They sighed with relief when they passed the checkpoint. Hansen hugged Joseph happily, and then Joseph threw his arms around Karen’s neck from behind her seat and kissed her on the cheek. David made the remark that they needed gasoline. A few miles later they found a gas station and stopped there. David began dispensing the Chevelle, while the others went to the store to see what they bought. They were hungry. Inside, the manager was behind the counter reading a newspaper. He barely glanced at them. Hansen and Karen took some chicken sandwiches and some sodas, as well as water bottles.
“I don’t like to give him soda so early,” Hansen said, “but today we can make an exception.”
Joseph went to a counter where there were several compact discs for sale. He reviewed some and recognized one of
