Half a Page of Scribbled Lines

According to my phone, it was 62 degrees Fahrenheit in Paradise. I’d thought it was some sort of glitch, but when I encountered Paradise Road on my way to the Fox car rental centre, it all made sense.

Fifteen minutes out from the neon lights of The Strip, I arrived in what felt like the fringes of the city. To my left was the odd garishly lit store, laid out in a tired row. On my right was an empty lot, wide as a football field.

Ahead was a barren stretch of road. A few cars passed, but there was barely a pedestrian in sight. And night had only just fallen.

I sidled up to a vast car park bordered by a low brick fence and the odd palm tree. ‘FOX’, read the blue and yellow trim of the wedding-white buildings. I drove in.

After turning in my keys and completing some paperwork, I waited outside for the courtesy bus. When it arrived, a few weary-looking passengers got off. I had my pick of seats, so I sat right up the front where I could peer through the windshield.

The driver, an African-American man, turned in his seat to face me. His eyes crinkled as he smiled. ‘How long have y’been in Las Vegas?’

‘It’s my third day and I have one more,’ I told him. ‘I’m headed to San Francisco after that.’

We talked about where we’d each been in the US. Ten minutes passed. Nobody else had boarded. He started the engine and got us moving.

‘Do you like living here?’

‘Yeah!’ he enthused. ‘It’s a great town. City that never sleeps. There’s always somethin’ to do.’

We drove back down the wide stretch of concrete. The street was even more deserted than before.

Driver said that he usually drops people off at a stop ten minutes from Fox. Tonight though, he would make an exception and take me to the bus depot, which would suit me much better. I thanked him. I thought for a moment. ‘Do you have other routes?’

‘Nah, just that stop.’

‘So you drive those ten minutes back and forth every day?’

‘Yeah. I do Tuesday to Saturday and another guy does the rest.’

‘Don’t you get bored?’

‘Nah. S’okay,’ he replied breezily.

We slowed as we approached the depot. Driver eyed a bus behind us in his rear view mirror. ‘Tell you what,’ he said. ‘I’ll get you to the other side of the road so you don’t have to cross it.’

‘Thank you,’ I replied, surprised.

He did a U-turn and brought the bus to a stop directly outside the depot.

As I exited, I stuck my hand out for Driver to shake. When he peeled away, I stood and waved. Then I headed to the depot, my steps as light as my heart.