The lights of the interchange faded into the dark valley, shrinking behind the silver sports car. Leanna looked in her rear view mirror, calming herself as they drove in isolation down the desert highway. Rosa shivered next to her, and pressed her legs against each other while she zipped up her hoodie. “Theo, honey, can you throw me that blanket?”

The boy in the back seat passed the folded brown blanket forward to his mother, and settled back into his seat. He peered at the map Leanna had given him with one hand, and stroked with his other hand the fur of his dog Arfie, who had rested his silvery white head on the boy’s lap.

Rosa unfolded the blanket and spread it out over herself, pulling the hem up to her chin. “Lee, do you mind if I sleep a bit? I’m really tired.”

“Go for it, I’m still fine to drive,” Leanna said, glancing again into the rearview mirror, and looking forward again at the lights ahead of them in the distance. The occupants of the car drove in silence, slipping under the stars and bright full moon. Leanna looked down at the dash and was surprised to see now how close the needle on the fuel gauge was approaching the “E”. “It’s going to be close,” she said to herself.

Leanna relaxed a bit as the lights of the town ahead of them got brighter, and they passed the sign announcing their arrival to “Morongo Valley”. Squinting through the windshield ahead of them, she could see the bright orange sign of a gas on the side of the road. She exhaled in relief as she saw that it appeared to be open for business, but then clucked her tongue in dismay when she saw the flag of a large white 5-point star on blue and red horizontal stripes hanging in the window. “Dammit, a PABbie. It’s not like we’ve got much choice, though…”

Rosa stirred next to her in the light of the gas station, and Leanna pulled up to the dusty gas pumps standing out front. “Everyone stay in the car,” she said and stepped out as an old man in overalls came out from the attached store to meet her. She went around to the back to open the hatch and pull out an empty jerry can and called out to the old man unhooking the pump, “Fill ‘er up and this can, too!”

“Would it hurt you to say ‘please’, girlie? Before I do nothing, I wanna see that you’ve got cash for this gas,” the old man barked at her. Leanna put down the jerry can next to him hard and pulled out a $20 bill to show the geezer, who was looking at her up and down in the dim light. “You’re awful colourful, missie. Where’s a young girl like you going at this hour?” He looked over into the car, seeing the sleeping figure of Rosa under the brown blanket.

“I came here for gas, not to chat… sir,” Leanna said impatiently, opening the driver side door to get back in the car. The old man stepped around her to unscrew the gas cap and put the nozzle in. Leanna sat back in the car, and watched the old man closely from the side mirror. “Don’t forget the jerry can when the car is full… please.”

The old man finished filling the car and started filling the can with gas from the nozzle. He saw the boy in the back seat, looking back at him. “Well now, not only have we got a couple of young ladies out and about late at night, but here’s a young boy, up way past his bedtime. Where’s his mother and father, hmm? Shameful…” Leanna got out of the car again, and sealed the jerry can, brushing past the old man to put the can in the back of the car. “A couple of suitcases, heh? You two aren’t on the run, or something? Kinda strange, yessiree.”

Leanna closed the hatch to the car and quickly got back into he driver’s seat, closing the door. She offered the $20 bill to him and said, “Here’s your money. And it’s none of your business, but we’re on vacation, doing some sightseeing.”

The old man suddenly grabbed her outstretched arm and hissed, “You’re not going anywhere, chickie! I’m calling you in first-” Before he could finish what he was going to say, the white Husky leaped up from the back seat with a growl and lunged between the seat head rest to bite the old man on the wrist. The old man yelped in pain and fell backwards hitting his head against the gas pump. Arfie continued growling and barking, baring his teeth from between the headrest and the door.

“Here’s your money, you old coot! Keep the change, you dumb PABbie!” Leanna shouted at him and started the engine, hitting the accelerator and screeching the tires, lurching the car forward onto the highway. Rosa woke up in the commotion, and Arfie jumped backwards to stand guard over Theo.

“What’s going on, Lee?” Rosa shouted as they roared down the highway, away from the gas station. Leanna looked in the rearview mirror, and could see the old man get up from the gas pump and stumble into his store.

“Take it easy, Rosa, and fasten your seatbelt, Theo. The rest of the trip is going to be a fast and bumpy one!

*** This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. ***