Untitled Thus Far

Julia and I were on our way home to Phoenix after a short vacation in Nogales. We had spent most of the three days walking around the outdoor markets and tolerating each other. The hatch of my Volkswagen was full of all manner of objects which the vendors claimed were authentic Mexican products although I suspected that they were really authentic Mexican junk.

I made a good living working as a computer programmer at the observatory outside of town. My work wasn’t as prestigious as the scientist’s, but at least I didn’t have to worry about where my funding would come from next. Julia was a waitress and a part-time student at the university. We had met about a year before at the Denny’s where she worked. I had come in about four a.m. to relax and get some dinner after I got off from work. She waited on me and we talked about my work and her school. I ended up taking her home when her shift was up and we had been dating ever since.

The vacation was the first one either of us had had in a few years. Julia was working her way through college and had little money or time to spare on vacations. I had the time, but I was struggling to pay off my student loans. I always figured I could take a vacation later when I had my life in order. But the city was starting to close in on me, and Julia was feeling the same way. So we decided to take a quick road trip to Nogales just to get away from it for a few days.

Julia was sitting in the passenger seat with her feet propped up on the dash board. She was swaying her head in time to a song she was singing under her breath. I asked her to hand me a beer and she reached down in the floor and got one out of the pack. She handed to me without skipping a beat in her song.

“What are you singing?” I asked tossing the bottle cap out the window.

“You shouldn’t be drinking and driving,” she said as she continued to bop along to the music in her head.

“I haven’t heard that one,” I said trying to make a joke. She let out a little laugh and poked me in the ribs causing a little beer to spill down onto my pants.

“Did you pee your pants?” she asked still smiling at me.

I just nodded and took another drink. Up ahead on the right was a large orchard of orange trees. I didn’t remember passing it on the way down. It looked like an oasis you might see in a painting, lush and green. I wondered why someone would put an orange grove out in the middle on the desert. It must cost a fortune to keep it watered. I thought about pulling across the median and stopping to pick some fruit, but I figured I better not since I was drinking. It wasn’t worst the risk of getting caught.

“Hey, let’s stop and pick some oranges,” said Julia sitting up in her seat and pointing.

“Better not,” I said.

“Why not?”

“They might have pesticide or some other chemicals all over them,” I said in the concerned voice I saved for occasions such as this when Julia started to get adventurous. “Besides, a cop might come along and catch us and I have been drinking.”

“Oh Tyler, you worry too much,” she said looking at the trees whizzing by. “Nothing’s going to happen. Pull over right here. You won’t even have to get out of the car.”

I finally decided to let her have her way. I slowed down and pulled off on the shoulder. Julia hopped out of the car and ran down the bank to the orchard. She started jumping up and down, grabbing oranges. I checked my mirrors to make sure no one was coming up behind us then lit a cigarette. Julia had wandered farther into the trees and I couldn’t see her. I looked in my mirror again, a truck was coming up over the horizon. What the hell was taking her so long? I honked the horn a few times, but Julia still didn’t come out from her hiding place. She was probably laughing her ass off at me.

The truck grew ever closer and I could tell it was slowing down. Finally it coasted past and pulled to a stop in front of me. The truck was white and fairly new. An old man stepped out and walked slowly towards me.

“Having car trouble?” he asked as he adjusted his cap.

“No sir, my girlfriend needed to go to the bathroom. She wanted some privacy.”

“Oh… Well, I stopped because I thought you might have had car trouble. Overheated or something,” he placed his hand in the bib of his overalls.

“No sir, nothing like that. But I appreciate you stopping.” I really didn’t, but I wasn’t going to tell that to this old man.

“No problem,” he said grinning. “Y’all enjoy them oranges.” He gave me a quick wink.

“Busted,” I said.

“I won’t tell if you won’t, “ said the old man with a grin still on his face.

“You don’t have to worry about that,” I said. We both let out a little chuckle.

The old man looked around at the sky. “Warm day out today isn’t it son?”

“Yes, sir. It sure is.” I was beginning to wonder what had happened to Julia. Maybe she had decided to go to the bathroom.

“You look like you got something on your mind there son,” the old man said looking down at me.

“I was just wondering where my girlfriend had got off too. She’s been down there a couple of minutes.”

The old man leaned back and looked down into the orchard. “I’ll go help you take a look if you’d like.”

“Oh, that’s not necessary,” I said getting out of the car.

“No problem at all,” said the old man. “I don’t mind.”

So the old man and I went down the bank and into the orange grove. Despite the sun, it was quite dark in the thick wad of trees. I looked around, but I really couldn’t see very far. I yelled out her name a couple of times, but heard nothing. The old man split off and went in another direction calling out occasionally. I wandered in for some distance calling out the whole time. I was beginning to get really worried when I saw a small movement about thirty yards away. It was Julia crouching beside a tree. I called out her name and she looked at me. She looked scared out of her mind. She ran towards me and I started towards her. When she reached me she threw herself on me and hugged me tight.

“What’s wrong?” I asked as she began to cry.

“Coyotes. I saw two coyotes,” she sobbed over my shoulder.

“Is that all?” I said. “They were probably more scared of you than you were of them. They’re probably long gone by now.” I gave a little laugh.

She looked at me. Her face was red and stained with tears. “You don’t even care if I get eaten by coyotes. You don’t care about me at all!” She turned and started walking back toward the car.

“Of course I do,” I said. I followed her back to the car. She got in and slammed her door. The old man was waiting by his truck.

“I see you found her,” he said as he squinted at me.

“Yes sir. Thank you sir. Thanks for the help,” I said as I shook his hand.

“No problem son. Just trying to help out.” The old man looked over at Julia. “She looks a bit upset.”

“She just had a little scare,” I said.

“She loves you, ya know?” said the old man.

“I know,” I said looking at her in the car. She was staring out the side window at the orange trees. “I love her too.”

“Do you?” said the old man. He turned and got back in his truck. He drove off down the road with me staring after him.

I turned around and looked at Julia. She was looking at me now and smiling. I did love her.

Didn’t I?