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Hi.

	I’m not going anywhere today. Thankfully, I don’t have time: I’m writing — this, in fact. It comfortably takes me somewhere else on its own. The clock is ticking. When it stops, cover your eyes, hit send & look out. 

At any rate, in my usual roundabout way, I’m glad you’re here. 

It’s a good excuse to sequester, though, for whatever reason — it’s cold & strangely quiet past my panes right now. This stillness makes me suspicious that maybe something has happened out there that I don’t know about; a general ache that’s hard to trace to a specific internal source, but deeply apparent by the expression felt radiating from the overall anima, seemingly writhing & bemoaning as if riding out a slow-mo amusement park ride. 

I don’t have live TV service, so who knows what breaking revelations could be going on all around me at any time, either unreported or moderately glossed with EZ graphics to the same effect. At this neutralized point, I can’t assume anything can’t happen. Animal nature is so uncontrollably open-ended, yet not, like poli-sci nonfiction or colorful party-favor finger traps for the mind. 

&, speaking of wildlife, I haven’t even seen or heard my neighbors fussing in the street for a while. Very unusual. Perhaps they’re in hibernation. Actually, that would imaginatively entertain the most sense . . . 

Anyway, I’m staying in. But, since I’ve already prepared somewhere to revisit, I’m inviting you to go in my place. I remember it well enough &, besides, if I went along, I’d just be emending run-ons, em-dashing semicolons, tensely dissecting suffixes, abbreviating, etc. — slowing you down with tangential distractions such as this . . . 

 See what you think . . . 

 . . . or I think . . . 

 . . . I think I’ve remembered . . .  

Whichever, I’m not sure when or where the following recollection happened, but it was someplace in the desert & some years ago, driving who-knows-where — possibly while wearing overalls, which I usually do for long drives. If you have a pair handy, maybe slip them on while reading this to get the full effect. Also, any beverages described ahead can be adjusted for a broad variety of personal bents or twists. It’s all about you. 

As a matter of fact, the below-read “you” will be you. See it as a getaway.

Ready? Off we go, here & there:

	When it's getting late & the next interstate mile marker seems far enough, a glowing desert bloom of lights in the flat darkness guides you to an exit ending beyond the windshield, right or left between eyes on a restaurant & a small motor lodge.

While checking in, four others enter the motel lobby speaking German: two men & one woman roaming past middle age with another woman about half-way there; a second-lifer, you guess of one of the older three as you register, then forget-about as you walk under the overpass towards the restaurant.

The place has two sections: one with a bar & tables or booths with a few customers — the other, vacant with an empty buffet.
 
You seat yourself at the bar, order a lime-rita-rocks & look around at the others, wondering why they've also pulled over, particularly here or not.