After the incident when Sara didn’t tell Dave about her having a warrant while she was babysitting me while my mom accompanied Dave to Arizona the first time and then her not divulging that she was picking up thousands of dollars worth of OxyContin while I was driving her, from our family pharmacy, Vincent’s, then making me buy McDonald’s for everyone when I knew my mom was making dinner for all of us and then Sara didn’t even have money for the fast food. She did say she’d pay me back, but didn’t. Then the money that she claimed was hers that was in my slacks after she was seen in my bedroom while I was showering for work, my mom was pretty fed up with her lifelong best friend. When Sara and Dave had a one night stand, my mom began saving up to break up with Dave. 

She wanted monogamy and he didn’t. There was no way to reconcile the two. It took a whole year, but she bought the pop up all by herself and was so proud of having done so. She used a composting chemical toilet and bought herself an entire cast iron cookware set that she named her pioneer woman cowboy cookware. She perfected a recipe for green chile and cheese corn bread that was divine. She found the campsite all by herself and had set it up the way she wanted. It may well have been the only time I saw her genuinely happy in my adult life. Possibly ever.

She had struck out on her own from Canada and traveled all the way to Arizona, taking her time and enjoying the freedom.  She stopped at tourist traps and made detours that she chose.  It just so happened that after six months of radio silence I left a pleading message asking her to please answer when I called the next time at a specific time a couple of days later, because I was very concerned.  Unfortunately, Dave happened to call from an unrecognized number about a half hour before I called.  She said she knew it wasn’t me because I am always punctual, always and when I plan to do something I do it as scheduled.  She answered for some reason anyway.  Dave was in a bind and needed to leave the fifth wheel while his truck was serviced overnight. She agreed somewhat reluctantly, but when they went to drop off the Chevy, the appointment was not in the system so one night turned into a week until the next available time slot was open.  She said she did miss having him around.  His companionship, but she loved that it was on her terms.  He slept in his rig and she in hers. He was scheduled to leave the next morning  last we chatted.  Then again nothing for months.  

They robbed her of her independence. With no home, no vehicle, and just the clothes on her back she had no choice but to stay with Dave until she could buy a vehicle. They slept in the truck, but as soon as he found her the old dodge she bought a tent and left him as quick as she could. She didn’t contact me for another several months but I figured she was just laying low to avoid becoming entangled with Dave again. I had no idea they had been robbed of everything. 

Oddly enough, I was there, in the Casas Adobes basement when they unloaded some of the saran wrapped bricks of marijuana. I immediately called first my mom then Dave, but got no response. I tried to abate my anxiety by reassuring myself that it probably was a common way to wrap drugs that are being transported and there probably were lots of these types of packages, so I needn’t be paranoid about them belonging to Dave, but they were numbered, the same way he numbered his. It was dark outside, so I didn’t see where they had brought them from. Nor did I see the campers. 

It wasn’t until a week or two later when Paul offered to have Levi bring me home that it all sank it. When I got in the Roadmaster, I said, “This is my mom’s car “. He was cool as a cucumber and responded casually, “You mean your mom has the same kind of car” he asked without missing a beat. “No, I mean this is her car”. We rode in silence for the rest of the way. The center counsol had been her piggy bank and had contained 500 bucks or so in the large compartment. 

Her basement opened to the left and had a square support post in the middle of that quadrant. Low ceiling.