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

“What?” Ed blinked. “What the fuck are you talking about?”


“Aren’t you afraid? Isn’t that why you took off without a fucking word to anybody? Don’t tell me you’re not.”


“Just be honest. You’re fucking terrified.”


“Stop acting like we’re alike. We’re not. We’re…”


Ed’s shoulders slumped, but he didn’t lower his fists. “I told you. I’ll go when they call me.”


“My birthday is the eighteenth of February. Eighth in the draft order.”


Sammy winced. “I’m sorry, man. I didn’t know.”


“January eighth. Three-hundred and forty-first in the order.”


“Well,” Ed sneered, “that’s just great, isn’t it?”


“Fighting with me isn’t going to change anything.”


The question stopped Sammy. They stared at each other for a long beat before he finally said, “Nothing. Nothing is going to change this. This shit…all of it…is out of our hands.”


Chapter 8