Cathy and Mike

In a huge burst of sound and wind, a big rig blasted past them, breaking the spell. The man’s unnaturally white hair whipped around, ruffled by the truck’s passing. His eyes never wavered.

In the sudden hush that followed, the man continued, "I could use a ride there, if you’re headed that way."

Mike said, "Yeah, I’m going there. But, I can’t find the road."

The man stood up, stepping back in the process. His clothes were white too. Or perhaps too white would be the word. Mike almost laughed out loud at the random thought. The man pointed over a shoulder with his thumb.

"It’s right here."

Across from him, going off to the North, was a newly paved road. The road which led to Cathy!

Mike sighed in relief, "Hop in, mister."

The man climbed nimbly into the low slung car. He was tall. Mike offered his hand to the strange hitcher.

"Mike."

The hairs of his arm were strangely white too, but Mike noticed something else…

"I’m Jared."

They rode in silence for awhile, then Mike commented on what he had noticed.

"You don’t have much of a tan for a man hitching rides in the desert."

Jared looked complacently at his pristine, pink skin. Skin that had never seen a sunburn, or a mole. He returned his gaze to Mike.

"You don’t have a speck of dirt on your clothes either."

Jared waited.

"Who are you?"

Jared smiled. Mike could see the knowing smile out of the corner of his eyes.

"I’m just a guy who never minds his own business."

"Huh?"

"I can’t let sleeping dogs lie."

Mike looked at him, baffled.

"I’m saying I can’t leave well enough alone."

Mike frowned, "Hey, your not one of those commune people over in Apple Valley, are you?"

A terrible and powerful thought ran through the hitcher’s mind at his words. Mike didn’t know what it was, but he saw it clearly on his face.

"No."

Mike decided to change the subject. "You go to Mac’s a lot?"

That smile was back, "I’m just meeting a friend there."

Mac’s place was there. As they pulled in, Mike looked for Cathy, but there was a pickup with a long silver horse trailer parked along the front, and his view was obscured.

Mike parked across the lot under the sign. He could hear his tires crunch the gravel as the Mustang stopped.

"Well, here we are."

Jared opened the door, "Safe and sound. Thanks for the ride."

As the door to the diner swung shut, Caleb opened the door to the pickup and hopped down.

"All right, Kohei, the shortcut closes in thirty seconds. What now?"

Jared turned to the Mustang, "Now we clean up."

Caleb popped the trunk, and began rummaging through the odds and ends, "I still don’t comprehend why we’re doing this."

Jared winced at the plaintive tone, "Which of us is Sempai?"

Caleb sighed, "Sorry, Kohei."

Jared pulled the CD player from its bracket, and took another moment to carefully gather up loose contact wires, then he collected the CD’s themselves. He opened the glove box.

"If I pull this off, the committee promised me a green light for Rouen."

Caleb cursed from the back of the car, "Not the maid of Orleans, again!"

Jared was finished in the glove box. He closed it and got out. In his hands were several small papers he had found, and the sound system from the Ford.

Caleb griped, "That’s seven times you’ve tried it. Seven different points of attack. And it’s never broken loose. Not once."