Burke woke in the morning refreshed. Instantly he knew where he was. His mind was clearer than it had been in days. He looked around Aliren's house. Sunlight was pouring in every window and there was a warm summer breeze moving about. He heard the popping of bacon crisping the microwave, and smelled its inviting aroma from beyond. Softly in the distance he heard the twang of a steel guitar probably from the kitchen radio.

Aliren appeared in the doorway with a white ribbon in her hair and a fresh smile on her face. "How did you sleep Banyon?"

"Wonderfully, thank you very much for your hospitality."

"You are most welcome sir. We are featuring a special traveling breakfast today in the kitchen. I would be pleased if you would join me."

Burke stood up and tried to walk, but was reminded by sharp pain that the crutches would be necessary. He surely gimped his way into the kitchen. Aliren's house was clean and orderly. Burke felt at ease there. There was a large bowl of oranges on the table. The coffee was percolating, and muffins were popping from the toaster. Breakfast was welling up from everywhere. She poured him a glass of orange juice. He sat down and looked up at the cheery form of Aliren "This is heaven" he told her.

"This ain't heaven Banyon. This is a one room apartment in Peducah Kentucky. I can see you have very low expectations." Aliren laughed to herself. "Do you know where your friends are?"

"No, but I will be able to find them. Wakefield is a small town."

"I don't want to worry about you having a place to stay there" she replied.

"Don't you worry about me, I can take care of myself."

"Uh-huh...."

Aliren served omelets. Spinach, Swiss cheese, and chive omelets. They were stretchy, spicy, and delightful. Burke was beginning to think that breaking his leg was the best thing that had happened to him all week. After they had finished Burke had offered to help her with the cleanup, but she would have none of it. "Why don't you shower? Then you will be refreshed for your friends. You'll have to keep you foot outside the shower curtain-can you manage?"

"You will probably have to help me."

"Oh I think you can handle it. You're a big boy" she said pushing a set of towels toward him. "Don't get my floor full of water either or I will bust your other foot!" she teased.

Burke did manage on his own. When he got out of the shower there were clean clothes neatly folded and waiting on the vanity for him: short sleeve chambray shirt, cut offs, one white sock, and one gym shoe. Burke began dressing. Everything was his size or very close. He looked in the mirror, pleased with his clean casual appearance. He had a thought. Perhaps Aliren was married and her husband was away. He wanted to ask her but knew it would be rude. Next to his clothes was a razor. Brand new. Still in the package. Waiting for him to use.

After dressing he came out. The sofa was a sofa again. On it was a knapsack and a paper bag. "I packed a few things and made you a lunch" Aliren said. "Why do I feel as if I am sending you off to your first day of kindergarten?"

"Don't worry about me. I can take care of myself."

"Uh-huh." She gave him a "sure you can" look. He had seen that look on Maggie's face many times; trouble was, whenever he got that look, the person giving it was undoubtedly correct. "Come on Bany" she said. Burke was becoming a bit enchanted by her presence. "Here" she said as she tucked a daisy in the button hole of his shirt. "Now you can be one of those old 'flower-power' guys" she said while laughing a bit. "Wakefield's got legions of old guys like you wandering about trying to remember the old days."

"They say if you can remember the seventies, you weren't having fun" he replied in jest.

She gave him a look of disapproval. Aliren had Burke's suit on her arm. I'll get these cleaned and sent to you" she said. Then remembering, she laughed. "Oh yes-I forgot!"

"What?"

Aliren held up the trousers. One of the pantlegs was cut off at the knee at the hospital last night. They both started laughing. "Well I guess I could cut the other leg of and have a four-hundred dollar pair of cut-offs! Burke said.

They got in her car. Aliren lowered the top and they were off. "This is a great car" Burke said. "What year is it?"

"I'm not sure, but it's old. Most people either love or hate Volkswagens. I just love it. I've had this one a long time and have put many miles on it."

"Crank up the tunes baby we're headed for Wakefield!"

"Do you like Bach?"

"The only Bach I like baby is Bachman-Turner Overdrive!"

"Got just the thing!" She reached under the seat and produced a yellow eight-track tape that had a peeled label. She continued to insert it in the deck that was mounted under the dashboard.

"You're kidding me! You have a functioning eight track unit!"

"You betcha. It came with the car. I bought it used you know."

"It hardly shows."

They were of and grooving down the road. The world was a happy place to be today. The day was warm and sunny. Burke and Aliren chatted about all kinds of events in Burke's life. Between the emergency room and the drive to Wakefield, she new a great deal about Burke, yet he knew relatively little about her. "Aliren, you have had such a positive effect on my life in the last twenty-four hours. I don't know what I would have done if I had not found you" he admitted.

"Nonsense, for one, I found you. I've done nothing more that pick you up and dust you off. Something that we all need to do for one another-right?"

"Absolutely. But most of us are too busy to take time to help one another."

Aliren slowed down and pulled off to the shoulder. And lifting her sunglasses to make dramatic contact with Burke's eyes she said with complete sincerity: "Burke, this is our time. The only time we have. It's way too precious to administer. Too valuable to ration. Too unpredictable to plan. We need to keep our center focused on the moment. It's all that we have. You never knew that. Did you?"

"Yeah, I mean no. I don't think so."

"It's important to understand, really understand. You are going someplace you haven't been in a long time; and you are going to see things that are going to blow your mind and challenge your balance."

"Blow my mind?"

"Sorry! I was trying to relate to you on your level with words that you would understand. I hope that you'll be OK." She pulled back out on the highway and continued on to Wakefield. She turned up the radio to a song that was very popular back when Burke lived down there.

Burke's thoughts drifted in and out between the road today and the road yesterday. He now understood why Sunni had kidnapped him. She had known that it was the only way to pry him out of his cocoon at the office. But he was out now and glad; feeling more alive than he felt in years. Wonderful, powerful feelings. Secretly he was looking forward to seeing his friends and Wakefield again. Perhaps he had let an important part of his life slip away. Hopefully they would all be there wearing their party "gamefaces" as he was beginning to think he was going to wear. Dressed up and ready. Sunni in a formal with war-paint and cleavage WHOA!

"You love Sunni" Aliren said.

"What?" The whooshing of the air made it somewhat hard for Burke to hear what she was saying.

"I said you love when it's sunny-outside. I can tell it shows."

"Oh yes, the weather. Sure."

There was a short awkward silence as each was trying to guess what the other person was thinking about. "You were right the first time" Aliren confessed. "I did say that you love Sunni."

"I thought so. Why did you say that?" Burke asked somewhat baffled.

"Lots of reasons. You don't fool me, not one bit Banyon Burke. You're not going back after your car and phone. You are here because Sunni has offered you a chance at freedom."

"Freedom from what pray tell?"

"Feel it in your heart Burke! You know what it is. Freedom from routine, order, boredom. The possibility of having real friends again. The chance to feel alive and a part of something. You're associating love with those feelings."

"And how is it you know so damn much about me? We've only known each other for a few hours."

"You told me. I know more about you that you could imagine. You know, there is one person who is right for you, Burke. She cares deeply about you, and needs you almost as much as you need her."

"And whom might that be?"

"You will have to work that one out on your own buster." she said.

"Who told you such nonsense?"

"You did."

Neither one knew where to take the conversation next. So they let it drop. Burke slipped into a day dream. He went back in his memory to a time when he went on a business trip with his father. St. Louis. There he was again bumping down the road in Dad's gigantic Buick. Both of them singing "Time is on my side" quite out of tune. He remembered that Dad's Buick was an enormous machine with four oval exhaust ports on each side of a mountainous hood. When he was little he imagined them to be machine gun ports, and the car able to take on any other vehicle on the highway. Don't get in their way, they would blow you up or run you over-Bany and Dad, invincible road warriors. Dad was at the helm clutching that HUGE steering wheel that looked as if it belonged on an ocean liner, and he of course was the trusted co-pilot and navigator. The machine and company were destined for the open road. He remembered that time as being one of the happiest he could remember.

While thinking about his father he remembered Mostly-Bob in the hospital years ago, talking about his father. He came to a realization that he wasn't very different from Mostly-Bob. The ironic thing though was Mostly-Bob was a serious man playing the fool, and Burke was a foolish man playing serious. That notion amused him greatly.

Aliren broke into his thought. "Look there's the Wakefield sign." She happily reported.

Burke read it.

Wakefield an All American City Welcomes you.

Robert R. Dover Mayor.

"Whoa Lookit-that! Dover's the mayor! The Zombie with bad hygiene! You are right about my mind being blown!"

"That's only the tip of this trip" Aliren said.

They cruised in to town, right down the middle-like old times. Wakefield was the same, only completely changed. It was no longer a cosmically-colored electric day-glo world but had taken on a toned down contemporary appearance. Buildings on each block actually coordinated with one another. Burke's imagination was working overtime superimposing the old over the new. It was funny how time here was sealed in Burke's memory. The kids looked so young and alive; so vibrant. That had not changed, but Burke had. Extremely.

Burke saw a sight that made him smile: The Dairy Freeze. It was still there, still with long lines of people eagerly awaiting ice cream, relatively unchanged by the passing of decades. That was good. He scrutinized the home-made "specials" signs in the windows to see if they still had the same offerings after all the years. As they passed and the building rushed away from them he saw a red haired man handing a cone out the window. Was that Kilgore? Across the street he saw where Lothlorian used to be. It was now a health and fitness center. Men and women were climbing virtual stairs, side by side in the window. Relationships. Same product as Lothlorian, just different packaging.

He scanned down the block to see if the old house was standing. To his disappointment it was not. Where the house stood was a parking lot. All those times gone. Those wonderful events had taken place five feet above the surface of the featureless blacktop. He pictured where his room used to be, another eight feet up. It was weird to think that that open air space once was a huge chunk of his world. "Look Aliren. Right above that red pickup truck. That was where my room used to be. That airspace was where I lived." Aliren glanced over but seemed unimpressed.

He saw a large white dog trotting diagonally down the sidewalk. He immediately thought of Tuna's beloved "Bear" dog. Then again maybe it was one of Spunky's grand descendants. He wondered how many generations Spunky's line had produced over time. Many. Well if Spunky did have a Buddhist nature, his earthly form was not long lived.

A car pulled alongside them and honked the horn. Burke glanced over and to his surprise saw a young woman in the back seat lifting up her shirt and smooshing her bare breasts against the window. Burke laughed out loud. To him they looked like a couple of fried eggs--Sunni-side up. He felt a bit of relief. Although the town looked different, after all it was fundamentally the same.

Aliren smacked his shoulder and he was jolted back. Put your eyeballs back in your head before you have a heart attack Romeo. It's a game that the kid's play down here trying to get old timers like you to stroke out or crash their cars."

"Very funny. Where are we going?" he asked.

"Oh I think you can guess."

The Volkswagen turned two corners and was sitting in the parking lot of what used to be PI's. Burke read the sign with amazement. "Chuck-E's Fried Chicken Shack? You have gotta be putting me on." Burke saw that although the building was the same shape, it had had a complete face lift. He was having a difficult time superimposing PI's over Chuck-E's. Something matched, but the pieces were a hard fit.

"This is where the ride ends cowboy" Aliren said.

"How did you know where to take me, Aliren?" Burke asked.

"You told me. Banyon, I've got your whole life story now"

"Tell me how it ends."

She looked down for a moment and seemed hesitant to speak. "I'm going to miss you cowboy" she said quietly. "Nobody Rooster Rocksteps like the great Banyon Burke. You nearly kicked the lights out that chandelier! People will be talking about that for a long time." She paused again then looked deep into his eyes. "Listen Banyon, sometimes the fog can obscure your view. Remember that if you get lost, never loose your faith. Keep looking. One day you'll see the lighthouse; it's out there."

Burke did not want to say good-bye. He did not know how. He grabbed his crutches gimped his way up to the window of the Chicken Shack hoping to buy some time. Wanting to collect his thoughts, he peered in the window pretending to study the interior. After a moment when he was ready, he turned back to thank his rescuer for all her help. To his bewilderment she was gone. He looked around for a parting glimpse of her around the parking lot and down the block, but there was no sign of her or her little Volkswagen. He really wanted to thank Aliren and tell her good-bye. Remembering her kindness and the hospital, he promised himself to find her take care of the bill when he got himself back into a working environment. He would find a way to express the gratitude he was feeling in his heart with something she would appreciate and understand. He looked down at the flower in his button hole and sadly smiled. She was here.

After a moment he decided to go in; to go back in time. It would be forever PI's no matter what the sign said. He entered. The inside of the building was new too. The first person that he saw at the helm was a graying NORB working the cash register for all that it was worth. "Lucy I'm home" he said in a Ricky Riccardo accent. Norbert looked up, a bewildered expression crept upon his face. His jaw dropped. "Burke! Burke! Is that really you?" He cracked an ear to ear grin. "Well look at you! I expected Mr. Big-shot White Collar--of Course you can have your old job back. Your apron is probably still on the hook where you left it. You'll have to start at the bottom though, that's the fryers now. Things have really progressed around here!" He chucked at his wit.

"Very Funny" Burke said.

"Sit down Burke. Take a load off. Just a second now OK? There's something I've got to do." Norbert said. He walked over to the phone on the counter and dialed a number. Burke tried to listen. "He's here-um just now" he quickly hung up.

"Who did you call?" Burke asked.

"You, your cell phone, it's got to roam a bit, but it still works down here. Sunni said you would be showing up. We expected you in yesterday."

"My cell phone.." Burke was beginning a slow boil again.

"Yes, and listen Burke don't get mad. Sunni asked me to talk to you about the calls to Australia, she was pretty upset when you disappeared yesterday and...."

"After I DISAPPEARED!! She called Australia from a roaming cell? I'll kill her!" The he stopped short, and catching himself actually started laughing inside. He was thinking "serves you right you dope!"

"Now Burke she asked me to talk to you to break it kind of easy-you know. You can't blame her she was very upset, she was crying and everything."

"Norb," Burke said approaching the man with the confidence of a coach toward his second string bench. "You forget who you are talking to. I am Banyon Burke. I'm back in town, and I'm back in charge." He smiled. It was true. Although he had been in town only a short while, Wakefield had somehow empowered him again. He felt free and full of command--not the kind of white collar bullshit authority that makes one wait for the next elevator car in order to avoid confrontation, but the capability of impacting lives and even changing personal destinies.

"OK Norb. I want you to pick up the phone and call Sunni again right now."

"What do you want me to say."

"Tell her that she's got exactly four minutes to get her exquisite ass over here. I need my charge cards. I, my friend, am going to throw a party. Just like old times, no-better than old times. New times. There will be new times that we shall happily revisit in our personal inner space. And Norb, you are the boss here right?"

"Yes Burke, I own the place."

"Then I want you to give yourself the day off. For once you are partying with us my friend. You're already there man."

"Why thanks-thank you Burke."

"Don't mention it."

Norber began dialing the phone. He did not even seem to notice that a former subordinate of twenty years ago had given him a day off. A cook wandered downstairs from the kitchen. Burke turned his attention toward the man. Ready to exercise his new-found power again. "What is your name young man?" He demanded.

"Dylan, sir."

"Dylan sir. Well Dylan--sir, I want you to button up that shirt and tuck it in, do you know where you are at?"

"Uhmm the Chicken Shack?"

"Yes you are correct. You are in the Chicken Shack; a public place of business. And you're going to be in the unemployment line if you don't get your act together immediately. There's twenty students that will try to fill this job tomorrow if you don't tuck that shirt in and get your ass up those stairs and back to work right now!"

The cook turned and began back up the steps to the kitchen very quickly while trying to button and tuck in his shirt. Although Norber was speaking on the phone it was apparent by his smile that knew what was going on and was amused. Burke was electrified by his own performance.

"He’s not a bad kid" Norber said. "A bit forgetful perhaps for a person working on his doctorate. He keeps throwing away the utensils. I tell him Dylan! You can wash these and use them again. He always looks surprised and somewhat embarrassed. But he’s a good kid. He washes them right up, and remembers for a while.

A few moments later Sunni burst in the door and immediately began begging for forgiveness. The timing was perfect. "Oh Burke, I'm so sorry-I did not mean to...what... what happened to you?"

"I broke my foot line-dancing."

"Broken your foot line dancing?" She had imagined the worse; beaten and robbed and stomped. She was a bit irritated. "Burke I swear, I let you out of my sight for twenty-four hours and you break your foot! How do you manage?"

"You let me out of your sight? YOU LET ME OUT OF YOUR SIGHT? Spoken as if I were a small child that wandered away from his mommy at a shopping mall. YOU ABANDONED ME dear heart. In the middle of the freaking highway at a run down gas station that had a staticy pay phone that kept eating my dimes, with a lonely old bag that had an over active imagination and a matching libido! You let me out of your sight? The last sight you probably had of me was of me running down the road behind you in a classic business suit screaming: Wait! Wait! please stop!" Burke began laughing though as he realized that everyone was trying to contain their laughter. His anguish was hilarious even to himself.

"That doesn't explain your foot" she said.

"Relax and let me tell my tale of woe. I will get the most sympathy, if I take my time and add guilt and pathos to the story--thank you very much.

As I ran after you I stumbled and that's how I got this scrape on my forehead. Then I got picked up by a trucker named Tuna who drugged me-not with a rope Norber but a pill. I woke up quite disoriented in Peducah Kentucky with a man named Francais. When I accused Tuna of stealing my watch Francais knocked me on my ass off a bar stool. A woman there picked me up and talked me into line dancing. Shortly after that I slipped, I think someone was chewin' and spit-that shit can get nasty..."

"And slick" Norber added.

"But anyway I got taken to the emergency room. But thanks to you I had no identification, credit cards, or verification of insurance. The woman to brought me there who incidentally is a saint, lied and said that I was her husband and they patched me up. She was nice enough to bring me here."

"What a story! Let me get this straight. You had an intimate encounter with asphalt; you got knocked on your ass by a bad-ass named Francais; and you broke your leg line dancing?"

"It was a typical commute to Wakefield!"

"Couldn't have been typical-or you'd be drunk too!" A voice said from behind Sunni. The group looked toward the door. Standing there was a middle-age tired looking man. Everyone gazed intently, trying to rationalize the stranger’s interruption. A smile crossed the stranger face. It was a smile that Burke has seem countless times.

It was Jak.

"Jak! How the hell...?" was all that Burke could manage at first. "You old son-of-a-bitch! Where have you been hiding?"

"Didn’t you tell him Sunni?"

"Burke doesn’t do well with change these days" she replied.

Jak approached and hugged Burke. "Man I thought that I had problems when I got on the wrong bus heading to Topeka. Thanks to Sunni, I made it. She picked me up at the depot this morning. Her and her secretary did some fancy footwork with my parole officer to get me out of state to come here.

"Parole officer?" Burke questioned.

"Let’s not talk about that now OK? Burke it's good to see you man, I heard that you were doin' so good. I knew that you would. Wow. Let me look at you man. You got fat man. You've been eating some good cuts of meat." He walked up and shook Burke's hand. "Sunni, did you get him calmed down?"

Sunni looked embarrassed but didn't say anything.

"What's this all about?" Burke asked.

Jak was having fun playing with Sunni. He had a devilish look on his face. "Sunni said that you'd be pissed and to give her five minutes before I walked in. She said that she could get you calmed down in two, but give me five just in case."

Burke looked at Sunni with contempt but she gave him that smile and all he could do was return it. He decided it was best to move on. "Norb did I really see Dover's name on the sign coming into town?"

"Yes he's been Mayor for the least ten years. He's from Chicago you know. He can really get things done. People around here expect that he'll run for governor next term."

"Is he still the Zombie?" They all laughed remembering some of the crazy things that he did.

"No Burke, just the mayor. I think he gets some sort of kick back from all the pinball machines in town."

"Did anyone from the old gang stay in town? Maybe we could have them meet us for old times sake."

"General Marchbank stayed. He's still here" Norber answered. "But we can't see him. He's married; his wife has him on a very short leash. Very short; poor guy hasn't been out with his friends in years. He and his wife come in every once in a while. We talk a bit."

"Well maybe he's happy" Burke suggested.

"We'll never know will we?" Jak said.

"NO I guess we never will."

"How about Fluke?"

"He joined a cult about ten years ago" Norber answered. "You thought he was weird before! It's best just to write that guy off. He scares the shit out of me when he smiles."

Sunni broke in. "Hey you guys we've got to get to the airport in half an hour. Mostly-Bob and Fauna are flying in" Sunni announced.

"That's great. When is the actual wedding Sunni?" Burke asked.

"Wedding?" Jak questioned.

"Yeah didn't Sunni tell you about it?"

Sunni broke in. "Listen we got lots of time to discuss the future, lets finish the past first eh? We need to get going or we're going to be late." She said while locking her arms in theirs and leading them toward the door. They said good-bye to Norb over their shoulders as they headed out toward the Lexus. Sunni handed Burke the keys. "What do you expect me to do with these?" he asked.

"Drive?"

Burke looked down at his casted foot. He would not be driving for some time.

"I really shouldn't be driving either" Sunni said. "I don't even have a license that is valid in this country."

"Well I let mine slip too." Jak added. "Didn't have much use for a license where I was."

"How about it Jak-for old times sake?" Burke asked as he held out the keys. Jak smiled, he was honored. He looked down at Burke's feet. Still running around with only one shoe eh? Some things never change. They got in the Lexus and headed off... to the next adventure