A Few Dangerous Miles

7 Months Earlier Cont.

7 Months Earlier cont.

Jackson and Ollie were somewhere along the east border of Southern California. It had been a few days since they left Olympia and they were close to their destination. The desert stretched for miles in every direction, and they were headed west.

"So can you explain more about what you're doing?" Ollie asked while taking in the scenery. She'd never been to California.

"Well, as you know I was going to college to be an engineer. I was supposed to pay for 3 more semesters of school, but I can't afford that. Lucky for me, I was offered a job at this major corporation who happened to hear about me."

"Have I heard of them?"

"Doubt it. They do a lot with airplanes and cruise ships. But not the commercial names you're thinking of."

"Oh. That's not as fun."

"I know. They said to come down as soon as I could. So I quit school."

"What's your job involve?"

"I'd explain it, but it's mostly math."

"Yuck."

"Yeah, I know."

Tall buildings and skyscrapers began to form in the distance. The highway was flat but surrounded by plateaus and hills. There was all kinds of desert flora Ollie had never seen before. Spiky bushes and shrubs, tumbleweeds and cacti. She loved it.

Jackson rolled both of their windows down. Ollie's hair was blowing all over and her ears were popping but she'd never been greeted by such warm and dry air. It smelled like sand and earth and something overpowering she couldn't quite put her finger on. It almost like an expensive cologne, as though the ether of this place was scented. Everything in California added to its ever present atmosphere.

The radio was up high, playing a tape she had brought along. She showed Jackson a lot of interesting music. And to his surprise, he loved most of it. Ollie was broadening his knowledge with her tapes. They consisted of everything from mostly 70s rock. The tape that was playing then was a familiar Led Zeppelin tune Jackson almost recognized. It was a nice break from what he was used to.

They approached the outskirts of the city. The buildings were tiny compared to the ones in the distance. It was a poor area. There was trash in the street, as well as stray dogs. The buildings all had iron bars on the windows. There was barbed wire and graffiti everywhere. The nice scent was gone, and in its place was smoke. Ollie rolled up her window and Jackson did the same.

They found a nice hidden coffee shop in the middle of this. The inside was warm and uncrowded. The decor was modern and inviting, it brought Ollie back into reality. They both ordered coffee. Ollie payed for her own, though Jackson had insisted otherwise. They sat at a table next to the window, letting in the potent sun.

"So where's the place you're taking me?" Ollie asked.

"It's about 45 minutes from here depending on traffic. I actually looked it up, and it seems like a great place. They have a lot to offer. Way better than Olympia."

"I can imagine so. It's fucking cold there."

"I don't mind it much." She rolled her eyes and he felt that he shouldn't have said that. So he added "But I didn't have to live in the cold."

She smiled. "I won't anymore." She took a sip of her coffee to find it was too hot. Jackson looked at her awkwardly.

"Can I ask you a personal question?" he asked.