The Drive
Page 35
He tapped the final form. You could tell he didn’t believe me – about the mezcal or anything else – but it didn’t matter. I’d done all I could for him. He’d have to figure out the rest on his own. I signed off that last form, and handed it over along with the others. I told him again that he should really consider going on a trip, if he wanted to get his head together.
‘The road heals all wounds.’
‘I’ll keep that in mind.’
‘Easier said than done.’
I turned to go, hoping I looked appropriately wise and sage and mysterious.
‘Wait,’ he said.
I looked back. I half-expected him to thank me for my gift and advice.
‘You have the key.’
I smiled. Knowingly. ‘We all have the key.’
‘No – the car key. You still have it.’
‘Oh. Right.’
He held out his hand. I dug the key out of my pocket, and lowered it into his palm, as if I were performing some kind of sacred rite. Then I folded his fingers around the key, held on for one more moment, and let go.
Acknowledgements
Many people have helped make this journey possible, and I would like to specifically thank a few of them: Naomi, my first and ideal reader; Becky, for believing in this book before it was even a book; Matthew, who has critiqued too many drafts to count; Angela, my San Francisco advisor and correspondent; Vicky, for all the editorial guidance; Holly, Candida, and the rest of Team Myriad for backing and supporting the novel; Linda, the best copy-editor this side of the Sierra Nevada; Anna, who designed the stand-out cover; my friends and family back home for the geography and vernacular checks; Douglas Coupland, who kindly gave me permission to quote from Life After God; and lastly America – yes, America – because she is such a big country, with so many smooth and well-maintained roads, waiting to be traversed by a young man in search of something.
Copyright
First edition published in 2013
This ebook edition published in 2013 by
Myriad Editions
59 Lansdowne Place
Brighton BN3 1FL
www.myriadeditions.com
Copyright © Tyler Keevil 2013
The moral right of the author has been asserted.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the written permission of the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
ISBN: 978–1–908434–32–6
www.myriadeditions.com