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You're getting ready to pass a diesel Mercedes when the shifter goes all loose. You jiggle the stick and pump the clutch, but it's like holding a dead man's hand. Your old Honda drifts off the highway in a cloud of sand and grit. A moment later the engine stalls. You pop the hood and fumble around in the back for a flashlight. Then you realize that it's getting light out.

You can feel that this poor car, your companion for ten lonely years, is finished. And if you're still out here when the desert sun rises, so are you.

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