Alex

So I resigned to stick to the original plan.

I pulled into the Missouri Welcome Center.

At that point, even though it absolutely terrified me, I knew what was going to happen when I walked inside.

I was resigned to this fact.

So I took a deep breath, got out of the car and stretched my legs.

I surveyed the landscape around me, dragging my feet.

I even went and took a selfie with the Welcome to Missouri sign.

As I was about to walk into the building, I noticed that the trees, shrubs, flowers, grass, birds, butterflies, clouds, everything looked super familiar.

I opened up the photo's application on my phone and looked at the pictures from the first two stops identical now as I concluded it was not possible.

My tear rose once again.

It was time to go inside.

I told myself I didn't even bother looking around.

I just walked to the counter.

Hello, welcome to our beautiful home state.

She said, sure, sure, I have to.

I was tired and not from here.

Where are you headed?

She asked

pants as I said, feeling exacerbated, still weren't, where are you headed from she inquired, lying didn't change anything, last town doesn't matter, I've been driving for about ten hours though, yes you've got the bit to go still she said, or probably some other response still fit everything I was saying, I did not inquire about a bathroom but as I headed to the door I was informed to travel on to the next exit and I find a gas station there with one, not a single thing was different about this Missouri gas station, the parking lot was pretty vacant just like the first three, the same cars, the same spaces, I'd been driving for at least ten hours,

Other people had to have passed through.