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watch. Almost nine o’clock. Panic. What if
the birds had flown?
    Actually, he didn’t notice the
cold until he moved, but when he tried to get up, he realized just
how stiff his body was. Frozen stiff. Last night, after he had
returned to the car, he had run the engine with the heater on high
until the interior heated up, not caring how the noise affected the
people in the adjoining campsites.
    That warmth had allowed him to go
to sleep. It had long since dissipated. When he made it to a
sitting position, he considered what to do first. Based on
yesterday’s experience, that was obvious. He walked to the nearby
restroom, trying to ignore tempting odors of food and drink wafting
from nearby campsites. He had nothing to eat with him, except the
remains of a bag of peanuts.
    Since Penny’s campsite was on the
other side of the campground, there was no chance of running into
her or Gary. He washed his hands and face in the icy tap water, wet
his hair, and ran his fingers through it. He took handfuls of water
and reached up under his clothes to wash his armpits, in lieu of
using deodorant. The cold shocked his body into full
wakefulness.
    Then, ignoring the inquisitive looks of a
couple of other men who had the unkempt and slightly soiled
appearance that campers always had, he placed his mouth under a
faucet and drank as much water as he could consume. He could
picture all manner of stuff dissolved in the metallic-tasting
liquid, but it might be the only breakfast he would get.
    Alfred returned to his car,
walking among the tall pine trees and inhaling their fragrance. It
reminded him of a trip his family had taken to the White Mountains
of New Hampshire when he was a boy. Some of the sun’s rays found
their way through the foliage, descending to the earth in parallel
lines. They were heating up the air. The campground was alive with
activity. Children ran about, and adults drank coffee at their
picnic tables. His hunger pangs returned. He must stop thinking
about eating.
    He was faced with immediate
decisions. Should he drive to their campsite and risk having them
notice his car, or should he walk? He was quite sure he could walk
the distance in five minutes by daylight, now that he could see
where he was going. That also meant five minutes getting back to
his car when they left.
    Neither alternative was appealing. He drove to
the entrance, instead. Once there, he parked his car near the
office where several other vehicles sat, keeping his eyes glued to
the rearview mirror. After a few minutes he remembered that he had
seen some snack food for sale in the office last night.
    He got out of the car and covered the few feet
to the door of the office at a trot. Once inside, he glanced out of
the window every few seconds as he picked out several bags of chips
and nuts and paid for them. Back in the car, he opened a bag of
chips and started to munch on them. With his other hand, he opened
the glove compartment and pulled out a map.
    Alternately looking at the mirror
and the map, he ate with one hand and used the other hand to hold
the map as he tried to figure out where they might be headed. The
minutes dragged by, and no VW appeared. Why was he so sure they
were still in the campground? A map of the campsites was posted in
front of the office. He had at least been smart enough to note the
number of their campsite last night. He got out of the car and
found the number on the map. It was close to the
entrance.
    He walked along the side of the
narrow campground road, keeping out of the way of the vehicles of
families who were departing to explore exotic Lake Tahoe, or gamble
in the Nevada casinos. He spotted the green car through the trees.
No need to go any closer. He saw Penny as she walked around the
car, and his heart gave a bound. She was dressed in shorts and a
sweatshirt. She and Gary were packing up. Their tent had
disappeared. Only a stove remained on the table. They were about to
leave.
    Alfred scurried back to his