Caught Off Guard

Rick

We drove for another fifteen minutes or so before pulling into the parking lot of a fast food burger joint. The parking lot was empty except for a few cars that belonged to the staff and the one man inside the restaurant sipping a coffee and reading a book. We cruised through the drive thru, and I ordered our meals. Then I pulled into a parking space that faced the road, and we took off our seatbelts.

Harley opened the bag and started handing me my items, as well as a straw for my drink and a handful of napkins. Then she flattened the bag into a placemat and put it over my console to use as a little makeshift table. She squirted some ketchup on the corner, dipped a piping-hot onion ring into it, and took a massive bite.

She fanned her mouth as she chewed.

“Careful,” I said, wincing on her behalf. I held out her drink to her.

She snatched it out of my hands and drank greedily. “Places like this never have hot food. It’s almost unheard of. What’s the deal?”

“The stars are aligned,