We pull out, leaving the car behind, and go to a little service station down the road. They have a lunch counter that's still open, so we place an order. He pays. He probably thinks he's going to get lucky tonight, and as warm as he's making me feel he's probably right. He asks me my name. I try to tell him my real name, but for some reason all I can get out is Rita Carretto. He says he's Carlito Sanchez. We talk about our families. Rita, it seems, is from Baja, and a high school dropout who can barely read. Carlito has to tell her what the menu says at the counter. Carlito reaches over and takes my hand to offer support. I lean over the table and kiss him impulsively. After that we go out to the truck, and speed off for somewhere down the road.