The World's Most Dangerous Road (cont)

“Seth Hollow? What kind of name is that?”

“I have no idea. He says he’s Latin but Hollow isn’t a Latin last name. I’m not even sure it’s a last name at all. He could be lying to me. His name could be Michael Martinez for all I know.”

“You law students have lost it.”

“Naw. Seth isn’t a law student. Worse. He’s a writer. But I’m not sure he even does that. I hardly see him at all. He’s always behind closed doors. God only knows what he’s up to in there. Sometimes I hear noises, like hyenas scratching chalk boards. Other times I hear whispers, or circular pacing. He just walks back and forth, back and forth man. I remember he almost set the apartment on fire with a little yellow flame and that song, man, he doesn’t stop playing that song.”

“What song?’

“Captain of Her Heart.”

“I remember that one. It’s from the eighties. Double sings it.”

“Yes. I remember that one too. I remember it ten maybe twenty times a day. It’s kind of hard to forget when it’s playing on repeat. Which reminds me, we have to rendezvous with our captain in five days or he’ll leave us. And everyone else is booked. So let’s not screw around too much. We still have all of Peru to explore.”

“Remind me why we need a captain to cross Lake Titicaca again. I’m ready to do it in a canoe.”

“Pirates.”

“What? Like pirates of the high seas?”

“No. Bolivian radicals who employ guerilla tactics to kidnap young rich Americans like ourselves, hold us for millions of dollars ransom, and send our parents their choice of body part via ups express every day their demands aren’t met.”

“Hopefully they don’t start with my yellow squash.” Tim looked down to make sure he still had one.

“Mama won’t be getting much if they did.”

“I’m glad to see law school hasn’t completely erased your sense of humor.”

“I’m glad that we’ve finally made it out together after months of inaction.”