Yes, he did say that, but I think we should wake up
and head out as soon as it’s dark.”
“What if we don’t find another place like this before
the sun comes up?” Alexi sighed.
“The stranger said there were more; let’s hope we
find them. If not, then we die. Now we’ll eat some of this bread and lay down,
it will be dark in a couple of hours.”
He broke off a quarter of the bread and allowed Alexi
two more sips of water. He watched her eat as he nibbled at his own bread and
thought about where he was supposed to be.
Like Alexi, he’d left Santa Barbara early that
morning, heading for San Francisco, where he planned to stay with Jennifer, a
beautiful, though not too bright woman, who he’d been dating casually for
nearly a year. He liked her well enough, but he loved the city, and she made a convenient
companion for him when he was in town, and she also offered him free lodging
when he came.
Jennifer and Alexi were the kind of girls he enjoyed
dating, but he had to admit that Alexi was smarter than Jennifer, but both dressed
sexy, were beautiful and hot tempered. What he liked most about Jennifer was
her declaration on their second date that she never wanted to get married. He had
absolutely no interest in settling down for another ten years—that would be
when he turned thirty-eight.
His mother and father had been divorced for fifteen
years. When he was ten, he’d heard them argue like never before, that was when
his father stormed out of the house and never returned. Fortunately, his
mother’s family had lots of money, and they had supported the two of them,
until recently when Brandon returned from his tour with the Navy.
“What are you thinking about Brandon?” Alexi said as
she rubbed her blistered hands onto the grass under her bush.
“I was just reminiscing about my life in
California.”
“Do you miss the Navy?”
“Not really, but I know I could never live far from
the ocean.”
“Do you live in Santa Barbara,” Alexi asked?
“Yes, my mother and I have a townhouse near the
water,” he replied as he removed his shoes and shuffled his feet on the grass. “My
mother’s family has money and a mansion in Montecito. We lived with them until
I left the Navy and could support us.”
“Did you like living with them?”
“ I don’t want to discuss my life right now, you’ve
asked enough questions. Suddenly, I’m very tired. I wonder if that stranger put
some sort of drug in the water. I can’t seem to keep my eyes open.”
“I’m exhausted. I think I’ll just lay back and
--------.” Alexi fell sound asleep before she finished her sentence, as did Brandon.
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