Chapter 2 Prologue "Bring the Money"

"Yeah? Is this really Alaska?" The moment I walked out of the airport, I couldn't help but turn pale with shock. It's so hot, even though it's July, it's almost the same as summer in Japan, and the sun may be even stronger. My imagination of Alaska has only one word: "cold". I was completely caught off guard and found that I was wearing something completely wrong-knit socks and feather coats. I couldn't help but feel amused.I came here fully armed from the scorching heat of Japan! I quickly changed into a T-shirt and shorts, walked out of the airport hall, and started to prepare.Because the bicycle is disassembled, packed into a cardboard box, and sent to the plane for consignment, it must first be assembled.

But it's too quiet here.After the people on the same plane left one after another, the small airport like a train station was suddenly empty, and the birds were jumping in and out of the hall while chirping.There is a vast wilderness in front of you, and you can see the dark coniferous forest in the distance. Is that the so-called coniferous forest belt?Farther away are sharp and towering green mountains, and the high sky stretches as far as the eye can see. It is obviously different from Japan, and it looks unusually wide. The bike is assembled, next comes the luggage.I have six storage bags, each containing camping equipment and cold protection equipment, a change of clothes, books such as library books and dictionaries, cameras, tools, and medicines-because I will travel around the world next, it is natural that the amount of luggage is considerable.

After finally packing about 40 kilograms of luggage, I pushed my bicycle and walked to the road.It was a straight and open road, paved too flat and beautiful, but dull.This is probably the so-called American landscape. "Finally on the road." I whispered in my heart, a little intoxicated in the feelings of heroism.In any case, the dream of many years began to come true from this moment.I stepped on the pedals solemnly, and the heavy bicycle started to move forward?????? "What happened?" For a moment, the front of the car swayed, and it was impossible to control it.The luggage was too heavy, and the bicycle gradually slanted to one side, almost hitting the roadside fence, and I hurriedly braked.As soon as the car stopped, the dry wind blew up my back.

"Hey, can you ride like this?" Although there is a certain degree of psychological preparation, the weight of the luggage is far beyond imagination, and it feels like carrying an extra person. ——Isn’t this the romantic journey you imagined?????? I stepped on the bicycle cautiously again, swaying, and this time I gradually turned to the fast lane. The horns of the cars coming from behind were beeping one after another, and I broke out in a cold sweat. "Don't, don't panic!" Stepping on the bicycle, I cheered myself up.Today, you only need to ride to Anchorage, which is 20 kilometers away. The distance is not a big deal, and it's only four o'clock in the afternoon, isn't it??????

After riding for a while, I came to an open intersection, and I didn't know which way to ride at all.Suddenly, I saw a black woman approaching in front of me. Her clothes were exaggerated and horrible: a bright pink jumper with a navel exposed, paired with black sunglasses, it really didn't match the image of Alaska. Although I vaguely smelled a dangerous atmosphere, my eyes were still attracted by the Mulan missile that was about to emerge from under the sportswear.I thought, ask her the way.As soon as I came up with this idea, my heavy heart just disappeared. After all, this is the free country of the United States. Maybe the future development will be very interesting??????

I was careful not to let evil thoughts show on my face, and spoke to her as politely as possible: "Excuse me." She didn't respond at all, she kept smacking her chewing gum, looked me up and down, and her sunglasses reflected a chilling light.The oppressive feeling of silence made my sweet delusions disappear instantly. ——That’s right, I must have hit on some scary guy?????? I was so scared I didn't know what to do.So far, I can't pretend that I didn't ask the way, I timidly continued to ask: "Ah, ah..Which way to down town? (Which way to down town?)"

The woman stretched out boredly. Seeing the furry underarms made me feel even more depressed.She lazily continued chewing gum and said: "Give me one dollar. (Give me one dollar)" "what?" “GIVE ME ONE DOLLAR.” "??????" It's asking me for money.The first person I met when I came to the United States, the initial dialogue turned out to be like this, I was just asking for directions! I stared at her face in half astonishment, but she was still chewing gum with a blank expression.I managed to squeeze out a voice and replied: "No, thank you. (No, thank you.)”

Why do you still say "No, thank you" when you are blackmailed for money?While thinking about this problem, he fled the scene as if flying. Stepping on the bicycle, I sighed deeply.Really, this kind of opening is simply terrible?????? The more I think about it, the more I feel useless.At this time, the chaos before departure came to mind again. —Is that really a bad omen? When I first thought about it, the bike got heavier.That's right, things haven't been right since before the journey started??????