Road To Nowhere Read Free

six-pack. “The later it gets, the crazier I get. Are we going to drive all night?”
    Teresa paused. She had never actually invited them to stay with her all the way up the coast. Yet she couldn't see dropping them off in the middle of nowhere, especially if they were all still headed in the same direction.
    “I planned on it,” she said finally, rubbing her left wrist with her right hand. A dull ache throbbed through it – she must have banged it on something just before she left the apartment.
    “Are you all right?” Free asked.
    “I’m fine.”
    “Good.” Free carried a six-pack in each hand. “Good.”
    Teresa picked up two boxes of Junior Mints and a bottle of Coke and brought them to the counter. Free was having trouble buying his beer – the man behind the counter, a short Hispanic fellow of about forty, wanted I.D. Free felt around in his pockets but couldn’t find his licence.
    “What’s the matter?” Free asked the guy. “You don’t think I’m twenty-one?”
    “I need to see I.D.,” the guy said.
    “Give me a packet of Marlboros,” Free said as he pulled a wad of mangled bills from his pocket. The cashier reached behind him for the cigarettes and set the carton down beside the beer and Free’s other goodies: a box of chocolate doughnuts, a half gallon of milk, and a bag of potato chips. “How much is it?” Free asked.
    “I can tell you how much it is without the beer,” the guy said.
    Free was annoyed. “I lost my licence. Does that make me a criminal? Look at me. Do I look like a kid? Ring up the beer, man, now. We've got a long way to go tonight.”
    “I need to see I.D.,” the man repeated.
    “You can’t see what I don’t have,” Free said, defiant.
    “Free,” Teresa said timidly. “This isn’t worth the hassle.”
    Free looked at her and smiled. All the tension seemed to go out of him in an instant, which made her relax as well. “You’re right, babe,” he said. “We shouldn’t drink and drive.” He turned back to the guy. “Ring it up any way you want, man.”
    They left the store a minute later, without the beer. In the car they handed Poppy her cigarettes. She accepted them with a soft thank-you. Free leaned over and checked the gas gauge as Teresa turned the key to start the car. “We should get gas,” Free said.
    “I have three-quarters of a tank,” Teresa said.
    “We might as well top it up while we’re here,” Free said, getting back out. “Pull up to the pumps. Stay in the car. I’ll take care of everything.”
    Teresa did as she was told. Free disappeared inside. Behind Teresa, Poppy lit another cigarette. Teresa adjusted her rear-view mirror so she could get a better look at the girl. Poppy didn’t have a problem with her nose being too big. She was beautiful with big grey eyes and creamy white skin. She was extremely pale, it was true, but her colouring made her look ethereal. With her mane of black hair and her black leather coat she was halfway to being a vampire at a masquerade ball. She, too, looked tired. As she leaned her head back against the seat, Teresa watched the orange light of her cigarette glow in the centre of her dark eyes.
    “Are you satisfied?” Poppy asked.
    “I don’t understand,” Teresa said.
    “You’re checking me out. I don’t mind. You’re the one who’s giving us the ride. Do you like what you see?”
    “You’re a pretty girl, Poppy.”
    “So are you, Teresa.”
    “No, I’m not. I’m just OK.”
    “Why do you say that?” Poppy asked.
    “Because it’s true.”
    “You don’t say it because you want me to disagree with you?”
    Teresa trembled. “No. Why do you say that?”
    Poppy was already losing interest. “Because I’m an amateur shrink. Does my smoking bother you?”
    “I told you, I don’t mind.”
    “I wish I could quit.”
    “Why don’t you?” Teresa asked.
    “It’s too late.”
    “Does your father live near Big Sur?”
    “Yeah,” Poppy said. “He lives in a big old