worry too much. How about having pizza for lunch? I'm craving pizza."

"Sounds good!"

After having lunch in Atlanta and wandering around the Coca-Cola Company building downstairs to confirm that there was no CNN in those days, Carter and Melissa set off for Savannah.

Savannah was a coastal city, very close to South Carolina. Heading north from Savannah, past Garden City, they would enter the territory of South Carolina. Then, they would follow the East Coast all the way north to reach New York.

When they arrived in Savannah, it was already dark. In those days without takeout, the nights in the small town of Savannah weren't much different from Douglas.

If Carter were alone, he might try to sneak into a small tavern and have a drink or two. But since he brought his sister along, such reckless behavior testing the limits of the law was out of the question. They settled for dinner at the hotel and went to bed early.

The next morning, they set off again. In those days without GPS navigation, relying on inefficient asking for directions, they found Gulfstream Aerospace when it was almost ten in the morning.

At that time, Gulfstream Aerospace wasn't particularly grand. The office area and the factory were connected, and there was a small airport outside, probably used for testing aircraft and transit. Since Carter and Melissa weren't Gulfstream employees and didn't look like Gulfstream customers, they naturally weren't allowed into the company.

But since they were here, it would be a pity to just turn around and leave. After all, this was a potential high-quality customer Carter had "discovered" himself. Since they couldn't go in, why not stay outside?

The bright red folding chairs they had just bought came in handy. Parking the car at the entrance of Gulfstream Aerospace, Carter carried the two chairs and sat down in the shade not far away. He quietly observed the comings and goings of the Gulfstream company.

Employees coming and going from various workshops, the number of hangars in the distance, and several small planes parked at the airport. Carter didn't know what Gulfstream aircraft would look like in the future, but the planes he saw now were already similar to future private planes, or exactly the same in appearance.

The long fuselage, five small windows on one side, and two jet engines mounted on the fuselage. The all-white tail of the plane, with a large T-shaped tail fin, looked elegant and luxurious!

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