March 17, 2021:
It was her friend's car.
In study hall her friend, who'd graduated the year before, would sneak in to abstract her from an otherwise unprofitable day. They drove the back roads, choosing largely at random, exploring. Today she knows the county perfectly, with her specially deep love for the desert. Proving that school years are good for something.
Recently we drove her desert roads, just because. Borego Springs, the Salton Sea, the Ricardo Breceda sculptures. Although I grew up in this county, I know this area only poorly. I never had a friend with a car.
Nowadays I picture her alone, in her own car, with the back roads. She lost that friend long ago. To her, though, the desert isn't lonely. It's her reconnection with her origin, her place where she became herself. Self-reliant, curious, fearless. Not even afraid to be alone.