The Experiment: Part Four

Rich went into the Circle K and came out a few minutes later with two rolls of paper napkins.  The car stereo had been turned off.  Billy and Dave were gingerly picking the glass shards from the dashboard and seat of the Cherokee.  Rich tore the cellophane wrapper off the two rolls tossed them in the front seat.  Soon, he joined in the search for glass shards in the jeep. The three of them cleaned up the mess in silence.  When Rich came back from tossing the last of the broken beer bottle in the trash he found Billy and Dave waiting for him back inside the jeep.

“We gotta hit it, man.  We’re losing daylight.”

“Oh, you and Billy are bros again, just like that?”

“No, but we’re sorry,” said Billy squinting at Rich in the afternoon sun’s glare. “We forgot what we’re doing this for.”

Rich eyes narrowed and a toothy grin emerged.  He rapped his knuckles on the hood as he walked around to the driver’s side door of the jeep, opened it and jumped in.

“We even forgot where we were goin’, dude!”  Dave cackled as they pulled back out on to the Highway.  “We’re goin’ to have the last good, goddamn time of our lives.”  Dave and Billy both began to laugh loudly.  Billy reached over and turned the car stereo on.  The deafening thud and shudder of Blue Cheer rattled their skulls as they soldiered on through the traffic.  Rich shouted over the music that the Circle K clerk had told him the bicyclists’ triathlon course veered off the highway a few miles ahead. As they drove on, Dave and Billy made woozy pledges to not stir up any trouble between them.  Rich occasionally interjected but kept his attention focused on the road.  Rich liked to drive fast, much of time the faster than his ability or reflexes would safely allow.  He sang along with his beloved Blue Cheer and pummeled the suspension of his jeep as they flew through the hilly desert just north of Florence.