It's June 1972, and the Vietnam War overshadows Ed Sorenson's life. He's barely out of high school, and there's nothing ahead of him except war and death. On a whim, he packs up his old station wagon with California in mind. He invites his friend Sammy to join him on his journey, never expecting the other man to jump at the chance.<br><br>The station wagon barely makes it as far as Nevada. It dies on the shoulder during a freak summer thunderstorm, trapping the two young men and giving them no choice but to face the secrets they've been hiding, the fears they've been harboring, and the desire they can barely keep at bay.

A Busted Afternoon

“That’s my point. You did all that work, and you don’t have a plan for California?”


Ed snorted. “It’s not very responsible of me, is it?”


Light and shadows played on Sammy’s face, reflecting off the rain on the windows, constantly changing shapes. A sudden, violent burst of water momentarily overwhelmed their conversation, and the two of them were trapped in a strange silence. He could smell Sammy’s skin, and his drying hair, and his damp shirt. They were much too close, physically, to be having any sort of reasonable conversation. Despite the long hours they had already spent sitting side by side, they hadn’t been this close. Perhaps because Ed had been focusing on the road before.


Chapter 3