Chapter 1
October, 2015, Northern Maine.
They were zooming through a floating sea of fire, the breeze cool on their cheeks. The New England autumn was set ablaze in the sun, basked in a green-yellow-orange-red gradient.
Mai had been silent for more than while. Save for the occasional water sip or cigarette, she rarely opened her mouth for anything. Carlos would occasionally take his attention off the road to make small talk about the color of the leaves, the windy weather, how Mai had been holding up these last 3 weeks out of town, or how she should nap for a bit. His girlfriend would only watch the orange fields outside pensively. With dark bags and heavy lids, she did look like she needed sleep. In fact, both of them did. Ever since Mai called him up at 4 AM that morning with an urgent yet cryptic request, none of them have had any rest. That was 7 hours ago.
They have been on the road for so long that Carlos could almost feel bedsores growing on his buttocks. The sandwiches they had bought at Hartford hours ago had only done so much to stem the hunger, which was coming back with a vengeance. Mai’s sandwich only had a single bite on it and was growing clammy on the dashboard. If Carlos had asked for it, his girlfriend wouldn’t have minded, but he thought if anyone needed food more, it was her. Mai tried lighting another cigarette, but wind made the Bic lighter impotent.
“Give me your Zippo,” Mai made a wild fling, and the plastic cylinder flew out the car window and into the vast ocean of fallen leaves. Carlos reached in his shirt and produced a brass old thing. He silently prayed that his prized possession would not endure Mai’s wrath, unlike its unfortunate predecessor. Mai flicked, snapped, and puffed out a cloud of smoke within no more than two seconds, like it was the most natural thing for her to do. The lighter had been hers before it was his. It had a single and lonely “Saigon” inscription. She slid it back into the pocket of her own black denim jacket, brushed a thick jet curl from her eye, and returned to her contemplative state.
...
The GPS read ahead an exit. The robotic voice broke through the calm engine hum and leaves rustle. It startled Carlos a bit, for it had been way too long since he last had to take a turn. They were almost there. The destination was a small town deep in rural Maine, near one of the wildlife preserves. Why Mai wanted to be there was a mystery to Carlos. Why she wanted to be there in a hurry was perplexing him. Why she felt the need to keep him in the dark was the real enigma.
Thinking about these questions tired Carlos out, and his sleep deprivation was morphing into a particularly bad headache. His girlfriend did not let slip any clue that she was remotely tired. Knowing her well, Carlos realized that Mai was already “there” in her mind and standing in front of wherever they were supposed to head to. When they went on dates, the girl would be preoccupied with planning the next one as she was being dined and wined. It used to endear him, but now, he had cause for concern. Her mind was wandering for longer and further, especially after the funeral last week. Carlos recoiled at the thought of her mind wandering and, one day, never coming back. However, Mai’s occasional smoky drags put his mind at ease. She would still be here with him today, at least.
