|novel|

|working title: “Friend or Foe”|

|excerpt|

It’s early morning, well before dawn, and a long-haired bearded man sits across the booth from a young slim attractive woman in blue jeans and a black hoodie in a nearly empty diner. They’re both sipping their coffees, quiet, not speaking. The waitress comes by to refill their coffees and the hoodie-wearing woman opens three packets of creamer and pours them into the man’s coffee. He picks up a spoon and stirs his coffee. She looks out the large picture window at a convoy of driverless trucks picking up speed on the two-lane highway out front. It had been raining all night, it always rains here. 

The young woman picks up some coins from the change for breakfast, puts them into the old rock-ola wall box at the end of the booth, flips through the selections, and then punches in a selection. The man smiles as the song begins;

“Standing on the waters casting your bread

While the eyes of the idol with the iron head are glowing

Distant ships sailing into the mist

You were born with a snake in both your fists while a hurricane was blowing

Freedom just around the corner from you

But with the truth so far  off, what good will it do?”

She looks deep into the eyes of the bearded man and softly sings along with the chorus;

Jokerman dance to the light of the nightingale tune

Bird fly high by the light of the moon,

Oh, oh, oh, Jokerman 

The song continues as the bearded man smiles back at the woman and says softly, “Be careful, and let me know when you get there. It’s going to be a long summer, maybe longer. Are you ready for that?”

She took a long sip of her coffee and said, “I know, I’m ready. I have to go down there and be ready now that Dymtro has made his move.”

“Be careful, he’s dangerous,” the bearded man said.

“Don’t worry, we have our friends too, and everything you have shown me” she said quietly, paused, and added,” I’ve dealt with him before.”

“I think it’s time for you to start, it’ll be light soon, you have everything you need?”, he asked.

She shook her head and said,” Don’t worry.”

They both slide out of the booth and walk to the front door, as they walk by the register they thank the waitress. She smiles looks up from her phone and says to them, “I’ve always loved that song, you both have a nice morning>”

They walked out onto the covered entryway, and the woman put her hoodie up and turned to the bearded man. He put his right arm around her slim shoulders and hugged her tightly.

She smiled and said again, “Don’t worry.”

He releases her from the hug, and she goes down the steps, runs around a large pothole in the shell-covered parking lot, and unlocks the door of a red Nova station wagon. She gets in, starts the engine, turns on the lights and wipers, and then pulls the shifter up and into reverse.

The man on the steps hears some snow geese honking somewhere off in the dark distance, headed south, and watches as the fire engine red Nova station wagon pulls onto the highway, headed the same way, into the dark early morning rain and beyond.