Antonya Nelson's "Kansas"

This story is about a teenage female who, on a whim, leaves with her toddler niece and her "Nana" for road-trip back to her grandmother's old house.  The short-story's tension revolves around the teen's unknown location.  With that being said, I found this story's tension misplaced.  I felt let down as a reader when I arrived at the story's ending because it was so plain in comparison to the story's characters.  This story could be improved by interlacing the teen's whereabouts throughout the story.  This side-by-side contrast would allow for the story's ending and not leave the reader disappointed.