Deadly Compromises by Edward Drobinski - HTML preview
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Chapter 22
It was a warmer, clear winter morning the next meeting date of January 15th, about 40 degrees at 9:00AM. When Kelly entered the appointed area, Bobby was already waiting. Smiling, they walked slowly to each other and embraced. She gently pulled away.
She said; “Bobby, we’ve got to do something right now.”
He started to slide a hand under her jacket and said;
“Great day. I was hoping you’d say something like that.”
She moved away and seriously said; “No, not that. I had a little problem and found out a few things. I got an unexpected visit from one of the local cops, Steve. Someone saw us together the last time you were here. They got a vague description of you and your car. So I think the least we should do is get your car out of here.”
Bobby nerves were in full display as he quickly rattled off; “Good thinking. We’ll talk more later. Where should we put my car? Not at your house.”
“No, of course not. The neighboring town has a huge discount retail store. There are always many cars parked in their lot. Yours shouldn’t attract special attention in a few hours.”
“Maybe I should leave entirely, right now.”
“Oh, baby boy. You probably should, but it’s such a nice day. I was hoping......You know.”
He didn’t need much convincing. Each re-entered their car and he followed her to the lot and parked next to her. He got out. There were about 200 cars around them.
She motioned and said; “Come on. Get in here.”
He got in the front passenger seat of her car and said;
“I’m your prisoner. Where are you taking me?”
“I don't know. I’ll think about that a bit. Let’s just drive for a while, away from Castillo.”
“Tell me what happened with the cop.”
“Not much more than I already told you. I think he was trying to bluff me into saying something stupid. I didn’t and was proud to have handled it un-contentiously. He may even feel guilty and like me better now.”
“You’re the greatest, Kelly.” He put his left hand high up on her right leg and softly massaged.
“That’s my driving foot. Can’t you wait a while?”
They smiled at each other and he put his hand back in his lap.
Kelly spoke jokingly; “We can never get married. I haven’t told you that my middle name is Katherine. So, I’d be Kelly Katherine Kowalski. KKK. Some idiots will probably think that there’s something intentional at work and I don’t want to deal with it.”
“Were you ever a member?”
“Get out of here. I should smack you.”
Silence persisted for a few minutes while she continued to drive.
He said; “Where are you taking me?”
“Some hotel probably.”
“Great. We’ll turn the heat all the way up and get all our clothes off for a change.”
“I’m not sure I’ll feel all that comfortable in some strange hotel.”
“Someone once told me that the problem with life is that you have to do everything before you’re prepared. If you wait until you are fully prepared, the time has passed.”
“I’ll have to ponder that one someday.”
“With your clothes off.”
She drove another quiet quarter hour.
She said; “You know I’m not 21 anymore.”
“Neither am I. So what?”
“It’s tougher on women. All the near naked bodies you see on television are under thirty.”
“I’ve watched a lot of European films. Over there it’s not unusual to have a leading lady aged fifty to seventy.”
“Seventy?”
“Yeah, Giulieta Massina, in a Fellini film called “Ginger and Fred. ” Besides, it’s not your body I love, I love you.”
“You don’t love my body?”
“Are you trying to be difficult at the last minute?”
“No.”
“I do love what I’ve seen of your body. What I’m trying to say is that it wouldn’t matter to me if you weighed 250 pounds and had surgical scars all over. Don’t you get it? I love you, your spirit, the totality of you.”
“You’re so weird. I love you, too.”
They noticed a store named “Theatrical Accoutrements”
seemingly alone in the middle of nowhere, as suddenly clouds rolled in and a downpour began to soak the treeless, flat, sandy terrain. Kelly lost clear sight of the road and pulled into the paved, well maintained lot, parking far from the store.
She said; “To be safe, I’m going to sit here until it blows over.”
“I don’t want to sit here forever.”
“Being from the East Coast you probably don't know that the weather out here can dramatically change quickly.”
“What’s quickly?”
“I’ve often seen storms like this one end in five minutes and then the sun comes back out to stay out.”
“Well, just in case this one doesn’t, let’s go inside and see what kind of accoutrements they’ve got.”
“We’re about two hundred feet from the door and I really can’t see at all.”
“I can still see some. Either let me drive up to the entrance, or let’s get soaked.”
They looked right at each other and slyly laughed. She screamed; “Let’s get soaked.”
They exited the car, slamming the doors behind them and started running. Bobby reached for her hand successfully and they blurted out indecipherable happy sounds as they ran. The rain was coming so hard they got totally saturated, though neither cared. They were pleasantly surprised that the water seemed warmer than the air of the day.
The shop sign was red neon hung across the largest front window of the one story older adobe structure. No doubt it was a private residence at one time, its flat roof a vantage point for many children and adults. The climbed up the two steps leading to a wooden porch, which contained a few chairs, a bench, some potted plants and a small table hosting a well-used ashtray. Still exhilarated, but dripping wet the two paused for
a second. Kelly said; “We really shouldn’t go in. We’re liable to make a mess of the place.”
Bobby made a short laugh at her and said; “I agree, liable being the key word.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Liable, like in liability, stupid.” He gave her a gentle slap in the head with his free hand.
She just looked at him disgustedly for a second. “I just figured out your poor attempt at humor. Liable, liability, legal liability. Ha, ha. You deserve two smacks in the head if you think that’s funny.” With that she used her free hand to smack his head, not as gently as he had done hers.
He said; “Hey, that hurt.”
“So did that joke.”
They both let go of the others hand and faced each other with stern looks on their faces, though in his case it was faked. He started to laugh first and she joined a few seconds later.
Bobby said; “We’re going to have to make a rule here. How about ‘No head shots’?”
“How about, no shots at all?”
“I’m close to that, but how about one of Grace Slick’s best rules, “Do not put your hands on another person, unless you intend love.”
“I don’t remember that line and I know many of the Airplane’s songs.”
“Oh, it wasn’t from a song. They were on stage, when some fights broke out in the audience. It may have been Altamont.
She just went to the mike and said that.”
“I like it.”
The front door opened and a tall, graying gentleman approximately their age came out. He had a friendly distinguished air when he said; “Don’t stay out here in the cold. Please come in. Are you theatre people?”
Bobby: emphatically; “Noooo.”
Kelly: “Only amateur.”
Bobby: “We really shouldn’t go in. As you can see we’re soaked. I’m clumsy, especially now and I’d probably ruin something precious inside.”
Distinguished gentleman (D.G.): “There’s nothing in here that wouldn’t be improved with a little water. So don’t argue with me anymore and come in.”
The two followed the gracious man through the light purple door, into the shop. The door stuck in their minds as a contrast to the light brown stucco finish and the white of the window trims. Their attention was immediately drawn to the masks and numbers hanging on the wall.
D.G.: “Do you like the masks?”
Bobby: “Some yes, some no.”
Kelly: “Same.”
D.G.: “Want to buy some?”
Bobby just looked at Kelly who said; “Maybe.”
D.G.: “I’ll go in the back and let you look around at your leisure. Just let me point out one of my favorite items.” He led them to the middle of the store and stopped in front of a dress, which was pink, frilly and laced. “This was once worn by Judy Garland in one of her musicals.”
Kelly: “I’m not into dresses.”
Bobby: “I’m not either.” He paused a few seconds. “Now, if you have a tight pair of blue jeans worn by Marilyn Monroe anywhere, I’d like to see that.”
D.G.: “Wouldn’t we all.” With that, he turned and went into a back room. When he was out of sight Kelly gave Bobby an open handed slap on the shoulder.
Bobby smiled, though he used one hand to protect his head;
“Hey, don’t put your hands on another person unless you intend love and all that.”
Kelly calmly responded; “I did.” Bobby closed one eye and gave her a smiling, but also questioning look. They perused the store, concentrating on the walls, for a few silent minutes, during which time they circled the entirety of the place.
Kelly asked; “Can you find at least five masks you like?”
Bobby said; “Sure, easily.”
“Good, me too. Let’s get that guy back out here.”
They walked to the open door leading to the back room and she knocked on it twice. The presumed proprietor popped up from the chair he was occupying behind a light, flimsy looking desk.
It probably was made of pecan, stained a light brown. He said;
“Have you two decided?”
Kelly: “Yes, we have.”
Kelly directed the gentleman to the five masks she had chosen, he finding the appropriate duplicates in pink boxes on shelves, below their aerial model. Bobby went through the same process; however his five boxes were blue.
Kelly: “Do the numbers cost much?”
D.G.: “No, $2 apiece.”
Kelly to Bobby: “Do you have any favorite numbers?”
Bobby: “Yes, one, but not in the styles, colors or materials I see here.”
Kelly: “I don’t have a favorite, but I like them.”
Kelly to D.G.: “Why don’t you pick out thirty different ones for us?”
D.G.: “Is there any color preference?”
Kelly: “No.”
Bobby: “No.”
The distinguished gentleman went about his business and tried to accomplish his task. The numbers on the wall were not as easy to line up with their lower counterparts as were the
masks, simply because they were smaller, which resulted in one unintentional duplication. He rounded everything up and put the thirty boxes in a brown paper bag and carried it to the cash register, followed by the two.
D.G.: “That will be $110, please.”
Both reached into their pockets for wallets, intending to use their credit cards.”
Kelly to Bobby: “Got cash?”
Bobby to Kelly: “Yeah, sure.”
Kelly to Bobby: “Let’s pay $55 each.”
Bobby to Kelly: “Fine.”
They each managed to find the exact right amount and handed it to the check-out man. He thanked them and they walked back outside, taking note of the other items on the shelves that they had missed the first time through, imagining the ones they had never seen at all.
When they walked back outside, they were glad to see that the torrential rain had completely stopped and a bright golden sun tinged with red was rewarming the desert. Though they didn’t expect it this quickly, at a distance it looked as if
small green plants were starting to protrude from the sandy soil. They put the bag in the back seat, got to their usual positions and she drove out of the parking lot back to the road.
On the ride they didn’t see any houses and their attention, if any, was given to the orchards of green cactus, which were, at their largest, eight feet tall and five feet wide. “Cholla,”
she said. “They’re best to stay away from. The needles are sharp, large and painful. I heard of a guy who fell into one and it took months for him to get all the needles out.”
Bobby winced and asked; “How did he get that stupid?”
Kelly responded; “I’m really not sure. This is a third or fourth hand story. But, I’m told he was just clumsy and maybe a bit drunk and managed to fall face first into one.” She laughed.
Bobby winced more than the first time and asked; “Did he get the needles in his face, too?”
Kelly was still laughing; “Yeah.” It was quiet for thirty seconds and then she added; “When we get a warm season, drenching rain cholla does produce the prettiest pink, red, huge flowers reminiscent of roses. Plant retailers do not carry them because of the danger and possible lawsuits and poachers will
poach any other cactus first. Hardly anyone has them at their house.”
Bobby noted an apparent analogy and said; “I can’t remember. Do you have any at your house?”
Kelly grinned viciously and said; “Yes, quite a few. It’s the only kind of cactus I really like.”
“Where did you get them, since the retailers don’t carry any?”
“They were already there when I moved in the house and I’ve never removed them. In fact some new ones have grown from seeds of the old, carried by the wind.”
In a few minutes they entered some small town and were on a tranquil main street with a variety of retail stores, foundations for the apartments above them. Most buildings were two stories, made with brick of varying ages, exhibiting colors in the spectrum between almost brown and rather bright red.
They drove through the entirety of the sleepy little place.
At the edge of town Kelly sighted a member of one of the national hotel chains and instinctively pulled into its lot.
The plastic, aluminum and painted wood three story structure stood in defiance to the main street. Its mass produced
modernistic appearance was only countered by its seeming lack of innovation, no doubt dictated by cost.
She parked in front of the office and went in, leaving Bobby in the car.
“Good day,” the overeager office attendant chirped. She was an attractive and extremely neat blond woman of about thirty. She wore a uniform dress of orange and brown buttoned to the neck. No books were anywhere in her proximity. Her plastic name tag said Linda Harker.
“Good day,” retorted Kelly.
“It’s sure been a fine day today, hasn’t it?” the blond cheerfully said.
Kelly didn’t feel like giving her an evaluation of the day’s prior high and low points, so simply said; “Certainly has.
I hope you’re doing fine yourself.”
“Just great, thank you. You’re in luck today. There’s a special on our two bedroom suites; $60 per night for two bedrooms versus $50 per night for one.”
“We’ll only require one. But we’d like it to be on the top floor.”
“No problem,” replied Linda, moving a few feet to a computer and putting her hands to the keyboard. “Name please.”
“Kelly........,” she hesitated, realizing that she might use any of three last names; Patrick, Simburg, or even Kowalski.
She tried to anticipate if a wrong choice could lead to a problem. She decided that she really didn’t have that much choice and chose the name emblazoned on her credit card.
“Simburg.”
“Forget for a while,” Linda smiled.
“Yes, you know sometimes you never can quite forget your maiden name.” They both smiled wistfully.
Linda continued; “Address?”
“239 White Horse Lane, Castillo, New Mexico.”
“Oh, not that far from here.”
“Depends on which road you take.”
“Home phone?”
“505/890-3215.”
“Room for two?” looking toward Bobby sitting in the light blue Mercedes parked in front of the office.”
“Yes.”
“Your husband’s name is.....?”
Kelly again had to quickly evaluate her possible replies.
Bobby Kowalski was not a wise answer. Alan Simburg was better, but still had its faults. She decided to go with Bobby, hoping Linda would assume Simburg. “Bobby.”
“Did you remember his maiden name too?”
Kelly just laughed, as did Linda. Linda continued typing something into the computer for ten seconds.
“Card, please,” said Linda.
Kelly reached into her blue jeans, pulled out a wallet and retrieved the card and offered it to Linda. It was apparently in satisfactory condition, so Linda ran it through a machine which produced a paper requiring Kelly’s signature.
Linda said; “One day, I presumed.”
Kelly simply said; “One day,” not bothering to inform Linda that, in some senses, there is really only one day.
Linda turned around to retrieve some keys from a light brown peg board behind her. “Number eight should do nicely for you.”
Kelly took the keys, said “Thanks,” and as she turned to leave Linda said; “Have a good time.” Kelly turned her head back toward Linda to see her smiling at her knowingly. Kelly smiled and nodded at her, continuing out the door and to the car. When she got back in the driver’s seat she said to Bobby;
“Probably no one is going to ask, but if they do ask you, say your name is Bobby Simburg. It’s harder to explain than it’s worth. Just trust me on this one.”
Bobby’s eyes smiled at hers and he said; “Fine, I’ll try to remember that.”
Kelly said; “We’re in number eight. It’s on the top floor.
Can you see it?”
His gaze took a panorama of the facility. In a few seconds he noticed a pattern to the ersatz modern structure and he directed her to the appropriate parking space near an unstained wooden stairway. He got out of the car first and picked up the package from the back seat. She exited a few seconds after him, noting that they were near the center of the three buildings, their wing built in a straight line, parallel to the road, the second of similar size perpendicular to the first and the third again, perpendicular to the second, also of similar size.
Escape, if necessary, was easiest through the fourth unimproved
side, which was contiguous to the road and directly in front of their temporary domicile.
He led her up the stairs of necessity, as the size of the staircase itself, precluded easy movement of side by side passengers. They joined hands at the third floor landing. He leaned his shoulder against the green painted heavy metal door and opened it. She brushed by him and led him down fifty feet of brown carpeted hallway to number eight, seemingly in the center of it. A thought of being left holding the bag crossed his mind, but he dismissed it as silly and perhaps funny. The red stained wooden door numbered eight stood out from the others in its intensity. She inserted the key and turned it to no avail. She checked to see if there was anything on the small chain containing the number eight and sure enough, there was.
Kelly said; “I wonder if they screwed up which keys belong to which room?” She turned away from the door and took a step back in the direction from which they came and added; “I’m going back to the office and get Linda to straighten this out.”
Bobby put his free left hand gently on her shoulder, stopping her and said; “First, let me try.” He offered the same hand and she put the keychain in it. He inserted one of the three keys and turned it. The door did not immediately open,
but when he lowered his shoulder to it, adding some force, it sprang open. He said; “You must have picked the wrong one.”
She entered and first flipped on the light switch near the door and then closed the blinds covering the picture window which ran the length of the front, excepting the door. In the artificial light the room took on a grey tone though that was not the natural colors there. The walls were painted a light green. The bedspread was embroidered in a rainbow of colors covering an eggshell white background. The bed itself occupied the center back of the room, against the wall and was seat to two plushy pillows embroidered in a similar fashion to the bedspread, a swirling pattern. At one side of the bed was a small functional cream colored table with a typical nondescript black lamp. The only other furniture in the room was a knockoff early American chest of drawers, painted a cream color and a severe looking chair next to it of undetermined origin, upholstered lightly in red over a medium brown frame. A telephone, notepad and two pens sat on the chest, which was below the unattached mirror, enclosed in a grey metal frame and ran the length of the chest. The ceiling was painted white in a spiral pattern and contained a screen, presumably a television; however there was no evidence of any device that might operate it.
Bobby closed the door behind him, put the bag down on the burnt sienna medium shagged carpet, turned the two latches on it and secured the chain. He said; “Where should I put this stuff?”
Kelly pondered a few seconds and then responded; “I’ll take the pink boxes into the bathroom with me. Put the blue boxes on the bed. Open the thirty boxes and spread the numbers, as randomly as possible, all over the floor.”
“Before you occupy the bathroom, can I use it first? I’ve been holding it awhile and I’ll be quick.”
She laughed; “Sure.”
He quickly walked to the bathroom, opened the white paneled door and turned on the light. It was extremely ordinary with the sink, tub and bowl a light blue. The tiling on the walls and floor were more complicated with mixed shades of blue and white. The ceiling had the same spiraling white appearance as the main room. He did his business as quickly as possible, flushed the toilet, remembered to put the seat back down and exited to find Kelly standing there holding her five pink boxes.
“Naked, right?” she questioned, possibly with a degree of trepidation.
“That’s the best way, baby girl.” He responded with a sly look in his eyes and a slightly tilted head.
She started to head to the bathroom, then turned to him and said; “You know I haven’t showered today?”
“That’s quite fine with me. I hope you didn’t shower yesterday either. I took one last night.”
She said; “Fine and dandy with me.”
He answered; “I knew we both had good taste, just like candy.”
She smiled, nodded and carried her boxes into the already lit bathroom, closing the door behind her. She also had need of the bowl, did what was necessary and flushed. She started to disrobe standing in front of the mirror over the sink. As each item was removed she couldn’t help but perform a personal evaluation. She didn’t feel comfortable with this and didn’t feel comfortable with that. She wished she were 20 rather than 40. After a few minutes she decided that she didn’t want to balk now, despite her unconquerable nerves. She shut off the artificial light, but could still see her perceived defects, as the drawn blinds in the small window still let in some natural light. She again looked in the mirror, at times putting one foot up on the sink to get a better view of her bottom half.
She tried flipping the blinds around, but it didn’t help any.
She didn’t want to take forever and got an idea. She opened the boxes containing her masks, put one on, picked up the other four, took one last look at herself, opened the door and went out.
Bobby was sitting on the carpet, naked, with his legs tucked under, in a yoga position, though leaning back on his hands for balance. Of course the second part of Kelly that he saw surprised him. The mask looked to him like a severe 50 year old Oriental woman, pale yellow skin, slits for cruel eyes, bizarre eyebrows, black hair tied up with elastic bands going in all directions, a small nose and a smiling mouth, either evocative of a spider or a hawk. He wasn’t sure if the smile was with him or at him. He nervously tried to joke and said;
“Kelly, when did you become Madame Wan?”
Kelly said; “I’m trying to keep you from focusing on the body I was just looking at.”
“Kelly, your body is perfection to me. Take off that stupid mask.”
She took a second approach saying; “Don’t you believe in foreplay?”
“I thought that’s what we were doing all day.”
“Well, I want more. Go put on a mask.”
Bobby got up and went to the bed, where he had left his boxes. While he had his back to her, Kelly took a hard look at his naked body and started to evaluate it just as she had done her own. There were quite a few deficiencies, but she decided that she would voice her observations the same time she decided to be a bitchy hairdresser, or in today’s proper parlance, a makeup artist. Bobby looked at his five choices and decided to go with the one of an angelic little boy with a sad countenance.
He put it on, picked up the other four, walked over to Kelly and took his former position on the floor. She adopted a similar position facing him. After ten seconds they both started laughing.
Kelly said; “That was fun. Follow me again.” She removed the Oriental mask and put on one of Marilyn Monroe. Bobby happened to have one of Clark Gable and used it to replace the other. However, this time when they faced each other, no one laughed. They tilted their heads in many directions trying to get all perspectives on the other. After a minute of this, he said “As in ‘The Misfits.’” She nodded yes.
Bobby continued, “Let me go first this time.” He picked a happy white clown face, with gigantic smiling red lips and a
protruding tongue. She responded with a bored looking fat, ebony black lady, eyes discerning with a wide open mouth. They both immediately laughed out loud at this particular pairing, but continued to stare at each other in the masks for a minute.
He put on his Popeye mask and she quickly responded with Olive Oyl. This was more perplexing to her, but eventually she laughed with him.
Kelly said; “It doesn’t matter who goes first this time.
We each have only one left.”
Bobby replied; “That’s what you think.” She didn’t say anything, but didn’t understand the comment, not knowing that he didn’t either.
They both donned the last of today’s repertoire. She put on a mask that looked like him and he put on a mask that looked like her. Both were startled and he was confused, prompting him to sadly ask; “Is the game now over?”
She said; “Of course not, stupid, we still have the numbers.”
“I don't know anything about numbers.”
“You don’t have to.”
“I don’t want to blow this game.”
Kelly said; “That’s impossible. Look, I’m going to pick a number and then you pick one, that’s all.”
“Okay,” he said questioningly.
She picked up a red seven made of stained wood and held it in front of her smiling anxious face with two hands. He saw that he had many to choose from. His favorite number was always eight, but that might already be overplayed and it could appear that he was trying to top her. He saw that there was another red seven, this one made of plastic.
“Come on,” she said, “I’m not waiting all day.”
He quickly rejected the available seven as he didn’t want to imitate her and also didn’t like plastic. He then saw that there was another seven identical to the one Kelly had chosen.
As he didn’t know anything about numbers, he thought this might be a safe choice. He didn’t want to lose this game. On the other hand he thought that he had just intuitively rejected an imitation, so he certainly did not want a duplicate.
Kelly said; “Come on, already. I’m not waiting here all day.”
Bobby realized he could stare at the numbers for hours and still not have a clue. He didn’t know why, but his eyes seemed
to be drawn time after time to a six, made of wood and stained deep purple with a light furry white fringe on the edges. He picked it up and put it in front of his face, holding it in two hands.
Kelly’s eyes and mouth opened widely with exhilarated surprise, dropping her number seven to the floor. Seeing this, Bobby dropped his six, moved over to her, kissed her on her bare left foot and ...........
Music only they heard played and played and played.
Someone’s body must have touched something that turned on the overhead television. It was playing some black and white 60’s footage of a love-in, demonstration, or both. A male voice, with electric guitar and organ accompaniment sang; You were alone in the late fall wood.
Won’t you come over to me.
Come, come.
Only you can.
There will never be another you.
Take a chance.
Try, try.
Come, come.
Don’t measure me.
Lead or follow.
Allow me, allow you.
Come.
Stop time and remember.
We were together.
She, he.
Come again.
Day and night.
Lend me the moment.
Debt quickly satisfied.
Come, come, come.
I know your feelings.
I know your dreams.
I know your mind.
And you’re mine.
Only.
They didn’t get much time to savor the moment, as there were two loud knocks at the door. Kelly got up, no doubt hitting the same hidden television button, as the picture and sound disappeared. She walked to the door naked and saw through the peephole that it was Linda. She partially opened it, stuck her head out and whispered; “Hi.”
Linda said; “Excuse me. There was no “Do not disturb” sign up.” They both smiled. “Anyway, I’m telling everyone that the company is offering a free lunch in the office.”
Kelly lost it and started to laugh uproariously and said;
“We’ve already had lunch.” Linda also laughed a bit, smiled genuinely at Kelly and put up her right hand to shoulder level, wiggled her fingers “Bye-bye,” and continued on her mission.
Kelly shut the door and turned to Bobby still naked on the floor, saying “Let’s get dressed and go.”
“Already?”
“Yeah, Linda broke the mood.”
He yawned. “I’d really just like to get in bed and hold you a while.”
She walked to the bed, rolled down the covers and climbed under them. He quickly followed behind her putting his right arm around her waist, his right leg over both of hers. This moment was the one he always dreamed of. He wondered if she felt the same way, but didn’t want to ask. She did. They drifted off to sleep for at least an hour. She rose first and said; “Come on let’s get dressed and go.” He groaned indicating a soft “No.” She joked; “Come on. We both need more lunch.”
With that she grabbed one of his feet and pulled him out of bed.
They both dressed.
“Ready?” she said.
“Sort of,” he replied, “We’ve still got to pick up all these masks, numbers and boxes.”
She grabbed his arm, pulled him toward the door and said;
“Leave them. We don’t need them anymore. Maybe somebody else can have fun with them.”
They quietly drove back to the lot where Bobby’s car was parked. They both knew that something would throw another curve ball at them, but for now, they were happy.