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.