World of If

Wanted

By the time Danny got  to Bloomington he was starving. His meager breakfast seemed hours ago and his stomach grumbled loudly.

As soon as he had booked his ticket for Chicago he beat it over to the closest McDonald's and ordered a quarter pounder; it would have to do for now. As he stood in line he mindlessly listen to the chatter around him. Somewhere behind him he heard a woman talking to her friend.

"I don't know about this new law to cut down on abortions penalizing guys. Did you hear about the guy from Indiana that got his girlfriend pregnant? Authorities still can't find him."

Danny hunched his shoulders and pulled up his collar wishing he had a hat, making a mental note to buy one as soon as he could then he paid for his order and got out of there. He would've loved to sit down and eat but he realized that probably wasn't a good idea given what he had just overheard. Taking his burger, he headed back in the direction of the bus depot surreptitiously looking for a place he could buy a cheap hat.

As luck would have it he just happened to find a discarded hat under the seat at the bus terminal, probably something some guy had forgotten while waiting for the bus. It looked old and faded and had some logo on it he didn't recognize; probably a trucking company he thought. It would have to do he would do some shopping later when he got to Chicago. Picking up his phone he made a quick list of the supplies he would need once he got into town again. From now on he would have to be more careful.

Once he made a contingency plan Danny settled down to eat his burger he would have just enough time to eat before he caught the bus again. Glancing at his ticket in his opposite pocket his bus didn't come until later that afternoon. Maybe he could get away doing some quick shopping before then.

After that the story about "the man from Indiana" seemed to follow him. Danny found himself getting edgy and jumped when he ever he heard sirens in the distance. In the meantime he tried to laugh it off when passengers gave him strange looks.

He didn't know if he was more anxious or relieved when he got on the bus headed towards Chicago. The only difference was he had the hat, but it had to work for a little bit he reasoned, after all a simple pair of glasses had worked for Clark Kent.

Danny wanted to check with his friends and family, or maybe Beth if he could, but the voice of reason told him that was too risky particularly if the authorities were on to him. He was still trying to use his phone this was possible and he was carrying cash instead of using credit cards. He now knew how wanted criminals felt.

Danny knew he had to do something particularly once he was in Chicago in the larger city it was going to be harder to hide.

When Danny reached Chicago, with forty minutes before he reached the next bus depot he came to this realization:

He needed a shower.

He added this to his to do list before he headed towards Michigan, he also began looking for a gym where he could shower for free. He also needed to go shopping. He had plenty to do before catching the bus in the late afternoon.

Well I didn't come up here to sightsee. He thought wryly.

Finally the bus arrived at the depot he let the people trickle off the bus before heading out to look for the nearest gym that had locker rooms. At least he had a few more pairs of clean clothes. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to go to the laundromat either.

Danny put himself on a schedule he punched in the address for the nearest gym after checking things out on Google and after making the necessary small talk he headed for the locker rooms. Fortunately, the men's room was mostly empty and he beat it to the showers hoping he could get out before anyone came back.

The shower felt wonderful! He couldn't remember the last time he had taken a hot shower and he was able to put on clean clothes and once again feel more human after several days on the bus. Following his brief trip to the gym he located the nearest laundromat which required a short bus trip and threw in a load of laundry, fortunately most people weren't interested in talking at the laundromat and he could come and go as he pleased. At least after spending so much money he had plenty of change which came in handy, today he had enough money for lunch and enough time to sit down and eat.

After he thought he looked presentable Danny located the nearest Walmart (another bus ride away) and started on his last errand. He bought everything he could think of for a suitable disguise including another hat and the cheapest hair dye he could find. He had also decided he was going to get a haircut; shortening his hair may work in his favor, at least in the short term. Before he left the Walmart, he headed for the in-store salon and told the stylist he wanted it short and something different. By the time she was finished Danny looked at himself in the mirror, he was barely recognizable, but that was a good thing.

Following his trip to Walmart he ducked into a gas station bathroom enough out of the way he could dye his hair and get out of there he still had plenty of time to grab something to eat before he had to be back at the bus station.

The dye job was hit or miss. The color was supposed to be a shade of blond but he wasn't sure how good that was going to turn out. The way things were looking his hair was probably going to turn orange, but at this point he didn't care, he didn't have time to.