Mike and Stephanie

Mike and Stephanie drove down a perfectly straight roadway in the Arizona sun all afternoon.

Mountains spotted out the car window reminded Stephanie of rock formations inside limestone caverns back home in Pennsylvania. She thought they were called stalagmites.

"Can we just stop, get out and stretch for a while?" Stephanie pleaded to Mike.

"I want to make it to that special place I told you about, Stephanie. I promise you, when we get there you will see more stars in the sky than what you could have ever imagined existed. We are going to put up a tent and camp under those stars. I can’t wait to show you the camping spot, Stephanie. Please, let’s stay on the road so we can get there before the sun goes down," pleaded Mike.

Stephanie kicked off her flip-flops, bent her knees tight against her robust chest and curled her toes with pained nails against a dash board which had cracked from years and years of exposure to California sun.

While lighting a cigarette she looked inside Mike’s ear.

"You want one too?" she asked her boyfriend. "No, I’m quitting, remember?" he responded with an irritated tone.

"You have wax in your ear dear, do you know that?" she asked.

"What did you say?" asked Mike as he grabbed the lit Lucky Strike, took a puff and ran his hand inside Stephanie’s thigh.

"Come on baby, let’s pop these pills now, so we can feel the waves at sundown." Pleaded Stephanie.

"I thought you would never asked." replied Mike while taking his hands from the steering wheel to hold Stephanie’s face while kissing her.