Rita Arrives

We had cup after cup of brown, barely caffinated coffee. Eventually, around a quarter to five a frazzled waitress stumbled in. She apologized countless times to Maxine. Maxine hardly responded. She just stood there,  stone faced, listening to Rita's excuses. When Rita was done telling her story, Maxine pointed to our booth. Rita laced up her apron. She had a confused look on her face as she walked over to us. "Was told you guys were waiting for me, but you don't look familiar. Have I seen you before?" I realized at that moment that there was no easy way to explain why we were there. So, I did the only thing I could think of. I raised my mug and asked "More coffee?" Rita bit her lip, holding back any annoyance or frustration. "Coming up."

Perfectly Decent Lunch

I got an all American burger in an all American diner. Was it to die for? Not even close. But was it satisfying after a long day in the desert? Yes, yes it was. "I guess this isn't the worst place. It's not exactly the best, but it's also not the worst either." Olivia says. "It's charming, isn't it?" I reply. "That is a word." A waitress comes by. She places the check on the table as she passes. Olivia grabs the check and flips it over. "What does it say?" I ask. "It's the total." "Is there a name though?" "No." I raise my hand. A second later our waitress comes back. "Can I ask your name?" I say to her. She points to a nametag that reads Maxine. "Does a woman named Rita work here?" "She does, but she won't be in till later." "How much later?" I ask.  "A few hours." "We'd like to wait if that's alright." "You gotta order something else. I can't have you just sitting around." "Can we get two coffees?" I ask. She nods slowly. "Coming up."

Classic American Diner

We kept walking for a bit. Eventually we found the diner, or a diner. It wasn't named Rita's. It didn't even have much of a name. Just a sign that said Classic American Diner. "They're right to the point." Olivia says, looking up at the sign. "I suppose Rita is a waitress." I say, walking up to the diner. "Hold on. Are you actually gonna go in there?" "We came all this way. It'd be kinda silly not to." Olivia jumps in front of my path. "But we don't know she's here." "We don't know she's not here." I quip. "Why do you want to see her?" Olivia asks. I shrug. "Boredom." "All the windows are dirty or cracked. This looks like the kinda place someone would get stabbed in." She shouts. "Realistically, I could get stabbed anywhere. Besides I'm hungry." Olivia shakes her head . She steps aside. I walk into the diner. A moment later she follows me.

Out of the Desert

A couple miles down the road the scenery drastically changed. There was green grass all around, and the air was not dry. It had moisture in it. Because of this it felt ten degrees cooler. I had heard about this affect before. People move to the desert from the Midwest or wherever. They plant grass and trees. Over time it alters the climate. "I don't see a diner." Olivia says. "How do you know it was a diner?" "It was named Rita's? What else would it be?" "Good point." I reply even though I am not convinced. "What if it's not a diner or a restaurant?"I ask. "You think Rita's refers to an actual house?" "Maybe." Olivia blows a raspberry. She looks around at the hundreds of identical, suburban homes. "If you're right then we'll never find her." She says. "You wanna give up? Do something different?" I ask.
Olivia shakes her head. "Not yet. I'm not ready to give up on the diner idea. "

Grab Supplies

Pete's  Bait Shop didn't have much, but it did have canteens. We took a couple and filled them up with cold tap water. Then we checked the map, in search of a local business.  We knew Pete frequented someplace for lunch. So there had to be something near by. We found a little area on the map circled in red. Underneath it was written Rita's.  "I think that's it." Olivia says. "Doesn't exactly look close." I reply. "No, it doesn't. But this time we're prepared." She says, holding up a canteen.

Watch Him Go

"There he goes." Olivia says as we watch the helicopter ascend high into the sky. "You think we should be concerned?" I ask. "You mean about him telling on us to his superiors?" Olivia says. I nod. "Maybe, but I'm not." "And why is that?" I ask. " I don't know, but I'm not." There is a brief pause. Olivia turns the question on me. "Are you concerned?" "A little." "Don't be." Olivia smiles. "The only thing I'm concerned about is getting out of the desert. But I feel confident we'll get out of here."

Nurse Back to Health

Extreme heat and lack of water can reek havoc on the human body. Agent Duncan was in even worse shape that Olivia and I were when we were lost in the desert. In order to nurse Agent Duncan back to health we set up a cot for him underground. We kept him there for three whole days. We would sporadically check on him, giving him food and water. Of course, to be on the safe side we took away his gun and his phone. On the fourth day, when Olivia and I went to check on him he was gone. The cot was neatly made, but there was no note. We took it upon ourselves not to inform Jim and Pete, but rather search for Agent Duncan ourselves. We walked the long tunnel to the bait shop only to miss him by a few seconds. Agent Duncan was in a black helicopter that was being lifted high into the sky.

Fix Him Up

Jim and Pete  were still drinking the bad whisky when we entered. By this time they were both out of their minds, but they were sober enough to see the disheveled agent we brought it. "And what's that?" Pete asks, with an almost childish grin. "It's a man. He fainted outside." I say. "Yeah, well unless he is a paying customer I don't want to see him." Jim says. "Oh, fuck off, Jim." Pete snaps back. Pete pours a shot of whisky. He walks it over to the agent. "No, he doesn't need that." I tell Pete.  "Nonsense. Do that body good it will." "Pete, that's the last thing he needs. Get him water."  Pete rolls his eyes and walks away. "See what I'm talkin' bout? We're supposed to bend over backwards because some nobody fainted outside my store?" Jim sneers. "I'm not a nobody." Jim and Pete both light up. "It talks?" Jim says. "And I'm not an it." Jim walks up to Agent Duncan. "And who would you be then?" "My name is Agent Joseph Duncan." "Agent?" "That's right, an Agent. For the United States Government." Jim looks up at me and Olivia. "Get him the fuck out of here." "What?" I say. "Get him outta here. If he is an agent like he says he is then they'll be more, and I can't have that. I won't have that." "They're already looking for me." "Excuse me?" "I said they're already looking for me. And if it ever gets out that you had a chance to help a friend of the government but you didn't, it won't look good for you." Jim bites his lip. He turns read, trying to find an escape. "He may be right." Olivia says. "Fuck. Fine. We'll fix him up. But then he's outta here."

Agent Duncan

The man who fainted was Agent Duncan. The desert appeared to have gotten the better of him. His black suit was tattered and his sunglasses were missing the lenses. He groggily opened his eyes. I held up my hands defensively. "We mean you no harm." Then, his expression changed. He furrowed his brow. Agent Duncan reached into his jacket to grab his gun. Olivia kicked his arm away. "He meant what he said." Olivia said. "I know what you did." He replies. "Oh yeah? What did we do?" Olivia asks. "You sent that thing after me." "What thing?" "Don't play dumb. I know what you did." Olivia leans in. "Listen. I don't know what happened to you, but we were in the van when you disappeared." "So, you really didn't unleash that thing?" "No." Agent Duncan sits up. "Where is the van?" "I don't know. I'm not even sure where we are." I say. Agent Duncan squints his eyes. "What's that building over there?" "It's a gas station." I say. "You think they have a phone. My battery died a long time ago." I take a deep breath. "Yeah, probably." I help him off the ground. Olivia and I stand I either side of him. We walk him to the gas station.

Bad Whisky

I'm not sure if it expired or if it was just really bad. At any rate, that was the worst tasting whisky I had ever had. Olivia and I had one shot each, and we left. Jim and and Pete didn't seem to mind though. They were too busy singing Irish drinking songs off key. We left that drunken gas station and re entered the desolate world that is the desert. We both knew it was an odd choice, but we knew life moves fast. Too fast to stick around in a gas station. The heat hit our faces. We could barely keep our heads up. Something not too far away caught my eye. I squinted. It appeared to be a man staggering. He walked in a zig zag fashion, and then fainted. "We have to do something!" I shout, pointing to the fallen man. "Like what?" Olivia asks. "I don't know. Maybe we can drag him into the gas station."

Reunited

"What the hell you doing here?" Pete chortles at Jim's remark. "Well, what are you doing here?" He asks again. "Amazing, you go to my store, you scream your head off because I'm not there, and then when I do show up this is the welcome I get?" Jim studies Pete carefully. "Yeah, well, how are you doing?" "Fair to middle." "And how's business?" "Fair to middle." There is an awkward silence followed shortly by an even more awkward hug between the two brothers. "Ya son of a bitch." Jim says. "What? Did you think I wouldn't show?" Jim doesn't respond. "I had to make you sweat just a little bit." Jim shakes his head. Olivia and I start to head out the door. "Where you two going?" Pete asks. I start to reply, but Pete cuts me off. "They friends of yours?" "Not yet." Jim says. "Then they should stay a while. Have a drink." Jim looks at us. "Yes, just one drink." Olivia and I glance at each other and then back at Jim and Pete. "Sure, just one drink."

That Dirty No Good

Just like that we left Pete's Bait Shop. I understand that we could not wait around forever and Jim had his own business to run, but this was his own brother we were waiting for. Plus its not as if many people were clamoring to get into the full service gas station. That didn't matter though. Jim had his mind made up. In his brain Pete was the bad guy, and nothing could change that. We followed Jim back to his gas station in an intense quiet. Then, when we arrived, he erupted like a volcano. He let out a string of expletives. Cursing his brother this way and that way. Blaming him for things new and old. Seem and unseen. We tried to calm him down many times with no luck. It was almost as if he was performing a one man show to an invisible audience. The only thing we could do was take a seat and watch his nonsensical tirade. Finally, when he was out of breath, he stopped. The was a brief silence followed by an applause. Olivia and I turned our attention to the ladder. There we saw an older man. Much like Jim, but he had darker hair and a beard. The man clapped again. "Bravo, brother. I can see  you still have a flair for the dramatics."

Can't Wait Forever

Hunger began to set in as we waited for Pete. So, we did what any normal person would do in this situation. We raided his refrigerator. The only things we could find was one apple and a hunk of cheese, but we were thankful for something. It would suffice. "Where do you think Pete went to lunch?" I ask. "No idea." "What's around here?" "Not a thing." "How does he stay in business?" "I don't  know. Does it look like I know?" Jim snaps. Jim glances at his watch. "I can't wait around all day." Jim walks to the tunnel. "Don't you want to wait for your brother?" Olivia asks. "No, I don't. I got a business to run. Unlike him." He begins to descend the ladder. "But you came all this way." Olivia shouts. "So what?" He shouts back.

Out To Lunch

The layout for the bait shop was virtually the same as the gas station. Just replace the  air fresheners with night crawlers. The location of the entrance and exact was behind the counter just like in the gas station. The bait shop, like the gas station, was also tiny. Which is why it was confusing when we couldn't find Pete anywhere. Eventually we found our answer. A sign on the door to the outside read OUT TO LUNCH. "Son of a bitch." Jim cried. "How could do this to me?" "To be fair, he didn't know you were coming." I explain. Jim shakes his head. "Yeah. I guess you're right." "Maybe we can meet up with him. You know where he might go to lunch?" Olivia asks. " I might, but with my luck he'd already left there by the time I show up. No, it's best if we just wait right here for him."

Connecting Tunnel

We followed Jim down a dark corridor. I'm not sure why we chose to follow him, but I'm glad we did. It was much cooler under ground. "So, this is a tunnel?" I ask, half anticipating a sarcastic answer. "Well, it's not an elevator." Jim replies, not letting me down one bit. "This leads to the bait shop?" Olivia asks. "That it does." Jim's short answers are somewhat frustrating, but not as annoying as his quick pace. We practically have to run to keep up with him. "Did you make the tunnel?' Olivia asks, trying to catch her breath at the same time. "No, our father did." "Pete's your brother?" "That is generally what happens when two people have the same father. Come one, now. We have a lot of ground to cover and we aren't even at the halfway point yet."

The Nearest Business

"Looks like the nearest business is right there." Jim says, pointing to an old, yellow map. Dust flies off it and hits me in the face. It causes me to cough. Jim recoils. "You got something that's going around?" He asks. "No, not at all." "Then what's the cough?" "He's getting over it." Olivia jumps in. "Well, try and keep your germs to yourself. I can't get sick." "So, what is that business?" Olivia asks, changing the subject. "Pete's Bait Shop." My eyes light up. "So that means there is a lake around here." "Nope." "Maybe a river or pond? Some sort of body of water?" Jim laughs to himself. "Nothing of the sort." "Well, he must do well for himself at least." Olivia suggests. Jim laughs harder. "Are you kidding? His shop is in the middle of the desert. Who is gonna show up?" "Then why is his shop there?" "Who knows? You wanna visit him? I haven't seen him in a while." Olivia and I look at each other. "Is that a yes?" He asks. "We don't have a car? Do you?" I ask. Jim shakes his head. "Don't need one. Follow me." Jim disappears under behind his counter. After a moment, Olivia and I peak over the counter. We see a ladder going down a very deep hole. Then, as if he knew we were watching, he shouts from the bottom of the hole. "Are you coming or not?"

Big Jim's Full Service Gas Staion

We found another pointing cactus, followed by another one, and yet another one. It got the the point that we could no longer deny that these pointing cacti were somehow for us. We followed the cacti through many different twists and turns. We eventually ended up at Big Jim's Fulls Service gas station. The sign was rusted and missing letters, but there was and old man out front on a rocking chair. "Are you Big Jim?" I ask as I approach the old man. "Nope, Big Jim was my father. Just call me Jim." He puts out his hand. Olivia and I both shake it. "What can I do you for? You need me to fill up your car? Perhaps clean the windshields?" Olivia and I look at each other. "Actually, we don't have a car." Olivia says. "Then I'm afraid I can't help you." "Can we just step inside your station for five minuets? Maybe use the phone?" I ask. "Sorry, station's for customers only." "We'll pay for an air freshener." Olivia says. "All out." "We'll pay for something." Jim takes a deep breath. "Well, I know my father, Big Jim would never turn down someone in need, let alone the possibility of a dollar." Jim gets out of his chair. He opens the door to the station and ushers us in. "After you."

New Path

"How long did Moses wander through the desert? Was it forty days or forty years?" I ask, hoping it is the lesser of the two. " I believe it was forty years." Olivia says. "How long do you think we've been wandering?" "I don't know, but I doubt it has been forty years." "You think we'll ever get out of here?" I ask. "Yes, we have to." We walk in silence for bit. I notice a cactus that looks like someone pointing. I decide to show Olivia. "Check out the cactus." "What about it?" "Don't you think it looks like someone pointing?" "I suppose it does." She says casually before resuming walking. "I think we should take that path." I shout. "What path?" "The one the cactus is pointing to." Olivia squints her eyes. "I don't see a path." "But it could be pointing so something." I say, eagerly. Olivia shakes her head. "Ok, we can try that path."