Santa Maria

SANTA MARIA

I met Carl at Voyager in Santa Maria — along the coastline north of Santa Barbara. Carl lived in Santa Barbara with his wife and two children, but had to commute more than two hours every other day to Santa Maria, wandering by as the Solvang ostriches studied his pickup truck. Why Voyager couldn’t open a clinic in Santa Barbara was beyond his comprehension, but Carl tended to just go with the flow of the universe. He apparently was like this since a teenager, so it had nothing to do with the conversion.

Amasa and Voyager needs periodic review of the different clinics from a vampire’s perspective, and based on several successful (non) achievements after Nancy I was promoted to this role. All those missions were flukes the same as Nancy’s: I believe my influence was no better than a good bar room debate. But Amasa

A few years earlier and I would have despised the new role: my kids were young, still at home, and I actually enjoy being with them. But they are adults now, my wife works all hours of the day, and I am frequently bored. The last of these statements is a lie I created for Dr. A. And Amasa. I am not at all bored: I just need a good excuse to visit as many clinics as possible over the next year. And being on the road has to seem like it is not a problem for me or my family.

Santa Maria is the first — of a five city circle route including San Diego, Palm Springs, Bishop, and Redding.

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