Requests » Mark

So the clue is “Trader-Joe’s 519” — Typing that into Google, I get “87 Marginal Way, Portland, ME”. My next marker is in Maine? Is that ironic or just mean? Or divine justice of some kind? I better find an REI or maybe Lands’ End before the next winter.

After checking out of the hotel, I take Arizona-87 North to the I40, and Google Maps says “drive 41 hours east”. Sigh.

REQUESTS » MARK

“Beautiful day! — I always enjoy seeing you doctor.”

“Yes, Mark. It is a beautiful day. How about you take a road trip with your containers and enjoy it?”

“Hmm… not a bad idea, but we have become kind of attached to Boardwalk. The police cruisers surrounding us keep us feeling very safe and kind of cozy, it would be hard to give that up. Plus we are all watching Game of Thrones again and might lose internet access if we moved”

“«You win or you die?» is a bit melodramatic isn’t it?”

“Oh… I personally just watch it for the dragons and the unicorns. And of course the happy ending. I feel a bit like Mance Rayder and am hoping someone will just give us wildlings some land to live on… in peace. That part ended pretty happily actually.”

“They are not going to just give you land. That isn’t how capitalism and negotiations work. People make fair trades that both sides agree to.”

“You can’t have a fair trade if one side could die during negotiations and the other couldn’t. That is actually coercion… in my opinion. But I accept your proposition of a fair trade. I will trade the lives of thirty five thousand people for the lives of thirty five thousand people.”