In less than fifteen minutes two delivery drones were knocking at each window. and let's do, let's doooo d-d-d-d, Jack in the Box, tacos. "You're not, but I feel the judgment in my cholesterol-filled heart." He smirked. A cheeseburger from In-N-Out, animal style, I don't really like their fries, I know that's sacrilege." "Oh, man, what to pick? Me and my gourmet tastes! Okay, let's see, ummm, guess I could splurge with a double order. "Taco Bell, McDonald's, Panda Express, Chipotle, Baja Fresh-" One can forget about their individuality if they're out in the open for too long. Of course, it'd be nice to have more leg room, but there's a limit. He knew that people in other cities lived in apartments, the idea of that much free space gave him the chills. When you reside in a vehicle, there isn't much room for Tolstoy. Though somewhat spacious, Cort was a book hoarder. "Sure." He glanced around, realizing how unruly and unkempt his car-apt had become. "We're nearing fast food vendors if you would like to make an order." 20 miles apart, to a man in Cort’s position, the expanse was the equivalent between Earth and Proxima Centauri. She lived in Culver City while he was in the Valley. The problem, besides her family, was distance. In a good relationship both partners build each other up, they act as a team. Sheila wasn't just his only friend, but his best one. Cort yearned for meaning and was tired of being so damned alone. What if she says no? What if she didn't want to marry him? He wasn’t getting any younger, already pushing deeper into his thirties. He grunted, hugging his knees against his chest. He feared that he and his car might end up homeless. Truth be told, he could barely afford to rent a spot, let alone dream of owning. Their reasoning being that he wasn't pre-sold, didn't have a stable job, and didn't own any land or parking spots. Her parents believed Cort was an inherent loser. He felt nervous, given that her family despised him. Hopefully she'd say yes to the big question. He sprung for a spot so that they could actually get out of the car and sit in front of THE BIG SCREEN. The movie was an exciting, albeit predictable period piece, depicting cars having enough open space to actually race. Almost as shitty as the previous 47 installments. They went to an AMC to catch a flick, the latest Fast and Furious. He struck up a conversation and had somehow been able to charm her into a date. Her perfect smile, when cracked, matched the power of the San Andreas Fault. Her beautiful almond complexion, bestowed by Mexican heritage and generations of her family living along the sunbaked coast. He remembered it clearly: How she gracefully glided across the asphalt on her hover skates, wearing her crisp red-white uniform, paper hat tilted to the side, atop her wavy brunette hair. She was one of their high-end real waitresses that would deliver to the cars in their complimentary lot, with a maximum parking time of 15 whole minutes. They first met at an In-N-Out five years ago. Los Angeles was the capital of all three.īesides, this is where Sheila lived, the prettiest creature to ever grace his presence. But this is where it's happening! Fame, fortune, Grade-A avocado toast. That was before the Big One, the quake that converted LA into an inescapable parking lot.Ĭort knew that others didn't live like this in cities outside of California, but it was difficult to imagine life elsewhere. Back then, it didn't take three hours to make a left turn out of a CVS drive-thru. Back then, the metro still existed, and you could still find free street parking. "Fat chance," he muttered, remembering his days as a kid, when you could go from the Valley to West LA in under an hour. "Apologies, I will be sure to flag faster routes should they become available." "Three days, eighteen hours, twenty-two minutes." Air-conditioning vents dryly coughed the faint fragrance of plumeria, and sunscreen. "Let's go to the beach.” The car's windows transformed into blue rolling waters and palm trees from a live feed on Maui. "We got any new screen savers? I'm feeling claustrophobic." A menu of different holograms appeared: Forestry, pornography and Hawaiian tropicality. Somewhere there was a list of items written down on a crumpled sheet of paper, noting to go to the doctor, dentist and car wash - none where crossed off. Silently picturing a place in the past that was long gone – a place.ĭave, his car, was an old Toyota that was rechargeable, reliable, but also beat-up and in desperate need of a wash. Today was an unusually slow haul and Cort felt fatigued, having been cocooned in his vehicle for four days, silently yearning to go outside. It was bumper to bumper, without a horizon in sight. The metal tide crawled, each vehicle vying for inches beneath the burning pacific sun.
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