Story Ready2CheckOut (A fictional story I wrote)

Lost in a Dream · Jul 15, 2026

3 years ago I started writing this story but never finished it. I made a significant amount of progress but stopped suddenly because I lost the motivation to continue until today when I suddenly felt like going back to it. Mostly all I did today was fix minor things in the old chapters, but after going through them, I've continued writing the story from where I left off. It's about a fictional suicide forum that is very similar to Sasu and members from the fictional site meet each other in real life by accident. The story does get very dark at times, but that is to be expected I suppose. There are some light-hearted moments in the story as well so hopefully someone likes those.

I'm going to share the first 2 chapters here just to see if there is any interest in it. The story takes place in 2023 because that is when I wrote it.

1

LonelyOfficeWorker33 only had one hour left before he had to return to the daily grind, but he was still sitting in his bed, clad in shorts and a worn-out T-shirt, browsing the forum he joined just a few months before on his smartphone. Its name was Ready2CheckOut.org, and he often found himself browsing threads containing detailed information about how to end his life in the section called, "Yes". Most days, he felt certain that he was ready to go, but sometimes he felt unsure. On those days, he sometimes read other people's threads in the "Maybe" section, but then something new would happen in the real world that made him feel certain about suicide all over again. He felt trapped and had no hope for the future.

He still needed to make himself some breakfast, take a shower, and head out the door, but he had no motivation to do any of those things, so he just kept browsing. He was in the process of reading a thread discussing Sodium Nitrite, when he suddenly received a notification that someone he followed had posted something. Curious, he clicked on the bell icon at the top of the screen. As soon as he did, he was saddened to see that it was the post of a heart broken, elderly man he'd been following since the beginning of his site membership: HippieBus62.

LonelyOfficeWorker33 (whose real name was Jeremy), was saddened by the title of the post he clicked on – "Anyone Else Lost a Spouse? How do you deal with it?"

Jeremy furrowed his eyebrows at the screen while scrolling through a thread that was created by a new member, describing how they wanted to die after losing their husband to cancer. This person also had doubts about suicide, and they were really struggling, so the first reply from HippieBus62 was a welcoming sight for them. He had the profile picture of a Volkswagen bus covered in colorful paint, peace signs, and flowers, displaying his love for the vehicle, and his freedom-loving spirit always showed itself in his words.

"Hey, I'm sorry about your husband," HippieBus62 said. "I wish I could tell you it gets easier, but it doesn't. When I lost my sweet Mary, she went quick, but it still hurts like hell after all these years. She didn't suffer long thankfully, so I can't imagine what it's like to watch someone you love so much waste away like that.

I kept some of her things and I talk to her, even though she isn't there. Sometimes I light up a joint and drink her favorite beer just to feel close to her. That's how I deal with it, but some days it just isn't enough. If you still have some of his things, maybe you can try something similar? I'm sorry for your loss, and I hope you can find a way to recover from this. Whatever you end up deciding, I'll support it 100%"

Reading the post caused Jeremy to get choked up, and he felt an ache in his throat as tears blurred his vision. Although his girlfriend had left him willingly, without dying, he still felt just as broken and empty as the people interacting in the thread. He didn't feel comfortable replying unfortunately, so he resorted to reacting to the two posts he read with hugging emojis, before logging out and closing the browser. Since it was a private browser, his online history was deleted automatically, so he set his smartphone down on the mattress beside him.

Wiping tears from his eyes, Jeremy swallowed hard and tried to calm himself as he spoke in a soft, shaky voice. "Fuck, why does that shit happen? It's fuckin bullshit…"

At last, he made the decision to get out of bed and crossed the hall to his bathroom. After doing his business, he stepped in front of the sink and looked at himself in the mirror. He had dark patches under his eyes, the disheveled mass of brown hair behind his receding hairline was an absolute mess, and the scraggly strands that poked out of his face told him that he was due for a shave. He had taken three days off from work to improve his mental health supposedly (one day for an hour of therapy), but most of that time was spent eating junk food, sleeping, and crying his eyes out over a beer bottle while watching old game shows on TV.

Jeremy narrowed his eyes at the mirror as he tried thinking of a joke to distract himself from his problems. "Okay, you lazy dick… Time to get ready for work!"

It wasn't much of a joke after all; he merely insulted himself. Still, he thought it was a little amusing, so he smirked at the mirror and chuckled. Then he undressed, took his shower, and got into his work attire after drying off and shaving his face. Leaving his bedroom and bathroom behind, he went out into the living room of his messy apartment, where he stepped over empty beer bottles, a few pizza boxes, and an empty carton of ice cream on his way to the kitchen. Directly above his electric stove and oven (which had eggshell pieces, stains, and dried up noodles all over it) was a cupboard where he kept a small stash of granola bars and his jar of Sodium Nitrite.

After pulling the door open, Jeremy smiled at the box of granola bars. "Hell yeah! A breakfast fit for a king…"

He grabbed a couple from their box, but then he paused to look at the big mason jar full of white powder at the back of the cupboard. It had no label on it now, so it would be impossible to identify at first glance, and he kept it well hidden behind packages of noodles and cans of soup. Satisfied that his SN was safe, he slammed the door shut before returning to his bathroom to inspect his outfit once more; his khakis, thinning brown hair, dress shirt, and blue tie were all in order. This meant it was time to get back out there and be the best wage slave he could be, just so he could keep paying taxes to Uncle Sam and keep up with the bills.

2

No matter how many years passed by, HippieBus62 never could forget the day he lost his young, beautiful wife just a few months after they got married. It was Memorial Day weekend in 1992, and he was only 30, but Mary was 29. The two of them were cruising down the interstate in HippieBus62's blue Mustang in holiday traffic, and they were in high spirits, despite feeling so cramped by all the vehicles around them.

When shit hit the fan, they were in the left lane with a semi-truck hauling a load of grocery store produce to their right, and a dark green minivan directly ahead of them. In that vehicle, the driver and front passenger seemed to be yelling at each other; they were making aggressive hand gestures, and sometimes they turned their heads to say something nasty to one another. Mary, being the kind-hearted soul she was, immediately started to worry about the people in front of them.

HippieBus62 (whose real name was Calvin) thought his wife's voice sounded like music, and when she spoke, he couldn't help but glance at her and smile. He never forgot the way the sunlight glistened on her long, black hair, as it shone in through the car windows, while the clam shell that hung from her necklace bounced up and down over the front of her rock and roll t-shirt whenever the car hit a bump. Her pretty face and bright smile melted his heart every time he saw her, and he could never have imagined living his life without her.

Mary's smile had faded from being worried about the people in the van, however, and she pointed at them to get her husband's attention. "I hope they're gonna be okay. If they keep that shit up, they're gonna cause an accident!"

Calvin glanced at his wife and smiled, but he remained silent. When he looked ahead at the minivan again, that is when he realized how intense their screaming match really was. Unsure of what to do in that situation, he reached up with one hand and started to anxiously play with his bushy, black mustache. The driver of the van appeared to be a middle-aged guy, mostly bald, and the passenger was a woman, possibly his wife. They were jabbing their index fingers at each other, and then the driver lifted his hand, threatening to smack his passenger with the back of it.

"If that dick hits her, I swear to God!" Mary cried, suddenly enraged. "I'll give him a new hole to shit out of!"

Not sure what to do, Calvin slammed his hand down on the steering wheel and honked the horn at the people in front of him. This caught the attention of the driver up ahead, who snarled back at them through his rear window. He scowled at Calvin directly for a few seconds, but then he turned back towards the front and slammed on his brakes, causing Calvin to do the same.

"Motherfucker!" Calvin cried. "That son of a bitch brake checked us!"

The driver ahead of them let up on his brakes, and his passenger yelled at him. Mary noticed that her husband had an iron grip on the steering wheel, so she had to try calming him down before things escalated.

She reached over and ran her fingers through Calvin's mullet to distract him, but her tone remained serious. "Don't let him get under your skin! You're better than that asshole. Just keep tailing him and we'll call the police when we get a chance."

Not wanting to make things worse, Calvin glanced at her, nodded, and then looked ahead at the minivan once more, just as the passenger pointed ahead through the windshield and screamed something. About a second later, the van took a sudden turn to the left and started swerving.

"Oh, fuck!" Calvin cried, just as both tires on the passenger side of the minivan blew.

Then the whole thing started to flip, revealing the jagged, broken 2x4 that lay horizontally across most of the left lane. Nails poked out of it everywhere and it went flying straight towards Calvin's Mustang, just as the vehicle ahead of it hit the ground and rolled multiple times before flipping over into the right lane, directly in front of the semi. The truck driver slammed on his brakes, but he still plowed through the van, creating a shower of sparks as crumpled steel and shards of glass scraped across the pavement.

As soon as the 2x4 went airborne, it turned and blasted straight through the middle of Calvin's windshield. It missed the couple by mere inches as it passed between them and turned the car into a shish kebab, but that was only the beginning of what was to come. The truck driver beside them had taken a turn to the left after smashing into the minivan, and Calvin had unintentionally turned his steering wheel towards the right, the moment the plank of wood impaled his car. He ended up crashing into the side of the truck's trailer, crumpling the front of his vehicle and flipping the back end upwards. This caused the giant, metal box full of fruits and vegetables to jackknife, as the truck driver lost complete control. The whole thing ended up flipping onto its right side and rolling, while the twisted hunk of scrap metal that was once a minivan blasted the strip of grass between the northbound and southbound lanes like a meteor, launching a cloud of dirt up into the air.

Calvin and Mary screamed all throughout, and glass flew all around them after they crashed and jettisoned the 2x4 out the rear window. The back end of the Mustang never went high enough to flip the car upside down, but when the back tires hit the pavement, they landed on pieces of twisted metal and popped, leaving the two of them trapped like sitting ducks. All the people coming up from behind swerved to try and miss them; some went off the road and crashed into each other, others smashed into the flipped semi-truck, but a large, red pickup that was unable to avoid the Mustang smashed into the passenger side of the car. The only thing Calvin could do was watch as the large pickup flew straight at them, turning to the left as the driver tried to miss them, and then slamming sideways into the passenger door. That whole side of the car caved in, killing Mary instantly, and he couldn't do anything but scream her name, before suddenly sitting up in bed.

His worn-out t-shirt and pajama pants were soaked in sweat, and his chest was heaving as he blinked his eyes and tried to remember where he was. When he realized that he had been reliving his past trauma all over again, he was brought forward in time nearly 31 years, to the start of 2023. This was the point where his mullet was gone, his hair was gray and disheveled, and he looked just as old and worn out as he felt. As the grief from losing his wife washed over him all over again, he buried his face in his hands and sobbed. After a few minutes, he calmed down enough to lower his hands to his lap and take a deep breath, but he was still devastated after witnessing his wife die for what seemed like the millionth time.

Realizing he needed to get up and clear his head, he got out of his bed and stepped over to his bathroom door, which was right next to the closet in his bedroom. He went inside, turned on the sink, and cupped his hands under the water so he could rinse his face. Once he calmed himself down some more, he looked at the mirror in front of him, which had spider web cracks all over it from punching it a few weeks earlier. He looked at the smooth sections of glass that remained and saw that his eyes were bloodshot, his face was pale, and long, tangled strands of gray hair hung down over his forehead.

"Fuck," was the only word that came to mind, so Calvin said it out loud and left the bathroom again.

Thinking fresh air might do him some good, he left his bedroom and headed down the hallway towards the stairwell that took him to the lower floor of his house. The place was kind of big, and the retirement money he collected from being an army veteran helped a lot, but sometimes it seemed too big, and it always felt empty, even though he had furniture. The stairs led down to a carpeted hallway that branched off to the right and left; one way led to his living room, and the other to his kitchen. Directly ahead was the front door of his house that led out to the front porch, and that was the door he went for first.

Sitting beside the door was a small table with a nearly empty pack of cigs, a small lighter, and the urn containing his wife's ashes resting on top. Calvin snatched the pack and the lighter before stepping outside and closing the door behind him. Once he was outside in the sunlight, he could hear birds chirping in the trees, and kids laughing in the distance, but hearing them didn't improve his mood at all.

Looking down into the pack, he realized he only had two cigarettes left. "Shit… Guess these will have to do."

He pulled one out and stuck it between his lips before lighting it up and taking a hit. Hoping to relax a little, he took a seat on the lawn chair that he kept on his porch, so he could enjoy the crisp, cool, early morning air of spring. By now, all the trees had buds on them again, and a few were sprouting leaves, but those things did little to ease Calvin's mind. He had lived a long life and seen a lot of shit, but nothing else he experienced came close to the pain of losing his wife so long ago. It never got easier with time, only harder, and now he was feeling an overwhelming urge to get the 12 gauge out of his gun safe and jam the barrel in his mouth.

By the time he finished his last two cigarettes, it was already starting to warm up a bit outside. He knew he would have to get more eventually, but at least he smoked enough to keep himself sane for awhile. He still wanted to die, but he felt like he had the patience to play the waiting game a little bit longer, just to see if there was any point in continuing his miserable existence.

After taking the final puff from his last cigarette, he stuck the butt down into an ash tray on a small table next to his chair. Then he put his hands on the knees of his pajama pants and got up with a sigh. After heading back inside, he turned and headed down the hallway that led to his kitchen, where he kept his reading glasses and a laptop sitting on a table by a window. After sitting down and opening his computer, he powered it on and put his reading glasses over the bridge of his nose. He had to wait a bit for it to start up, but then he went through his usual morning routine of logging into Ready2CheckOut? and browsing the site for any topics that caught his eye. He had a few notifications, but they were all from people liking his posts, so ignoring those, he went ahead and got to browsing.

Before long, he stumbled upon a thread that was posted by someone who lost their spouse to cancer, and he absolutely had to leave a reply. After reading their story, he felt their pain and it brought tears to his eyes, just like his nightmare had done a short while earlier. He had to pause and take off his glasses to wipe the tears away, but after putting them back on, he started typing away on the keyboard.

He did his best to comfort them, while also sharing his own experiences to let them know they weren't alone. After submitting his reply, he went back to browsing the site, but it only took a few minutes for the original poster and LonelyOfficeWorker33 to respond with hugging emojis. Seeing a familiar user like the post brought a smile to the old man's face, and he stayed on the site for a few more minutes, before logging off and setting his reading glasses back down on the table.

I hope someone likes these first 2 chapters. After I pasted the text into the spoilers, there were a lot of formatting issues I had to fix so hopefully I got them all. Feel free to leave some feedback! While I could try publishing this, I don't think I want to share it anywhere but here because honestly, most of the world probably isn't ready to handle what I've written on these pages. If there's enough interest, I will post Chapters 3 and 4 in a few days.

witchcraft · Jul 15, 2026

Lost in a Dream said:
3 years ago I started writing this story but never finished it. I made a significant amount of progress but stopped suddenly because I lost the motivation to continue until today when I suddenly felt like going back to it. Mostly all I did today was fix minor things in the old chapters, but after going through them, I've continued writing the story from where I left off. It's about a fictional suicide forum that is very similar to Sasu and members from the fictional site meet each other in real life by accident. The story does get very dark at times, but that is to be expected I suppose. There are some light-hearted moments in the story as well so hopefully someone likes those.

I'm going to share the first 2 chapters here just to see if there is any interest in it. The story takes place in 2023 because that is when I wrote it.

I hope someone likes these first 2 chapters. After I pasted the text into the spoilers, there were a lot of formatting issues I had to fix so hopefully I got them all. Feel free to leave some feedback! While I could try publishing this, I don't think I want to share it anywhere but here because honestly, most of the world probably isn't ready to handle what I've written on these pages. If there's enough interest, I will post Chapters 3 and 4 in a few days.

This is inspiring, since I was also working on a story a few years ago and lost motivation. Thanks for sharing.

Lost in a Dream · Jul 15, 2026

witchcraft said:
This is inspiring, since I was also working on a story a few years ago and lost motivation. Thanks for sharing.

I do hope you can continue your story! Perhaps I can provide you with some more inspiration.

Lost in a Dream · Jul 16, 2026

I decided to post the next couple of chapters a little earlier than I originally planned so here we go!

3

Somewhere in a high-rise office building, Jeremy was sitting behind his desk in the IT department, helping a very ungrateful accountant a few floors up fix one of their printers. He was using his headset to talk to them on his office phone, while they were ranting and raving and smacking the printer with their hand.

"I keep trying to put the paper in, but it just keeps jamming when I try to print!" the accountant cried. "What the hell am I doing wrong?!"

Trying his best to keep calm, Jeremy told him, "Sir, you need to slide the sheets of paper in vertically, and you need to keep them straight and even-"

"I know that!" the accountant cried. "I keep doing exactly what you're telling me, but it still jams up! I have to print off physical copies of these spreadsheets in the next twenty minutes, but the damn thing's broken!"

"Sir," Jeremy tried to say again. "We-"

"Just get up here and fix it!" the accountant cried. "I don't have time for this crap!"

Hearing the anger continuing to rise in the accountant's voice only served to increase Jeremy's anxiety. He listened while the very angry person on the phone struck the plastic exterior of their printer with their fist, and he was at a loss. He had no idea how to help this person or keep them calm without taking the elevator up and looking into the problem himself, but having the accountant constantly looking over his shoulder the whole time would've been hell, and he was determined to do whatever it took to avoid that.

After a bit more arguing between the two of them, Jeremy finally had enough and snapped right back at the person. "Maybe if you stop hitting the damn thing and being a dick, I'll actually be able to help you!"

The accountant gasped, and his voice was filled with rage when he growled back, "What did you just say to me?"

"You heard me!" Jeremy told him. "I said stop being a dick and I'll be able to help you!"

At that, the accountant totally lost it. "You IT people are always so damn rude,and you can't even do your jobs right! You people can't ever fix anything, and then you just want to blame everyone else when things don't work! I'm going to speak with your supervisor!"

Jeremy chuckled. "Go ahead. This job sucks anyway, and you're still an asshole. Goodbye!"

At that, he hung up on the accountant and threw his headset down on his desk. Then he exhaled loudly and put a hand over his forehead, just as one of his coworkers stuck their head up over the top of the wall between their cubicles. This guy had wild, blond hair that stood up all over his head, a thick beard with a matching mustache, and he watched curiously while Jeremy folded his arms on the desk and dropped his face down on top of them.

Jeremy sighed loudly and mumbled, "Someone kill me now… Please…"

The blond coworker (whose name tag read Kevin) smirked down at him while standing on a cardboard box full of office supplies. "It was Roger from accounting again, wasn't it?"

Startled by the voice, Jeremy picked his head up, suddenly afraid that someone would report him to HR and have him sent to the nearest psych ward before the day was even done.

Trying to hide how he was feeling, he forced a smile and said, "Yep."

"Man, that guy's a dick!" Kevin said with a laugh, before jumping down off his box and walking into the neighboring cubicle. "Don't let him get to ya man, he's like that with everybody!"

Jeremy spun around in his chair and pretended to be amused by something his coworker had said in the past. "I still can't believe you told him to take his computer out for dinner and a movie the other day. That shit was pretty funny."

Kevin shrugged. "He couldn't get his files to open because his computer was laggy. It seemed like the next logical step!"

Jeremy chuckled and shook his head. "You're lucky he didn't rat you out."

"Pfft!" Kevin said after swatting the air with his hand. "That dude's bark is worse than his bite! Besides, our boss scares him anyway. That guy could outdo Roger in a screaming match easy!"

Jeremy rolled his eyes and spun his chair around, so he was facing his desk again, and that is when his fake smile vanished. He knew he had been much more aggressive to the accountant than his coworker had been, so if anyone was going to be reported, it would be him. It always seemed like he was the one getting the short end of the stick, while everyone around him got to have the life they wanted. The only exceptions to this, were the people he interacted with on Ready2CheckOut?

"Hey, man," Kevin said, reminding his coworker that he was still standing there in the cubicle. "You okay?"

Jeremy glanced back and faked another smile. "Yeah, I'm just tired."

The blond coworker was standing there playing around with his tie while he watched Jeremy curiously. "After having three days off? Okay, what party did you go to, and why the hell wasn't I invited?"

Jeremy suddenly felt anxious, so he swiveled his chair back around, just as Kevin started to laugh, and then he realized it was a joke. "I, uh, well… I was with some old college buddies. We were just hanging out, ya know, drinking beers."

"Cool," Kevin said. "Anyway, I better get back. If that dick from accounting gives you anymore shit, tell him I said hi!"

Jeremy chuckled and nodded. "Okay! Will do."

Then his coworker returned to his own workspace, so Jeremy turned back towards his cluttered desk and glanced at the small, digital clock at the corner of his computer screen. He had about half an hour left on his shift, and now it was getting to be late enough in spring that it was still daylight for a few hours after he punched out at five.

For the remainder of that time, Jeremy was bored, so he took out his phone and used it to play Chess (even while on the clock!), but the second time he got checkmated by the AI, he closed the app and cussed quietly. "Shit, I still suck."

Then he discovered he had a text message, and when he opened it up, he discovered that it was his older sister checking on him. "Hope you're OK little bro! Call me when you get this! We need to talk."

Jeremy knew she was just worried about him, but at the same time, he wished she would just leave him alone. All he wanted to do was go home, watch some old game shows, and sip on a beer in his crumb-covered recliner that didn't even recline. He appreciated her eagerness to help, but at this point it seemed like his sister was trying to resuscitate a dead horse that kicked the bucket years ago, and what frustrated him the most, was her habit of insisting that he stay at a hospital whenever she thought he was spiraling. This meant he probably couldn't convince her to respect the right to die that he felt he deserved, so just like with everyone else, he kept his real feelings bottled up and pretended to be normal around her.

Jeremy sighed and rolled his eyes while he sat there, staring down at the text message. "Come on sis, just leave me alone already…"

He honestly thought about ignoring the message entirely, just so he could go home and lock the door to keep the outside world from bugging him. He couldn't do much to keep noisy neighbors from bothering him, but at least he could slow down the progress of any white knights coming to save him from suicide. Deciding to pretend he didn't see the message until hours later, Jeremy minimized the text message app, but then his sister texted him again, and that is when he knew any plans he had of relaxing for the night had been ruined.

"Ur apartment's fucked!" was her next message.

Jeremy froze and started to panic. She was in his apartment! Since she didn't have a key, he knew the only way she could've gotten inside is if she asked the landlord to let her in, and since the landlord knew his family… It meant his sister could easily carryout any wellness checks she felt like doing.

"Good thing the SN isn't labeled," Jeremy whispered to himself, before his eyes went wide. Quickly glancing around, he checked to make sure Kevin wasn't spying on him again.

Thankfully, his coworker was talking to someone on his phone, probably helping someone with a technical problem, so Jeremy sighed with relief, knowing that his suicide plan was safe. Still, he knew that if his sister was at the apartment, he would have to get there before she started cleaning the place without him. If he took too long and she discovered his jar of SN, he was afraid she might start asking questions about it, but he hoped she would just assume it was sugar or something.

Realizing he better text her back, Jeremy clicked on the notification and sent another message. "Be out in a few. C U later."

His sister answered right away and said, "Landlord let me in. I hope it's okay! C U when u get here."

Jeremy turned off the screen and shoved his phone into the pocket of his khakis. He spent the remainder of his shift bored out of his mind until it was time to leave, and then he hurried off to the time clock in the break room like everyone else. They all lined up and wormed their way around the three round tables that sat in the room with chairs scattered about, only to get their lunch bags and boxes out of the fridge and lockers before hurrying out the door.

When it was finally Jeremy's turn to get up there, he scanned his employee badge; freedom at last. He didn't waste any time slipping past his coworkers who were standing around the break room chatting though, because he really wanted to get the hell out of there. He wanted to give his apartment a half-assed clean, just to make his sister go away, and then his plan was to get out his last two beers and drown his sorrows with them in front of his TV.

4

For most of the day, Calvin had a difficult time pushing the memories of his wife's death out of his mind, but he did have some reliable distractions to turn to. His favorite, of course, was the Volkswagen bus that sat out in his garage. It was rare for him to drive it, and he only took it out on nice days, so he could keep the exterior looking pretty for as long as possible. It was late in the evening when he pulled into his driveway in a rusty, old pickup after running a couple errands. He parked it off to the side so it wasn't blocking the main door of his attached garage, and then he got out and limped his way across the lawn so he could let himself in from the side entrance.

As soon as he opened the door and stepped inside, he flipped on the light switch beside him, causing the LED bulbs in the rafters to come on and reflect off the bus's colorful exterior. The whole thing was covered in a coat of baby blue paint, with rainbows, flowers, and seashells painted over top of that.

Calvin stepped over to the bus and grabbed the handle on his driver's side door, but he didn't open it right away. Instead, he spoke to the bus. "How's it going, old girl? You feel like getting out of the house for a bit? I gotta take some pain meds first. I sat too long in the truck…"

The bus didn't answer of course, but if it had been able to, Calvin was sure it would've been more than eager to hit the road. Unfortunately, due to the injuries he sustained all those years ago when his wife died in the pileup, he had to be careful not to sit down for too long or overwork himself doing chores outside. Doing so had a tendency to trigger intense pain in either his right hip, right shoulder, or his right leg (and sometimes all three at once). He also experienced pain sometimes from injuries he got overseas (both before and after he lost his wife), but those ones didn't hurt as often as the ones inflicted by the pickup that smashed his Mustang, or the other cars that piled up behind that.

Letting go of the door handle, Calvin walked around the bus and entered his house through the side entrance that led from his garage into the kitchen. Still limping, he went past the table where his laptop and reading glasses were, so he could retrieve a bottle of pills from a cupboard above his sink.

As soon as he opened the door and spotted his prescription meds, he reached up with a shaky hand and grabbed them. "Get out here you son of a bitch!"

Then he twisted the top and poured a couple pills into his hand, before setting the bottle aside and heading over to his fridge. He yanked the door open and reached inside for a can of root beer. Popping it open really quick, he gulped down the pills and chugged half of the can before stopping for a breather.

After closing the door to his fridge, he went over to his table and opened his laptop again. He wanted to log into Ready2CheckOut? and browse for a bit, but he didn't really feel like sitting down just yet. All the driving around in his truck had taken a toll on him, and now he was gonna have to wait for the meds to kick in before he could even take the bus for a spin. In the meantime, he was going to try walking it off while he waited for the pain to fade, but once it did, he was going to get his cigarette packs out of the truck and put them in the bus, so he could have a smoke while he was driving down the road again.

Heading back out to his garage, he shut the door behind him and walked towards the front of the bus, which was facing out towards the road. Once he got to the front of his garage, he pushed a button on the wall beside the main door that caused it to lift up along its track. As it was sliding upwards, sunlight poured in, reflecting off the face of the VW bus. Stepping outside, he went back to his truck and pulled open the driver's door so he could grab the packs of smokes.

Once he had them, he shut the door with his foot, and shielded his eyes with his free hand when he turned back towards the garage. "Damn, I can't see shit!"

As soon as he stepped back into the garage, he headed over to the driver's door of the bus and pulled it open. Climbing inside, he shoved his new packs of cigarettes into a wireframe basket/cup holder that was hanging from the dash. Since his hip was hurting, he jumped back out and opened one of his packs. Heading back outside, he took out his lighter from his jeans pocket, and lit up the tube in his hand, so he could have a smoke while he walked around, waiting for his pain meds to start working. Not wanting to be blinded by the sunlight reflecting off the front of the bus again, he went around to the side of the garage and while enjoying the shade, listened to the sound of someone mowing their lawn in the distance while birds chirped in the trees on his property.

By the time his cigarette was gone, he was starting to feel good enough to sit in a driver's seat again, so he blew one last cloud of smoke, dropped the butt on the ground, and stamped on it. "Okay, guess I'm ready then."

Going back into the garage, he climbed up into the front of his bus. Once he was seated behind the steering wheel, he closed the door and looked up at the rearview mirror, where his deceased wife's seashell necklace was hanging.

Reaching up to retrieve it, Calvin removed the necklace from where it hung and gripped the shell tightly in his hand. "Hey, Mary. I had another dream about you this morning. The one where we had that accident. Fuck… I went out and tried to get my mind off it, but uh… I guess it didn't work."

Tears started to fog his vision while he sat there, staring down at the seashell and talking to it. He really had no idea if his wife could hear him or not. He didn't even know if there was an afterlife, but he really hoped she could. If nothing else, talking to her sometimes helped him feel better, but this time it didn't seem like it was getting him anywhere.

Calvin felt an ache in his throat, so he swallowed hard to make it go away before speaking again. "Almost thirty-one years… Seems like it just happened… God damn it. I wish you were here."

Since this wasn't helping, he put the seashell necklace back on the rearview mirror, and dug his keys out of his pocket. He wiped the tears that were falling from his eyes with the back of his hand, before putting the key in and firing up the engine in the back. The motor rattled to life, but hummed gently as he pulled out of the garage and closed the door behind him with the small remote that was clipped to the basket on the dash.

Once the garage door was closed all the way, Calvin pulled the bus up to the end of his driveway, but stopped to let a couple kids go by on their bicycles. One of them even glanced up at his ride curiously, and they must've thought it was cool, because they smiled before continuing on their way. Seeing it made the old man smile as well, and once the path was clear, he left the driveway and headed off down the road. Getting in the bus and going for a drive rarely failed to make him forget his problems, and if he was having a particularly hard time, he also had the option of going camping in it, since the back had been turned into a living space equipped with a sink, some cupboards, and a minifridge.

Calvin had a couple of friends who stopped by to see him once in a while, but he always preferred camping alone. On those occasions, he loved sitting in the back with the windows open, listening to the crickets chirping outside while smoking a fatty. He was even thinking about taking off and doing it towards the end of the week (it was currently Wednesday), but he would have to make some preparations first. He was considering taking his shotgun with him, and attempting suicide in the back of the bus, but he still had his doubts about it being the right choice. At least he had a few days to think about it.

In the present, he was just going down the road, enjoying the day while the pain meds in his system gradually relieved the pain in his hip. For the remainder of the evening, he made the decision to push aside his thoughts of suicide for a little while, just because he knew he didn't have to plan anything immediately. Right then, the only thing he cared about was avoiding traffic, since he lived in the suburbs of a big city, and unbeknownst to him, it was the same city where LonelyOfficeWorker33 held an IT job in a skyscraper.

Heading away from the business district, Calvin stuck to side streets and headed towards the outskirts of the city, so he could stop somewhere for a cheap burger without waiting in a huge line. After driving past dozens of houses with manicured lawns, he started wishing the Homeowner's Association would leave him alone for not mowing his, but he forgot about them as soon he left the residential area, passing fast food restaurants, gas stations, and other small businesses. He definitely felt hungry, after having not eaten much during the day, so he settled for fast food, looking to relax and eat something salty, crunchy, and delicious.

After picking a place, he pulled up to the drive through, and the cashier had something to say. "Hey, nice ride! Where did you get the hippie bus?"

Calvin smiled at the cashier before handing him a handful of cash. "It was my dad's, but he left it to me when he died. I had to finish restoring it without him, unfortunately."

The cashier took the money and handed back the change. "I'm sorry for your loss. I love the bus!"

After taking his change and pulling up to the next window, he got his bag of food. The second employee wasn't much of a conversationalist; all they said was, "Cool bus, have a nice day!"

Calvin put his small drink in the cup holder inside the wireframe basket. He had to move the packs of cigs out of the way to get the cup to fit, but he set his actual meal down on the floor, before circling around the small restaurant, looking for a place to park. The lot was almost empty, so it didn't take long for him to find a good spot for himself; he parked his bus horizontally across a few parking spaces, so he could sit under the shade of a big tree and eat while he watched random cars drive past. What he didn't realize was that something interesting was about to happen; someone fromReady2CheckOut? was about to drive past him and get stuck in a very messy situation.

miso_soup · Jul 16, 2026

Lost in a Dream said:
3 years ago I started writing this story but never finished it. I made a significant amount of progress but stopped suddenly because I lost the motivation to continue until today when I suddenly felt like going back to it. Mostly all I did today was fix minor things in the old chapters, but after going through them, I've continued writing the story from where I left off. It's about a fictional suicide forum that is very similar to Sasu and members from the fictional site meet each other in real life by accident. The story does get very dark at times, but that is to be expected I suppose. There are some light-hearted moments in the story as well so hopefully someone likes those.

I'm going to share the first 2 chapters here just to see if there is any interest in it. The story takes place in 2023 because that is when I wrote it.

1

LonelyOfficeWorker33 only had one hour left before he had to return to the daily grind, but he was still sitting in his bed, clad in shorts and a worn-out T-shirt, browsing the forum he joined just a few months before on his smartphone. Its name was Ready2CheckOut?.org, and he often found himself browsing threads containing detailed information about how to end his life in the section called, "Yes". Most days, he felt certain that he was ready to go, but sometimes he felt unsure. On those days, he sometimes read other people's threads in the "Maybe" section, but then something new would happen in the real world that made him feel certain about suicide all over again. He felt trapped and had no hope for the future.

He still needed to make himself some breakfast, take a shower, and head out the door, but he had no motivation to do any of those things, so he just kept browsing. He was in the process of reading a thread discussing Sodium Nitrite, when he suddenly received a notification that someone he followed had posted something. Curious, he clicked on the bell icon at the top of the screen. As soon as he did, he was saddened to see that it was the post of a heart broken, elderly man he'd been following since the beginning of his site membership: HippieBus62.

LonelyOfficeWorker33 (whose real name was Jeremy), was saddened by the title of the post he clicked on – "Anyone Else Lost a Spouse? How do you deal with it?"

Jeremy furrowed his eyebrows at the screen while scrolling through a thread that was created by a new member, describing how they wanted to die after losing their husband to cancer. This person also had doubts about suicide, and they were really struggling, so the first reply from HippieBus62 was a welcoming sight for them. He had the profile picture of a Volkswagen bus covered in colorful paint, peace signs, and flowers, displaying his love for the vehicle, and his freedom-loving spirit always showed itself in his words.

"Hey, I'm sorry about your husband," HippieBus62 said. "I wish I could tell you it gets easier, but it doesn't. When I lost my sweet Mary, she went quick, but it still hurts like hell after all these years. She didn't suffer long thankfully, so I can't imagine what it's like to watch someone you love so much waste away like that.

I kept some of her things and I talk to her, even though she isn't there. Sometimes I light up a joint and drink her favorite beer just to feel close to her. That's how I deal with it, but some days it just isn't enough. If you still have some of his things, maybe you can try something similar? I'm sorry for your loss, and I hope you can find a way to recover from this. Whatever you end up deciding, I'll support it 100%"

Reading the post caused Jeremy to get choked up, and he felt an ache in his throat as tears blurred his vision. Although his girlfriend had left him willingly, without dying, he still felt just as broken and empty as the people interacting in the thread. He didn't feel comfortable replying unfortunately, so he resorted to reacting to the two posts he read with hugging emojis, before logging out and closing the browser. Since it was a private browser, his online history was deleted automatically, so he set his smartphone down on the mattress beside him.

Wiping tears from his eyes, Jeremy swallowed hard and tried to calm himself as he spoke in a soft, shaky voice. "Fuck, why does that shit happen? It's fuckin bullshit…"

At last, he made the decision to get out of bed and crossed the hall to his bathroom. After doing his business, he stepped in front of the sink and looked at himself in the mirror. He had dark patches under his eyes, the disheveled mass of brown hair behind his receding hairline was an absolute mess, and the scraggly strands that poked out of his face told him that he was due for a shave. He had taken three days off from work to improve his mental health supposedly (one day for an hour of therapy), but most of that time was spent eating junk food, sleeping, and crying his eyes out over a beer bottle while watching old game shows on TV.

Jeremy narrowed his eyes at the mirror as he tried thinking of a joke to distract himself from his problems. "Okay, you lazy dick… Time to get ready for work!"

It wasn't much of a joke after all; he merely insulted himself. Still, he thought it was a little amusing, so he smirked at the mirror and chuckled. Then he undressed, took his shower, and got into his work attire after drying off and shaving his face. Leaving his bedroom and bathroom behind, he went out into the living room of his messy apartment, where he stepped over empty beer bottles, a few pizza boxes, and an empty carton of ice cream on his way to the kitchen. Directly above his electric stove and oven (which had eggshell pieces, stains, and dried up noodles all over it) was a cupboard where he kept a small stash of granola bars and his jar of Sodium Nitrite.

After pulling the door open, Jeremy smiled at the box of granola bars. "Hell yeah! A breakfast fit for a king…"

He grabbed a couple from their box, but then he paused to look at the big mason jar full of white powder at the back of the cupboard. It had no label on it now, so it would be impossible to identify at first glance, and he kept it well hidden behind packages of noodles and cans of soup. Satisfied that his SN was safe, he slammed the door shut before returning to his bathroom to inspect his outfit once more; his khakis, thinning brown hair, dress shirt, and blue tie were all in order. This meant it was time to get back out there and be the best wage slave he could be, just so he could keep paying taxes to Uncle Sam and keep up with the bills.

2

No matter how many years passed by, HippieBus62 never could forget the day he lost his young, beautiful wife just a few months after they got married. It was Memorial Day weekend in 1992, and he was only 30, but Mary was 29. The two of them were cruising down the interstate in HippieBus62's blue Mustang in holiday traffic, and they were in high spirits, despite feeling so cramped by all the vehicles around them.

When shit hit the fan, they were in the left lane with a semi-truck hauling a load of grocery store produce to their right, and a dark green minivan directly ahead of them. In that vehicle, the driver and front passenger seemed to be yelling at each other; they were making aggressive hand gestures, and sometimes they turned their heads to say something nasty to one another. Mary, being the kind-hearted soul she was, immediately started to worry about the people in front of them.

HippieBus62 (whose real name was Calvin) thought his wife's voice sounded like music, and when she spoke, he couldn't help but glance at her and smile. He never forgot the way the sunlight glistened on her long, black hair, as it shone in through the car windows, while the clam shell that hung from her necklace bounced up and down over the front of her rock and roll t-shirt whenever the car hit a bump. Her pretty face and bright smile melted his heart every time he saw her, and he could never have imagined living his life without her.

Mary's smile had faded from being worried about the people in the van, however, and she pointed at them to get her husband's attention. "I hope they're gonna be okay. If they keep that shit up, they're gonna cause an accident!"

Calvin glanced at his wife and smiled, but he remained silent. When he looked ahead at the minivan again, that is when he realized how intense their screaming match really was. Unsure of what to do in that situation, he reached up with one hand and started to anxiously play with his bushy, black mustache. The driver of the van appeared to be a middle-aged guy, mostly bald, and the passenger was a woman, possibly his wife. They were jabbing their index fingers at each other, and then the driver lifted his hand, threatening to smack his passenger with the back of it.

"If that dick hits her, I swear to God!" Mary cried, suddenly enraged. "I'll give him a new hole to shit out of!"

Not sure what to do, Calvin slammed his hand down on the steering wheel and honked the horn at the people in front of him. This caught the attention of the driver up ahead, who snarled back at them through his rear window. He scowled at Calvin directly for a few seconds, but then he turned back towards the front and slammed on his brakes, causing Calvin to do the same.

"Motherfucker!" Calvin cried. "That son of a bitch brake checked us!"

The driver ahead of them let up on his brakes, and his passenger yelled at him. Mary noticed that her husband had an iron grip on the steering wheel, so she had to try calming him down before things escalated.

She reached over and ran her fingers through Calvin's mullet to distract him, but her tone remained serious. "Don't let him get under your skin! You're better than that asshole. Just keep tailing him and we'll call the police when we get a chance."

Not wanting to make things worse, Calvin glanced at her, nodded, and then looked ahead at the minivan once more, just as the passenger pointed ahead through the windshield and screamed something. About a second later, the van took a sudden turn to the left and started swerving.

"Oh, fuck!" Calvin cried, just as both tires on the passenger side of the minivan blew.

Then the whole thing started to flip, revealing the jagged, broken 2x4 that lay horizontally across most of the left lane. Nails poked out of it everywhere and it went flying straight towards Calvin's Mustang, just as the vehicle ahead of it hit the ground and rolled multiple times before flipping over into the right lane, directly in front of the semi. The truck driver slammed on his brakes, but he still plowed through the van, creating a shower of sparks as crumpled steel and shards of glass scraped across the pavement.

As soon as the 2x4 went airborne, it turned and blasted straight through the middle of Calvin's windshield. It missed the couple by mere inches as it passed between them and turned the car into a shish kebab, but that was only the beginning of what was to come. The truck driver beside them had taken a turn to the left after smashing into the minivan, and Calvin had unintentionally turned his steering wheel towards the right, the moment the plank of wood impaled his car. He ended up crashing into the side of the truck's trailer, crumpling the front of his vehicle and flipping the back end upwards. This caused the giant, metal box full of fruits and vegetables to jackknife, as the truck driver lost complete control. The whole thing ended up flipping onto its right side and rolling, while the twisted hunk of scrap metal that was once a minivan blasted the strip of grass between the northbound and southbound lanes like a meteor, launching a cloud of dirt up into the air.

Calvin and Mary screamed all throughout, and glass flew all around them after they crashed and jettisoned the 2x4 out the rear window. The back end of the Mustang never went high enough to flip the car upside down, but when the back tires hit the pavement, they landed on pieces of twisted metal and popped, leaving the two of them trapped like sitting ducks. All the people coming up from behind swerved to try and miss them; some went off the road and crashed into each other, others smashed into the flipped semi-truck, but a large, red pickup that was unable to avoid the Mustang smashed into the passenger side of the car. The only thing Calvin could do was watch as the large pickup flew straight at them, turning to the left as the driver tried to miss them, and then slamming sideways into the passenger door. That whole side of the car caved in, killing Mary instantly, and he couldn't do anything but scream her name, before suddenly sitting up in bed.

His worn-out t-shirt and pajama pants were soaked in sweat, and his chest was heaving as he blinked his eyes and tried to remember where he was. When he realized that he had been reliving his past trauma all over again, he was brought forward in time nearly 31 years, to the start of 2023. This was the point where his mullet was gone, his hair was gray and disheveled, and he looked just as old and worn out as he felt. As the grief from losing his wife washed over him all over again, he buried his face in his hands and sobbed. After a few minutes, he calmed down enough to lower his hands to his lap and take a deep breath, but he was still devastated after witnessing his wife die for what seemed like the millionth time.

Realizing he needed to get up and clear his head, he got out of his bed and stepped over to his bathroom door, which was right next to the closet in his bedroom. He went inside, turned on the sink, and cupped his hands under the water so he could rinse his face. Once he calmed himself down some more, he looked at the mirror in front of him, which had spider web cracks all over it from punching it a few weeks earlier. He looked at the smooth sections of glass that remained and saw that his eyes were bloodshot, his face was pale, and long, tangled strands of gray hair hung down over his forehead.

"Fuck," was the only word that came to mind, so Calvin said it out loud and left the bathroom again.

Thinking fresh air might do him some good, he left his bedroom and headed down the hallway towards the stairwell that took him to the lower floor of his house. The place was kind of big, and the retirement money he collected from being an army veteran helped a lot, but sometimes it seemed too big, and it always felt empty, even though he had furniture. The stairs led down to a carpeted hallway that branched off to the right and left; one way led to his living room, and the other to his kitchen. Directly ahead was the front door of his house that led out to the front porch, and that was the door he went for first.

Sitting beside the door was a small table with a nearly empty pack of cigs, a small lighter, and the urn containing his wife's ashes resting on top. Calvin snatched the pack and the lighter before stepping outside and closing the door behind him. Once he was outside in the sunlight, he could hear birds chirping in the trees, and kids laughing in the distance, but hearing them didn't improve his mood at all.

Looking down into the pack, he realized he only had two cigarettes left. "Shit… Guess these will have to do."

He pulled one out and stuck it between his lips before lighting it up and taking a hit. Hoping to relax a little, he took a seat on the lawn chair that he kept on his porch, so he could enjoy the crisp, cool, early morning air of spring. By now, all the trees had buds on them again, and a few were sprouting leaves, but those things did little to ease Calvin's mind. He had lived a long life and seen a lot of shit, but nothing else he experienced came close to the pain of losing his wife so long ago. It never got easier with time, only harder, and now he was feeling an overwhelming urge to get the 12 gauge out of his gun safe and jam the barrel in his mouth.

By the time he finished his last two cigarettes, it was already starting to warm up a bit outside. He knew he would have to get more eventually, but at least he smoked enough to keep himself sane for awhile. He still wanted to die, but he felt like he had the patience to play the waiting game a little bit longer, just to see if there was any point in continuing his miserable existence.

After taking the final puff from his last cigarette, he stuck the butt down into an ash tray on a small table next to his chair. Then he put his hands on the knees of his pajama pants and got up with a sigh. After heading back inside, he turned and headed down the hallway that led to his kitchen, where he kept his reading glasses and a laptop sitting on a table by a window. After sitting down and opening his computer, he powered it on and put his reading glasses over the bridge of his nose. He had to wait a bit for it to start up, but then he went through his usual morning routine of logging into Ready2CheckOut? and browsing the site for any topics that caught his eye. He had a few notifications, but they were all from people liking his posts, so ignoring those, he went ahead and got to browsing.

Before long, he stumbled upon a thread that was posted by someone who lost their spouse to cancer, and he absolutely had to leave a reply. After reading their story, he felt their pain and it brought tears to his eyes, just like his nightmare had done a short while earlier. He had to pause and take off his glasses to wipe the tears away, but after putting them back on, he started typing away on the keyboard.

He did his best to comfort them, while also sharing his own experiences to let them know they weren't alone. After submitting his reply, he went back to browsing the site, but it only took a few minutes for the original poster and LonelyOfficeWorker33 to respond with hugging emojis. Seeing a familiar user like the post brought a smile to the old man's face, and he stayed on the site for a few more minutes, before logging off and setting his reading glasses back down on the table.

I hope someone likes these first 2 chapters. After I pasted the text into the spoilers, there were a lot of formatting issues I had to fix so hopefully I got them all. Feel free to leave some feedback! While I could try publishing this, I don't think I want to share it anywhere but here because honestly, most of the world probably isn't ready to handle what I've written on these pages. If there's enough interest, I will post Chapters 3 and 4 in a few days.

i really like the story. i wonder what pushed you to write about this particular thing

Lost in a Dream · Jul 16, 2026

miso_soup said:
i really like the story. i wonder what pushed you to write about this particular thing

I'm not quite sure 100% since it was a while ago but it started I think when I saw something on tv about a hippie bus and I came up with this wild idea about some guys going on a road trip in it. Why did I include the suicide forum? That I can't remember. I think it was because I spent so much time on here back then that it made the characters relatable.

miso_soup · Jul 16, 2026

Lost in a Dream said:
I'm not quite sure 100% since it was a while ago but it started I think when I saw something on tv about a hippie bus and I came up with this wild idea about some guys going on a road trip in it. Why did I include the suicide forum? That I can't remember. I think it was because I spent so much time on here back then that it made the characters relatable.

that makes a lot of sense. thx for answering

miso_soup · Jul 16, 2026

Lost in a Dream said:
I decided to post the next couple of chapters a little earlier than I originally planned so here we go!

yooo i'm so glad you did! i love the story so far!!

Lost in a Dream · Jul 17, 2026

I decided to post a couple more chapters so hopefully you guys like the way the story is coming together so far.

5

After leaving work and taking the elevator down to the parking garage, Jeremy hurried past a long row of cars as he looked for his rusty beater. Whatever it was, it was hard to identify because of how much rust was on it, but it was at least obvious that he drove a sedan with four doors. The manufacturer's label had already fallen off the back, leaving a rusty spot where the letters used to be, his muffler was hanging on by a thread, and the doors, fenders, and wheel wells were rusting through in multiple places. Someone who was very knowledgeable about cars might be able to identify it right away, but he wasn't one of those people. The only reason he knew what he was driving was because he bought it and it came with a title.

As soon as he got in and slammed the door shut, he set his employee badge in the center console and started the car. The engine made aloud whine and started to rattle a bit as it came to life, but after a little while, it smoothed itself out. Then he checked to make sure no one was coming and backed out of the parking space. He went around in circles a few times on his way down to the parking garage exit, but when Jeremy came up to the security guard's station, he showed them his badge and fled. Going out into the tangled mess of bumper to bumper traffic, he saw thousands of cars sitting in the road inching along as the drivers honked their horns at each other.

Fora while, the traffic was backed up so bad, that Jeremy had to watch the traffic light go from red, to green, and back to yellow and red again multiple times before finally getting through the first intersection. Then he repeated the process again, since all the lanes around him were packed with other people trying to get home or to work for their overnight shifts. Either way, this experience of driving back and forth was hell for him, since he just wanted to go home, get drunk, watch some TV, and contemplate whether he should kill himself the next morning. He hadn't had the jar of SN for long, but he still needed to get the recommended medications before trying it out, so he was still a little hesitant.

Eventually,the traffic came to a complete standstill and Jeremy grumbled to himself while he sat there and stared at the construction barrels and signs all around him. "Fucking bullshit… All I want to do is go home… Is that too much to fucking ask?"

For several more minutes, he sat there, bored out of his mind, wishing he could already be at his apartment. He also knew his sister was waiting for him, probably checking the place for suicide methods, and he was terrified of what might happen if she discovered that his jar of salt was something much more dangerous than it appeared to be.

He tapped his fingers on the steering wheel and kind of bounced around on the seat anxiously while he looked out at the stranded cars around him. "Come on, come on… Fucking come on!"

Then his phone went off again. It was probably another text from his sister, asking how far away from the apartment he was, but he couldn't get to his phone. It was jammed down into the pocket of his khakis, and the traffic was starting to move again, so he ignored it as he pulled up to the detour signs and prepared to turn.

"Come on," Jeremy grumbled again. "Almost fucking there…"

As soon as the opportunity presented itself, he rounded the corner onto a less heavily traveled street, while the poor souls behind him funneled through a single, open lane. He was still stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic, but at least it was moving steadily then, even if everyone was only going 10-15 mph (or 16-24km per hour) at best.

Unfortunately, the fact that the traffic was moving did little to ease Jeremy's anxiety, and he was paranoid that his sister would become curious about his SN jar and start interrogating him about it, so he started yelling at her even though he was alone in his car. "Just leave me alone Sandra! I'm not some charity case! It's not your job to fucking save me! Just let me die in peace, please…"

The traffic came to a standstill again, and Jeremy was forced to hit his brakes, just as tears started blurring his vision. In all honesty, it wasn't even the drive home that was upsetting him; it was the risk of being hospitalized and having his suicide plan disrupted all over again. This would be the second time it happened, and his sister was the one who coerced him into going before, but his father's role in that situation was much more nefarious. She more than likely would have some role to play in his second round of hospitalizations too, but this one he absolutely didn't need. He wasn't as serious about suicide the first time, but now he was dead serious, and he was willing to give up anything just to have his plan succeed so he could leave the world behind.

Eventually, the traffic did get going again, and when it did, he breathed a sigh of relief. "Okay, we're going again… Keep fucking moving…"

As he and everyone else on the road continued following the detour signs, he decided to turn onto another side street and find a different way back to his apartment. The trip from the office to his apartment complex took him about 45 minutes on a good day, but in light of the road construction, it seemed likely that his journey could take an hour and a half or more, and he dreaded what might happen if his SN was confiscated and tested. Thankfully, he kept his digital scale and measuring cups hidden in his bedroom, so Sandra couldn't be suspicious about that, but Jeremy suddenly wished his glass jar had been stashed somewhere else too.

After turning down a couple more side streets, he got lost, and he was forced to pull over by the curb in a residential area filled with large, brick houses, so he could use the GPS on his phone. As soon as he turned on the screen, he noticed that he had a text notification, and when he looked at it, it was his sister again, just like he had thought. He was happy to discover that she wasn't asking about suicide methods, but he was also annoyed by her complaints about all the dead bugs in his kitchen.

"Damn, little bro!" was the start of her comment. "WTF is with all the dead bugs in here? Got into everything! Only the big jar of salt and the soup cans are safe."

Fora split second, Jeremy wanted to laugh. His sister thought the stuff in the jar was salt! This meant he wouldn't have to use some excuse about saving it for meat curing, or a backup in case of cancer; he could just leave it be. He doubted such excuses would ever work anyway, because his sister would send him to the psych ward without hesitation if she knew what was actually in the jar. Satisfied that things were going okay at the apartment, he closed the text message app and opened up his GPS. He was going to find a way around the construction no matter what, and he was going to make his sister leave so he could login to Ready2CheckOut? as LonelyOfficeWorker33 once again.

The GPS ended up taking him down multiple residential streets, where there were also some small businesses and fast-food places around. He wasn't interested in stopping at any of those, however, but at least he had a clear path around the construction. Since his car was too shitty to have bluetooth, he simply set his phone in the cup holder beside him, and listened to the voice come out of the speaker as it guided him back to his apartment building.

At first, the GPS told him to keep following the detour from before, but when it caught onto the fact that he didn't care to go that way, it rerouted him down the most convoluted, and frustrating path imaginable. At some point, he drove past a fast-food restaurant with a colorful hippie bus sitting in a parking lot under the shade of a big tree. Jeremy was too preoccupied to notice, so he sped right on past without giving the parking lot or the restaurant a single glance.

A few minutes later, the GPS told him to turn right, and he squealed his tires as he turned onto a very dark, depressing residential street. The road itself was filled with cracks, patches of tar, and small potholes, the houses on either side were run down and covered in dirty tree sap, and all of the properties were lined with old, gnarly trees that were filled with millions of buds as they prepared to sprout their leaves.

The rusty muffler on Jeremy's car rattled and shook as he drove way too fast over each bump. He wasn't paying attention to his speedometer,or the speed limit signs for that matter (which read 40 mph and 25 mph respectively), but he was about to be punished for his negligence. The road curved as it passed through a thick patch of trees with houses and driveways hidden within. As he was rounding that curve, he suddenly saw a massive pothole in the middle of his lane, causing him to slam on his brakes.

"Shit!" Jeremy cried when he brought his foot down on the pedal.

He swerved into the left lane to try and avoid the crater, but even though his front tires missed it somehow, his rear, passenger side tire fell right down inside. It sunk all the way up to the axle with a loud bang, and the car stopped so suddenly that Jeremy's head snapped forward and back against the headrest, while his seatbelt held him in place.

"Fuck," Jeremy grumbled as he sat there and looked around, trying to comprehend what just happened.

Shutting off the car, he unbuckled himself, pushed open his door, and stepped out. Wanting to see how bad the damage was, he wandered around the pile of rusty scrap metal until he was able to see his entire wheel buried in the pothole. Immediately, his eyes went wide, and a mixture of rage and panic rose in his chest.

"No," Jeremy said. "No, no, no… No!"

Then he turned towards his car and started kicking the ever-loving shit out of the front fender. "No! Fuck you! Fuck you! Fuck you! Fucking! Piece! Of! Shit!"

By then, Jeremy no longer gave a rat's ass if someone saw him because he finally had enough. Dealing with the rude accountant, getting stuck in traffic, having his sister look through his cupboards, and then having to follow the GPS down some terrible road he didn't recognize increased his blood pressure to the boiling point. The moment he hit that pothole was the straw that broke the camel's back, except in this case, it was his rear axle.

After kicking his car about a dozen times and leaving dents in the fender, Jeremy finally exhausted himself enough to stop. Then he stepped over to the passenger door, folded his arms on the roof of the car, and buried his face in them so he could cry his eyes out.

"I just want to get drunk," he whined. "I can't deal with this shit…"

He knew he could call his sister for help, but he wanted to wait until he'd calmed down more. He spent a few minutes sobbing into his arms, but what he didn't realize was that help was about to come from an unexpected source. When he finally lifted up his head and started wiping the tears away from his eyes with his hands, he heard the sound of a vehicle approaching. They were coming from just beyond the curve, and their vehicle rattled so much, it sounded like it was in worse shape than his own car.

This person wasn't HippieBus62 unfortunately, but when Jeremy finally saw the old, beat-up tow truck approaching him, he could clearly see that the driver was on the phone with somebody. He didn't know it yet, but the person they were on the phone with was his buddy from the suicide forum, who he failed to see as he flew past the fast-food restaurant.

6

When the rusty sedan flew past him down the road, Calvin was just finishing up the last bite of his burger. He was a little amused by how fast they were going, considering how likely they were to get pulled over. Once they passed by, he balled up the wrapping paper in his hands and shoved it down into the bag it came out of. By now, his fries were mostly gone, and the small box they came in was jammed down into the wireframe basket where his cigarette packs used to be (he now had those sitting up on the dash).

Calvin took a deep breath and glanced up at the seashell necklace hanging from his rearview mirror. "That was good, but I bet I could do better. You always did love my cooking."

Reaching up with one hand, he tapped his finger on the seashell, before reaching for the key in the ignition and turning on the engine once again. Before taking off, he took another sip of his drink and ate a couple more of his fries, which had turned cold and didn't taste quite as good as they did earlier.

"Okay, enough of that," Calvin said, right before he grabbed what was left of his fries and shoved them back into the paper bag. "So, where are we going now, Mary? You tell me."

He glanced up at the seashell, which swayed there silently after being bumped into, and then he put the packs of cigarettes back in the basket before driving away. As he was about to pull out of the parking lot, someone called him, so he stopped to retrieve his phone when he heard it ringing in his pocket.

As soon as he looked at the screen, he saw that it was an old buddy of his named George, so he answered it. "Hey, what you up to?"

George's voice was raspy and hoarse, and he was hard to hear over the rattling of his old tow truck. "Calling to see what you're up to, Cal! Heh! I got some good buds for ya, if you wanna come check em out…"

Calvin chuckled. "I might. I'm running a bit low since the last batch. I just got done eating, but I'll head over in a bit."

George went over a bump and his phone crackled a little, but when his voice became audible again, he asked, "You taking the bus?"

Calvin pulled up a little closer to the road and looked both ways before pulling out. "Yeah, but I'm gonna stop by in a little while. I still want to drive around for a bit. At least until my hip starts killing me again!"

George laughed. "I hear you, man! I just got done helping my neighbor get that fucking tree out of their yard. The fucker was so big, I had to pull it with the ol' tow strap! Haha!"

When the path ahead looked clear, Calvin pulled out into the road and took off in his bus, but he kept the phone up to his ear. "I'll get ahold of you later though. I'm thinking of stopping by the flower shop and heading out to the cemetery. I'll let you know when I'm close."

"Sounds good," his friend told him. "Oh, and don't forget about that big ass pothole down the way! I keep trying to get somebody out here to fill it in or something, but nobody comes! It's like they don't give a shit."

Calvin chuckled as he drove past more small businesses, restaurants, and houses. "Don't worry, I won't forget. Damn thing almost swallowed my truck whole the other day! Somebody's gonna fuck up their axle one of these days."

George went silent for a moment, so when Calvin couldn't hear anything other than the rattling of the tow truck, he asked, "Hello? You still there?"

When George spoke again at last, he said, "Holy fuck! Some kid's up to their axle in the fucking hole right now! Jesus! I'm gonna see if he's alright!"

"Good luck, man," Calvin said. "I'm gonna get off of here, but let me know if they're okay."

"Will do!" George told him. "He looks fine physically, but this guy's having a shitty day… Call me when you're on your way!"

Then Calvin said goodbye to his friend, ended the call, and sped right past the side street where the huge pothole was in the middle of devouring LonelyOfficeWorker33's tire. He still wanted to visit his wife's gravesite one more time, even though he knew she wasn't actually buried there. The thing was only there to mark the place where she would be, if she had been buried with her parents, and he wanted to keep the place looking as neat and tidy as he possibly could.

Lost in a Dream · Jul 17, 2026

7

The old guy driving the tow truck pulled over into the other lane where Jeremy's car was still stranded and put on his emergency flashers. He stopped directly behind the car, set his phone aside, opened the door, and got out.

Feeling embarrassed for crying like a small child, Jeremy wiped more tears from his face with the back of his hand, so he could convincingly fake a smile one more time. "Hey, perfect timing! I'm a little stuck."

The guy who came out of the tow truck had long, gray hair on his head that went down to his shoulders, and he had a huge beard that made him look like Gimli from Lord of the Rings, except his beard was gray. His voice was raspy and hoarse when he spoke, but he was friendly, and he smiled at Jeremy as he offered a helping hand.

"I see that!" the old man said with a laugh. "Let me take a look and see if I can tow ya out of here!"

Jeremy stepped aside while the old man got down on his hands and knees and looked down into the pothole. "Hmm… Hmm…Jesus."

Hearing this stranger's reactions to his predicament didn't help the lonely office employee feel any better. "What? Is it totally fucked?"

The old man glanced up at him. "Afraid so! Axle was so rusted through; it just broke off!"

Jeremy shook his head sadly. "This fucking sucks, man. All I want to do is go home and have a beer. Apparently, that's too much to ask today!"

Grabbing ahold of the car to pull himself up, the old man laughed. "I hear ya! I'd like one myself right about now. Just got done towing a fucking tree out of someone's yard, so you're lucky I was already out and about!"

"Yeah, lucky me," Jeremy said without sounding enthusiastic at all.

The old man held out his hand. "I'm George!"

Jeremy reluctantly shook his hand. "And I'm Jeremy."

"I can probably pull you out of that hole," George told him. "But the frame's all rusted to hell, so I'm gonna have to look for a place to hook onto it."

"If you can do that, then thank you," was Jeremy's reply. "I just got out of work, so I'm trying to get back to the apartment."

George looked up and down at the khakis, dress shirt, and tie before laughing. "Hahaha! You could never pay me enough to work in an office… I like to get my hands dirty when I'm working!"

Jeremy looked down at his outfit, and then back up at the old man with the beard. "They don't pay me enough either. I'm still driving a piece of shit."

George laughed again and glanced back at the car. "I'm gonna hook this sum'bitch up and drag its ass out of that hole!"

Then he headed back to his truck, started it up, and backed it up a little closer to the car. While George was doing that, Jeremy went ahead and opened his front, passenger door, and grabbed his phone out of the console.

With a sigh, he dialed his sister's number so he could let her know what was going on, and then he put it up to his ear. "Okay, sis… Don't make me leave a message…"

After four rings, she finally answered, but before Sandra spoke, it sounded like she was shoving something really big into a trash bag. "Jer, you stuck in traffic? I heard it was backed up by road construction."

Jeremy watched while George crawled around behind his car, looking for a place to hook up to it, and then he chuckled. "That's one way of putting it."

"What's going on?" Sandra asked.

"I hit a pothole," Jeremy told her. "The axle's fucked."

"Jesus!" Sandra cried. "Do you need any help getting back?"

"Nah, I got that taken care of. Some guy with a tow truck stopped and he's hooking it up now."

"That's good. So, how did therapy go the other day?"

Jeremy froze when Sandra asked him about therapy. He did go of course, but he could hardly even remember what he and his therapist discussed, since it had been a couple days since the appointment. It was unclear if it was because they failed to discuss anything important, or if he simply forgot because of how drunk he got after going back home from there. It was probably a mixture of the two, if he was honest with himself about it.

"Jer, you there still?" Sandra asked.

Realizing he'd gotten lost in his own thoughts again, Jeremy gasped. "Yeah, I did go. Sorry. I'm just watching this guy hook up my car."

In truth, he wasn't paying attention at all, but when George found a good anchor point for his hook, he called out, "Hey, Jeremy! I found a spot right here!"

"Oh, cool!" Jeremy said, after his lie became a true statement without warning. "He found a spot that isn't too rusty to hook up to."

Sandra sighed. "One of these days, we need to go out and get you another car, little bro. I know you can afford it if you get a loan."

Jeremy chuckled. "I don't know about that… Being declared incompetent a few years ago probably didn't help my credit score."

Suddenly sounding annoyed with him, Sandra stopped whatever she was doing and scoffed. "Jer, are you ever gonna let that go? Dad and I did what we thought was best to help you, okay?"

Jeremy watched as George hooked up the car and headed back to his truck. He got in and started operating the mechanical arm to lift the car up out of the hole so he could pull it along down the road.

"I know, but it wasn't what I needed," Jeremy reminded her. "Just don't pull that crap ever again, okay? This guy's gonna pull me out. I'll call you later."

"Jer," Sandra said, right before Jeremy hung up on her and shoved his phone into his pocket.

Hanging his head for a moment, he looked down at the cracked pavement under his feet. A car passed him and the tow truck while he stood there, thinking deeply about his situation. He was worried that his sister would catch onto how bad he was feeling and send him to another hospital. If that happened, he was afraid of the possibility of being declared incompetent again, thus requiring someone else to manage his money, and if he lost his SN, he would have a much harder time of getting it again.

Wanting to get his mind off of everything, Jeremy walked over to the back of his car, and watched while the chain and hook lifted the back end up into the air. As soon as the broken axle was up high enough, the wheel that broke off tipped over sideways in the monstrous pothole, and it ended up leaning against the outer edge at a very steep angle.

George laughed while he stood there watching the chain lift the back of the car. "Hey, I got it out! Sucks I couldn't save the wheel though…"

Jeremy smiled. "Thanks for the help, man. I'll pay you if you want me to, just name your price."

"Okay then," George said. "Get me a pack of cigs and an ice-cold beer! Then we'll be even haha!"

"I'll get you two beers and a pack of cigs, plus a beer for me," Jeremy told him. "Sound good?"

The old man with the huge beard laughed for what seemed like the millionth time since he first arrived in his tow truck. "You don't have to do that kid; I'm just fucking with ya. I live around here, and I already have some beer waiting at home."

"And cigarettes too?" Jeremy asked.

George reached into the pocket of his dirty pants and pulled out a pack. "All good. Besides, you're having a worse day than me, so you can have the beer instead."

"Nah, I'm okay," Jeremy lied. "Yeah, I was pissed before you showed up, but I'm doing better. Really."

Not looking the least bit convinced, George nodded. "Uh-huh. That's what we all say, isn't it?"

Knowing he couldn't fool this old man, Jeremy finally nodded and sighed, taking off the mask of fake happiness for the first time in a while."Yeah, I guess it is."

George's happy-go-lucky persona disappeared as soon as he saw the real Jeremy unmasked, and then he admitted that he too understood a lot more than most people knew. "Kid, I get it. I keep myself laughing with the jokes and the weed all the time, but it just ain't enough some days. What do ya say we get your car out of the road and go have those beers, eh?"

Jeremy raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Seriously?"

"Yeah," George said. "My buddy Cal's stopping by later. He's gonna try out some new buds I got. You can try em too if you want."

"Nah, that's okay," Jeremy told him. "I'll just wallow in my own misery like I always do."

George chuckled a little and stroked his beard with one hand. "Heh, that don't sound fun, kid. When you get tired of wallowing, let me know and I'll roll one for ya."

"I'll take a couple beers instead," Jeremy added. "I've never tried weed, and I'm kinda nervous about it."

"I see," the old man said. "If you change your mind, let me know! Otherwise, I'll smoke it for ya haha!"

Jeremy couldn't help but laugh at George's joke. The guy was genuinely funny to him, even if he found it difficult to laugh about anything most days.

Grinning at George, he said, "I'll think about it."

Then Jeremy reached down into the pothole and pulled his entire wheel up onto the pavement. He picked it up and carried it over to the back of George's truck and shoved it behind the seats. With the back end of the car secured on the hook, the two of them were able to get into the truck and go, but they more than likely were going to have to come back and clean up the pieces of rusty metal that were laying all around the edge of the hole.

8

After leaving the burger joint and going to a flower shop close to the cemetery where his wife's parents were buried, Calvin drove his bus to her gravesite (which was empty). When he passed through the gate, he only saw one other vehicle parked amongst the many rows of gravestones and massive trees, so he was happy to know that he wouldn't be interrupting any funerals that might be going on. As he headed up the narrow, paved road towards the middle of the graveyard, he looked around for the area where Mary's parents were buried, since her grave marker was right next to theirs.

There was a wicker basket sitting on the floor just below the wireframe one that held his drink, and it held three small flowerpots in it with a couple of tiny plants rising up out of the soil. Calvin's idea was to pull up and plant one in front of his wife's grave, and the other two in front of her parents' graves. His own family was buried in a different cemetery (one of the perks of living in a big city), so he had already been by their gravesites a couple weeks earlier. Now that the anniversary of his wife's death was less than a month away, he had to make sure he did something to honor her family. This was how he did it every spring.

When Calvin pulled up in front of the row of graves where his in-laws were buried, he came to a stop and sighed. "Well, here goes nothing."

He closed his eyes for a moment, before shutting off the engine and getting out of his bus. Then he took a few steps towards the back so he could get in from the side, and he pulled the double doors open, revealing the small, well-decorated hangout area he and his dad put in there. Aside from the sink, cupboards, and mini fridge, there was also a foldable couch way in the back for guests to sit on, and he kept a folded-up lawn chair stashed underneath it with a bungie cord to hold it in place. When he climbed in, he opened up one of the cupboards to the left of the sink (which was on the floor, directly behind the front passenger seat) and reached inside for a small box of gardening tools.

After grabbing the box, he got back out of the bus, shut the door, and retrieved the basket of flowers from the front. With a groan, he closed the driver's side door with his shoulder, and then walked around the bus so he could get to the gravesites. Deciding to plant the first flower in front of his wife's grave, he dug up the old ones that died in the fall, and planted the new ones in a hole right in front of the stone. Then he did this same thing for his in-laws, but while he was doing this, the owner of the other vehicle that was in the cemetery started heading his way.

Calvin was in the middle of digging a small hole in front of his mother-in-law's grave when he heard footsteps approaching across the grass. When he glanced back over his shoulder, he was surprised to see someone standing there. "Oh, hello!"

The person he saw smiling at him was a woman much older than himself, who was dressed in way too many layers for the warm afternoon weather. She had a coat and gloves on while she stood there, leaning on a cane, and looking a little wobbly. A light breeze rustled her shoulder-length white hair, and she adjusted her glasses to get a better look at what Calvin was doing.

"Hi there!" said the old lady. "I like your bus!"

Using the gravestone to pull himself up, Calvin set his small digging shovel on the grass and groaned. "Thanks. It was my dad's, but I added some personal touches to it since he left it to me."

The old lady started to giggle a little bit. "I saw you drive past us. I'm out here with my son. We came to clean up my husband's plot a little bit."

Calvin brushed the dirt off his hands on his jeans and smiled at the old lady. "I'm sorry for your loss. How long has it been?"

"Almost four years," she said. "It's crazy how time flies!"

"Yeah, it is," Calvin agreed. "Where's your son now?"

The old lady glanced back and pointed at the place where they were parked. "He's still back there, clearing out the dead plants."

Calvin walked across the grass so he could stand beside her and give the other vehicle a second look. Sure enough, he saw her son back there, and he was working hard to get his father's grave site looking more presentable.

Since she was more interested in the hippie bus than her husband's grave right then, the old lady looked over at it and smiled. "I like the seashells on your bus, young man. I'm guessing you or your dad liked seashells?"

"My wife and I painted the seashells on there," Calvin told her. "She loved em. She would always pick em up when we went to the beach, and she put one on a necklace."

Frowning suddenly, the old lady picked up on his use of past tense verbs. "Oh my Lord… Did you lose her too?"

"Yeah," Calvin said. "Almost thirty-one years ago."

"Oh, I'm sorry," the old woman said before offering him a hug. "I didn't realize this was your wife's grave…"

Calvin hugged the sweet old lady back and chuckled. It was an awkward hug, since he was quite tall, and she was way shorter than him, but it was a nice gesture regardless.

"Oh!" the old lady cried suddenly, just as she and Calvin released each other from their hugs. "I saw the back of your bus! Hehehe! I like it!"

Calvin laughed when he realized what she was talking about. Since this had been one of those days when driving the bus had failed as a distraction, he wasn't even thinking about the message that was painted on the back, directly above the engine cover where the license plate was bolted. He followed the old lady back there, and the moment she saw it again, she laughed.

"I like this!" the old lady said as she pointed at the rear bay window with her cane. "Catch me if you can! Who put that on there?"

Calvin laughed again when he saw the big, bold red letters. "My dad put that there a long time ago. He tried to escape the draft during Vietnam."

"Did it work?" the old lady asked with a laugh.

Calvin shook his head and grinned. "Nope, but he tried. He and my mom ended up in jail for a bit, and my grandpa took care of me for awhile. Fun times!"

The old lady jabbed the gravel path at their feet with the end of her cane to steady herself, and then she chuckled. "I bet they were. Anyway, I thought the message meant something else."

"What's that?" Calvin asked curiously.

"I thought it meant catch the bus, of course!" the old lady shouted excitedly. "I've been ready to catch mine for years!"

Calvin was a little taken aback by the old lady's boldness and knowledge of the internet slang used on Ready2CheckOut? Perhaps she was a member? He was curious.

After raising his eyebrows in surprise and blinking his eyes, Calvin asked,"Really? Where did you hear that phrase?"

"You don't expect me to show you all my cards do ya?" the old lady asked. "Have you heard the phrase before?"

Calvin smirked at the old lady, but his eyes told her everything she needed to know. The old lady's eyes were dark brown and surprisingly clear– no sign of cataracts. She also had a suspicious gleam in them that told him she knew a thing or two about finding herself a peaceful exit, and he knew she would use it when she was ready.

"I better get back," the old lady said finally. "My son's waiting for me."

Sure enough, her son ended up calling out to her as soon as she turned away from the bus and started heading back. "Hey, Ma!"

Calvin glanced over and watched as a guy in shorts, t-shirt, and a baseball cap held up a tiny farm tractor with a metal spike on the bottom. "Where did you want me to put this, Ma?"

The old lady called out to her son, "I'll be right there!"

Calvin chuckled. "Your husband owned a farm, I'm guessing?"

Glancing back at Calvin, the old lady smiled again. "We used to. Have a good one."

Calvin stood behind his bus and watched as the old lady slowly headed back to her son. Then he returned to his job and finished planting the flowers in front of his in-laws' graves. When he was done, he decided to hang out inside of the bus for a while, sipping on a cold can of soda from his mini-fridge. While he was relaxing in the back, he heard the other vehicle take off, leaving him alone once again. As soon as the sun started to set, he realized he'd been there a little too long, so he got back into the front of the bus, fired up the engine, and left the cemetery.

Lost in a Dream · Jul 17, 2026

Well I'm going to post a couple more chapters I think in a little bit here. @witchcraft have you had any luck working on your story too? I hope you can get back to it one of these days.

9

After leaving the pothole behind, George hauled the rusty car down the road and pulled it into his driveway. Jeremy sat uncomfortably beside him in the passenger seat, since he didn't know this guy, and he hated the way the truck bounced and rocked all over the place whenever they went over bumps. They ended up pulling into the first driveway on the right after leaving the small patch of trees where the curve was, and like many of the other houses on that street, George's house was dirty and covered in sap. His garage that sat off to the side was in the same condition.

George turned the tow truck around and positioned it so the front end of Jeremy's car was facing the door to his garage, and then he parked it. "Okay kid, here we are!"

Jeremy glanced at the old man but didn't smile. "Thanks for the help, I really appreciate it. Today's been a bitch of a day."

George glanced at him and nodded. "I figured as much. You know anything about fixing cars?"

Jeremy shrugged his shoulders and then shook his head. "Not really. My dad tried to teach me some things when I was younger, but he always acted like a dick whenever I did something wrong."

"Ah," George said. "He swore and threw tools, huh?"

"Something like that," was Jeremy's answer.

George laughed. "I throw tools all the time when I mess shit up, but I won't do it to you. I promise."

"Cool," Jeremy said sarcastically. "So, what do we do?"

"For now, I'm gonna put your car in the garage," George explained. "Then my buddy Cal's gonna come over and we'll make a list of the parts we need."

"Hopefully they aren't too much," Jeremy grumbled. "I'll pay for whatever you guys need though."

George opened his door and got out of the truck, so Jeremy did the same. After the old man opened his garage door, he turned to look at his young house guest. "You don't have to pay for labor or anything. If you can buy the parts, that's good enough for me."

"Oh, I can," Jeremy said after shutting his door. "They pay me enough to buy the parts, but not enough to work the office job."

George laughed so hard at the joke he wheezed. A loud whistle came up out of his lungs when it happened, but after getting a breath in, he said, "I figured as much! You'll never see me working in an office! Fuck that!"

Jeremy was a little amused by the old man's reaction, so he chuckled a little but said nothing else. Then George led the way into his house and plopped down on the couch in his living room with a sigh. Curious, Jeremy glanced around at it from the front entrance; to his right was an old kitchen with a small table and two chairs, and to the left was the living room and a hallway that led further back into the house. The couch and recliner that had been torn to shreds by a cat were the only places to sit, and the only other piece of furniture was a stand with a small bubble back TV on top of it.

"Ah!" George said as he made himself comfortable on the couch and crossed his feet over each other on the floor. "I'm gonna rest some before Cal gets here. You sure you don't want me to roll ya one?"

Jeremy took a seat on the shredded recliner and turned down the offer. "No thanks. I'll take a beer if you have one."

George chuckled. "I see how you are… You're gonna make me walk to the fridge after I got comfortable? Screw you, kid!"

At first, Jeremy was afraid he upset the man, so he started to apologize. "Oh, sorry, I-"

George laughed again, interrupting him. "I'm fucking with ya, kid! Jesus, you're too easy!"

"Oh," Jeremy said, suddenly feeling anxious again. "Sometimes it's hard to tell."

George got up off his couch and walked out into his kitchen. "It's okay, kid. I'm just trying to get ya to feel better. I don't know what you like, but maybe you'll like what I got."

Jeremy leaned back on the recliner and gripped the arm rests tightly with his hands. He tried to get comfortable while he listened to George open his fridge and grab a couple bottles of beer, but for some reason he couldn't do it.

When George returned with the beers in his hand, he gave one to Jeremy, and then returned to the couch. "Ah, there! Now we got something to wet our whistles!"

George gripped the cap in his hand and ripped it off the bottle like it was nothing. Then he tossed it aside and took a big drink, while Jeremy sat there staring down at his own bottle.

"Uh, do you have a bottle opener?" Jeremy asked.

Wheezing from laughter again, George held up one of his huge hands. "Yep! This is my bottle opener!"

Jeremy handed the bottle over. "Alright, cool!"

George took the beer from him and yanked the cap off as easily as he did with his own beer. Then he chucked it across the room and handed the drink back. "Have as much as you want, kid! I'm gonna see if I can get Cal to take you home later."

"Your friend, Cal?" Jeremy asked. "What's he like?"

"He's awesome," George told him. "He's always trying to help people and give advice and all that. He knows better than to give advice when nobody asks for it, but me, I just give it anyway and it pisses em off hahaha!"

"My sister is kind of like you then," Jeremy admitted. "Sandra always has advice for me, even when it's something I already tried, or it isn't even helpful."

"I didn't say my advice wasn't helpful," George said. "It just isn't always welcome. Your sister sucks at giving advice in general!"

Jeremy took a big gulp of his beer, and it tasted really good. Turning the bottle around and looking down at it, he saw that it was a brand he'd never tried before. "Wow, this is good!"

George took a sip of his own beer and chuckled. "Cal talked me into trying it. I've been hooked ever since! It was his wife's favorite before she died."

Jeremy raised his eyebrows in surprise when heard about this. "His wife died? Oh God, that sucks!"

George nodded and took another sip of his beer before answering. "Yep. Several years ago. Car accident. They went down south to show the in-laws their new Mustang. They were almost back home when the accident happened… It was a fucking shit show."

"What about you?" Jeremy asked, interrupting the old man's thoughts. "Have you ever been married?"

"I was," George told him. "We're divorced though."

Jeremy took another big gulp of his beer and chuckled. "I had a girlfriend for a little bit, but she left me because I wasn't trying hard enough to take care of myself. Once she left though, I kind of lost all motivation to try."

"Kinda funny how that works, huh?" George said. "They come into your life when ya feel like shit, you feel better for a while, but then you go back to being your normal self and they leave… I hear ya."

Jeremy was surprised that George understood his current situation so well. He was hoping that Cal would be as easy to understand and get along with, because he liked George so far. People who were older than him were more interesting to him than people his own age anyway. His girlfriend that he had was someone he met in college originally, but they started dating after he ran into her again at a coffee shop near his workplace. Unfortunately, his way of living left a lot to be desired, and she simply lost her patience and moved on.

"I don't blame her though," Jeremy finally added, causing George to glance at him. "In her place, I probably would've left too."

George lifted his bottle up to his lips, but before he took another drink, he paused. "Damn, you don't have a lot of respect for yourself, do ya?"

Jeremy laughed. "Self-respect isn't even in my vocabulary!"

George lowered his beer down towards his lap and started wheezing from laughter. "Not even in your vocabulary… Ha! You're funny, kid!I like you!"

For the next several minutes, the two of them sat there in the living room, drinking their beer, and talking about their personal lives. Jeremy started to get a really good buzz by the time he got ¾ of the way through his first bottle, but George seemed like he was just as sober as he was at the beginning.

When Jeremy finished his beer and set the empty bottle down, George pointed at it and asked, "You want another one? I got more."

"Nah, I still have to drive home later," Jeremy told him. "I probably had enough."

"Drive?" George asked with a sneer. "What are you driving?"

"My car!" Jeremy shouted, but then he remembered what happened with the pothole and his jaw dropped in surprise. "Oh wait… The pothole."

George gulped down the last of his beer and then he got up off his couch. "I'll get us a couple more! Be right back."

"Sounds good," Jeremy told him. "And when Cal gets here, I have to tell him how good this shit is!"

George went to the fridge and got out a couple more. Then he returned to the living room, ripped the caps off both of them, and gave one to Jeremy. Then he plopped back down on his sofa and took a big swig.

"Oh, yeah, it's good shit!" George agreed. "I could drink this all day!"

Jeremy took a big gulp from his second beer and smiled. "I'm actually feeling better now. This is what I needed."

George laughed. "Is this better than whatever you drink at home?"

"Abso-fucking-lutely!" Jeremy said. "I wish I felt this good every time!"

"I'll see if I have enough for you to take," George told him. "So, you want to check out my garage?"

"Yeah, we still have to put my car in there!" Jeremy said with a gasp. "Hopefully we aren't too drunk to put it away!"

"I'm not," George said. "Are you?"

Jeremy stood up from the chair really fast and his head swam, nearly causing him to lose his balance. "Whoa…Yeah, I think I'm okay!"

George got up and laughed. "You sure?"

"Yeah, let's go," Jeremy said.

George gestured for him to follow. "Alrighty then. Let's go!"

Then the two guys went back outside and put the car in the garage while they sipped on their beers. Before long, Jeremy was stumbling around, and George had a buzz while they goofed around, instead of looking at the damaged car.

10

When Calvin finally turned onto the road his friend George lived on, it was already dark. Since he was coming from the opposite direction of his friend's house guest, he was in no danger of hitting the giant pothole, but the headlights on the front of his bus illuminated it in the left lane nonetheless. As soon as he reached George's property, he pulled into the driveway and spotted the tow truck sitting out in front of the garage right away.

The kid who crashed his car was nowhere to be found, but since there were lights on inside the garage, Calvin figured he was either inside with George or someone picked the kid up already. He didn't have to wait long for his answer though, because the front door of the garage came open as he was parking the bus beside the truck. Sure enough, he spotted two people standing there; one of them was his friend, the other was the guy who hit the pothole.

George walked out into the darkness and smiled when Calvin shut off the engine and got out. "About fucking time you got here, Cal!"

Calvin glanced at the stranger who crashed his car while he stumbled around in the doorway with a beer bottle in his hand. Feeling concerned, he asked, "Hey, buddy? You feeling okay?"

The drunk guy set his beer down and kind of staggered out into the driveway. He managed to stay upright but walking in a straight line seemed to be hard for him. The clothes he was wearing looked incredibly bizarre as well; he was wearing what appeared to be khakis, work boots (a pair that belonged to George on top of that), a very dirty white t-shirt, and he had what appeared to be a blue tie draped over the back of his neck.

Smiling at Calvin, the drunk guy stuck out his hand, offering a handshake. "I'm fffine… It's just been a… Fucked up day!"

Calvin furrowed his brow at George, who introduced the young man. "Cal, that's Jeremy! He's the dude who hit the pothole!"

Calvin looked at Jeremy and shook his hand with a smile. "Well, no shit! Sorry about your car, man."

Jeremy laughed. "Don't beee… I fucking… I fucking hate that car!"

"Sounds like it's about time you got a new one then," Calvin told him. "So, let's see what we got."

The three guys went inside the garage so they could all take a look at the busted axle. Calvin had experience working on vehicles for the military and with his friend George, so if anyone would be able to save that piece of shit car, he could.

"Damn," Calvin said after kneeling down and inspecting the destruction. Glancing back, he said, "I'm surprised the pothole didn't swallow you whole!"

Jeremy, who was distracted by the bus sitting outside, suddenly looked back down at Calvin and nodded. "It tried. Belieeeeve me."

Using the damaged car to pull himself up, Calvin got up off the floor with a groan and turned back towards his friend. "Before we do anything, I might need to roll one."

"You're hip hurtin?" George asked him.

Calvin nodded. "Yeah, but I don't want to take any more pills. I like the natural shit."

"Hey, ya, ya know?" Jeremy started to say, causing Calvin and George to glance at him. "I think I wanna try, uh, try some weed. You got a cool bus!"

"Thanks," Calvin said. "Don't worry, I'll roll ya one."

"Right back at'cha," Jeremy said, right before he burst out laughing. "Thanks, I mean!"

Still leaning on the car, Calvin furrowed his brow at Jeremy. "Are you sure you're alright? Maybe you've had enough, huh?"

"I'll be okaaayyy," Jeremy said to him. "I just wanna try a little."

Calvin patted Jeremy on the shoulder with one hand. "Only a little."

Jeremy laughed. "Haha, yeah. Let's go in."

Then the three of them went back into George's house to roll a couple of joints and have a good smoke. George plopped down on the sofa, but Calvin remained standing since his hip was hurting him, and Jeremy just sat in the torn-up recliner and watched while the older guys huddled around a small table like high school teenagers trying to get their new friend stoned on a Saturday night.

Lost in a Dream · Jul 18, 2026

11

Jeremy was ready to get high. He had never tried weed, only alcohol, and he was ready to expand his horizons in the world of coping. Since he was already drunk, he couldn't help but laugh while watching those two old men pack their ground up buds into the papers and roll them. The one guy who showed up in the hippie bus had to stand up and bend down every now and then because his hip was hurting, while the other guy sat on his couch and mumbled to himself.

Staying focused was difficult for Jeremy though. He wanted to say something, but he had a hard time piecing his thoughts together without forgetting some of what he wanted to say. He was glad he called his sister again earlier, because he found out that she went home without messing anything up in his apartment; she just took care of his messy stovetop, cupboards, and the floor. This gave him more time to hangout with the guys, have a couple beers (which he already drank), and have a good smoke.

While Jeremy was watching them roll the joints, he heard a soft, "Mraow" come out from behind his recliner.

He started glancing down at the floor on both sides of the chair until he saw a gray and white cat appear and stretch its paws. "Hey! Where did you come from?"

The cat looked up at Jeremy and squinted its eyes a couple times, before creeping out of the corner and jumping up onto the couch beside George.

"Mraow!" the cat said, quite a bit louder this time.

George turned his head and laughed when he saw the cat. "About time you came out here, ya lazy sum'bitch! Jeremy, this is Earl!"

Jeremy laughed really hard after hearing the cat's name for some reason, but he wasn't sure why. "Earl? That's it? Where's the cre… crea… creatively? Yeah, crea- creatively!"

George laughed at him. "What, you don't think the name was creative enough? Why don't you come up with something better then!"

Cal glanced at Jeremy and smiled too, but said nothing, while he tried using his drunk brain to think of a better name. "Hmm… Uh… Maybe! No… Earl's good!"

"Can't think of one, can ya?" Cal asked with a chuckle.

Jeremy pointed at Cal. "I'll think of a better name tomorrow! When I'm on my way back to work… Oh fuck, how am I gonna get there now?"

Cal finished rolling up the joint that was in his hands and then he picked up his lighter, but he paused to say something. "I can give you a ride to wherever."

"In the hippie bus?" Jeremy cried, suddenly surprised. "That would be awesome!"

"Sure, if you want," Cal said.

"Bus!" Jeremy cried. "Take me on the bus! Cuz… I wanna catch teh bus…Hahahaha!"

Cal chuckled and put the joint between his lips. Then he lit it up and took a nice big puff, before handing the rolled-up paper to his friend and blowing out the smoke. "Ah, a few more of those, and I should be okay for a bit."

Since the joint was still lit, George put it up to his lips and took a big hit from it too. "So, Cal, you think we should let him try it?"

"Just a little," Cal said. "He's new at this, so we don't want him to freak out."

"I'll be okay," Jeremy insisted. "Just gimme like… Uh, two hits! I wanna feel good on my way back."

George held up the joint that was in his hand. "You want to hit this one, or the other one?"

Jeremy was confused. "Uh, does it matter?"

George laughed so hard he started wheezing and nearly dropped the joint, but when he caught his breath again, he said, "Only if you're worried about getting our spit in your mouth!"

"I don't give a fuck about that," Jeremy said. "I'll try that one!"

Cal took the joint from George and handed it over to Jeremy. "It's still lit. Try not to take too big of a hit, because you're not used to it."

Jeremy leaned forward and took the joint from him. "Okay."

As soon as he put it to his lips, he didn't even try to be careful. He just sucked down on it hard, and when the smoke filled his lungs, it burned, so he handed it back to Cal and held his breath while he tried not to drop it. As soon as he took the joint back, Jeremy burst out in a coughing fit and the smoke rolled out of his mouth like a chimney.

Jeremy tried to talk while coughing, but it was hard at first, and his speech was broken. *cough* cough* "Oh, fuck…" *cough* "Damn it!" *cough, cough, cough, cough* "Shit…"

He coughed a few more times while Cal took another hit, held it in, and passed it onto George, who also took another hit. When Jeremy finally stopped coughing, he laughed, but turned down the weed.

"Nah, I'll try it again another time," Jeremy said. "But I feel fucking good right now! Holy shit!"

The truth was, he really did feel great once the coughing spell was over. He was mostly feeling the alcohol still, but the weed he tried added a little something extra. He was calm, almost happy, and he was no longer worried about work or the possibility of hospitalization for being suicidal.

"Okay, but I've had enough too," Cal said. "It's all yours now, George."

"Good for me!" the old man with the big beard said, right before he started wheezing with laughter again. "I get to have it… Aaaaaallll to myself! Hehehe!"

Jeremy watched intently as George took another hit. He watched the buds at the end of the joint glow with fire, and then go dark again as a tiny wisp of smoke rose up from the end. He watched the old man lower the joint, hold the smoke down, and blow a huge smoke ring out of his mouth.

"How the fuck did you do that?" Jeremy asked, amazed.

"I dunno," George said. "I've just always been able to heh!"

Jeremy shook his head in disbelief and laughed. "That's quite a… Quite a gift. So fucking cool, man."

"You sure you don't want another hit?" George asked him. "I know you said ya wanted two hits…"

Jeremy stopped to think about it. He felt really good for sure, but he was starting to rethink his decision to give it up after one hit. "Okay,maybe just one more… This shit's good, George!"

George handed him the joint one last time. When Jeremy took his second hit ,it went the same as before; he sucked it down and coughed up his lungs. Somehow, he survived the second coughing fit, and then he started to laugh so hard he wheezed like George.

Jeremy took a deep breath when he got done laughing, and then he complemented the quality of the weed once more. "Ooohhh, that feels… Really fucking good. I wish I could feel like this all day long, every day. This is the good shit right here."

George laughed. "I'm glad you like my weed!"

Cal took the joint back from Jeremy and handed it to his friend, before he finally brought up the car in the garage again. "Okay, I'm gonna go back out there and take a look at your car. I'll see what parts we need and make a list."

"Cool," Jeremy said. "That sounds good to me."

"After that, I'll drive you home," Cal told him. "Probably better if I do it instead of George, since he's flying high right now."

"Oh, come on, Cal!" George cried. "Of course, I can drive! I just have to be more careful than normal…"

"But I don't want to interrupt your buzz," Cal told him. "Besides, there's still some heavy traffic out there, and you're gonna need to be sharp to figure out where you're going."

"That's true," George agreed, right before taking another hit from his joint. "Yeah, you should take him, Cal. Better to be safe than sorry."

"I'll be back," Cal said. "Just sit tight, Jeremy. I'll bring the bus a bit closer so you can get in easier."

"Thanks, man!" Jeremy said. "My chariot awaits!"

Cal smiled at Jeremy and then headed for the door. George got up to follow him so they could take a look at the car together, but Jeremy stayed behind because he wasn't feeling ready to get up and try walking just yet. As soon as the other two guys disappeared outside, Earl the cat jumped up onto his lap and started purring.

Earl blinked his eyes up at Jeremy and said, "Mraow!"

Jeremy smiled at the cat and started petting his head, neck, and back, and Earl loved it. "Hey, Earl. What'cha doing?"

The cat walked around on his lap for a bit, but then he settled down with his paws under him and started poking his claws into the front of Jeremy's khakis. Even though he felt little pin pricks going into his legs, he didn't mind it at all. He just kept petting Earl while he lay there, purring away with his eyes closed and his tail curled up underneath him.

12

"I wanna catch the bus, hahaha!" is what Jeremy had said to Calvin, before he left the house with George. While the two of them were walking out to the garage, he just kept thinking about that sentence and wondering if that younger guy had ever been to Ready2CheckOut? before. It seemed possible, maybe even likely, but he didn't feel like he had any business asking Jeremy if he had an account there or anything like that. They just met, and the poor kid had just gotten drunk after wrecking his car in a pothole. There was no need to stress him out over nothing, so Calvin kept his thoughts to himself.

As they were entering the garage, Calvin was lost in thought, but since he didn't say anything the whole way out there, George broke the silence. "Cal, you alright man?"

Calvin walked over to Jeremy's car and stopped to glance back at his friend. "Did you hear what he said? About catching the bus?"

George reached up with one hand and started stroking his beard as he walked over towards the car. "Yeah, I did. Do you think he's on that site you told me about?"

Calvin shrugged his shoulders and shook his head. "I don't know, maybe. I can't just go around asking people if they've heard of a site called 'ready to check out?' before, ya know?"

Looking worried, George nodded. "Yeah, you're right, but that kid needs somebody to be there for him, man. An online forum just ain't gonna cut it!"

"Yeah, I can see he's a mess," Calvin admitted. "How old is he anyway? Twenty-five? Thirty?"

George shook his head. "He didn't say, but I'm guessing he's around thirty. He's a kid compared to us at least."

"Anyway, we better make up that list of parts," Calvin told his friend. "I'll take Jeremy back home and make sure he gets there safe and sound. If he needs to talk, at least I'll be there."

"Sounds good to me," George agreed. "I would've made ya a list already, but uh… I was out here drinking with my new buddy."

Calvin chuckled. "Yeah, I noticed. Let's hurry up and do this, so I can get that poor kid back home."

The two of them quickly inspected the damage to the car all over again, just so they could figure out what parts they needed. Once they had a list, they still had to figure out how much all of it would cost, but Calvin wanted to wait until the next morning because he was more worried about the driver of the car than the car itself.

When the list was made, Calvin looked it over really quick and kind of hummed to himself a little as he was reading everything. "Mm-hm-hmm…Mm-hm-hmm… I don't think we're missing anything, but I'll get on my laptop tomorrow and see how much it's all gonna be."

"When do ya think you're gonna get in touch with me and the kid?" George asked, while the two of them were heading for the door again. "He's probably gonna have to sleep off his hangover first, hehe!"

"Get him some water, George," Calvin suggested. "That should help him sober up a little, and he shouldn't get too much of a hangover after this. Besides, he only had a couple beers, right?"

George opened the door and the two of them stepped back outside as they headed up to the house. When he shut the door behind them, he said, "Yeah, just a couple. But he drank the full bottles! He'll probably be okay once you get him home though."

As soon as they returned to the house and headed back into the living room, they found Jeremy still sitting in the recliner with Earl curled up and purring on his lap. The moment they came in and George shut the door behind them, the cat lifted his head and opened his eyes, but when he saw who it was that came in, he lowered his head again and his eyes closed once more.

"Hey, what'cha find out?" Jeremy asked with a smile, while he sat there gently stroking Earl's back.

Calvin showed him the list. "We got a list made. I'll figure out how much it costs tomorrow."

"Cool," Jeremy said with a chuckle. "You might have to give me your number so I can call you… I kinda forgot mine haha!"

"Sure thing," Calvin said, before glancing back at George. "Hey, can you get him some water really quick?"

"Oh, right!" George turned and hurried into his kitchen.

He went to his fridge and opened the door, which had shelves in it that were filled to the brim with pop, condiments, and bottles of beer. There were a couple bottles of water in there too, so George grabbed one and brought it out to Jeremy after closing the fridge behind him.

"Here ya go," George said as soon as he returned with the water bottle.

Jeremy took it from him, opened the cap, and took a drink while he sat there blinking his eyes a lot. "Thanks, Geoooorge. Shit, I really need to get back."

Calvin smiled at Jeremy while he stood there holding the notepad in his hand with the list written on it. "You look pretty tired. If you're ready, we can go."

Jeremy took another sip of his water, but then he put the cap back on and reached down to pet the sleeping cat again. "I might, uh, have a hard time giving directions. I can probably GPS it!"

"Where do you live?" Calvin asked. "I might know where it's at already anyway."

Jeremy stopped to think for a moment, but when he answered the question and told him about the apartment building, Calvin knew where the place was immediately. "Ha, I know where that's at. Don't worry Jeremy, I know my way around the city."

"I wish I knew my way around," Jeremy said softly, just as he started to look kinda sad. "I moved here to get away from my dad and find a… Find a good job. My sister lives around here too, so we're both kinda new to the area."

Calvin felt horrible for Jeremy. It was obvious that his life growing up had been a difficult one, and he wished there was something he could do to help besides being there for him. Unfortunately, that was the best he could do.

Putting his hands on his hips and giving Jeremy a concerned, almost fatherly look, he said, "Your old man was a dick, eh?"

Jeremy laughed at the comment. "Fuck yeah, he was! And he still is! He's just pissed at me because he thinks I hate God. No, dude! I hate you! That's what I wanna tell him!"

Earl the cat glanced up at Jeremy as soon as he started sounding angry. He jumped down off his lap and went over to the couch where George had been sitting earlier.

Jeremy laughed again. "Sorry, Earl! If you knew my dad, you'd be saying… Uh, fuck him, haha!"

"You about ready to head home?" Calvin asked him. "I am if you are."

Jeremy tried to stand, but as soon as he got back on his feet, he stumbled and fell backwards into the recliner. "Shit! Well, I guess I'm not ready yet! Eeee-hehe!"

George chuckled. "Ya just gotta get used to your sea legs!"

"Yeah!" Jeremy said with a grin on his face. "Okay, I'm gonna try again."

Gripping the arm rests of the chair with his hands (while clutching his water bottle in one hand), Jeremy tried to get up once again. Once he was back on his feet again, he wobbled a little bit, but somehow remained standing that time.

"Hey, I didn't fall over that time!" Jeremy cried happily. "Let's see if I can make it outside."

George and Calvin escorted their young friend out to the hippie bus and helped him get into the passenger seat in the front. Jeremy thought the interior was cool, but he was still quite drunk and a bit high, so he didn't spend a lot of time talking about it.

"Cool bus!" was the last thing Jeremy said before Calvin shut the door for him.

On his way back over to the other side of the bus, George grabbed Calvin's shoulder before he got in the driver's seat and whispered, "Cal, what are you gonna do if he says he's on the forum?"

Calvin stopped and glanced back at his friend before getting in. "Not sure. It's probably safer for all of us if he keeps his username to himself, but if he admits to being on… The site… Well,I guess I'll just have to keep his secret then."

"Drive careful," George told his friend. "And make sure that kid drinks his water."

Calvin pulled open his door and climbed inside. Once he was in his seat, he said, "The water was my idea anyway. See you around, man."

Then he pulled his door shut, started up the engine, and turned the bus around while Jeremy glanced around curiously at the interior. He remained silent until they pulled out of George's driveway, but once they were on the road, he suddenly became chatty again. Calvin wasn't sure how to react when Jeremy ended up sharing some heartbreaking stuff with him, but he got an earful on the way back to the apartment building, and the more he heard, the more helpless he felt.

Lost in a Dream · Jul 18, 2026

For anyone wondering, the cat named Earl who appears in Chapter 11 looks like this, except this is him wearing a hat. Thanks for the image @Pluto !

Lost in a Dream · Jul 18, 2026

Ok I had to do a lot of work to get the next couple chapters ready but I'm going to post them. Some sad stuff is revealed about our characters here but I hope you guys like what you read.

13

The inside of Cal's bus really was cool. Jeremy loved seeing all the seashells everywhere; they were on the fabric of the couch in the very back and the interior walls as well. Even the seashell necklace hanging from the rearview mirror was really cool, and he really wanted to take hold of it and give it a closer look.

After leaving George's driveway and heading out towards the stop sign by the main road, Jeremy pointed at the necklace. "Hey, Cal, where'd you get the uh… That shell?"

Cal glanced at him briefly as he was slowing down at the stop sign. "It was my wife's before she died. I kept it though."

"Aw, I'm sorry maaan," Jeremy said, before unscrewing the cap on his water bottle and taking a swig. "It's a really cool shell."

Cal stopped and waited for the passing traffic to go through. He only had to wait for three vehicles to pass by before he could pull out, and then it was smooth sailing for a while.

"Yeah, it is," Cal said, once he was back out on the main road. "Clam shells always were here favorite. She loved walking on the beach and collecting them when she found them, but they also made her sad too…"

Jeremy felt like he was about to fall asleep while he gazed back at Cal, his eyes blinking slowly. "It makes me sad too, maaaannn. The creatures that lived in those shells got stuck there… They just dried up and died, leaving behind nothing but an empty shell… Like me!"

Cal glanced at him and chuckled, before turning his attention back to the road. "Hey, don't talk like that. You ain't dead yet, my friend!"

Jeremy took another drink of water as he tried to gather his thoughts. He was still feeling the weed, but the alcohol seemed to be wearing off a little. It was hard to remember how long he walked around carrying that beer bottle while he was hanging out in the garage with George, but he was becoming increasingly aware of how long it had been since he last drank any.

Becoming lost in his own thoughts, Jeremy forgot about the conversation for a moment, but then Cal brought his attention back. "Jeremy? You okay?"

Jeremy shook his head and sighed. "No… Today's been… A fucked up day!"

He reached up with one hand and rubbed his eyelids with it. He was exhausted after working a full shift, hitting the pothole, and hanging out with a couple strangers until after dark, and he was finally beginning to crash.

"Yeah, that's what George said," Cal said. "Anything else happen?"

Jeremy paused as he remembered his conversation with the accountant. He shared the details of what happened there, and then he mentioned his coworker with the blond hair.

"I like Kevin," Jeremy said with a chuckle. "He says the funniest shit!"

Cal seemed genuinely curious every time he glanced over, and it was nice to hear the intrigue in his voice when he spoke. "He does, huh? What did he say that was funny today?"

"He wanted to know why I was so tired after getting three days off," was Jeremy's answer. "He asked what party I went to, and why he wasn't invited."

Cal laughed at the coworker's joke. "What else did Kevin say?"

"He told that guy from accounting… To take his computer… His computer!"

Jeremy had to pause because he started to laugh so hard, he couldn't talk. He even wheezed at one point, but once he calmed down enough to say something, he continued. "He told that dickhead from accounting to take his computer out for dinner and a movie!"

"What?" Cal asked, sounding very surprised. "Why'd he say that?"

"Because his PC was slower than shit and wouldn't do what he wanted," Jeremy explained. "So fucking funny!"

"What else happened?" Cal asked. "It sounds like your day started out okay."

"Nah, that was the end of the shift," Jeremy told him, before pausing for more water. "Shit was just starting to hit the fan."

"Damn, that poor fan," Cal said with a laugh. "What happened then?"

Jeremy remembered his text conversation with his sister Sandra, but once he started thinking about it, he went silent again. Cal glanced at him, looking worried, but he stayed quiet while he listened patiently. Jeremy wanted to tell him everything, but he suddenly felt afraid. Could he even trust this guy? What if he opened up and got sent to a psych ward? He'd never stop beating himself up over it.

"My sister went to my apartment to see me," Jeremy explained, while trying to be mindful of what he was saying. "Well, she actually went there to nag me about my messy apartment… I was gonna clean it eventually! She just didn't give me much time."

"How come you didn't clean it during your three days off?" Cal asked.

Jeremy was caught off guard by the question. He opened his mouth to answer, but stopped, because he was worried that the old man would judge him. The fact that they were riding in a hippie bus should've been a good sign that things were okay, but he had no idea who this guy was.

"Well," Jeremy started to say, but he hesitated. "On my days off… I, uh…"

For some reason, he couldn't quite get the words out. He felt really ashamed, and his throat started to ache, causing tears to well up in his eyes. Jeremy hoped that Cal couldn't see him starting to cry in the dim light of the passing streetlamps, but he did his best to continue his story.

"I," Jeremy started. "I didn't clean it because… I just didn't have the motivation to do it."

"I see," was all Cal said, but when Jeremy glanced at him, he seemed genuinely concerned, so he continued.

"My sister, Sandra, is worried about me," Jeremy told him. "She's afraid I might try to kill myself."

"Oh?" Cal asked him. "I'm sorry Jeremy, that's fucking horrible. I've been there man."

Jeremy was surprised. "Have you been close to killing yourself before?"

"Yes," was the only thing Cal said, but there was sadness in his voice, meaning he probably didn't want to talk about his own struggles just yet.

"Anyway, I didn't clean the apartment because I didn't give a shit," Jeremy said, finally answering Cal's question. "Every day just feels like a fucking chore to get through, and I… I never have any energy. I feel like a fucking zombie. It's like I'm already dead, so I'm just waiting for an apocalypse survivor to come and put me out of my misery."

Cal was silent as he continued to drive his bus. Jeremy glanced at him, but when he said nothing, he asked, "What about you, Cal? You okay? What's Cal short for anyway?"

Cal glanced at him briefly and smiled. "I dunno. Depends on your definition. My full name's Calvin."

"Okay then," Jeremy said, suddenly feeling afraid that this guy might drop him off at the nearest hospital at any moment. "Just don't send me to another fucking hospital, okay? If you do that, then… I… I'm gonna punch you in the dick."

After saying that, Jeremy suddenly burst out laughing. He was still feeling the effects of the alcohol and the weed he smoked, even though it was winding down after drinking his water. He heard Cal chuckle beside him as he patiently waited for the story to continue.

"Ouch," Cal said as he was chuckling. "There's no need for that, man. I'll only take you to a hospital if you tell me to. I ain't gonna force it on ya."

Jeremy smiled at Cal as he wiped the tears off of his face with his hands. "Thanks… I know there's worse places in the world than the psych ward, but the way I got sent there was fucking horrible. I was at my dad's house with Sandra and my dad's bowling team, and then I got in an argument with my dad. I ended up telling him I wanted to kill myself and that he was the reason, so my dad called the police on me, and my sister, well, she picked the hospital. They were only going to keep me there for a few days, but Sandra insisted that I stay there longer, so… They kept me there for a week and a half."

"A week and a half?" Cal asked, sounding shocked and horrified at the same time. "Jesus Christ!"

Jeremy couldn't help but laugh at his reaction. "Jesus Christ… A lot of good he did for me… Seems like my dad just wants to shove him down my throat every chance he gets."

Cal glanced at Jeremy curiously. "Is your dad religious?"

Jeremy nodded. "Fuck yeah, he is! The day I got sent to the hospital, you should've heard him…"

Changing his voice so it sounded deep and menacing, Jeremy did his best impersonation of his father, "He was like… 'People who throw away God's gift of life have chosen to reject him… He put you on this Earth for a reason, and you know it. Anyone who goes against God's plan is ungrateful and will get what they deserve.' He's a real fucking prick!"

"Fuck that asshole," Cal said, now sounding angry. "That stupid motherfucker doesn't know what God wants… If he's even out there."

"I know, right?!"Jeremy cried.

For a moment, the guys were silent. The only thing they could hear was the hum of the VW bus's engine as it rolled silently down the side street Cal was driving on.

"You know where you're going, don't ya?" Jeremy asked.

"Yep!" Cal told him. "The real question is, do you trust me enough to take you back to your apartment?"

"No, I just met you," was Jeremy's reply. "Get me there first, and then I'll trust you."

Cal laughed. "Fair enough. What happened to your mom? You haven't mentioned her yet."

Jeremy took another drink of his water before he started talking about her. Then he forced himself to take another, because he knew that what happened to her was the reason for his father's intense anger.

"She died when I was still a baby," Jeremy told him. "Apparently, she got really depressed after I was born, so she killed herself and my dad, he… Instead of trying to understand, he just got angry. He's always making nasty little comments about people who think about suicide, or who have attempted, and sometimes he directs them at me."

Jeremy paused to glance over at Cal, who swallowed hard, causing his Adam's apple to move, and then the older man wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. "I'm sorry, kid. Do you think your dad blamed you, for your mom, I mean?"

Jeremy shook his head. "No, he blames her. But apparently depression runs in her side of the family because I've always had it… Any time I mentioned it, or looked like I was feeling down for any reason, my dad just yelled at me and said, 'You don't want to be like your mother do ya? Only cowards kill themselves!'"

"Jesus," Cal whispered.

"But that was just the beginning," Jeremy told him. "The real reason I wanted to die was… Well, when I was in high school still, a friend of mine killed himself too. His name was Billy…"

"I'm sorry," Cal said softly, while keeping his eyes on the road and his hands on the steering wheel. "I'm so sorry, man."

"The only reason Billy did it, is because I wasn't there for him when he needed me," Jeremy confessed. "Something horrible happened to him, but I had questions. He thought I didn't trust him, so he got defensive, and we argued. That was the last time I saw him… It's my fault that he died…"

After that, Jeremy finally broke down and started crying right there in the front passenger seat of Cal's bus. His ability to talk was gone, and all he could do was sob and try not to hyperventilate. Suddenly, as they were driving past a gas station, Cal slammed on his brakes, and then he hit the gas as he flew right up into the parking lot. The whole bus bounced over every crack and bump in the pavement as he circled around the gas pumps, looking for a place to park.

Cal ended up pulling into a parking space between the store and the three rows of gas pumps so his headlights were reflecting back at him off the store windows, before turning towards Jeremy and saying, "Jeremy, I'm sorry, but what happened to your friend is not your fault, okay? I know you didn't tell me the whole story, but you don't have to. You're not a douchebag like your dad. You know that, right?"

Jeremy was surprised by Cal's confidence in what he was saying, but he nodded really fast while he continued to sit there and cry, because he knew there was some truth to it. Then, the old man reached over and put a firm hand on his shoulder, causing him to look over in surprise.

Cal looked right back at Jeremy with tears in his eyes. "I don't know what happened to your friend, but you don't have to tell me. All I know is, you did the best you could to be there for him. You're a good guy, no matter what your old man fucking says."

Jeremy laughed a little but went back to crying. Fortunately, he was calming down a little, so he was able to talk again. "How would you know that? You just met me."

Cal pulled his hand away from Jeremy's shoulder and chuckled. "Because George and Earl love ya. If you were a piece of shit, George would've blasted you right off his porch with the sawn off."

"Hey, do you think he'd be willing to do that for me anyway?" Jeremy asked with a chuckle, while using the box of tissues he spotted by his feet to wipe his nose and face. "He could be the apocalypse survivor I need."

Cal laughed. "If the apocalypse starts, I'm sure he'll be your guy. Right now, I'm gonna go inside. You want anything?"

"Nah, I'm good," Jeremy told him.

"Alright, be back in a few," Cal said, before getting out and heading into the store.

While he was alone out there, Jeremy was glad that the alcohol was wearing off. He took another drink of his water while Cal was inside getting a couple pops and some snacks, and he found himself feeling glad that he met those old guys. For the first time in a while, he realized that his dad really was the problem all along. What happened to his friend Billy was far more horrible than what Jeremy had shared during that bus ride, but at least Cal had gotten through to him. What happened to his friend all those years ago wasn't his fault, and knowing this caused him to smile, just as lightning flashed in the distance and raindrops started falling on the window beside his head.

14

Calvin glanced back at the VW bus before going into the gas station. He could see Jeremy sitting in the passenger seat, sipping on his water, but he was clearly still in a lot of pain because he kept wiping tears away from his face.

"Jesus, kid," Calvin said with a sigh, before pulling open one of the double doors at the front and stepping inside.

He strolled right into the store, allowing the door to slam shut behind him. The person behind the register was busy helping someone already, so they didn't say anything to Calvin as he entered. He headed over to the row of coolers at the back of the store and got himself a 20z bottle of root beer. Even though Jeremy had said he didn't want anything, he wanted to do something nice for the younger guy, so he picked out a couple different drinks for him to choose from. Then he headed over to the snack aisle and grabbed several bags of chips; one for himself, and a few for Jeremy to pick from.

By the time Calvin approached the counter with an armful of drinks and snacks, the cashier behind the counter laughed at him. "Damn, you going to a party or what?"

Calvin grinned at the cashier when he set down his load. "Something like that. Just hanging out with a friend."

The cashier scanned all the items and then bagged them up in a large, paper bag, which caused Jeremy to glance up when Calvin came back outof the store.

As he was getting back in the bus, his passenger said, "What the fuck is all that?"

Calvin set the bag down on the floor right next to his trash-filled fast-food bag. Then he reached in and took out what was his, before handing the rest to Jeremy. "I'm your shrink today! And this is your prescription."

Jeremy took the paper bag from Calvin and his eyes opened wide in surprise when he looked inside. "Pop and chips? I wish the shrinks I went to before prescribed this stuff…"

Calvin laughed as he was climbing up into the bus, but he waited to answer until after he shut the door. "Your last shrink would probably bitch slap ya for not taking care of your health! Oh well, what they don't know won't hurt em."

Jeremy pulled a bag of chips out and opened it up when Calvin started the bus. After backing out of the space and pulling back out onto the road, the two of them were quiet for a bit, but when Jeremy spoke up again a few minutes later, he had just got done devouring a massive handful of chips.

"Sorry about the mess," Jeremy said, as he looked around at all of the crumbs on his lap and the floor.

Calvin glanced curiously at the mess too, but he laughed. "Your new meds are working, I take it?"

Jeremy ate a couple more chips and nodded. "Mmm-hmm! Better than the pills they gave me last time. It might not help me tomorrow, but tonight, I'm doing better."

Curious about whether or not Jeremy was going to call in from work or not, Calvin had to ask about it. "Are you gonna try working tomorrow? It's getting kinda late."

Jeremy shook his head and rolled up the top of his bag of chips, which he then stuffed back into the massive paper bag it came out of. "No, I shouldn't. My boss is gonna be a dick about it, since I just took three days off for my mental health, but sometimes I have to call in! Depression's a bitch."

"Right," Calvin agreed. "You have to do what's best for you, man. You're no good to anybody if you can't even take care of yourself."

The two of them were silent for a moment. Outside, the rain started to come down heavily and lightning lit up the clouds above. The bright flash illuminated the entire bus, making it seem as if the baby blue paint on the exterior was ablaze with the energy of a thunderbolt as it slithered through the rainbow, and around each carefully painted flower and seashell.

"Wow!" Calvin cried. "I didn't know it was supposed to storm!"

Jeremy gazed out at the rain, but he seemed completely uninterested in it. Calvin glanced at him, sensing he wanted to change the subject. "Hey, Jeremy? What's on your mind, man?"

Turning his head, Jeremy looked at Calvin with the eyes of a dead person, and said, "You seem to understand what I'm trying to say a lot. You and George…"

Calvin started to feel anxious. He was starting to wonder if his suspicions about Jeremy were about to be confirmed. Was he a member of Ready2CheckOut? If not, then where did he learn the phrase, "catch the bus" from?

"Cal?" Jeremy asked, grabbing his attention again. "How often do you think about um... Ya know? Suicide?"

Calvin knew where this was going, and he thought it best to answer as honestly as possible, without revealing his actual plan right away. "Quite often some days. That kinda happens when you lose a spouse."

"George told me you had a wife and she died in a car accident," Jeremy confirmed. "I'm sorry that happened."

Calvin glanced up at the seashell necklace, which danced and swayed everytime the bus went over a rough spot in the road. Thinking about her caused him to tear up again, and there was an ache in his throat.

"Me too," was the reply that Calvin managed to spit out.

"What was her name?" Jeremy asked curiously.

Suddenly fearing the possibility of doxing himself, Calvin lied. "Delilah. Her name was Delilah."

Jeremy furrowed his brow as he studied Calvin curiously for a bit, but then he smiled and nodded. "I was trying to remember if George told me her name. I guess not…"

Calvin breathed a sigh of relief. He was still willing to change his story and tell the truth if Jeremy opened up about his online activity, but he didn't want to push the issue without a good reason.

Wanting to change the subject, Calvin asked a question. "So, you ever dated anyone before?"

Jeremy chuckled. "Yes, but my ex is too good for a loser like me. That's all I can say."

"Come on, you gotta give me more than that," Calvin begged. "What was she like?"

Jeremy smirked at Calvin. "You know what I think, Cal? I think you're just as messed up in the head as me, but you don't want to talk about it. That's why you keep asking things about me."

Calvin sighed, and then a smile formed on his face. "Okay, you got me. Say, George and I were wondering how old you were."

"Thirty-three."

"Wow, you're just three years older than I was when I lost my wife."

Looking away from Calvin, Jeremy glanced out through the windshield and scoffed. "A hell of a milestone…"

Calvin sensed a hint of sarcasm in Jeremy's last reply, so he wasn't sure how to reply to it. If he had gotten a reply like that when he was still 33, he would've come unglued and probably beat the shit out of Jeremy for what he said. Now, he just let it roll off his back.

"No shit," was Calvin's reply, before eating some of his own chips.

The rest of the way back to the apartment building, the two of them complained about the minor inconveniences in their lives, since they already went through the trouble of sharing the big events. On the suicide forum they both accessed regularly, they had used their online personas to share a similar story, but they changed minor details here and there for the purposes of protecting their anonymity. In the physical world, Calvin knew that he and Jeremy shared a strong bond, even though they had just met that evening, but if they had continued to ask more questions, they would've discovered each other's online identities, which would've strengthened the father-son relationship that was beginning to develop between them.

MakinItHappen111 · Jul 19, 2026

bump, great read

Lost in a Dream · Jul 19, 2026

MakinItHappen111 said:
bump, great read

I'm glad you're enjoying the story! More chapters will be coming soon so hopefully you like what's coming up next.

Lost in a Dream · Jul 19, 2026

In the next upcoming chapter, we will get to meet Jeremy's sister Sandra. Hopefully you guys like her.

15

It was getting late, but Sandra was still far too worried about her brother to sleep. She was in the living room of her apartment while her roommate was showering and getting ready for work, and she was curled up on the couch under a blanket, listening to music through a pair of headphones that were draped over the top of her shoulder-length brown hair. She was only a couple years older than Jeremy, and always had his back, but sometimes it was hard to know how to help him when he was struggling.

Outside a storm was brewing. As it grew closer, the wind picked up and the rain started coming down on the apartment window quite heavily as lightning flashes lit up the sky. Sandra's glasses and smart phone were sitting on a nearby stand where she had a lamp on, just so she could see in the dark. On that same table was a family photo of herself, her dad, and Jeremy in a picture frame where the three of them were pretending to be happy together.

Suddenly, lightning streaked across the sky and struck a high-rise apartment building nearby, and the clap of thunder was so loud it made Sandra jump. "Ooh! Jesus!"

All the way down the hall in the bathroom, Sandra heard her roommate's voice cry out, "Oh, fuck! I'm done! I'm out!"

Now startled, Sandra sat up immediately and grabbed her glasses off the small table. She put them on just as her roommate shut off the valves in the shower and slid open the curtain. Throwing the blanket off of herself, she sat up on the couch and put her feet down into a pair of checkered, blue, and red slippers. Grabbing her phone off the table, she turned on the screen and opened up her weather app.

"Come on," Sandra whispered while she waited for it to load.

When it finally popped up, the radar showed an intense line of thunderstorms approaching. There was no warning in effect, so it couldn't be too bad, but she was more worried about her brother being out in it than she was about any potential impacts to herself.

Opening up her phone app, she brought up Jeremy's number and thought about calling it but hesitated. "Where the fuck are you, little bro?"

Down at the end of the hall, the bathroom door flew open, and her roommate zipped across wrapped in a towel, before disappearing into her own bedroom and slamming the door shut. More thunder boomed outside as lightning lit up the sky once more, but it wasn't quite as jarring as the loud crash Sandra heard earlier.

Deciding she better call, she removed her headphones before quickly dialing the number again and putting the phone up to her ear. "Come on, Jer. Fucking pick up…"

It rang six times before going to the voicemail, so she hung up and set her phone down by the lamp. "Motherfucker."

That's when her roommate came bursting back out of her bedroom, now fully dressed in her work uniform, and she came charging out into the living room with her wavy, blonde hair still dripping. "Holy fuck! I didn't know it was supposed to storm tonight!"

Sandra glanced up at her roommate the moment she appeared and announced her ignorance. "Neither did I. I just hope my brother isn't out in it right now."

"Hopefully this shit goes away before I have to leave!" Sandra's roommate whined. "I don't want to drive in that!"

Sandra opened the weather app again and double checked the radar. "Lynn, it should be past us in about ten minutes. You'll be good when it's time to go."

Lynn disappeared into their kitchen and called out, "So, did you go see your brother today?"

Sandra turned off the screen on her phone and rolled her eyes when she set it back down by the lamp and family photo. "Did I see him? No. Did I clean up his pizza boxes? Yes."

Lynn stuck her head out of the kitchen doorway and grinned. "Maybe he got back with his ex?"

Getting up from the couch, Sandra folded her arms across the front of her dark blue sweater and shook her head at her roommate. "I don't think so. He's spiraling again. I fucking know it."

Stepping back out of the kitchen, Lynn frowned at Sandra. "Sandy, I know you want to help him, but maybe he isn't yours to fix?"

Getting defensive, Sandra shot back. "If I don't fix him, then who else is gonna fucking do it?"

Lynn seemed hurt by the anger in her roommate's voice. "Whoa, calm down, I'm just trying to help."

Feeling horrible for using such a harsh tone of voice, Sandra sighed and started twirling a strand of her hair anxiously. "I'm sorry. I'm just… I'm fucking worried about Jer! I already lost my mom to this shit, and I can't lose him too."

Sandra felt like she was about to cry suddenly. Saving her brother had been her number one goal for several years, but it seemed like no matter how hard she tried, the rift between Jeremy and their father prevented him from making any progress. The trauma he experienced when he lost his childhood friend to suicide only served to widen that rift, until it became a monstrous canyon that couldn't ever be crossed.

Tears welled up in her eyes, so she took off her glasses and wiped them away with the sleeve of her sweater. "I'm sorry, Lynn. I'm worried about him."

"So, what happened?" Lynn asked, suddenly looking worried.

Sandra put her glasses back on and tried to remember everything Jeremy said over the phone earlier that day. "Well, he had a hard time getting home and he hit a pothole. Apparently, somebody with a tow truck stopped to help, and they're taking him home."

"Did he get home yet?" Lynn asked.

Sandra shrugged. "Not that I've heard. Jer won't fucking answer me."

Lynn smiled at her friend. "Just give him some time. He'll come around. Besides, this'll be a good chance for him to get another car."

Sandra chuckled and a faint smile formed on her lips. "Yeah… That's what I thought."

"Ya know, maybe you should focus more on taking care of yourself for a change," Lynn suggested. "You're always spending so much time worrying about your brother, but you aren't doing yourself any favors. It's okay to step back a little bit."

Sandra sighed and took a seat at the cluttered table that served as their designated place to devour junk food. She put one of her elbows on the table and rested her chin on the palm of her hand. "I know, but it's so hard seeing him like this."

Lynn pulled out a chair and sat down across the table from Sandra. "If you keep trying to be forceful, it's just gonna push him further away. If he wants help, he'll ask, but in the meantime, try to be there for him and listen if he wants to talk."

"Lynn, why the fuck are you doing housekeeping at the hospital all night?" Sandra asked with a soft laugh. "You should become a fucking therapist or something."

Lynn laughed. "I would, but that requires a little something called an education, which also requires a lot of money. I'm not gonna spend the next two decades paying off student debt. Fuck that!"

"Still, I think you'd be a great therapist," Sandra said reassuringly.

"When do you think you're gonna tell your brother about Sunday?" Lynn asked, suddenly changing the subject.

As soon as that topic came up, Sandra let out an exasperated sigh. "I don't know if I wanna bring it up! He's still pissed off about being sent to the hospital."

Lynn nodded and clicked her tongue inside of her mouth. "I would be too, honestly. I mean, your dad hired that lawyer, and he had a judge declare Jeremy incompetent. I'd lose my shit if someone did that to me."

"Yeah, but that was my dad's idea," Sandra reminded her. "I'm just glad it was temporary."

"Do you really think your dad wants to bury the hatchet this time?" Lynn asked. "Burgers and hotdogs sound pretty damn apologetic to me."

"Yeah, but my dad expects Jer to go to him, instead of trying to reach out himself," Sandra grumbled. "They've gone through this shit before, and every time they start using sarcasm and dropping insults at each other. Before I know it, they're fighting and yelling, and it's a fucking disaster!"

"Maybe you can try doing something different this time," Lynn suggested. "See if there's a friend or a coworker your brother can invite? Maybe they can diffuse the situation somehow."

That suggestion actually sounded good to Sandra. She didn't think Jeremy had many friends though, but if she got the chance to call him the next day, she would have to ask if there was anyone he could bring with him.

Sandra smiled at her friend. "Lynn, you're a fucking genius!"

Getting up out of her chair, Lynn gave a bow. "I try my best. Anyway, I gotta get some brekky."

Then Lynn disappeared into the kitchen, but Sandra called out, "And don't call me Sandy! You know I hate that!"

"Whatever!" was her roommate's reply.

Once Sandra was alone, she tried to think of a plan. She knew that there had to be someone in Jeremy's life who could come along on Sunday to help her keep the peace. Maybe he had a funny coworker that could annoy her dad, which would give him someone else to be upset at for a change. That would give her brother some breathing room at the very least.

16

By the time Calvin pulled into a parking space in front of Jeremy's apartment building, it was pouring down rain outside and lightning was constantly flashing. When the bus came to a stop, the two of them sat there for a bit, waiting for the rain to let up.

"You think you can make it to your apartment okay?" Calvin asked.

Jeremy glanced at him and nodded. "I only have to get to the second floor. I feel more steady, so I think I can get up the stairs."

Calvin chuckled. "When you get a chance to make a run for it, give me a thumbs up at the balcony when you get there. I want to know you made it up there okay."

Jeremy picked up his bag of chips one more time and opened it. "It looks like it's gonna keep raining like this for a while. I'll just hang out in here for a bit."

"Good idea," Calvin said. "I heard lightning wasn't a very fun way to check out."

Jeremy reached into the bag of chips, but started to laugh, causing him to drop the ones he picked up with his fingers. "And neither is choking on fucking chips!"

"But you didn't choke on any chips," Calvin said, suddenly feeling confused.

"I almost did!" Jeremy said. "I had them in my hand, but I dropped the fuckers when you made me laugh."

Hearing the explanation, Calvin started laughing too, and he realized that he was really starting to like this guy. "Ah, okay! So, if they made it to your mouth and you laughed, then you would've choked on em!"

"Right!" Jeremy confirmed. "Not a peaceful way to go!"

Up above the bus, lightning streaked across the sky, creating a loud thunderclap. The painted exterior of the bus lit up once again as it reflected the flash right back up at the angry sky. Calvin was actually entertained by the intense weather going on outside, and he was kind of enjoying himself, but he was still worried about Jeremy after all the stress he had gone through that day.

"So, Jeremy, what kind of office work do you do?" Calvin asked curiously. "If you don't mind me asking."

"I work in IT," Jeremy said. "I deal with rude assholes from accounting every day."

"Jesus, that would make me want to eat buckshot for sure!"

Jeremy chuckled at Calvin's phrasing. "Eat buckshot? You make it seem like you're putting it on bread with mayo."

Calvin laughed so hard that he wheezed like George and slapped the steering wheel with his hand. "And I put… I put bacon on it too! Hahaha!"

Jeremy started to laugh his ass off while he sat there holding the bag of chips on his lap. "Excuse me, I'd like to order the bacon and cheese buckshot burger with a basket of fries, thank you!"

By now, Calvin was laughing so hard he couldn't talk, and Jeremy was catching up. "And don't forget the Nem… The Nem… Fuck, I can't say it!"

Jeremy started wheezing from laughter too and he dropped his bag of chips on the floor, causing them to spill out onto the rubber floor mat at his feet. "The what?"

Calvin needed to calm down a bit before he could talk again, so he put a finger to his lips and shook his head while his laughter died down. "Gimme a sec…"

Jeremy laughed at Calvin while he tried to get his breathing back to normal long enough to speak. "What am I forgetting?"

"The Nembutal dipping sauce!" Calvin blurted out. "For the fries!"

"Nembutal?!" Jeremy cried, right before he started wheezing with laughter again. "Dipping sauce?! Fuck, heeeee…"

For the next several minutes, the two of them sat out there in the bus laughing and wiping tears away from their eyes. The storm outside gradually passed by while they were out there, and before long, the rain had stopped, and the lightning only appeared as distant flashes on the horizon.

"Holy shit," Jeremy said when he finally stopped laughing and realized the storm had passed. "Looks like it's safe to go in now."

"You think you can walk?" Calvin asked, suddenly afraid that Jeremy was still off balance.

Jeremy put his bag of chips back into the paper bag and stuffed his water bottle down inside as well. Then he grabbed all the snacks and said, "I'll probably be okay. Thanks for the ride."

"Oh, before you go," Calvin called out to him. "I almost forgot, but I should give you my number."

"Oh, shit, I almost forgot about that too," Jeremy said as he set the bag of snacks back down on the floor of the bus. "Ya know, I might need help after all, just in case."

Then Calvin agreed to go inside the building with him. While Jeremy was carrying the snacks, he helped him get inside one of the outer doors that was closest to his apartment, and then they headed up the stairs until they came to a stop in front of apartment number 217. Calvin had to hold the bag of pop and snacks for Jeremy while he was unlocking the door, but then he handed the bag back and the two of them headed inside.

Calvin thought the apartment looked kind of nice, despite being a little dusty and disorganized, but it was nowhere near as messy as it could've been. "Hey, your apartment ain't half bad! I could see myself living here if I didn't have so much shit."

Jeremy hurried into his kitchen and set the bag of snacks down by the microwave, before taking out his smartphone and opening his phone app. "Okay, so what's your number, Cal? Oh shit, looks like my sister tried to call again... Well, I'll call her back later."

Calvin gave the number to him and then he took out his own smartphone and saved Jeremy's number as a contact after the younger guy quickly dialed him so he would have it. "Okay, I'll just call or text ya tomorrow when I find out how much the parts are gonna cost."

Putting his phone away, Jeremy suddenly looked sad again. "Thanks for everything, Cal. If it wasn't for you and George, I'd be fucked."

Calvin offered Jeremy a handshake. "It was a pleasure to meet ya. How are you feeling?"

Jeremy shook Calvin's hand and gripped it tight, and his eyes glistened in the dim light coming out of the kitchen from above his stove. "I think I'm still feeling the weed. I appreciate everything you've done for me, man. Thanks."

Still feeling the urge to ask Jeremy if he was a member of the suicide forum, Calvin came dangerously close to blurting it out. Still, he was afraid to bring it up first, just in case Jeremy wasn't actually pro-choice about suicide. He was just having a horrible day before they met, and it was possible he would just do a 180 the moment his car got fixed.

"I better go then," Calvin said. "I've been out and about all day."

"Drive careful out there," Jeremy told him. "And whatever you do, make sure the bus gets there safe and sound."

"I'll do that, thanks," Calvin promised. "Get some rest now, and I'll call you tomorrow."

Jeremy smiled at Calvin. "Sure thing. I'll see you around."

Then Calvin left the apartment without mentioning Ready2CheckOut?, but he started kicking himself the moment he got back into his bus and closed the door. He still had some of the weed left that George gave him the last time, but it was almost out. As soon as he figured out the cost of the parts and called Jeremy, he would have to go back there and get a fresh batch of smoke. On the way out of the parking lot at the apartments, Calvin couldn't stop thinking about the weird day that he had, and he couldn't wait to get to know Jeremy better. Having one good friend who understood the way he felt was great, but having two friends who shared his beliefs about the right to die would be even better.

Lost in a Dream · Jul 19, 2026

17

When Jeremy woke up the next morning, the entire previous day felt like a strange dream. He was a little hungover when he got out of bed, but the pain in his head was surprisingly mild. The water George gave him was probably the thing that saved him, but he was also glad he stopped at two beers when Calvin pulled up.

Going back into his bathroom wearing only his t-shirt and some boxer shorts, Jeremy looked at himself in the mirror again. "Fuck, I look like shit."

It was daylight already, and he knew that if he didn't call in right away, he would be late. Going back to bed again, he got under the covers and sat there on the mattress like he always did, and then he dialed his supervisor's number.

After three rings, a very ornery, gruff sounding voice growled, "Hello? Jeremy, you're just the guy I wanted to talk to!"

Jeremy raised his eyebrows in surprise while he sat there, holding the phone up to his ear. "Really?"

"Roger from accounting called me this morning," said the boss man. "I need to see you in my office when you get here!"

"Yeah, about that," Jeremy said. "I can't make it in today."

For a few seconds, all he heard was silence on the other end, but then his boss let out an angry growl and sighed. "What's your excuse this time?"

"I don't have a car," Jeremy told him. "And I have no ride."

"Can't you catch a bus or a cab?" the boss man demanded angrily. "Call someone maybe?"

Jeremy chuckled. "Catching the bus, heh, that I could possibly do."

"Then do it!" his boss screamed at him.

"I can't," Jeremy explained. "Not today. I have to go get the car fixed."

Once again, he heard silence on the other side. Even though Jeremy couldn't see his boss, he already knew the guy was anxiously fiddling around with his Joseph Stalin-esque mustache while he sat there in his office, getting ready to scream into his phone.

"At least you called in, I guess," the boss grumbled. "Bring me proof tomorrow and I'll let you have this one."

"Okay, I'll do that!" Jeremy told him, feeling surprised that he accepted the call in that easily. "Should I bring in a receipt for the work being done or something?"

"Do whatever you gotta do!" Jeremy's boss yelled. "I don't care, just get the car fixed and get back here. One more call in without a good excuse and that'll be your second write up…"

"Sure, thanks," Jeremy said. "Have a good day, Sir."

Then he ended the call before his boss could bitch at him again, and he checked to make sure his VPN was still connected on his phone. Since it was, he opened up his private browser for the first time in nearly 24 hours, and went to Ready2CheckOut? After getting logged in, he only saw a couple notifications from people who reacted to some of his earlier posts. At that moment, he wanted to make a venting thread about everything that happened to him the previous day, but he was afraid to give out too much information. Doxing himself or Calvin was the last thing he wanted to do.

Eventually, he created a new post in the "Maybe" section, but then he stopped to think about what he wanted to say. "Fuck… What do I tell them?"

He wanted to be honest, since Ready2CheckOut? was the only place where he truly felt understood (until he met George and Calvin of course). Unfortunately, he was on a website filled with thousands of random strangers on the internet, and any one of them could've been a pro-life spy pretending to be suicidal and trolling for screenshots. In the months that followed since joining the forum, the place had come under attack by people who lost loved ones after they went there to do research on methods and ended up choosing one. As bad as Jeremy felt for those people, he still knew that they were going about it the wrong way.

Getting back to his thread, Jeremy sighed. "I wonder if I should tell Cal about this place… Maybe he doesn't mind me sharing."

Realizing he wasn't in the right mindset to make a new thread; Jeremy cancelled it and went back to browsing the public forums. He went back to the thread HippieBus62 replied to the day before and was surprised by the number of reactions he had – 2 hearts, 5 likes, 3 hug emojis, and 1 crying emoji.

"Damn Hippie," Jeremy whispered with a chuckle. "You really know how to tug on the heart strings."

Suddenly curious, he clicked on HippieBus62's username and went to his profile. He looked at the profile picture just to see if it looked anything like Cal's bus, but it was definitely not the same one. It was a Volkswagen bus for sure, but the designs were totally different.

"Okay, hippie bus, who the hell are you?" Jeremy whispered. "Are you Cal, or do you just like VW busses to?"

He was tempted to send HippieBus62 a cryptic message asking if he knew anyone named George or Earl, but he decided against it. VW buses had been around for decades, and quite a few people that were Cal's age restored and collected them, so the owner of that profile could've been anyone. Cal might even be a follower of theirs for all he knew, but he went back to the site's home page, instead of messaging his online friend.

What he ended up doing instead was logging out, closing the browser, and calling Cal for real. "I hope you're awake, Cal."

The phone rang a few times before going right to the voicemail, which apparently hadn't been set up, so Jeremy hung up and tossed his phone down on the bed. "Well shit."

It was still pretty early yet, so he guessed that Cal was still sleeping or looking up the prices for the parts he needed. Either way, he figured he'd notice that someone called him and try to call back when he was ready. Getting up out of bed, he decided to get dressed, but in this case, that meant putting on an old pair of jeans and a t-shirt full of holes that had been lying on his floor for a few days, and just lounging around in his apartment for the next few hours.

Going out to his living room, he stopped and looked around to see what his sister did while he was axle deep in the giant pothole. "Holy shit, the pizza boxes are gone! No beer bottles, oh wait… Ha! You missed one, Sandra!"

Picking up an empty beer bottle from underneath his dining table, he held it up triumphantly as if it was a participation trophy. Then he turned towards his trash can and dropped it in. Hitting the bottom with a thud and a clink, the bottle stayed intact, but the sound it made indicated that the can was empty. Sandra had taken out the trash too.

"Well, at least she did something to help," Jeremy mumbled. "Better than giving me pro-life platitudes…"

Since his phone was set to silent, he went back to his room to see if Cal called him back. As soon as he picked it back up off the mattress, however, he received a call from his sister instead.

"What the fuck do you want now, Sandra?" Jeremy asked out loud, even though she couldn't hear him.

Even though he wanted to ignore the call, he answered it and put the phone up to his ear, but waited for his sister to say something first.

"Hello?" Sandra asked. "Jer, can you hear me?"

"I'm here," Jeremy grumbled.

"Are you at home?"

"Yep."

Sandra breathed a sigh of relief. "That guy in the tow truck, did he give you a ride?"

"No, it was his friend Cal, actually," Jeremy said. "He's a cool guy."

Sandra sounded amazed when she said, "Wow! He really must be! Um, where's your car now?"

"It's at that guy George's place. Cal's gonna let me know how much the parts will cost, and then I just have to buy the parts."

Sandra was silent for a moment, so Jeremy guessed that she had something on her mind. When she spoke again, the tone in her voice sounded disingenuous. "That's great!"

Jeremy chuckled. "You don't sound enthusiastic. What's wrong?"

"No, it is great that Cal and George are helping you, it's just that," Sandra said before pausing.

"Just what?"

"Um, on Sunday, Dad wants us to go over there for a cookout."

"Oh, Jesus Christ Sandra…"

"Jer, hear me out! Please!"

Jeremy lowered the phone from his ear, rolled his eyes, and then put it back up there again. "Okay, I'm listening."

"My roommate Lynn came up with a great idea! What if you bring someone with you?"

Jeremy chuckled and shook his head. "Bring who?"

"Uh-uh," Sandra stuttered. "Uh, do you have a coworker you can annoy Dad with? Somebody to keep the heat off you?"

"I guess so," was his answer.

"Is there anyone you can bring?" Sandra asked. "To keep you distracted?"

Suddenly getting angry, Jeremy snapped at her over the phone. "Sandra, just stop! Please! If Dad wants to make peace with me, he can come and see me himself. Why should I go all the way out there, just to see him, if he can't be bothered to do it for me?"

Sandra was silent for a moment, but when she tried to think of an argument, none came. "Because, um… Because he's our dad and, uh…"

Jeremy scoffed. "That's what I thought. I appreciate what you did for me, Sis. Cleaning up the place. But my problems with Dad aren't yours to fix. They're his."

"I'm just trying to get you out of your apartment for a while," Sandra told him. "It's good for you to get out once in a while."

"Not if he's around," Jeremy argued. "Besides, I already have plans to hang out with the guys who got me out of the pothole. They have a list, so I'm gonna buy the parts and have em show me what they're doing."

"They're gonna teach you how to fix your own car?"

"Something like that."

Sandra sighed. "Jer, I really think Dad wants to try again this time. Please, just give him one last chance. If he screws it up, I'll never bother you again."

"God, Sandra," Jeremy grumbled. "You don't give up, do ya?"

Sandra chuckled. "Nope! I'm your big sister. Annoying you is my fucking job."

"And apparently making you worry is mine," Jeremy said with a soft laugh.

"What about the guy who drove you home?" Sandra asked. "You said his name was Cal, right? Maybe you can invite him over."

Jeremy closed his eyes and made an angry face for a second, before finally giving in. "Okay, I'll think about it. I'm waiting for Cal to get ahold of me anyway."

"That's good enough for me," Sandra said finally. "I just thought my roommate's idea was a good one. You need a ride to work?"

"I'm not going today," Jeremy confessed. "I got back really late, and I didn't want to bug anyone about taking me in."

"Understandable. Keep me updated on the car, okay?"

"Okay," Jeremy agreed.

Then they said their goodbyes and hung up. Jeremy couldn't believe that he was even considering giving his father one last chance, but perhaps Sandra's roommate had come up with a good idea after all. His old man may have been unlikable to him, but perhaps having something in common with Cal (the loss of their wives) would give him a distraction. Jeremy was willing to give it a try, if he could keep his dad from being a dick to him at every turn, but even then, he didn't have much hope for it.

18

When Calvin woke up again, he woke up from another nightmare. This time, it wasn't his wife's death that he was forced to witness; instead, it was the death of a fellow soldier when he was serving overseas. Seeing that poor squad-mate die in the way they did had left a permanent scar in his mind, just like the traffic pileup in 92, but it didn't have quite the same impact as the accident that killed his wife.

Regardless of how uncommon this nightmare was compared to the accident, Calvin's shirt and pajama pants were soaked in sweat once again, and his chest was heaving like before. Now all he wanted to do was get to work on finding the prices for all the parts he and George needed, so he could call Jeremy and have him order everything.

Getting up out of bed and rinsing his face off at the bathroom sink again, Calvin calmed himself down and went out to his kitchen, where he started mumbling to himself a little. "Ugh, Jesus… Well, guess I'm gonna check my notifications again…"

After sitting down at his laptop and putting on his reading glasses, he logged into Ready2CheckOut? once again, and he was surprised to see how many notifications he had.

Raising his eyebrows, he chuckled. "Holy shit!"

He clicked on the bell and saw that the vast majority of the notifications were from the reactions to his post the previous morning. Apparently, he had made such an impact in the thread about the spouse who died from cancer, that many people found his words comforting, and the original poster even replied to him around the time he was out running errands in his truck the day before.

Calvin was touched by the love he received for his post. He looked through each of the names of the people who reacted and recognized a few of the long-term members. Then he spotted the name of LonelyOfficeWorker33 again and clicked on his profile. His profile picture was the image of a cramped cubicle with a desk in it, a computer screen with a white glow coming out of it sitting on the desk, and the whole cubicle was surrounded by darkness.

Calvin sighed as he looked over the personal details on the younger member's profile. "Okay, Office… What kind of office work do you do?"

There was no mention of the work he did in his "About Me" page, but Calvin remembered reading bits and pieces of information about LOW33 in previous threads, a couple of which were even created by the user in question. For a brief moment, Calvin considered the possibility that Jeremy was this person, but he knew that was highly unlikely. The odds of meeting someone by accident from an online community of a few thousand people was very slim, and he knew this. Not to mention that the person behind that profile hadn't shared as much detail with the forum as Jeremy had on the bus, but yet, there were enough similarities between them that it was possible for them to be the same person.

"Shit," Calvin grumbled as he returned to the main page. "Come on, Cal! There's no way Office is Jeremy…"

As soon as he returned to the home page, he discovered that he had a new message in his inbox. When he clicked on it and opened it, he discovered that it was from a user who joined the site much earlier than he did, and their name was Flowers@MeGrave. Curiousabout the message, Calvin stopped to read it.

"Heyoo! I met a sweet, young man at the cemetery the other day who likes the same kind of buses as you! I think he might be one of us. :)"

Calvin smiled when he saw the message, and he replied right away. "If he's young, then that rules me out. If this guy is a member of the site, then he's probably one of my followers."

He paused as he tried to think of what else to say, but he ended up finishing his inbox message with, "If there's another member of this site out there who's into VW buses, then I hope they're following me. Thanks for the message!"

After sending his reply and logging out, Calvin suddenly became curious about the old lady he met when he was planting flowers by his wife's gravestone. Could that same old lady be Flowers@MeGrave? Just like with LonelyOfficeWorker33 and Jeremy, he doubted that they were the same person. Still, the timing of the message couldn't have been more bizarre.

Calvin removed his reading glasses and folded his arms while he sat there at the table, lost in thought. He really wanted to go outside for a cigarette before he started coming up with prices for the parts Jeremy needed to order, but he had to sort out the thoughts in his head first.

"Shit, that old lady probably is flowers at me grave," Calvin said with a chuckle. "That's probably more likely than Jeremy being Office. Shit…"

Closing the laptop, he got up from the table and returned to the front door where his unopened pack of cigs from the day before was laying beside the urn of ashes, along with his lighter. Just like last time, he picked them up, went out onto his porch, and sat down while he listened to the sounds of the neighborhood once again. His VW bus was stashed safely away in the garage right then, but he had pulled it in frontwards, just because he didn't have the patience to back it in like he normally did.

After lighting up the first cig from his pack, Calvin inhaled the smoke, pulled the cig out of his mouth, and blew it out. "Ah, there! Now I can start getting ready for the fucking day!"

Once he finished his cigarette, he hurried back into the house so he could get back on his laptop and start looking up the prices for all of the parts on the list he and George made. It took him close to an hour to find the best prices on everything (sometimes checking multiple online sources for each part), and when he had the list finished, he whistled.

"Sweet, baby Jesus," Calvin said with a chuckle. "I finished it! I better call Jeremy."

Going back up the stairs to his bedroom again, Calvin retrieved his smartphone, which was still charging on his bedside table, and he used it to call Jeremy, who he discovered had already called him earlier that morning.

When Jeremy answered, it sounded like he was in the middle of eating something, because his mouth sounded full. "Hewoo?"

Calvin chuckled. "Having a good breakfast are ya?"

After swallowing whatever he was chewing on right then, Jeremy laughed. "I'm eating a granola bar."

"A granola bar?!" Calvin cried, sounding surprised. "Come on, kid! You gotta have a better breakfast than that!"

"It's the best I've got unfortunately," came the reply.

"How about this?" Calvin asked, hinting at the possibility of a recommendation for a good breakfast. "I got that list done, so how about I come and pick you up once I get around. We can stop somewhere, and I'll get you a real breakfast!"

Jeremy took another bite of his granola bar and gulped it down. "Okay, sounds good to me! Where were you thinking?"

"Anywhere you want."

"I'm not picky. Anywhere is fine, as long as it's safe to eat."

Calvin laughed. "Ha! Hahaha! That rules out a few places right there!"

"Yeah, I'll get myself ready then," Jeremy said. "I'll call you when I'm all set."

"Sounds good," Calvin said.

Then the two of them hung up their phones and got ready for the day. After waking himself up with a shower and some caffeinated sodas, Calvin got dressed into a clean t-shirt and some jeans before he went out to the apartment building in his bus so he could pick up Jeremy. After the storms rolled through the night before, the roads were covered in puddles and patches of water, but now that the sun was coming out, some of the moisture on the pavement was beginning to dry.

The drive out to Jeremy's apartment building was a pleasant one, but the traffic was back to being heavy again near the downtown business district where the high-rise office buildings were. Jeremy called at some point while he was on the way there, to let him know that he was ready, and then they went out for breakfast and talked about the car until they were ready to head back to George's place.

Lost in a Dream · Jul 20, 2026

The next 2 chapters I'm going to post are among my favorites from the story so far, even if they get kind of dark at times.

19

Jeremy actually had a very nice breakfast with Calvin before they got back in the bus and headed out to George's house. Calvin had a good breakfast too, so when the hippie bus finally turned into George's driveway, the guys were well fed and ready to go. Now all they had to do was hope they could avoid getting the shits from what they ate.

George was already out doing something in the garage when they pulled up, and he had the garage door wide open so they could see him clearly. He was hammering away at something in the back, but it was hard to tell what it was from the driveway. When Jeremy and Calvin got out of the bus, George dropped what he was doing and walked out there to see them.

He smiled at them as soon as he stepped out into the sunlight. "Hey, did you guys have a good breakfast?"

Jeremy didn't sound very enthusiastic when he spoke, but in reality, he meant it when he said, "Yeah, it was good."

George glanced at his buddy. "Cal?"

Calvin's reply carried the same tone as Jeremy's. "Same."

George glanced back and forth between the two guys and laughed. "Don't get too excited you guys. You might scare my neighbors…"

Both Jeremy and Calvin chuckled at the joke, then they glanced at each other, and followed George into the house, where they used the Wi-Fi to order the parts on Jeremy's phone. Jeremy ordered them in his name and had them shipped to George's address so they could use them to piece the rusty, old car back together, right before he took a screenshot of the receipt to show his boss when he went back to work. After that, there wasn't much they could do except hang out for the day and smoke weed. This time around, Jeremy drank much less, but smoked more, and when Earl the cat jumped up onto his lap once again, he was content to let him stay there for as long as he wanted to be.

By the time late afternoon rolled around, the three guys were in George's kitchen, sitting around the table with bottles of beer in hand. Jeremy was almost done with his second, George was on his third, but Calvin had simply stuck to smoking another joint. They were talking excitedly as the two older guys shared funny stories from their past with their young guest.

George was the one who did most of the storytelling, but as he was in the process of sharing one of his tales, he kept laughing so much that he could hardly get the words out. "And then Cal, he was trying to pull the lady's car out of the ditch, alright! The truck's tires are spin- They're spinning! And then… Hahaha!"

Calvin was laughing too, but not as hard, because he said, "It ain't that funny, George! All that happened is I ended up flinging muddy snow all over the back of the car."

George pointed at Calvin. "No, you're forgetting the part where the mud went flying to the side, towards the old lady! The mud hit her cig- Her cig-"

"Her cigarette?" Jeremy asked, finishing the sentence for him. "It got knocked out of her hand?"

George nodded his head while laughing like a maniac. "It… It got a clump of snow and mud on her hand, and she dropped it cause… Cause it was cold!"

In between every pause in his speech, George wheezed from laughter, but then he was able to talk again until he couldn't. Jeremy laughed his ass off along with him, just because it wasn't every day he got to hang out with somebody this funny.

Then George started to tell another story, and when his next laughing fit came, it caused him to start coughing suddenly. He pulled a rag out of a pocket in his dirty jeans and coughed into it, but when he looked down at it, he saw blood.

Calvin put a hand on George's shoulder. "Jesus Christ! Is that blood?"

When Jeremy saw the shock on Calvin's face, he stopped laughing immediately. "Blood?!"

George coughed again and cleared his throat as he folded up the rag. "Yeah, I'm afraid so…"

"My God," Calvin said. "Did you get it checked out yet?"

"Not yet," George admitted. "You know how I am with doctors…"

"You should get it looked at, man," Calvin told him. "If it's serious, you can decide if you want treatment or not."

Gripping his beer tightly in his hands, Jeremy asked, "Isn't it cancer that causes that?"

Calvin glanced at Jeremy. "I think Pneumonia can cause it too."

George glanced back and forth between Calvin and Jeremy. "Jesus Christ, you guys. You don't need to worry about me so much. I'm not worried."

Jeremy was amazed at how little George seemed to care about his well-being. He had seemed so happy before, but he also remembered what the old guy with the big beard had said the day before – "I keep myself laughing with the jokes and the weed all the time, but it just ain't enough some days."

"Why aren't you worried?" Jeremy asked curiously. "Dying from either of those things would suck, wouldn't it?"

George went silent, and so did Calvin, who folded his hands on the tabletop and stared down at them. When George finally spoke again, he confessed, "Because if it gets too bad, I already have a way out."

Calvin put a hand over his eyes and sighed. "Oh, God, George…"

Jeremy was confused. "A way out? What is it?"

"Nembutal," was George's answer. "I bought it online and I've been saving it."

Jeremy blinked his eyes and raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Where did you get Nembutal?"

George looked at Calvin. "Cal hooked me up with the link when I asked for it a year ago."

Then Jeremy glanced at Calvin. "Cal? How did you find Nembutal?"

"Well, it's a long story," Calvin started to say.

"I've got time," Jeremy told him.

George chuckled. "You can tell him, Cal. Jeremy won't snitch on us."

Calvin glanced nervously at Jeremy, who nodded and smiled. "I promise not to say anything, Cal. Besides, I wouldn't mind getting some of that myself."

Calvin shook his head. "There's no way to get anymore. George got one bottle from the last good source, and now we got nothing. That just leaves me with the twelve gauge in my gun safe…"

"Cal, tell him how you found the Nembutal," George begged him. "Please tell him. He has a right to know."

Calvin looked very nervous, and Jeremy had a feeling that he knew why. Somehow, they both had to have known about Ready2CheckOut?, but he didn't blame the older guy for being nervous. He would've been too, if he was getting ready to open up about something as big as that.

Calvin started wringing his hands on the table anxiously, as he tried to break the news to Jeremy. "A few years ago, I found this… This forum… On the internet. I lurked for a while, but then I ended up joining."

Jeremy's heart started pounding in his ears and his breathing became heavy as he realized what Calvin was about to say. "It isn't called 'ready to check out' is it?"

Calvin stared back at Jeremy with his eyes wide in shock. George did as well, and at that point, they knew the cat was out of the bag.

"Is it?" Jeremy asked again.

"Tell him, Cal!" George insisted again.

Finally, Calvin nodded and admitted the truth. "Yeah, it is. I went there because I wanted to meet other people like me. People who were pro-choice about death and suicide. Like me and George…"

"It's because of your wife, isn't it?" Jeremy asked.

Calvin nodded, just as tears started running down from his eyes. He wiped them away with his hand before speaking. "Anyway… I found that link for Nembutal, thinking it might be better than the shotgun. I told George about the site, and he wanted some too, just in case. I tried to order two, but we could only get one."

Jeremy was shocked. "So, George kept it then?"

George nodded and smiled at Jeremy. "I offered to give it back, but Cal doesn't want it now. If I do have cancer in my lungs, I'll drink the shit and it'll be lights out!"

Jeremy shook his head in disbelief. He couldn't believe that after all this time, he had been on the same suicide forum as Calvin without even knowing it. With that being the case, he had a question that he desperately wanted to ask.

"Cal?" Jeremy said to get his attention.

Still wiping tears away from his eyes, Calvin glanced at him. "I suppose… You want to know what my username is, right?"

Jeremy nodded. "Yeah. I'm curious as fuck, but you don't have to say it if you don't want to."

Calvin smirked at Jeremy, but the smirk faded away as more tears threatened to flood past his eyelids. "If I did say it, would you be okay with telling me yours?"

Jeremy stopped to think about that. He really did want to tell Calvin that his name was LonelyOfficeWorker33, but getting the words out was incredibly difficult. He knew that doing so would be the best way to be closer friends with those older guys, but he was afraid, and he wasn't sure if he was ready yet.

"No, I'm not ready yet," Jeremy admitted. "We just met yesterday, so uh, we can wait I guess."

Sounding frustrated, George asked, "Why wait though? You guys already said you were on the forum!"

"Are you on there?" Jeremy asked George.

George shook his head. "No. Cal just found the source for the Nembutal on there."

"I think I agree with the kid," Calvin said. "It can wait."

George shrugged. "Okay then. What do ya guys think about ordering a pizza? I'm fucking hungry!"

"Yeah, that sounds good!" Jeremy said.

Calvin agreed. "Sounds good to me too."

"Alright then, I'll order one!" George said, right before he got up from the table.

He hurried out to his living room, leaving Jeremy alone with Calvin, and the two of them looked into each other's eyes. At this point, it was likely that they both knew each other's usernames, but were afraid to say them out loud.

"Speaking of food," Jeremy said.

Calvin's eyebrows perked up. "What about it?"

"Is it okay if I ask you a favor?"

"Sure thing, Jeremy. What do you need?"

"You remember what I said about my dad before, right?"

Calvin nodded. "Mm-hmm."

"Well, apparently, he wants me to go out to his house Sunday night for a cookout. My sister's gonna be there, and maybe some other guests, I dunno. I was wondering if you could go there with me, just so he doesn't act like as much of a dick."

Calvin chuckled. "You want me to be your bodyguard?"

Jeremy smiled at Calvin. "Something like that."

"Well, I'd make a good bodyguard then," Calvin told him. "I used to be in the army, but I retired."

"Really?" Jeremy asked, surprised. "When?"

"First time was during Desert Storm," Calvin said, just as George returned from ordering the pizza. "I dated my wife for a while before then, but we got married after I got back. When she died though… I had to get a bunch of surgeries done before I could go back to serving my country again."

"Did you go back to it?" Jeremy asked.

Calvin nodded sadly. "Just after nine-eleven. I didn't serve long though. I got injured again and had to come back. Then I was discharged, and I've been retired ever since."

"Fuck, that must've been horrible," Jeremy said. "What happened to your wife, Delilah?"

George, who was far more buzzed than his other two friends, blurted out, "Delilah?! Her name was Mary!"

Calvin immediately facepalmed and Jeremy cried out, "Mary!"

George suddenly looked confused. "What's wrong?"

At this point, Jeremy had figured out the truth on his own. He knew Calvin's username on Ready2CheckOut?, and he absolutely had to ask it.

"Cal, are you Hippie Bus Sixty-two?"

Lowering his hand from his forehead, Calvin turned and looked Jeremy straight in the eyes as he said, "Yes. I am."

Jeremy was so shocked that he gasped.

20

Calvin couldn't believe that he had confessed his username on the suicide forum to Jeremy. When the younger man gasped, he knew it was too late to put the genie back into the bottle.

"Yeah, that's right," Calvin reiterated. "I'm Hippie Bus Sixty-two."

Jeremy sat there beside him with his mouth hanging open for close to a minute, but after closing it, he immediately confessed his name. "Wow, I'm uh… Lonely Office Worker Thirty-three…"

Calvin was taken aback by this revelation. "Really? You're Office Worker?"

Jeremy nodded. "Yeah, that's right. You said your name, so I had to say mine!"

"Jesus Christ," Calvin mumbled. "I can't believe you were following me this whole time on there."

"Neither can I!" Jeremy cried.

George smiled as he glanced back and forth between his friends. "Well, now that the cat's out of the bag, I say we get out some more beers and have a good time."

Calvin took a long hit from his joint and then he gently set it down in the ashtray on the table beside him. "I'm gonna need a good buzz to wrap my head around all this."

"Hippie?" Jeremy asked cautiously to get his attention. "That's what I call you on the site…"

Calvin glanced at Jeremy and smiled. "Yes, it is, Office. Fuck, I can't believe we were right under each other's noses the entire time!"

"I can't believe it either," Jeremy grumbled.

Sighing loudly, Calvin took another long hit from his joint and set it back down in the ash tray before he blew out the cloud of smoke. George took another gulp of his beer, and then Jeremy drank some more too.

By now, the mood in the room had changed. Calvin was nervous, and he could sense that Jeremy was as well. George was too drunk to care, but he also had the advantage of not being a member of the suicide forum, so he didn't have to worry about someone else knowing his username.

"You guys are gonna have a lot of catching up to do, aren't ya?" George asked with a chuckle.

It was then that Calvin suddenly realized he had forgotten to answer Jeremy's question about going to the cookout with his family. When the topic of his military service came up, he had gotten sidetracked, but now he realized that going there with Jeremy could be a great bonding experience for them.

"Oh, about the cookout at your dad's," Calvin said. "I'll go. It'll give us a chance to talk in the bus anyway."

"A cookout?" George asked, sounding confused. "You guys must've talked about that when I was ordering the pizza!"

"Yep," Jeremy confirmed. "My dad's kind of a dick, so having Cal there will help. Besides, he's a conservative Christian, so he loves veterans."

"Don't you?" George asked.

Jeremy furrowed his brow. "Don't I what? Love veterans?"

George laughed. "Yeah!"

"I do!" Jeremy protested. "Certain ones, of course!"

"Like me?" Calvin asked with a chuckle.

"Exactly!" was Jeremy's reply.

Calvin took another hit from his joint while George and Jeremy were joking around about him not loving veterans enough, but he managed to drop a comment in there after blowing out his smoke. Then his two friends sipped on their beers and they went back to making jokes and having a good time again.

The pizza arrived a little while later, and when it did, the three guys were hungry as George set the box down on the kitchen counter. He grabbed the first slice after opening the pizza and plopped it down on a plate, and the cheese on it was all stringy and messy. "Ooh! This is gonna be some good shit!"

Hurrying back to the table where he was sitting, George let Jeremy go next, and then Calvin went last. When they all sat down to have their pizza, the conversation took all kinds of turns. For one thing, Calvin ended up telling George and Jeremy about the old lady he met in the cemetery, and they both agreed that she was likely a member of the forum as well.

"But then, today, I got a personal message from somebody named Flowers at me grave," Calvin told them. "She said that she met a nice young man at the cemetery who likes hippie buses. I sent her a reply saying that being young kinda rules me out, but I haven't checked to see if I got a reply yet."

"That old lady probably is flowers at the grave then," George suggested. "Oh fuck, this is good pizza."

After that, Calvin straightened out all of the details of his life for Jeremy, so he could get his real-life experiences to match up with his online persona – HippieBus62. As it turned out, he did modify some details to protect his anonymity on the forum, but overall, everything he shared was accurate. The details of the accident that he shared with the forum weren't very detailed, so Jeremy was definitely curious about it.

Once Calvin got done filling Jeremy in on all of the gory details of the accident, he said, "Almost every day, I have nightmares where I watch Mary die over and over again… I wake up after the truck smashes into us, and that's how I start the day."

"That fucking sucks, Hippie," Jeremy said softly, before taking another swig of his beer and finishing his second bottle finally. "I didn't realize how brutal the whole thing actually was…"

Calvin chuckled. "The fucked up thing is, I'm pretty sure it gets more brutal every time I dream about it! It's been so long, it's hard to remember who crashed into what, but the part where Mary died… That part stays the same."

"I'm sorry," was all Jeremy said.

When Calvin glanced at him, he could see how sad his fellow forum member was, so he knew what he was saying was genuine. "Thanks for listening to me, Office. That means a lot."

Jeremy smiled. "No problem, Hippie."

George laughed. "I like how you guys are using each other's usernames now hahaha! That might as well be your new nicknames!"

Calvin chuckled. "Maybe we should come up with a nickname for you! How about GimliBeard67!"

George laughed so hard he wheezed and nearly coughed up blood, but when he was able to breathe again, he spat out the words, "Gimli Beard! Hahahaha! Everybody says my beard makes me look like Gimli! From those movies! About the rings!"

"Sounds good to me," Jeremy agreed. "I'm Office, Cal is Hippie, and you are Gimli Beard!"

"How about you just call me Beard!" George suggested. "I'm down with that! Office, Hippie, and Beard! We'll be like the three stooges!"

Calvin and Jeremy both laughed at the joke, and they really did seem to like George's idea for the nicknames. Of course, the 2x4 eventually came up in the conversation because Jeremy wanted to know where it came from.

"So, how did the board end up in the road?" Jeremy asked. "You said the interstate was packed, so how did no one see it until then?"

Calvin sighed and shook his head because that story was a sad one too. "I couldn't see it before the accident, but somebody was hauling pieces of their house in a trailer, right in front of the minivan. The two by four fell out of the trailer. I guess it wasn't tied down right or something…"

"Fuck," was all Jeremy said, as he continued listening to the story.

"The couple in that minivan died, unfortunately," Calvin confirmed. "They got smashed by a semi-truck, so they were basically fucked from the start. I think those two and Mary were the only ones who died, but there were a lot of injuries."

"What happened to their house?" Jeremy asked.

"It got the roof ripped off by a twister," Calvin explained. "We live in Illinois, so it isn't that strange this time of the year."

Jeremy got up from the table and headed over to the fridge for his third beer. After returning to the table and having George rip the cap off for him, he asked, "What happened to the people who lost their house?"

Calvin shook his head sadly as he remembered the horrible things that happened to those poor people. "The guy who was hauling the debris, he lost his baby in that storm. He and his wife were grieving, so I never blamed them or anything. The family of the guy who was driving that minivan however… They tried to sue him."

"What the fuck?!" Jeremy cried, now sounding angry. "Why would they sue somebody who's already going through so much shit?"

Calvin took another hit from his joint and a bite of his pizza before glancing at Jeremy again. "They weren't even willing to settle out of court… They wanted half a million dollars, but the couple didn't have any assets but the truck and trailer. I found out after I got released from the hospital that the couple committed suicide to escape the lawsuit. They were found in a motel room."

Jeremy scoffed and put his hand over his eyes. "What the fuck, Hippie…What the actual fuck?! Those people lost everything, and they were forced to kill themselves because they were sued for causing the accident?!"

"Apparently the guy who was driving the van had a couple brothers, a sister, and a dad who were just like him," Calvin explained. "They all pooled their money to hire that lawyer, and they wanted to earn it back with interest."

"What about his wife or girlfriend?" Jeremy asked. "What did her family have to say?"

"Her family were just glad she escaped his abuse, but they miss her like hell," Calvin told him. "I actually met them once. They seemed like good people… Fuck."

By now, Calvin was crying after sharing the whole story. Jeremy reached over and patted him on the shoulder, and George did the same thing. Calvin had no idea what he would do if he didn't have his two best friends in the world with him right then. If it hadn't been for them and the existence of Ready2CheckOut? he likely would've offed himself with the shotgun many years earlier. He was grateful to have them in his life, and from that moment forward, the three of them called each other by their nicknames – Office, Hippie, and Beard.

Lost in a Dream · Jul 20, 2026

Now we get to meet Jeremy's father in the next chapter...

21

While her brother was hanging out with his new buddies, Sandra was in the break room at the clothing retail store where she worked. She was taking her lunch and had just started digging into a bowl of left over mac n cheese she brought from home, when her phone started vibrating on the table beside her.

Picking up and looking at it out of curiosity, she discovered that her father was the one calling, so she answered the call and put it up to her ear. "Hey, Dad. What's up?"

His words sounded kind and fatherly, but his tone was cold and unfeeling. "How's work going?"

Jabbing her fork down into the macaroni, Sandra paused before eating the first bite, and chirped happily into the phone. "It's going great! I just got done stocking some shelves and a few clothes racks."

Once again, her father's voice sounded cold when he spoke through the phone again. "Good. Did you talk to your brother about Sunday?"

Sandra nodded and took a bite of her macaroni. "Yeah, I did. He didn't sound very enthusiastic, but I convinced him to bring a friend with him."

Sandra's dad scoffed. "A friend huh? Well, that's nice… Hopefully they're less obnoxious and lazy than he is. Maybe some of their work ethic will rub off on him."

Sandra closed her eyes and shook her head. "Why do you gotta be so hard on him, Dad? You know he's struggling."

Now sounding irritated, her dad said, "Yes, I know he's struggling… What he needs is to come back to church and get right with God, instead of living in the past and feeling sorry for himself."

Sandra took off her glasses and set them on the table beside her lunch, and then she started rubbing her eyes with her hand. "Ya know, you could try to be a little more understanding once in a while…"

"Why?" he snapped. "Because Jeremy wants to abandon his family the same way his mother did? He's being selfish! All I'm trying to do is make things right with him, but he keeps slapping my invitations away. I can't deal with his drama forever."

Sandra rolled her eyes. "Well to be fair, our family gatherings haven't always ended very well, so I understand why he doesn't want to come."

"Is he still upset about our fight a few years ago?" her dad asked. "He threatened to kill himself in front of my entire bowling team that night! What else was I supposed to do?"

Sandra furrowed her eyebrows angrily, just as one of her coworkers came walking into the room. "He's upset because you had him declared incompetent."

"But that was temporary," her dad reminded her. "The court let him have control over his finances again, once he passed the psychiatric evaluation a couple years later. I let him have his freedom again. Why is he still upset?"

Realizing that fighting with her old man was going to get her nowhere, Sandra decided to wave the white flag and let him win. "I don't know, Dad. Maybe he just doesn't know how to forgive you."

"Bah, he'd know how if he had Jesus in his life," Sandra's dad grumbled. "Besides, I have nothing to apologize to him for. All we did was try to help him, and he's just being ungrateful."

Putting her glasses back on, Sandra waved to her coworker while they were getting a drink and their lunch out of the fridge, and then they headed over to the table where she was sitting.

"I have to go, Dad," Sandra said. "We can talk to him about Jesus later, but I kinda have to finish my lunch."

"Sorry," her dad said, without sounding sorry at all. "Maybe I should give your brother a call later, just to see what he's up to."

"Try not to preach at him if you can help it," Sandra told him. "I'm sure there's better ways of bringing him back to Jesus than that…"

"Maybe," her old man said, without sounding like he agreed at all. "I'll try to be nice. All I want him to know is that I'm trying, but only God can make him better."

Sandra rolled her eyes because she didn't really believe in that stuff anymore than her brother did. "Right. I better get back to my lunch then."

After saying goodbye to her dad, she hung up the phone and then her coworker who was sitting across the table asked about the call. She was a much older woman than Sandra and had gray hair that was tied into a bun behind her head.

"What was that about?" the older coworker asked, while opening up a sub sandwich that she picked up on the way to work.

Sandra shook her head. "It's a long story… I'm not sure I have the energy to tell it."

The coworker chuckled. "Whoever you're talking about, they sound like they're having a hard time."

Sandra nodded and ate some of her macaroni. "Yeah, they are. I just wish I knew how to help."

Since the coworker didn't have any advice, she just gossiped about other coworkers until their break was over. Sandra hated gossip, even though it was easy to get sucked into it sometimes, but she did her best not to participate and simply listened.

***

When Sandra's dad hung up his phone, he was sitting in a huge, leather recliner in his fancy living room filled with paintings, a couple of chairs, a huge couch, and several bookshelves filled with hymnals, different versions of the Bible, and apologetics books. He also had a book written by his favorite apologist sitting on a small table beside the landline he used to call his daughter, and a glass of water with ice cubes floating in it beside that.

Reaching for his drink, he got up out of his chair and walked into his kitchen, which was also filled with paintings, and various other decorations to make it seem less empty and lonely. One of the pictures he had on the wall was of him, his son, and Sandra (it was the same as the one in Sandra's picture frame at her apartment – just a bit bigger). He stopped to look at that picture, while he stood there sipping on his ice water. In the photo, he was wearing one of his dark brown church sweaters, but in the present, he was wearing a t-shirt and a pair of dark gray pants that he wore outside when he did chores. He also looked eerily similar to Tywin Lannister on Game of Thrones; he had the same white hair that he kept cut short, and the same permanent scowl on his face, which he kept clean-shaven on most days.

Scowling at the photo of himself and his kids on the wall, he shook his head and grumbled to himself. "I did the best I could to raise you and Sandra, son… Your problems are between you and God, now…"

Then he heard someone ring the doorbell by his front door, so going out there with his glass of water in hand, he pulled it open and found a delivery guy standing there, holding a package for him. It was nothing important or worth mentioning, but it was just something he ordered for himself.

"Oh, hi there!" he said, pretending to be friendly. "It's a nice day out today, isn't it?"

The delivery guy handed the package over with a smile. "It sure is!"

Taking the package from them, the old man looked down at the label to make sure it was actually his stuff. Sure enough, there was his name and address right there, so that was good enough for him. His name was Theodore, but his bowling buddies and everybody at church called him Ted.

Glancing back up at the delivery driver, Ted smiled. "Well, have a nice day!"

"Hey," the delivery driver said, grabbing Ted's attention before he turned and headed back into the house. "You kind of look like Tywin Lannister, Mister."

Raising his eyebrows in surprise, Ted chuckled. "I don't know who that is, but thanks anyway."

Ted shut the door and then he went back into his kitchen where he set the box on the table, before heading for the back door of his house and stepping out onto the porch. Taking another sip of his water, he looked out at his massive lawn, while he listened to the delivery driver pull out of his driveway in their truck. He loved mowing the grass, since he had a brand new zero-turn lawnmower sitting in his garage right then, and getting out on it always helped to clear his head when he needed a good distraction.

22

When Calvin woke up the next morning, it was still dark out. He set an alarm so he could go pick up Jeremy in his truck and take him to work, since he wanted to keep the hippie bus tucked safely away, out of the elements. After spending the entire previous day hanging out with Jeremy and George, he was pleasantly surprised that he only woke up to his alarm, without having any nightmares. He wondered if all the marijuana he smoked the day before had something to do with it, but he was grateful regardless.

Sitting up in his bed and rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, Calvin chuckled. "Wow, no nightmares… That's odd."

Flipping the covers off of himself, he got out of bed and went into his bathroom again. He looked at himself in his cracked mirror again, but this time he looked more alive than he'd felt in a while.

"Heh, guess I better call Office," he said to himself, before glancing at the toilet beside him. "But first, I gotta do this."

Once he was done in there, he returned to his kitchen where the laptop, his smartphone, and his reading glasses were. Since he didn't have to leave immediately, he decided to sit down and log in toReady2CheckOut? for the first time that day. He put his reading glasses on, opened up his browser, and typed in the site's address in the address bar.

When the site finally came up, he logged in and discovered that he had another message from Flowers@MeGrave. After opening it, he saw their response and chuckled. "Holy shit, you really are the lady from the graveyard. What are the odds of that?"

Their response was this, "If you're under 75, you're young to me haha! I'm almost as old as God! :)"

Calvin had to give her a reply. "Okay, you got me… I'll be 61 in a few months. I guess that makes me a young whipper snapper, eh?"

After leaving his reply, he browsed the forum for a bit and replied to a few threads. He liked offering any support he could to his fellow users, since they all had similar struggles, but sometimes it was hard to find the words. Some people were in such horrible situations caused by years of depression, trauma, and physical illness, that his attempts to comfort them felt empty and hollow, but somehow most people appreciated it anyway.

When he finally logged out, he closed his browser and picked up his phone. He quickly dialed Jeremy's number to see if he was awake at all, but he didn't get an answer.

Calvin shook his head. "Come on, Office. You don't want to be late, do ya?"

To his surprise, it only took a few minutes for Jeremy to call him right back. When he picked up, he said, "Hey, Hippie. I'm up I guess…"

Calvin chuckled. "You guess? Office, did you sleep at all?"

Jeremy sighed. "A little. I'm a bit worried about Sunday."

"Because of your dad?" Calvin asked.

"Yeah," was the reply. "He tried to call me last night, but I ignored him."

Becoming concerned, Calvin furrowed his brow. "Did he leave a voicemail?"

"Yeah, but I haven't listened to it yet," Jeremy replied. "I think I'm just gonna delete it."

Calvin chuckled. "Who knows, maybe he called to apologize for being a dick, and to beg for forgiveness!"

Jeremy laughed surprisingly hard at that one. "Hahaha! I have a better chance of winning the lottery and becoming a billionaire. Anyway, I'm up."

"You got anything better than granola bars for breakfast over there?" Calvin asked.

"Nope," Jeremy told him. "And I'm almost out of those… I'm gonna have to get some groceries again."

"Don't worry about that, man," Calvin said. "I'll help you out with that. Maybe tomorrow we can take the bus for a spin."

"That would be cool," Jeremy said. "Anyway, I gotta get ready. See ya when you get here."

"Okay then," Calvin said with a grin. "I'll see you soon."

Then they both hung up and Calvin took off his reading glasses. Heading back to his bedroom, he got changed out of his t-shirt and pajama pants, into a clean shirt with long sleeves and some jeans. Going into his living room, he sat down on his couch in front of his TV and put on his shoes.

While he was in the process of tying up his laces, he stopped to think about everything Jeremy had told him about his old man, and he shook his head in disgust. "Don't worry, Office. If your dad starts shit, I'll give it right back. Heh."

Thinking back to his days at boot camp before the Gulf War (shortly after he started dating his late wife), he remembered being at the mercy of drill instructors that could make Jeremy's dad weep like a baby. He could handle himself if he needed to. He may have been a soft-spoken and friendly guy, but he could also be sharp-tongued when he needed to be.

Once he was ready, he headed out to his driveway with his keys in his hand. He walked over to the truck, pulled open the door, and stopped. Glancing back at his garage door, he smiled. "Fuck it. I'm gonna catch the bus today!"

Laughing to himself, he went back into the house for his other set of keys. Then he went out to his garage, got in the hippie bus, and opened his garage door with the opener that was clipped to the wireframe basket. By the time he pulled out, the sun was just starting to rise up over the horizon, and when he hit the road, the baby blue paint on the outside was suddenly ablaze with fire as the rays of sunshine reflected off of it once more.

Wanting to hear some noise, Calvin turned on his radio and jammed to a classic rock station on the way to the apartment complex. It had been a few weeks since he last did that, but this time he enjoyed it even more than he had previously. As he expertly avoided the heavy traffic by taking side streets that he knew well, he realized that his friendship with George and Jeremy was the driving force behind his sudden happiness, and the fact that he managed to wake up without having any nightmares only made it better.

Lost in a Dream · Jul 22, 2026

Ok I'm going to post some more chapters today, but chapter 23 was the last one I actually finished back in 2023. Kinda funny how that worked though, 23 and 23... I had a little bit of chapter 24 started back then but since going back to the story last week I've written Chapters 24-31 so more chapters will be coming soon!

23

Jeremy was sitting at his kitchen table, chewing on his last granola bar, when he heard a knock on his door. Getting up and gulping down the last bite, he crinkled up the wrapper as he headed over to grab the doorknob. Sure enough, the moment he pulled it open, there was Calvin standing out in the hallway.

Grinning from ear to ear, the old man chuckled. "You ready, Office?"

Jeremy smiled back and nodded as he shoved the granola wrapper into the pocket of his khakis. "I guess so… As ready as I'll ever be."

Calvin stepped aside so Jeremy could come out into the hall and lock the door behind him. "That'll have to do then. As ready as you'll ever be is better than not ready at all."

Jeremy shoved the key into the lock, turned it, and chuckled after taking the key back out. "Is it? What if not being ready at all, was as ready as I could ever be?"

Calvin laughed. "Office, being as ready as you'll ever be, means you have to be kinda ready. Not being ready is just… Not being ready."

Jeremy laughed really hard at that, before shoving his keys into his pocket and making his way towards the stairwell at the end of the hall with his friend beside him. "Good point, Cal! I'll call you Hippie when we get out to the bus."

Calvin pulled the stairwell door open and held it with one hand so Jeremy could step through ahead of him. "Why? I drive a hippie bus, remember?"

Jeremy paused and glanced back at the old man, just as he followed him into the stairwell. He opened his mouth to talk, but then Calvin winked and started to laugh.

Jeremy furrowed his brow, confused, but then it finally dawned on him what Calvin meant by that, which caused him to laugh. "Oh, right… It's just a nickname."

"Exactly," was Calvin's reply. "Come on, Office. We gotta get you back to your office."

Jeremy rolled his eyes before he and Calvin headed down the steps. "Fun, fun… Now I'm probably gonna get yelled at about that asshole from accounting."

"Asshole from accounting?" Calvin asked as the two of them hurried down the steps.

"He's the guy who got told to take his computer out for dinner," Jeremy reminded him.

Calvin chuckled. "Oh, right! I forgot! I'm old now, Office. I can't remember shit."

"Nah, you're not that old!" Jeremy told him with a laugh as they reached the first floor of the apartment complex and stepped out of the stairwell into another hallway.

Calvin followed Jeremy out into the hall and laughed again. "Either way, I can't remember shit."

The two of them then hurried down the first floor hallway until they reached the front door of the building. After running out to the parking lot where the baby blue hippie bus was sitting, Jeremy was surprised to see it.
While they were climbing in, Jeremy asked, "You drove the bus again? Don't you have any other vehicles?"

"I have a pickup," Calvin said, after climbing in and shutting the door beside him. "I was gonna drive that instead, but I said fuck it. I'm catching the bus today."

Jeremy got in his seat, shut the door, and raised his eyebrows in surprise as he buckled the seatbelt. "You mean literally, right? Because you're driving it?"

Calvin grinned at him. "Of course, Office. I ain't gonna off myself. I couldn't do that to you and George, even though it gets tempting sometimes."

Jeremy sighed. "You don't have to stay alive for me if you don't want to, Hippie. I'll respect your choice."

Calvin started the engine in his bus, and it rattled to life once again, before gradually becoming a gentle hum as he shifted it into reverse and backed out of the parking space. After putting it back into drive and heading towards the road, he came to a stop and glanced at Jeremy.

"Still, I care a lot about you guys," Calvin told him. "You and Beard have been keeping me sane the last few days, and I appreciate it."

Jeremy stopped to think when Calvin pulled out onto the road and started heading for the busy downtown area where his office building was. He realized that he too had been in a much better mood the last few days, simply because he met new friends who had his back. It was a strange coincidence, meeting them after hitting a pothole and breaking his axle. When it first happened, it had felt like the end of the world, but now, it felt like the best thing to ever happen to him. Of course, the odds were good that he would change his mind as soon as he went to work and punched in at the time clock.

The two of them were silent until Calvin pulled up to the first red light and stopped, but that's when Jeremy turned towards his older friend and smiled at him. "Ya know, you and Beard have been keeping me sane too. If it wasn't for you guys, I'd have a gut full of sodium nitrite and would be dead right about now."

Calvin glanced at Jeremy and smiled with tears glistening in his eyes. "I'm glad you didn't do it, Office. I'll respect your choice if you ever do, but it'll hurt like hell."

Feeling an ache in his throat and tears burning in his eyes, Jeremy swallowed hard. "Yeah, same…"

Shortly after he said that, the red light turned green, and the traffic got moving again. For the rest of the ride to the office building, the two of them only talked about Jeremy's job and how long he'd been working there. On their way into the parking garage underneath the building, the security guard smiled, and his eyes opened wide in surprise when he saw the hippie bus pull up to the black and yellow mechanical arm that blocked their path.

The guard stepped out of his little guardhouse with his belt and keys jingling around his waist, and he held his hand up to the driver side window when Calvin rolled it down. "Cool bus, man! Can I see some ID?"

Jeremy handed Calvin his work badge, and then Calvin handed over his driver's license and the badge together. "I'm giving Jeremy a ride to work today. He got in a fender bender the other day."

The security guard looked in through the window and saw Jeremy waving to him, so he handed the ID cards back and laughed. "Ah, I see! Go right on in, I'll let you through."

Calvin handed the badge back to his friend and shoved his license back into his wallet, before smiling down at the guard. "Thanks, man! Have a good day!"

Then the guard let them inside and they headed into the parking garage so Jeremy could get out and return to work once again. When they reached the entrance of the building, Calvin stopped the bus and Jeremy glanced at him before getting out.

"Thanks for the ride, Hippie," Jeremy told him. "You're an awesome guy."

Calvin chuckled. "So are you, Office."

Jeremy smirked at him. "Me? Awesome? Do you even know what that word means?"

Calvin nodded and pointed at the door. "Absolutely. I think you're a great guy, but you just don't know it yet."

Jeremy shook his head and sighed. "You must've smoked a bowl before picking me up, because you're not making any sense, man."

"Nah, I'm just in a good mood today," Calvin replied. "Good luck in there."

Jeremy unbuckled his seatbelt and reached for the door handle, but before getting out, he glanced back at Calvin. "Thanks, Hippie. That means a lot."

Then he pushed open the door, jumped out, and shut the door again. Calvin waved to him before pulling ahead and leaving Jeremy standing there in his work uniform by the door, suddenly feeling reluctant to go in. Turning towards the entrance, he sighed, and stepped through the sliding glass doors.

24

After dropping Jeremy off and heading back out towards George's house, Calvin was happy to see that the pothole in the middle of the curve was being fixed finally. Construction workers had one half of the road closed, while a couple of them directed traffic with signs that said "Stop" and "Slow" on both sides. A couple of cars were waiting to go through up ahead of him, but since George lived just before the road blocks, Calvin didn't even have to stop for it.

Pulling into George's driveway, Calvin parked the bus out in front of the garage. Getting out with a smile on his face, he headed up to the front door of the house and let himself in.

"Hey, George!" Calvin cried as he stepped inside.

From the living room, Calvin could hear the sound of George coughing. As he stepped into the room, he found his friend sitting on the couch beside Earl, coughing up more blood into his rag.

"Damn it, George," Calvin grumbled.

Folding up the rag and tucking it into the pocket of his pants, George smiled up at him. "I did end up calling the Doc after all... Figured I better, even though I don't really like doctors..."

Looking concerned, Calvin put his hands on his hips and shook his head at his friend. "That's good. Let's just hope it isn't too late."

Coughing one more time, George glanced up at his friend. "So, did the kid make it to work alright?"

Calvin nodded, but he still looked concerned. "Yup, sure did."

Then George asked, "So, you still gonna go to that cookout with him in a couple days? Sunday ain't that far away."

Sitting down beside Earl, Calvin started to pet the cat, who closed his eyes, swished his tail, and started purring. "Office is a little worried about Sunday, but I'm sure we'll be alright."

"Of course," George agreed. "You got the kid's back and he's probably never had that before."

"Mraow!" Earl said, as he glanced up at Calvin and blinked his eyes.

"Good morning to you too, Earl," Calvin said with a chuckle. "So, what's on the agenda today, Beard?"

"Dunno," George told him. "Trying not to cough my lungs out perhaps? Seems like a good place to start..."

Calvin laughed. "So, would you wanna come to the cook out with us too?"

George shrugged. "Maybe! I love a good hotdog on a nice spring day! I might ride with you guys."

Still petting Earl, Calvin glanced down at the cat, and then back up at his friend. "I'm sure Office would appreciate it. The more the merrier, ya know?"

George glanced down at Earl and nodded, before he chuckled and said, "That little sum'bitch is spoiled..."

Looking up at George, Earl blinked his eyes and went, "Mraow!"

Calvin laughed again. "He even admits it!"

"Mraow!"came Earl's response, before he closed his eyes and resumed purring like a small engine.

"Earl sure seems to love Office," Calvin said. "That day we first met him, this little guy was all over him haha."

George chuckled. "He seems like a good kid. I like him."

"Same," Calvin agreed. "Ya know, before I met him I was thinking about going on a camping trip in the bus, but now that Office is in our lives, I kinda wonder if I should bring him along too."

"Or maybe, you should take him on a road trip," George suggested.

Pausing to think for a moment, Calvin pursed his lips thoughtfully and then he raised his eyebrows. "Ya know, I haven't gone on an actual road trip since Mary died... Maybe it would be a good idea."

"Just watch out for flying two by fours," George said with a chuckle. "Wouldn't wanna wreck the bus on one of those."

Calvin laughed as he continued to pet Earl. "Right! Hey, you think you would wanna come with us?"

"Sure!" George agreed. "Just lemme know when and I'll find somebody to watch Earl!"

"Sounds good to me," Calvin said. "So, you feel like getting out of the house for a little bit today? Maybe we could take a little ride in the bus to take our minds off shit."

George nodded, just as Earl blinked his eyes and swished his tail again. "Yeah, just lemme get myself around and I'll be ready in a few."

At that point, Calvin pulled his hand away from Earl, but the cat, who still wanted more attention, reached out his paw and set it on Calvin's leg.

Looking up at him, Earl went, "Mraow!" again.

Calvin grinned at the cat. "You little shit... Ya just can't let me go can ya?"

"Mraow!" came the reply.

"Come on, Earl, haven't you had enough already?" George asked with a laugh. "You spoiled little bastard..."

Petting the cat a little more, Calvin chuckled as Earl withdrew his paw from his leg. "I guess I'll give ya a little more attention."

For the next several minutes, the two guys continued to hang out with the cat until finally, Earl had enough. The little guy stood up, stretched his legs, and jumped down off the couch before disappearing down the hallway.

"Well, guess I'm ready," Calvin said.

"Just gimme a sec," George told him.

Putting his shoes on, George then followed Earl down the hall to his bedroom where he got changed into a different shirt and got a clean rag, just in case he had to cough up more blood. Then the two old men headed outside and got in the front of the bus.

After taking off down the road, George let out a sigh and rolled down the window beside his head. "Ah, feels good to get out a the house!"

Calvin glanced at his friend and chuckled. "Where should we go? Any ideas?"

George paused to think for a moment, but then he shrugged his shoulders. "Anywhere you wanna go I guess."

Calvin grinned at his friend and then pressed down on the pedal as he floored it down the road.

Lost in a Dream · Jul 22, 2026

While I do like these next couple chapters, I'm a bit more excited to share the upcoming chapters that will come after these. All I have to do is make minor corrections here and there to the next few chapters because I've been stoned while writing the future chapters today. Somehow I'm all the way up to chapter 34 and I'm just steamrolling over this project. I do hope more people like where the story is going.

25

The moment Jeremy clocked in with his badge, he felt a feeling of dread. Leaving the break room, he walked past the cubicles, down to his supervisor's office, which was enclosed in its own room with blinds covering the windows and a solid wooden door that led inside.

Tapping his knuckles on the door, Jeremy waited for a moment before he heard, "Come on in."

Turning the knob, Jeremy stepped inside and smiled at his boss. "I made it in today."

His boss didn't smile; the man's Stalin-esque mustache was pulled down into a frown as he motioned for his employee to approach his large, oak desk where his name tag read, Christopher.

Slowly approaching the desk, Jeremy pulled out a chair and took a seat on the opposite side of Christopher. "I, um, I saved the receipt on my phone of the car parts I had to get. My buddy George is gonna help me fix it up."

Christopher nodded, but still didn't smile. "Lemme see it."

Taking out his smart phone, Jeremy unlocked the screen and brought up the screenshot in his files. Showing it to his boss, he held up the phone so Christopher could get a good look at it.

Narrowing his eyes at the screen, Christopher said, "Hmm... Well, I was hoping for a little more than that, but I guess I won't write you up."

Jeremy breathed a sigh of relief. "I really am sorry about yesterday."

Christopher nodded, but still, his mustache was pulled down into a frown. "Don't be sorry, just be glad I let you have this one."

"Oh, I am!" Jeremy said with a smile. "I really do appreciate it, Sir!"

But then Christopher pointed at Jeremy. "Try not to upset the people from accounting today! Last thing I need is Roger up my ass."

"Sure thing," Jeremy said. "I'll try and be more respectful."

"I mean it," Christopher growled. "No more name calling or swearing at them, you got that?"

Jeremy nodded and put a hand over his heart. "I promise. You can hold me to that, Sir."

"Oh, I will, believe me!" Christopher told him. "Now, I've got some work to do in here, so get on outta here."

Getting up from the chair, Jeremy tucked his phone into his pocket and backed up a few steps towards the door. "Okay, I'm gonna go back out there now."

Heading out to his cubicle, Jeremy plopped down into his chair and turned on his computer. As he was doing that, his next door coworker Kevin climbed back up on his box of office supplies again and looked down at him with a grin.

"Hey, at least you made it in today!" Kevin said with a laugh.

Jeremy glanced up at him. "I wrecked my car in a pothole the other day. It really sucked."

Kevin's eyebrows rose up in surprise and his grin faded. "Sounds like it! Gotta watch out for those things, man."

"I got kinda lost when I was trying to get around the road construction," Jeremy said with a faint smirk. "GPS took me down some side streets and when I went around a curve... Boom! There it was!"

"Well, shit," Kevin said. "How bad was the damage?"

"It swallowed the whole tire and my axle broke," Jeremy said with a laugh. "I was pretty pissed off about it, but then some guy in a tow truck showed up outta nowhere."

Kevin smiled. "Sounds like a Godsend. Anyway, I'm gonna get back to work."

Hopping down off the box of office supplies, Kevin returned to his desk, and then Jeremy looked at his screen as his computer came to life. To his surprise, he realized he felt much better than he had in a very long time, despite working at a job he sometimes hated. Despite this, he realized he felt far more optimistic than usual.

For the next few hours, he helped people throughout the building with various technical issues, but none were as rude as Roger had been. They all thanked him for his help and were able to solve their problems with very little hassle. When at last his lunch break came around, Jeremy got up with the rest of his coworkers and headed for the break room. Clocking out for his break, he then headed for the elevator that brought him up to his floor so he could go down a couple levels in the building to one of the big dining areas where he could buy a burrito using his badge.

As he stepped into the massive cafeteria, he looked around at all the employees from various departments throughout the building who were seated at the tables. Then he headed over to a large refrigerator unit that was loaded with food and drinks. Pulling open the glass door by the handle, he paused to look around.

"Hmm," Jeremy said as he spotted the burritos. He started to reach for one, but then he hesitated. "What else is in here?"

Looking around at the other foods in the fridge, he found a small, personal-sized pizza covered in pepperoni and cheese. Grinning as he reached for it, he then picked out a bottle of orange juice to go along with his meal.

As he approached the counter by the doorway where he needed to scan his badge to get the food, Jeremy noticed Kevin standing there with his hands in the pockets of his khakis, grinning.

"You got something other than a burrito this time?" Kevin asked, sounding surprised.

Jeremy grinned as he scanned his items and then scanned his badge. "Well, I'm in a good mood today, so I figured I'd get something different."

"You seem less tired than usual," Kevin agreed. "I'm guessing you didn't party as hard as normal on your day off yesterday?"

"Nah, but I partied the day before after I broke my axle," Jeremy said as he picked up his drink and his food from the countertop. "I met these really cool guys who helped me out. One of em even gave mea ride to work today."

"Nice!" Kevin said. "Who are your new buddies?"

For a moment, Jeremy nearly blurted out their usernames from the suicide forum, but then he paused, hesitated, and chuckled. "Their names are Cal and George. Cal was the dude who brought me in and he drives a hippie bus."

Kevin grinned. "No kidding! He gonna pick you up after work too?"

Jeremy nodded as he opened up his juice and took a small sip. "Yep. Maybe after work, I can show you the bus."

"Hell yeah, man," Kevin said. "So, you gonna head back up to the break room or eat down here?"

"I think the break room upstairs would be better," Jeremy said."Less people ya know?"

Kevin slapped Jeremy on the shoulder. "Sounds good, man. That pizza you got looks hella good, I think I'm gonna get myself one and meet you there. You gotta tell me about this hippie bus!"

"Sure thing," Jeremy said. "Anyway, I'm gonna head up the elevator. See you in a few."

As he left the cafeteria and returned to the elevator that would take him back up to his floor where the IT department was, Jeremy was surprised that he actually looked forward to hanging out with Kevin. While he never disliked the guy or anything, he always felt a little awkward trying to socialize with him because of his high-energy personality, but after having met Calvin and George, he found himself feeling that same energy in his own soul.

After stepping into the break room where a few people who also preferred their break room over the cafeteria were seated at the tables, Jeremy approached the microwave, where there was a stack of paper plates sitting beside it, with a metal cup dispenser filled with styrofoam cups next to those. Tearing the plastic covering off his pizza, Jeremy plopped it down onto a paper plate, shoved it in the microwave, and then used a second paper plate to cover his food so it wouldn't splatter everywhere.

Shutting the door, Jeremy pressed a few buttons and the microwave came to life as the pizza started to spin. "Damn, today is a good day."

After his food was finished cooking, he retrieved his paper plates and took a seat at one of the tables. Before long, Kevin returned with a pizza of his own and a can of soda.

Approaching Jeremy, Kevin smiled as he watched his coworker dig into the pizza. "Looks even better cooked!"

Taking a large bite, Jeremy looked up at him and spoke with a huge mouthful."Tahsts bettah too!"

Kevin laughed as he watched Jeremy talk with food in his mouth. "Anyway, I'm gonna cook my pizza!"

Jeremy continued to devour his food while his coworker approached the microwave. Occasionally he sipped on his juice as he ate, but he slowed down a bit after Kevin returned to the table with his own paper plate in hand so he could tell him about Calvin's awesome hippie bus.

I don't particularly like the food they're eating in chapter 25, but despite being vegan myself I had to write it this way for a reason. It will all make sense in the upcoming chapters.

26

When evening finally rolled around, George went with Calvin to pick up Jeremy in the parking garage. He was waiting for them when they pulled in after the guard let them through.

Grinning from ear to ear, Jeremy approached the bus and waved to George, who was sitting in the front passenger seat with his window down.

"Hey, Beard!" Jeremy said.

George waved back and laughed. "Office! Get in the back, we want to show you Cal's house."

Walking over to the side of the bus, Jeremy pulled the door open and climbed inside where the small living space was. He saw the cabinets, the mini-fridge, and the sink, as well as the foldable couch with the chair underneath it that was held in place with a bungie cord.

Flipping the couch open, Jeremy plopped down onto it and buckled himself in. "Wow, it's really nice back here!"

Glancing back at Jeremy over his shoulder, Calvin smiled. "Make yourself comfortable, Office."

Giving his friend a thumbs up, Jeremy leaned back on the couch he was sitting on and let out a sigh. "Work actually went quite well today, and I didn't even have to deal with that dick from accounting."

Calvin chuckled, since he already knew what Jeremy was talking about, but George on the other hand had no idea, so he glanced back. "Dick from accounting? Who's that?"

"His name's Roger," Jeremy told him. "The day I broke my axle in the pothole, he was a real dick when I tried to help him fix his printer."

"Ah," George said with a chuckle. "Well, like I told ya before, kid, you could never pay me enough to work in that office."

Jeremy laughed as he and his friends left the parking garage. After hitting the streets and driving through the traffic, they eventually pulled down a side street and headed into the neighborhood where Calvin lived in his big house. The siding on the outside was made of dark blue vinyl, and there were matching shudders on either sides of the windows; to the right of the front door of the house, there was a large window with curtains covering it, as well as a couple smaller windows to the left that also had curtains covering them, and the shingles on the roof were dark gray, but they were in very good shape, almost brand new.

The moment the bus pulled into the driveway, Jeremy's eyes opened wide. "This is where you live, Hippie?! Nice place!"

Calvin chuckled as he parked his bus in front of the garage. "Wait till you see the inside."

When the three of them got out of the bus, they all headed in through the front entrance of the house, where the small table with Mary's urn was sitting. Jeremy briefly felt sad when he spotted the urn and he gestured towards it with his hand.

"Um, Hippie, is that... Is that uh..."

Calvin nodded as he glanced at Jeremy. "Yep, that's her ashes right there. She has a gravestone in the cemetery near where her folks are buried. There's no casket there, but I still bought the stone and had it placed next to her folks after they passed several years later."

"Were they cremated like her or buried?" Jeremy asked curiously.

"They wanted to be buried, but Mary wanted to be cremated. All three of them even said so themselves when they were still alive. Now come on, let me show ya around."

Heading into the kitchen where the table that had Calvin's laptop resting on it was, Jeremy looked around and whistled. "I like your kitchen."

The table itself was made out of thick oak and was held up by a single leg in the middle that branched off in four directions to support it, and the window behind it had dark red blackout curtains hanging on either side, after having been parted in the middle. To the left of the table and the matching oak chairs that went with it was the shiny fridge that looked like silver, and beyond that where the sink and cabinets were, the walls beneath the cabinets and all along the countertop were covered in shiny, dark blue tiles.

Calvin grinned and put his hands on his hips. "You guys want something to drink?"

"Sure," Jeremy told him. "What'cha got?"

"Root beer mostly," Calvin told him. "I also got some bottled water and a Citrus pop."

Jeremy paused to think and then he said, "Root beer sounds good actually."

Glancing at George next, Calvin asked, "Beard?"

George laughed. "I'll take the Citrus!"

Going over to the fridge, Calvin pulled the door open and grabbed a couple cans of pop for his friends. Then he tossed one to Jeremy and one to George, and they both caught the drinks in their hands.

After popping open the can and taking a big gulp, Jeremy went, "Ah! Thanks, Hippie!"

"No problem, Office," Calvin said. "Say, you been on Ready to check out at all lately?"

Jeremy took another sip and then raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Not really, what about you?"

"Well," Calvin said as he paused suddenly. "I was kinda thinking about getting on there now, just because I want to see if I got another message from Flowers at me Grave."

"I wonder what she has to say," Jeremy said.

Sitting down at his table, Calvin put on his glasses and opened the laptop while George and Jeremy looked over his shoulders. After powering up the computer, he opened his browser and typed in the site's name like he always did. After doing that, the site popped up and he clicked on the Login screen.

After typing in his credentials, he hit enter and after waiting a bit for the page to load, Calvin discovered he had a new message. "Probably her."

Opening up his messages, Calvin discovered that it was definitely Flowers@MeGrave. In the message, she had sent him a laughing emoji and said, "You a youngin! Hope you're doing well!"

Calvin messaged her back as he typed away at his keyboard. "Yep, I'm hanging out with some buddies. Have a good one."

After sending his message, he then went back to the home page of the forum, where he paused and sighed. "Not sure what to do now."

"Well, Hippie," Jeremy started to say. "Maybe just log out for now. We don't really need that site right now ya know?"

Quickly logging out, Calvin closed the browser and smiled. "You're absolutely right, Office. We don't need it right now."

George sat down in another chair on the opposite side of the table from Calvin and started to stroke his beard with his hand while he sipped on his Citrus pop. "Say, Hippie and I got to talking earlier, and I'm thinking about going with you to the cook out! Hope that's okay!"

Jeremy took another sip of his root beer and shrugged. "I don't see why not. You guys are both cool so I think if my dad likes Hippie, he'll like you too, Beard."

George laughed. "I hope so, Office. I hope so."

"Man, I haven't even thought about Sunday since this morning," Jeremy told them. "I felt a little off when I first got to work because I had to see my boss... After I showed him that I ordered the parts for the car, he let me go."

"So, how do you feel about Sunday, Office?" Calvin asked.

Jeremy smiled. "I think having a veteran there will keep my dad nice and happy."

Both Calvin and George laughed. Then they got up from the table and showed Jeremy the living room where they got comfortable on a nice big sofa and turned on the TV. For the rest of that evening, they watched movies, sipped on their drinks, and ate potato chips and popcorn.

As the sun started to set outside and it became dark, Calvin glanced at Jeremy. "So, Office, you wanna go back home or you wanna stay here for the night?"

"I'd rather stay here, I think," Jeremy told him. "My apartment's got some bad energy. I'm not usually in a good state of mind when I'm there, if ya know what I mean."

"I get it, I get it," Calvin said. "Yeah, that's how I feel about my upstairs bathroom. I punched the mirror one day and nearly fucked up my hand. Was lucky I didn't need stitches..."

Jeremy's eyes opened wide in surprise. "Really lucky!"

"I gotta guest bedroom if you want to sleep there, Office," Calvin said. "Hasn't been used in a while."

"Sure thing, Hippie," Jeremy said. "Where's Beard gonna sleep?"

George sighed. "I gotta get back home and feed Earl. If I don't he's gonna be mad tomorrow."

Both Calvin and Jeremy laughed, so then Calvin showed his youngest new friend to the guest bedroom which was upstairs, right next to the main bedroom where the bathroom with the broken mirror was. Inside this bedroom, there was a queen-sized bed sitting on a grey carpet and covered with a thick comforter that had a red and gray checkered pattern on it, as well as a nice big oak dresser to the right.

Jeremy looked around the guest room and took another sip of his root beer. "Looks nice! I like it."

Calvin smiled. "Why don't ya make yourself comfortable, Office? I gotta take Beard home."

"Sounds good," Jeremy said.

The three of them returned to the living room where Jeremy once again sat down on the couch. He set his drink down on a table next to the sofa where a small lamp was sitting with the bulb glowing bright. Then the two old men returned to the bus and headed back to George's place.

I had to do a little work to get chapter 26 ready. I forgot to add descriptions to certain things so I had to add them in. Also for some reason, I keep getting red lines under entire paragraphs and it makes it difficult to work on sometimes. I'm getting it in the text box here on Sasu because when I paste the text into it some words get jumbled up and when I try to separate them I get the red lines.

Lost in a Dream · Jul 22, 2026

27

While Jeremy was alone at Calvin's house, he flipped through the channels on the TV with the remote. Occasionally he sipped on his root beer until it was gone, and then he continued to flip through the channels.

"Hmm, nothing good on," Jeremy said with a sigh. "Wait, what's this?"

He paused when he saw the news come on. Even though he rarely watched it because of how depressing it could be, with greedy, rich politicians waging wars and shit, he saw something interesting that he didn't expect. A news reporter was standing outside of a slaughterhouse where several protesters were holding signs under a street lamp by the front gate. One of them was also screaming into a megaphone.

"Welcome back to Channel 10 news!" said the reporter, who was a young woman with red hair, wearing a blue sweater and holding a microphone." Here we are outside of Gene's Slaughterhouse where we have several animal rights activists protesting. They've been out here for the past few hours, but their numbers have only grown."

Behind the reporter, the activist with the megaphone was yelling a chant, and his pals were following along. "Shame on you, Gene! Shame on you!"

Going over to a protester who was holding a laptop showing footage of animals being killed in gas chambers, the reporter held the microphone out to them. "What can you tell us about this footage?"

The person with the screen explained how the cameras had been planted inside the slaughterhouse, revealing the true horrors of the way the animals were killed. In the footage on the screen, Jeremy saw pigs screaming and flailing about in tiny, cramped, rotating cages that moved through a tiny, little gas chamber and he suddenly felt sick to his stomach.

"The fuck," Jeremy whispered to himself as he set the TV remote beside himself on the couch.

Suddenly remembering the cook out coming up on Sunday, Jeremy lost his appetite for the burgers and hotdogs. While they may not have been made from the pigs necessarily, he found himself wondering if other animals suffered in similarly horrible ways when they were killed for the purposes of meat production.

"This footage is absolutely horrible," the reporter said, looking horrified. "Almost makes me want to quit eating meat right now!"

"I hope you do!" said the activist holding the laptop. "I also would request that you give up on dairy, eggs, and leather as well. We're against animal exploitation of all kinds!"

As Jeremy continued to watch the footage of the pigs dying horribly on the screen, he suddenly found himself thinking about his own problems in life, the ones that led directly to him joining Ready2CheckOut? and realized suddenly that his misery wasn't even on the same level as what these animals were experiencing. What was being done to them in that place was absolutely merciless and cruel. It also dawned on him that it was profit-driven as well, which made the whole thing feel even more icky to him.

"All this because people like the taste of meat," Jeremy whispered to himself. "Holy shit."

Eventually he got to a point where he couldn't watch anymore so he turned the TV off and walked out to Calvin's kitchen where he sat down by the laptop and reading glasses. Feeling his depression setting in all over again, he was suddenly plagued with guilt for having paid into such a horrific industry all his life. Wondering if he too should give up eating meat the way the reporter wanted to, he sat there at the table until Calvin returned from dropping off George.

When at last Calvin parked his bus in the garage and entered the house, a look of concern came over his face when he found Jeremy sitting at the table, feeling miserable.

"What's wrong, Office?" Calvin asked.

Glancing up at him, Jeremy opened his mouth to speak, but wasn't sure how to get the words out at first. "Hey, Hippie, I uh..."

Sitting down across from Jeremy, Calvin folded his hands on the tabletop. "Whatever it is, you can tell me."

"It's just that I was watching the news, and I uh," Jeremy started to say. "I saw these protesters outside of a slaughterhouse and they were holding signs and shit."

Calvin still seemed concerned. "Really?"

"They also had this computer that was showing footage of pigs dying in a gas chamber," Jeremy told him. "It was really horrible, Hippie!"

"Yeah, it really is unfortunate that animals have to be killed for us," Calvin agreed.

"But do they really have to be?"Jeremy asked. "Hippie, what if we just... Stopped eating them?"

"I dunno, Office," Calvin said. "Some people do become vegetarian over this kinda thing, but I've never really thought about it..."

"I guess I shouldn't be surprised that they die horribly like that," Jeremy said. "It's just that... I realized that compared to them, the problems I have are nothing."

"No, Office, your problems aren't nothing," Calvin told him. "Just different. Besides, what'cha gonna do about Sunday?"

Jeremy gave him a shrug. "No idea."

"Hmm, what all does your dad cook at his cook outs?" Calvin asked.

"Sometimes he cooks corn cobs on the grill along with the burgers and hotdogs," Jeremy told him. "Maybe I could just eat those..."

Calvin shook his head. "Just eating corn ain't gonna be enough to eat for ya, Office. What else you gonna have?"

"No idea," Jeremy said again. "Maybe we could bring something with us?"

Calvin paused to think, but then he snapped his fingers when he thought of an idea. "What if we go to the store and get veggie burgers or something? Hell, if it makes ya feel any better, I'll try one myself!"

Suddenly feeling surprised and a little less depressed, Jeremy's eyebrows perked up. "Hippie, you really think we can?"

"I don't see why not," Calvin said with a smile. "We can just see if your dad will cook some for us on the grill. Maybe we could both have a corn cob or two to go with em."

"I dunno, he loves his meat," Jeremy said, shaking his head. "He might not get it."

"Maybe not," Calvin said with a chuckle. "But so what? If we both give em a try, he can't say no to us. And even if he does... We can always take off in the bus."

Hearing Calvin talk him through this helped Jeremy feel much better. A faint smile formed on his lips. "Thanks, Hippie. It means a lot that you want to try these veggie burgers too. I can only hope they're good."

"I'm sure there's more than one kinda veggie burger out there, Office," Calvin said with a grin. "If one of em sucks, we can always try a different kind."

"Ya know what, you're right," Jeremy agreed. "We can always try a different kind."

"Also, I feel kinda bad still for eating the pizza I had earlier at work," Jeremy told him. "It had meat on it... But also cheese! The activist on the TV said the reporter should give up dairy, eggs, and leather too!"

Stroking his chin, Calvin paused to think, and then he snapped his fingers at Jeremy again. "Ooh, Office! You think there might be a non-dairy cheese we could try?"

"Maybe," Jeremy said. "If we can find some."

Swatting the air with his hand, Calvin chuckled. "We still have tomorrow to figure this out, so don't worry. When Sunday gets here, I'll have your back no matter what."

"You think Beard will try a veggie burger too?" Jeremy asked.

Calvin laughed. "Maybe if I twist his arm!"

This caused Jeremy to laugh nervously. "Hope you don't have to do that..."

"He'll try anything we do," Calvin told him. "He's cool like that, but Earl on the other hand... He's a little meat eating demon."

"Thanks, Hippie," Jeremy said. "Thanks for everything."

Calvin gave him a thumbs up. "Same to you, Buddy. Same to you."

And with that, the two of them sat at the table for a little while longer, discussing various other topics until they both felt tired. Then Jeremy went into the guest room and Calvin headed for his own room, where they both shut off the lights and got comfortable on their own beds.

28

When Calvin woke up the next morning, somehow he managed to do so without any nightmares. Once again, he found it quite odd. Getting out of bed in his shirt and pajama pants, he walked out into the hall and headed down to the guest room to see if Jeremy was awake.

Tapping his knuckles lightly on the door, he said, "Office?"

There was no answer, so he figured the guy was still sleeping. Shrugging his shoulders, Calvin then went to his kitchen and sat down at his table so he could open his laptop and log into Ready2CheckOut? again.

The moment he logged into the site, he discovered he had another message from Flowers@MeGrave. "Hmm, what we got here?"

Opening the message, he discovered that it was quite a bit longer than the messages he'd received from her before. Taking the time to read it, he found himself feeling a bit sad for her.

The message read, "Always good to have buddies to hang out with! :) Unfortunately for me, most of my friends have passed on. Some of them I met on this site, others I met in real life, but I miss them all just the same...

I also lost my husband as well, and that's been hard too. I do my best to get through it, but some days I just can't stay off this site, ya know? I'm sure you have days like that too. Most of us do. It really is sad to me what so many people on this site are going through, and some of them have problems that are unfixable. Most of them end up saying goodbye and then we never see them again.

I do hope that the two of us can be good friends for a while! You seem like a nice, young man, and I really would like to get to know you better. Hope to hear from you soon."

Starting to tear up a little bit, Calvin took off his reading glasses and wiped his eyes with his hand as he stopped to think of a reply. He found himself feeling more and more certain than ever before that this person was the old lady he met at the cemetery. The odds of him meeting two members from the site in the same city like that seemed extremely tiny, but what if it was possible?

Starting to type, he said, "This might sound strange, but one of my closest friends is someone that I met on this site originally, but somehow, I met him in real life by accident. How that happened, I have no idea, but some people might say it was fate? My name's Calvin by the way, but you can just call me Cal or Hippie, whichever you prefer."

Pausing for a moment, he stopped to think about what he wanted to say next. Then he went back to typing. "I also met this sweet, old lady at the cemetery who liked my bus and she walked with a cane. While I can't be sure, I have my suspicions that she and you are the same person. You don't have to confirm it if you don't want to, it's just that she's familiar with the term 'catch the bus'... The odds of you guys being the same person are very tiny, I realize that, but I also find it hard to believe it's just a coincidence."

Then he sent the message and logged out. After closing the laptop, he heard sounds upstairs and before long, Jeremy appeared in the kitchen wearing a pair of pajama pants Calvin gave him, as well as a sleeveless, red shirt.

Glancing back at his younger buddy, Calvin smiled. "Hey, Office. I was just on the forum again. I got another message from Flowers."

Wiping the sleep out of his eyes, Jeremy smiled back. "What did she say?"

"Quite a lot," Calvin said. "She's looking for friendship."

"I'm sure you guys would make great friends too," Jeremy said. "So, what's for breakfast?"

Calvin shrugged. "Dunno. We're kinda in a weird spot right now with food, ya know?"

Jeremy's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "That's right! The veggie burgers and the news story!"

Calvin turned, got up from his chair, and closed his laptop. "Mmm-hmm. I say we go shopping and see what we can find to try."

"That might be a good idea," Jeremy said, looking quite thoughtful. "I am kinda hungry, but I'd like to see what we can find somewhere."

"Same," Calvin agreed. "Maybe before we go shopping, we could see if there's a restaurant that has stuff we want to try."

"Not sure where we can go," Jeremy said, looking sad suddenly. "Most places sell stuff that comes from animals that got killed and tortured horribly..."

Calvin put his hands on his hips and frowned. "Right... Well, maybe we can do some research on the computer and find a place nearby that has good options for us."

Jeremy's face brightened up at the suggestion. "We should do that!"

Sitting down again, Calvin got back on his laptop and Jeremy grabbed another chair and sat beside him so they could do some digging. As they were doing their research, they came to the realization that the animal rights activists that were on the news weren't just vegetarian, they were vegans. Learning the terminology helped them find a good restaurant for them to try and sure enough, they found a fully vegan one neither of them had ever been to that had excellent menu items for them.

Looking over their online menu, Calvin whistled. "Damn, I've never heard of Mountainview Cloud before..."

At the top of every page they looked at on the website, the banner had the image of a cloud with ice-capped mountain peaks on top of it in the distance, with the sun peaking through between the slopes of the mountain ridge. It was really quite beautiful.

On the breakfast menu, they had tofu, black bean, rice, and vegan egg replacement burritos with sides of hash browns as options at the top. There were also vegan pancakes and when Calvin saw those, his eyes opened wide. "Pancakes sound really good! Holy shit! Didn't know there was such a thing as vegan pancakes..."

"I might get one of those burritos," Jeremy said. "They sound very interesting, especially with fake eggs in them. I wanna see what that's like..."

"It says here you can get your choice of egg replacements to go along with the pancakes too," Calvin told him. "Hmm, you can get them as a scrambled, sunny-sideup, or a hard boiled egg version. Very interesting..."

Suddenly pointing at the screen, Jeremy excitedly shouted, "Ooh, they have breakfast sandwiches too! Tofu and vegan egg sandwiches with non-dairy cheese and vegan bacon on them! I might get that instead oft he burrito!"

Calvin chuckled. "Sounds good to me too, but I think my heart's set on the pancakes."

But then they stumbled upon something else interesting; sandwiches that used pancakes as the bread instead of regular wheat toast, and when Calvin saw that, he became excited. "Holy shit! I'm getting really hungry now!"

Jeremy too appeared to fall in love with the pancake sandwiches and that made him want one as well. "Same here!"

Quickly looking for the address in the About Me page, Calvin figured out where it was and then Jeremy used his phone to GPS the directions. Then they returned to their rooms and got dressed back into the clothes they wore the day before, so with that out of the way, the two of them headed out to the garage and climbed into the front of the hippie bus. Considering the type of place they were going to eat at, showing up in that kind of ride seemed more than appropriate.

limenlux · Jul 22, 2026

I've only read through chapter 6 so far, but as someone who finds the idea of writing a novel so difficult and arcane as to be a form of sorcery, I have to applaud your efforts. I particularly liked where the two main characters staring into their mirrors during their introductory chapters created a kind of juxtaposition between them that carried forward from there.

Lost in a Dream said:
"Fuck," was the only word that came to mind, so Calvin said it out loud and left the bathroom again.

This made me chuckle.

Thank you for sharing.

Lost in a Dream · Jul 22, 2026

limenlux said:
I've only read through chapter 6 so far, but as someone who finds the idea of writing a novel so difficult and arcane as to be a form of sorcery, I have to applaud your efforts. I particularly liked where the two main characters staring into their mirrors during their introductory chapters created a kind of juxtaposition between them that carried forward from there.

This made me chuckle.

Thank you for sharing.

Thank you for the comment I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far. Also glad I was able to give you a chuckle. As dark as the story can be at times, I try to mix a little comedic relief into it too ya know? Seems I've done a good job of that so far.

Lost in a Dream · Jul 23, 2026

29

The moment they arrived at Mountainview Cloud, Jeremy pocketed his phone, just as Calvin pulled the bus into the parking lot. To both of their surprise, the parking lot was actually quite full, but they were still able to find a good spot to park.

Using an extra big parking space that was designated for large vehicles behind the restaurant, Calvin pulled in and parked the bus. As he came to a stop, the seashell necklace hanging from the rearview mirror swayed this way and that, catching Jeremy's eye.

"Well, Hippie, I can't wait to try out the food here," Jeremy said with a grin.

Reaching for his door handle, Calvin agreed. "Same! That shit looked hella good!"

Getting out of the bus, Jeremy followed his friend inside and the moment they entered, they saw a sea of tables and chairs that rested on a dark blue, carpeted floor covered with green squares that had a matching green V in the middle as the designs. Along the back wall behind the tables where people were eating their meals, there was a mural of the site's banner painted all across it, and it looked even more awesome blown up.

Right away, a waiter with slicked-back, gray hair and a matching mustache approached them with a couple menus in hand and a friendly smile. "You guys ready to find a seat?"

"Hell yeah!" Jeremy said excitedly. "We just came here in a hippie bus."

The waiter whistled. "A hippie bus?! Maybe I'll have to take a peek outside and check it out."

"Please do, if you got the time," Calvin said with a grin. "It's my pride and joy."

Motioning for the guys to follow him, the waiter laughed. "I might have to check it out on the cameras, we're kinda busy this morning. Come with me, guys."

Following Calvin and the waiter to a table, Jeremy curiously looked around at the food people were eating. Everyone seemed to be enjoying what was on their plates, and he hoped that he would be able to do the same.

When they at last reached an empty table, the waiter set the menus on the table, along with a couple bundles of silverware wrapped in napkins for the guys to use. "Make yourselves comfortable, and welcome to Mountainview Cloud!"

Jeremy grabbed a chair and plopped down into it, but Calvin remained standing for a moment, as he inspected the mural of the mountains on top of the cloud.

Pointing at the mural, Calvin said to the waiter, "I love this. It's really beautiful. My late wife would've loved the artwork."

"Late wife?" asked the waiter. "I'm sorry for your loss, Sir."

"Thanks," Calvin said as he stepped over to the other side of the table and pulled out his own chair. "Can't wait to try out the food here. My buddy and I are new to this whole vegan thing."

"Better new than never!" said the waiter. "Take a look at the menus and see what you'd like to try. I'll be back in a few."

Jeremy quickly flipped to the back where the drinks were as he tried to figure out what he wanted to sip on to wash down his food. Calvin did the same, just as the waiter walked away.

Pointing at the drinks, Jeremy went, "Ooh! I should get the cranberry and watermelon juice drink! Sounds interesting."

Calvin chuckled. "I'll just settle for coffee, but I'm not sure what to put in it just yet."

Looking at the coffee himself, Jeremy was surprised to see how many different kinds of creamer there were to add to it. "Looks like you can get creamer made from soy milk, oat milk, coconut milk, or almond milk. I guess try the one that sounds best to you."

Calvin grinned at him. "I don't know which one to try, Office. Any suggestions?"

Closing his eyes suddenly, Jeremy pointed his finger at a random one and when he opened his eyes, he realized his fingertip was sitting on the soy milk. "Maybe try the soy milk creamer, Hippie. See if you like that in your coffee."

"Sure thing, Office!"

When the waiter at last returned, the two guys ordered their cranberry juice drink and the coffee with the soy milk creamer. After jotting their orders down on the notepad, the waiter asked, "You guys know what you wanna try to eat?"

Jeremy laughed. "Yes! We looked at the online menu before we came here!"

"Nice!" said the waiter. "What do you guys want?"

"We were thinking about trying out the pancake breakfast sandwiches," Jeremy told him. "They sounded really good."

Smiling down at them, the waiter asked, "Did you guys know you can get those as plain pancakes, or with regular or maple syrup cooked inside them? I would recommend trying the maple syrup pancake sandwiches. They are just... Mmm..."

"Maple syrup sounds good to me!" Jeremy shouted excitedly.

"Same," Calvin agreed. "So, what are the egg replacements like?"

The waiter pursed his lips thoughtfully before answering. "Well,they are definitely different from actual eggs,but still good. They just have their own unique flavor."

Calvin nodded as he glanced down at the menu and flipped to the breakfast page. "I see... Well, I'll give them a shot."

"So, what all would you like to put on your sandwiches?" the waiter asked. "The items we put on there are all optional. You can pick or choose, or put everything on it."

Jeremy didn't even have to think about it before he shouted, "Everything on it please! Maple syrup pancake sandwich with everything."

"Same for me," Calvin told them.

The waiter chuckled as he put down their orders on the notepad. "You guys must be hungry. Make yourselves comfortable and I'll be back as soon as I can."

Taking the menus with him, the waiter left them alone and Jeremy smiled across the table at his friend. "Well, Hippie, I'm glad we decided to try eating here."

"I am too, Office," came the reply. "Can't wait to try these things."

While the two of them waited for their meals to arrive, they looked around at the interior of the restaurant and all the people in it. Hanging from the ceiling were chandeliers all over the place made out of wood and glass, which brightened up the inside of the dining area to give it a very friendly atmosphere.

Looking up at the chandeliers, Jeremy's mouth hung open for a moment before he commented on them. "Ooh, I love the lighting in here. It's...Pretty fancy!"

Calvin looked up at them too. "Oh yeah. I like em too, so, Office... How you feeling about tomorrow?"

Jeremy's attention was drawn away from the lights and back to his friend. "Well, I'm still a little nervous about it, but I know that having you and Beard there will help things a lot. Besides, once my dad thanks you for your service, he'll absolutely love you."

Calvin chuckled. "I can only hope so. I'm kinda curious to try out those veggie burgers ya know?"

"Same!" Jeremy agreed. "I wonder how many different kinds there are."

Calvin shrugged. "Guess we'll find out when we get to the store."

A couple minutes later, the waiter returned with their drinks on a tray. "Here ya guys go! I got your coffee and your juice!"

Setting the juice down in front of Jeremy and the coffee with a bottle of soy milk creamer in front of Calvin, the waiter smiled. "Your food should be out here soon, just needs a little more time."

"Thanks," Jeremy and Calvin both said together.

The waiter laughed. "Enjoy your drinks guys. I'll be back with your meals shortly."

As soon as he left them again, Jeremy took a sip of his juice and he was amazed by how good it tasted, since he had never actually tried cranberry juice before. "Mmm! Wow, this is good! I can really taste the watermelon in it."

Calvin chuckled as he poured a little of the soy creamer into his steaming coffee, and then he picked his mug up off the small plate it rested on by the handle and took a sip. "Ooh, this is good too, Office. Damn, I kinda like soy milk creamer."

Jeremy took another sip of his juice and then set it aside. "I think I'm gonna save most of my drink for when the meal gets here."

Calvin nodded at Jeremy. "Same. So, who all will be there with us tomorrow, besides the three of us and your dad?"

"My sister, Sandra," Jeremy told him. "I'm sure she would love to meet you and Beard too."

Calvin nodded and he frowned a little. "What's your sister like? Better than your dad, I hope."

Jeremy nodded, but he frowned as well. "She is. It's just that, she's always worried about me, ya know? She means well and everything, it's just that sometimes she worries a little too much."

Calvin smiled. "Better than not caring enough, I suppose. You have been doing a lot better lately, so perhaps when she sees that, she won't worry so much."

"Maybe," Jeremy said thoughtfully. "I just have to hope she doesn't think I'm faking the happiness like I sometimes do."

Calvin chuckled. "I can see the difference in you myself already. I'm sure she will too."

Jeremy smiled at him. "You're probably right. Honestly, I can't wait for her to meet you and Beard."

"What was your relationship with her like growing up?" Calvin asked curiously.

"Well, we sometimes argued and fought like siblings always do," was Jeremy's answer. "But we got along okay for the most part. Most of the fighting was between me and my dad so Sandra always had to play peacekeeper. I'm sure it was stressful for her too..."

Calvin shook his head sadly. "Oh, man. So she was the one always getting caught in the crossfire. I've been there when fighting overseas, and I can tell you it's not a fun place to be."

This made Jeremy curious about his friend's experience in the military so he started to ask some questions about it while they waited for the food to arrive. Calvin had many different stories to tell, but there wasn't enough time to share everything because the waiter returned with their meals before too long.

30

The moment the waiter approached the table carrying the tray with their food on it, Calvin glanced up and smiled. "Office, the food's here!"

Jeremy glanced back. "Oh, shit! Already?"

"Here you guys go!" said the waiter with a grin as he set their plates down in front of them. "Two maple syrup breakfast sandwiches with everything on em coming right up!"

Calvin's eyes opened wide in surprise when he realized that his sandwich was much bigger than he expected it to be, and sure enough, he could see the swirls of maple syrup in the top pancake and even smell the aroma of it as well.

"Enjoy, you guys!" said the waiter, before taking off with the tray again.

Calvin laughed as he stared at his food. "Wow, Office, I don't think I can eat all this..."

Jeremy laughed too. "Same here, Hippie!"

Picking up his massive pancake sandwich, Calvin watched as the plant-based bacon bits fell out of it onto his plate, but he also saw the tofu, vegan eggs, and the non-dairy cheese melted all over them between the pancakes as well.

Calvin took a huge bite and right away he tasted the maple, but also everything mixed into the middle. "Mmm! Thish ish..." He chewed up his bite and swallowed it before continuing to speak. "Very interesting... And very good!"

Jeremy picked up his sandwich and took a big bite as well. His reaction was the same as Calvin's. "Wow, Hippie!"

Calvin took another bite and then set his food down so he could take a small sip of coffee. Picking up his mug, he chewed the food for a bit and then took a swig as he was swallowing it. "Can't believe how good the food is here, damn! I gotta have Beard try this!"

Jeremy took a sip of his juice drink and then unrolled his silverware napkin bundle so he could eat some of his hash browns on the side. Digging right in, he took a big bite and smiled. "These are good too. Shit."

Calvin chuckled as he picked up his sandwich again. "I gotta have more of this, holy shit."

Taking another huge bite, Calvin enjoyed the unique flavors all over again. "Mmm..."

Taking another bite of his hash browns, Jeremy set his fork down and then picked up his breakfast sandwich again as well. "I've never had the tofu before, but it sure is good! Almost tastes like meat the way they cooked it, but yet... It's still different."

For the next few minutes, the two guys devoured their food until they were about halfway through their meals, and then Calvin set his down because he needed more coffee. "I love the cheese they put in there, and the bacon bits. For being imitations of the real thing, they're definitely good."

"Mmm-hmm," Jeremy agreed.

Calvin picked up his mug and took another sip, but when he set the mug down, he reached for his silverware as well so he could also have some of his hashbrowns. They were just as delicious as the sandwich was, but right away he knew there was no way he would be able to finish everything. He would need a box to take leftovers home in.

Then the waiter returned to check on them. "How's the food guys?"

Calvin gave him a thumbs up. "Amazing!"

The waiter chuckled, but then a look of surprise came over his face suddenly. "Oh, by the way! I checked out your bus! Really cool!"

Calvin grinned at the waiter. "Thanks! It was my dad's originally, but I helped him restore it before he passed."

"Aw, I'm sorry for your loss once again," said the waiter. "First your wife and now your dad."

Glancing at Jeremy suddenly, Calvin winked at his new buddy. "But I have other people in my life who make it easier to deal with now."

The waiter looked at Jeremy. "You guys related or just friends?"

"Friends!" Jeremy said as he picked up his sandwich. "The other day I hit a pothole and broke my axle, but then Cal's buddy George showed up to tow me out and Cal took me home in the bus!"

"Nice!" said the waiter. "Sucks about your car, but at least it all turned out well in the end."

Calvin took another sip of his coffee, causing the waiter to point at the mug. "Refill?"

Calvin looked down into his mug and thought about it for a moment. "Maybe in a few, I got some left still."

"Okay, I'll check on you guys again in a bit," the waiter told them. "Will you be able to finish the meals or will you guys need boxes?"

"Boxes!" both Calvin and Jeremy said at the same time, causing them both to laugh.

The waiter laughed as well. "I'll bring you those boxes and see if you need drink refills then. Be back in a few."

As soon as the waiter left again, Calvin picked up his sandwich so he could take a few more bites. "Well, Office, I'm gonna have a little more, but I definitely can't finish eating this sum'bitch."

Jeremy chuckled as he took a big gulp of his juice drink. "I'm probably gonna have a little more too, but not much."

Calvin took another bite from his sandwich, once again amazed at how good it tasted for being a plant-based alternative to the eggs, meat, and cheese he was used to. The maple mixed into the pancake buns also gave it a little something extra.

"Still can't believe how good this is, Office," Calvin said. "This is the good shit right here."

Eating more of his hashbrowns, Jeremy nodded. "Definitely is, Hippie."

After enjoying a few more bites of their food, the waiter eventually returned with a couple storage boxes and a pitcher of coffee. Setting the boxes down, he then gave Calvin's mug a refill.

"There ya go!" said the waiter.

"Thanks!" Calvin said to him, before adding more of the soy milk creamer.

Standing next to the table with the pitcher in hand, the waiter looked back and forth between the two guys. "So, how much you guys gonna be able to eat still?"

Calvin held up his hand and put his forefinger and thumb closely together to show that he could only eat a little more. "About that much maybe..."

The waiter laughed and glanced at Jeremy. "What about you, Good Sir?"

Jeremy picked up his sandwich and took another bite. After chewing a bit and gulping it down, he grinned. "A few more bites should do it."

"Excellent!" said the waiter. "If you guys like, I can bring you the bill."

"Sounds good," Calvin said to him.

As soon as the waiter left, Calvin reached into the pocket of his pants and took out his wallet. Unfolding it, he took out a $5 bill and a $1 bill and folded them up in his hands before tucking them under his plate so they stuck out just a little bit.

Jeremy opened his eyes wide in surprise. "Holy shit, that's quite a generous tip!"

Calvin chuckled. "Well the guy's good at his job, what can I say?"

Reaching for one of the boxes the waiter set on the table, Jeremy picked up his sandwich, took one more big bite, and then plopped the remainder down into the box as he chewed his food. Then he took a few nibbles of his hashbrowns before scraping those into the box as well.

Looking down at his food, Calvin whistled. "Well, I'm gonna have one more bite too I think, and then we can hit the road and do some shopping."

Picking up his sandwich again, he took that last bite and plopped the food down into his own box. Scraping the hashbrowns into it like Jeremy did with his fork, he then set his plate back on top of the $6 tip and took a few more sips of his coffee. When at last the waiter returned with the bill, the two guys headed up front with him so they could pay for their meals and hit the road once again.

Lost in a Dream · Jul 23, 2026

31

After the two guys stashed their meals in the mini-fridge in the back of the bus, they both got in the front and buckled themselves in. Jeremy was all filled up as he watched Calvin start up the engine again, and when they pulled out of the parking space, he smiled.

Jeremy glanced at his friend, still smiling. "Wow, Hippie, I'm amazed at how good that place is!"

Calvin glanced at him with a smile as well. "Me too, Office. Who would've thought there was an all-vegan restaurant right here all this time and I never knew?"

"And one that's so popular too!" Jeremy shouted excitedly. "Damn, I love this place. We gotta try the other stuff on their menus too."

When Calvin pulled up to the road, he stopped to watch the traffic go by before pulling out, and headed right so they could go to the store and do their shopping. As they took off down the road, Jeremy watched the other businesses pass by to his right. There were various other restaurants on that street, as well as hardware stores and gas stations.

Looking back at Calvin, whose eyes were focused on the road ahead, Jeremy asked, "So, about that slaughterhouse I saw on TV... Have you ever heard of Gene's Slaughterhouse?"

Calvin kept his eyes on the road as he answered. "I've driven past it a time or two. Why?"

"Well, I was wondering if we could possibly do our own protest there sometime," Jeremy said thoughtfully. "Just because... Those poor pigs I saw dying on the news were panicking and screaming as they died. Perhaps we could make some signs of our own and just peacefully stand by out there."

Calvin was silent for a moment before he replied. "Well, we could do something like that, sure. I could make a couple signs for us out in my garage, I got a few boards I can piece together and we could paint the signs ourselves."

This suggestion was exciting to Jeremy. "You really think we could do something like that?"

Calvin glanced at his buddy with a smile. "Sure thing, Office, but first, the two of us are gonna have to get shoes without leather on em. I don't know what yours are made out of, but I'd feel weird going to an animal rights protest with leather in my old ass shoes..."

Jeremy chuckled. "Maybe when we do our shopping, we can get some new shoes or something. The ones I wear are my work-assigned shoes, but I could use an extra pair so they don't get wore out too quick ya know?"

Calvin briefly looked at the khakis and dress shirt Jeremy was wearing from the day before and smiled. "Maybe we should get you some new clothes to wear in general so you're not just wearing your work uniform everywhere."

Jeremy looked down at his outfit and laughed. "Only reason I'm wearing this stuff is because I spent the night at your place and left all my other clothes at the apartment... Maybe we could stop by there so I can grab something else to wear for later."

"Sure thing, whatever you wanna do," Calvin said as he spotted the sign for the supermarket up ahead. "Anyway, we're almost to the store, Office. Let's see if we can't get you something nice and comfortable to wear for tomorrow."

"Sure thing, Hippie," Jeremy said with a laugh. "A new clean t-shirt and some new pants might impress my Dad when we show up."

Calvin chuckled. "You think we should show up there in the truck or the bus? What would your old man think of the bus anyway?"

Jeremy paused to think before giving a slight shrug. "I dunno what he would think of it. It would surprise him for sure."

When at last they arrived at the store, Calvin pulled the hippie bus into the parking lot, which was nearly filled with cars already. After circling around all the vehicles looking for a place to park, he pulled into an empty one a couple spaces down from a metal shopping cart storage area.

"Alright, here we are!" Calvin said with a grin as he parked in the space and shut off the engine. "Let's see what we can find in there huh?"

Jeremy unbuckled himself and reached for his door handle. "Sounds good to me, Hippie."

As the two of them got out of the bus, an elderly man walking past them with a shopping cart full of groceries smiled at them. "Nice bus!"

Calvin smiled at the guy too. "Thanks!"

The elderly man with the cart stopped to talk to them briefly and he was wearing a buttoned up shirt with long sleeves and some jeans. His silvery hair was combed over to the side and he had a little bit of a beard that went around his mouth and chin.

As the man with the cart stopped, he whistled. "I love the seashells on there."

Jeremy remained quiet as Calvin talked about them. "My late wife helped me paint them on there. This bus was originally my dad's. I helped him restore it while he was alive, but unfortunately he passed before the project was totally finished."

The elderly man with the cart frowned. "I'm sorry to hear that. Losing your wife and your dad sounds rough."

"It was," Calvin said as he offered the man a handshake. "I'm Calvin but my friends call me Cal."

The guy with the shopping cart shook his hand. "And I'm Jim. Nice to meet ya."

Jeremy remained silent as he looked at the bags of groceries in the old man's cart, but when he noticed the meat in one of them, he winced a little bit, but quickly tried to hide how he was feeling about it with a friendly smile.

"Anyway, I better get going, Cal," Jim said. "Hopefully I see your bus around again soon!"

"Have a good one!" Calvin said to him before they parted ways.

Looking over at the shopping cart holder, Jeremy quickly walked over and grabbed a cart for them. As he and Calvin were approaching the store, he glanced back and saw Jim putting his groceries in the back of a car not far from where the bus was parked.

Jeremy frowned as he paused to watch Jim put his stuff away. "I noticed he had meat in his bags..."

Calvin glanced back as well, but then he put a hand on Jeremy's shoulder and looked ahead at the store. "Most people do, Office. It's unfortunate, but what can we do?"

Looking ahead at the store, Jeremy resumed pushing his shopping cart. "Not much sadly. Shit, man..."

Focusing on their shopping trip, Jeremy smiled as he thought about the veggie burgers he wanted to try and he also hoped that he could find some other good vegan foods as well while they were there. As he and Calvin approached the front doors of the supermarket, the sliding glass door that said "Enter" slid open for them and they walked past several other people with shopping carts who were on their way out as they passed by several gumball and candy dispensers, as well as a toy claw machine.

When they reached the next set of doors, they slid open for them again and then they entered the store. To their right was a long row of checkouts with several of them being run by cashiers, as well as some self-check outs that were very close to the entrance. On the left was the produce which had a very impressive selection of fruits and vegetables to pick from.

"So, where should we go next, Office?" Calvin asked.

Glancing at the produce, Jeremy shrugged. "Not sure, Hippie. You think we might find the veggie burgers in the produce area?"

Calvin shook his head. "We can look, or ask somebody, cause I'm not really sure."

Pointing at the produce, Jeremy suggested, "Let's start there. At the very least, we can get some stuff to put on our veggie burgers."

Calvin glanced at Jeremy as they headed for the fruit and vegetable stands. "Wouldn't your dad have stuff to put on em already?"

"Just cheese, condiments, and pickles," Jeremy told him. "I kinda want something a little more interesting than that ya know?"

"I get you," Calvin said with a grin. "I know I like to get me a good head of cabbage."

As they were shopping, the two guys picked out a few things they could eat with their veggie burgers. Other than the red cabbage Calvin picked out, they also got a couple tomatoes, a nice big onion, and a bag of oranges because Calvin loved oranges. Then they paused for a moment to look around. An employee passed by them and they flagged him down to ask where they might find the veggie burgers and some non-dairy cheese. As it turned out, the burgers they wanted were in the freezer aisle and the cheese was hidden amongst the regular cheeses in the dairy aisle.

Heading for the freezer aisles first, they easily found the Vegan sandwich patties at one end of the first aisle. Sure enough, there were several different kinds to pick from when Calvin pulled the freezer door open.

Jeremy looked up and down at the selections they had while Calvin held the door open. "Well, Hippie, anything look good to you?"

Reaching into the freezer, Calvin grabbed a couple packages so he could give them a closer look. "Hmm, the black bean burger sounds interesting... And so does the fake chicken. Ooh, what's this?"

Calvin dropped the packages that were in his hand into the cart before grabbing something else that caught his eye. "Mushroom burgers! Says they're made out of actual mushrooms and I love me some mushrooms!"

"I'll try em!" Jeremy said as Calvin grabbed a second box of mushroom burgers and dropped them into the cart. "Anything else look good to you, Hippie?"

Calvin continued to look at the items in the freezer as he thought about it. "Hmm... Ooh, they have bacon strips in here."

Grabbing them, Calvin inspected the back of the package. "Says they're made out of one hundred percent plant protein. Interesting..."

"Let's get em!" Jeremy said excitedly, just as Calvin dropped them into the cart. "Now we gotta find the cheese!"

After leaving the freezer aisle, they headed for the dairy aisle to see if they could find the plant-based cheeses. It took a bit of looking but eventually they found a couple different brands and a few different styles to try. They discovered cheese made from cashews, oats, and coconut oil, and there were Cheddar, Mozzarella, Mexican Style Blends, and Colby Jack variations.

"These are interesting, Office," Calvin said as he picked out a couple for himself to try and dropped them into the cart. "Now you pick something."

Jeremy went with the Mozzarella because he always loved that kind of cheese. "I want this!"

"Sounds good!" Calvin said as Jeremy dropped the cheese he wanted into the cart. "Anything else look good to ya?"

Grabbing a second bag of the Mozzarella version, Jeremy dropped that into the cart as well. "I think I'm all set. Now maybe we can head for the clothing department."

Calvin chuckled as Jeremy pushed the cart away from the cheese and started to head in that direction. "Sounds good to me."

After leaving the grocery section of the store, they headed into the Men's clothing department so they could both get some different shoes and perhaps update Jeremy's wardrobe so he had more comfortable clothes to wear. In that area, Calvin got him some more jeans, a new pair of non-leather shoes, and a couple t-shirts that caught his eye before they headed for the check out aisles.

32

Calvin was feeling really good as he and Jeremy left the store. After putting their groceries in the back of the bus, he got back in the driver's seat while his younger buddy got in the front on the other side. When he fired up the bus's engine and took off from the store, he took them back to his house so they could put their leftovers and their groceries away.

When he pulled the bus into his driveway, he came to a stop in front of the garage and smiled at Jeremy. "Okay, Office, we're back!"

Jeremy grinned at Calvin. "I can't wait to put on my new shoes and shirts!"

Calvin chuckled. "You picked out some interesting t-shirts at the store. I kinda want to see how you look in em."

Getting out, they retrieved their food from the mini-fridge in the back and grabbed the bags with Jeremy's new clothes and Calvin's new shoes in them before heading in the house. The moment they entered the kitchen, they all set their bags down on the table near the laptop.

Jeremy started reaching into them where he retrieved the cabbage, tomatoes, onion, and oranges, which he then shoved into the fridge while Calvin opened the door and held it for him. Then, the two of them retrieved their plant-based burgers and shoved them in the freezer for later. Once that was done, Jeremy took his new clothes upstairs to the guest bedroom so he could get changed.

While Jeremy was putting on his new clothes, Calvin plopped down into his chair at the table next to his computer. "Ah, it's been a good day."

When at last Jeremy returned to the kitchen, he was wearing a pair of jeans and a t-shirt that had the phrase "PEEP THE MYTHOS" on it, and the image on the front was of a couple of anime characters he wasn't familiar with just yet preparing to duke it out; one had his fingers crossed one one hand and his back turned towards the viewer as he stood on the ground in a sea of skulls, while the other guy was standing on top of a temple with his hands put together so his forefingers and middle fingers came together to a point, and the temple itself had walls made of wide-open jaws that had large, chomping teeth in them that threatened to devour anyone who came close and massive horns coming out from the roof of the structure.

Jeremy laughed as he showed off his shirt to Calvin. "I don't entirely know what the image is from, but do ya think this shirt will freak out my dad?"

Calvin laughed as well. "Probably, Office! Probably!"

"As for the other shirt," Jeremy said. "It's got a very simple design to it, but I think my dad will hate that one more."

"You're probably right!" Calvin agreed. "May you be the darkness sounds pretty ominous!"

"Which one should I wear tomorrow?" Jeremy asked.

Calvin paused to think. "Hmm... Well, if you really wanna freak him out, I'd say wear the other one, but if you just wanna confuse him, maybe wear this one. It really is up to you, Office."

It didn't take long for Jeremy to decide which shirt he was going to wear. "I think I'll wear the other one!"

Calvin laughed again. "Let me see you in that one really quick!"

Going back upstairs to the guest room, Jeremy put on his other shirt and quickly returned to the kitchen so Calvin could inspect it. This one really did have a simple design, but it was also really cool; it was a black t-shirt with an 11 – pointed star on the front made out of intersecting white lines, and in the middle of the design where the lines came together was a polygon with 11 sides to it; a hendecagon. Underneath the star was the ominous phrase. "MAY YOU BE THE DARKNESS!"

Calvin loved the shirt. "You look good in it, man! Can't wait to see your Dad's reaction when he sees it."

Jeremy laughed. "He's probably gonna say, 'What does that mean, son? Are you into Satanism now?' and then he's gonna scowl like he always does..."

"What does he even look like, Office?" Calvin asked.

Jeremy raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Honestly, he looks like that one actor who played as Tywin Lannister on Game of Thrones. I can't remember the guy's name, but my Dad could easily be his doppelganger."

Calvin clapped his hands and laughed. "Ha! Beard and I tried watching that show back in the day! It wasn't my preferred strand of weed, but I know who you're talking about. I bet your Dad doesn't even have half the personality as the actor does."

This had both of the guys laughing so hard they had tears in their eyes, and at one point, Jeremy nearly lost his balance, nearly falling to the floor. "Whoa, shit!"

"Don't fall over, Office!" Calvin said mid-laugh. "Haha, you haven't even been drinking yet!"

"You sure about that, Hippie?" Jeremy asked, still laughing. "Maybe! Ha! Maybe I snuck a flask into the store and sipped on it when you weren't looking!"

"And you didn't share?!" Calvin cried, pretending to be angry. "Come on, Office!"

Once again, the two of them burst out into uncontrollable fits of laughter. This went on for a few minutes until finally, it died down to a few chuckles. It was then that Calvin suddenly remembered something he wanted to ask Jeremy, it was George's suggestion that they go on a road trip.

"So, Office, I had something to ask of you," he said at last. "It was Beard's idea, but it sounds like it could be a great thing for you."

Jeremy continued to chuckle a little from the jokes earlier, but when he realized the tone had become serious, he looked concerned suddenly. "And what's that?"

"How about we go on a road trip one of these days?" Calvin asked him. "We could take the bus and you could bring anyone else with you that you want. Beard wants to come, and I'm sure you'd love that."

Looking surprised, Jeremy blinked his eyes. "Whoa, Hippie, that could be awesome! I mean hell yeah, if Beard wants to come! I just hope he isn't too sick ya know?"

"I know," Calvin agreed. "I saw him coughing into his rag after I took you to work. I was gonna tell you eventually, but I just got too into the food we were trying."

Jeremy didn't seem upset at all as far as Calvin could tell, just worried about George. "That's terrible, man! What's he decided to do about it?"

"He called the Doc," Calvin told him. "I think we should see what the doctor thinks before we plan anything. It's just that... I'm worried about him, man."

"Yeah, for sure!" Jeremy agreed. "I was also thinking about bringing my sister. I think if Sandra sees us all together having a good time, she's gonna realize how much you guys truly mean to me. She's gonna see me feeling better than I've felt in a very, very long time."

Hearing his friend admit this made Calvin tear up, but he wasn't feeling sad, he was happy and his face showed it. "That means a lot, Office."

"Means a lot to me too, Hippie," Jeremy said as well. "In all honesty, you feel like the closest thing to a father I've ever felt in my life. The way I was raised... Well, some days were absolute shit."

"I get that," Calvin said. "Look, Man, I think a trip in the bus would be great for all of us. Sandra included. As much time as she's probably spent worrying about you and putting her own well-being aside... Well, I can only guess. Having to play peacekeeper between you and your father, well, she knows what it's like to be in crossfire. She's been through war. Might not've been the same kind of wars I've been through, but it's a different kind of war."

Jeremy seemed sad suddenly, and he didn't say anything else until after Calvin stood up and put a hand on his shoulder. "I'm not blaming you, Office. You've been through war too and I know this. Truthfully, if anyone's to blame... Your father is. Ya know, Mary passed before we ever had a chance to even consider becoming parents. Adoptive or otherwise. All I mean to say is, you're the closest thing to being a son that I could ever have."

Then the two guys hugged the way a father and son should hug each other. The words both of them spoke had created an unbreakable bond between them that would never go away. They would always respect one another's personal choice to leave the world or not, as they understood what it meant to be able to give a proper goodbye or leave the world together if they had chosen. They both knew that most of the world was trash, but yet there was still some beauty in it. Was it enough to keep on living? For a while perhaps, but was it permanent? No one truly knows at this point.

Lost in a Dream · Jul 24, 2026

33

Jeremy couldn't have ever been happier in his life. He also knew that the same was true for Calvin. George was an uncle to him, and at some point he wanted to tell him so. He would always call him Beard of course, but he was also just as worried about him as his brand new father was.

Crying on Calvin's shoulder, Jeremy whispered, "Hippie... You don't realize... how much this means to me."

"Oh, I do, Office," Calvin admitted. "I do."

Both of them were crying at this point, but they weren't sad at all. After a few minutes, Calvin swallowed his tears and chuckled a little. "You're getting snot on my shoulder, Office..."

Jeremy continued to cry, but he swallowed his tears a little too. "Sorry."

Then the two of them hugged some more for a couple minutes, but eventually they both took a seat at the table, suddenly feeling exhausted. Looking each other in the eyes, they both took a deep breath.

Smiling suddenly, Jeremy said, "Road trip it is. So... Uh, where the hell we going?"

"Not hell, I hope," Calvin chuckled. "Not unless God sends us there for not having the greatest opinion of him. I say we take a look at a map and pick a place. I say we see how Beard's doing before we bring him, and I say hell yeah to bringing Sandra along. I'd even consider inviting your father, but I understand you having a negative opinion of such a suggestion. It's just that...

If he saw the same change in you that I have, he would see you in a very different light. Perhaps he would feel the weight of his guilt over behaving like that dude on Game of Thrones. He'd probably be a handsome fella if he smiled a little more, and scowled a little less, just like I'm sure the actor does in real life because an actor on TV isn't his character in real life. People know this. You and I know this.

All I mean to say is, if he learned to see you the way I do, he would truly understand what it's like to have a son he loves for once. He would also understand why a person would desire to leave such a world as the one we live in behind. He would understand why a person would consider joining such a site as Ready to Check Out? If he actually read your posts on there and connected them with the real you, he would realize what it means to have someone to actually live for."

Jeremy didn't know how to reply. He felt honored and loved for sure, but also he felt like he wanted to live for once too, even if it was only temporary because he too understood why a person would want to leave the world behind. The very idea of the Right to Die being a human right meant just as much to him as a person's desire to stay alive for as long as possible. It would always be a personal choice that one should respect no matter what.

After he took a moment to pause and think, Jeremy eventually was able to form words. "Wow, Hippie... I uh... I think I changed my mind about which shirt I wanna wear to the cookout."

Calvin looked surprised. "Really? The other shirt?"

Jeremy nodded his head and smiled. "I think I'd rather confuse him than upset him, at least at first... Um. It's just that... Just that I..."

Then he paused because he couldn't speak again. He wasn't sure what to say next. The words both of them had spoken and the knowledge they both shared meant more to them than anything ever possibly could have. Perhaps at this point there was no need to speak.

Calvin chuckled a little. "I was hoping you'd go with the shirt you have on now, Office. I was gonna try to explain that one one to him."

Then they both started laughing, once again with tears streaming down their faces. "Hippie! Maybe... Maybe I should wear both!"

"Both?" Calvin asked. "But wouldn't that be a little warm?"

"Probably," Jeremy agreed. "But I could easily switch shirts and then try to explain both of them to him. Confuse him, then upset him I say. But after that... I say... I say I take off all my shirts, jump on the table we're eating on, and beat on my chest like King Kong!"

Once again they both burst out laughing uncontrollably. But when they once again died down to a few chuckles, Calvin suddenly changed the direction of the conversation, and it suddenly brought sadness into both their hearts. "But if ya do that, then Beard might laugh a little... A little too hard."

They both remembered George coughing up blood into his rag. They knew he possibly had cancer in his lungs. They were glad he called the doctor, but worried that he was a little too late. Perhaps if the cancer had advanced too far, he would always have the option of drinking his Nembutal, but only when he chose to do so. He absolutely would go to the cook out and go along for the road trip for sure, but every time he coughed into that rag, they felt sick, not because they were disgusted with him or anything, but because they knew they were at risk of losing him, whether he left by choice or not.

Jeremy agreed. "You're right. Perhaps once I explain the shirts, I could put on the one with the temple again, and go back to being a little warm. Truth is, your suggestion that he come along for the road trip, well... I'm on the fence... Give me time to think about it."

Calvin smiled. "Sure thing, Office. It's just that... We gotta think of Beard, ya know? See what the doctor says. I'll respect his choice no matter what happens, because I believe in the right to die too. A person's desire to die matters just as much to me as their desire to live and neither should be forcefully imposed on someone."

Jeremy agreed one hundred percent. No, actually a million percent. Perhaps he agreed to infinity? To even suggest that one or the other ever be forcefully imposed on someone, well, if he were to ever tell that to someone that it should happen, he would feel a terrible weight of guilt that would weigh him down forever. No amount of apologizing could ever make it right. He knew that, and he also knew that Calvin knew this.

As for bringing his biological father along for the road trip, he figured he would be open to letting Calvin hint at the idea of it. He personally hoped that his father would prefer to stay at home and ride on his zero turn, but he also, for the first time in what felt like eternity, hoped that being on that zero turn would be the thing that would make him happy. Perhaps Jeremy would be willing to forgive everything, including the original sin of having been brought into the world kicking and screaming in the first place.

For a moment, neither of the guys spoke. When at last the silence was broken, it was Calvin who spoke up first. "It's difficult to guess what's going through your mind, Office, but you and I know things. We know certain truths that most of the world isn't even willing to admit to themselves. The very idea of leaving this world, well... Should be a choice left up to the individual. I also know that having Beard, Sandra, and your old man coming together with us will be the greatest thing for everyone, your old man included."

"Still," Jeremy finally said out loud. "While I'm okay with the idea of you inviting him, I personally hope he would prefer to stay at home on his zero turn. I know he loves that thing."

Calvin smiled, but tears were still streaming down his face. "I'll suggest both ideas to him, Office. I'll tell him to do what ever makes him feel the best. I want him to see both your shirts, just to see if he can wrap his head around the person you are. Once you explain why you bought those shirts, while also buying vegan food... Well... He's gonna be like... What the fuck?!"

"No!" Jeremy cried. "He hates that word. Perhaps it would slip out on occasion, but he never felt good about saying it."

"So perhaps he would?" Calvin asked. "Office..."

"Hippie," Jeremy said, chuckling suddenly. "Guess I'm not sure... You could be correct, he might actually say it and then put his hand over his mouth and gasp."

Calvin laughed. "I can already imagine it. What the fuck son? Aaaaah! Then he puts his hand over his mouth and gets down on his knees to apologize to God for saying a word he hates so much."

Jeremy laughed as well. "Yeah, that's totally gonna be him. I might've heard it slip out of his mouth once, but it was so long ago it's hard to be sure..."

Calvin grinned as he reached across the table and patted Jeremy on the arm. "Well Office, I'll invite him on the road trip, but when I suggest he hang out on the zero turn, I'm gonna go car salesman on his ass!"

This was hilarious to Jeremy and he burst out into an uncontrollable fit of laughter. "Car... Salesman... Hippie!"

"Office!" Calvin said as he too burst out into laughter. "Heeeee...."

At this point they were gripping the edge of the table tight with their hands as they sat their laughing uncontrollably, trying not to tip over in their chairs. Eventually they did calm down a little, but when Jeremy at last spoke again, it was difficult to form words because he couldn't get the idea out of his mind of Calvin behaving like a car salesman.

"Hippie, I can see it already," Jeremy said. "You saying, 'Hey, we were thinking about going on a road trip ya know? You could tag along if ya like, but wait... Is that... Your zero turn?! I love this thing, man! Say, you know anybody who's been through war? I have... Desert storm and just after Nine-Eleven.' And then..."

Jeremy paused, because he wasn't sure what to say next, but eventually the words came to him. "And then, you tell him how much you love the zero turn. Perhaps you might even love the damn thing for real. As much as I hate to admit it, he does have a good taste in lawn mowing equipment."

Calvin chuckled and stood up from the table and stretched his arms and legs for a moment. "Shit, Office... You hungry or thirsty at all? I'm feeling on the fence about eating my leftovers from breakfast, or trying out one of those veggie burgers we shoved in the freezer. The mushroom burgers especially, but I kinda want to see how they taste cooked on the grill..."

Jeremy stood up as well and he grinned. "I say eat the breakfast sandwich. Those vegan maple pancakes... My God! Amazing shit!"

"Sure thing, Office," Calvin said as he walked over and patted him on the shoulder. "I'll finish off the leftovers and save the mushroom burgers for the grill. You want anything?"

Jeremy wasn't sure what he wanted. He was a bit curious about the black bean burgers, but he wasn't sure about his appetite at that moment. He had a lot on his mind and it was very difficult to process. He knew the same was true for Calvin, and that the same would also be true once he told George that he was his new uncle. A lot of what was on his mind was good, positive stuff, but the fear of George's illness advancing would always linger until after he saw the doctor. A feeling of dread came over Jeremy and Calvin clearly sensed it because he frowned and tilted his head slightly.

"Office? You okay?"

"I'm just worried about Beard right now," Jeremy admitted. "When does he see the Doc?"

"Not sure," Calvin said. "I know he at least called his doctor, but thing is, before we picked you up at work in the bus, we did ride around for a while. Like I told ya before, I'm an old man so I forget shit sometimes. Only thing I'll never forget no matter what though, is how much you and Beard mean to me."

"And Earl too!" Jeremy cried, suddenly remembering the poor cat. "I love that little guy!"

"And he loves you too!" Calvin cried. "So, how ya feeling?"

"I'm not really hungry just yet, but I might take a root beer," Jeremy said. "I am a little thirsty."

"Perhaps water would be better for you," Calvin suggested. "Perhaps have one root beer, but drink a couple bottles of water after. Sure, it might make you get up to piss all evening, but at the very least... At the very least your throat won't feel like the Savannah..."

Jeremy shook his head at Calvin but then he laughed. "Pissing all evening it is. So... Before we go on this road trip, we still gotta pick a place."

Calvin nodded. "You're right, we do. I'll get you the drinks, heat up my leftovers, and then we can bring up the map on the computer of the country and see where we wanna go."

Jeremy loved the idea of going on the road trip with Beard and Sandra, but he suddenly felt concerned for Earl. Who would watch him and when could they do it?

Calvin headed over to the fridge and pulled the door open, but then he glanced over at Jeremy and said, "You sure you're okay?"

Jeremy shrugged. "I'm just wondering who's gonna watch over Earl. I love that cat too ya know? Any chance he could tag along with us?"

Calvin paused to think for a moment. "Well... Earl does love riding with Beard in the tow truck, so maybe... There could be a way to bring Earl along..."

"Holy shit, that would be awesome!" Jeremy cried. "I can already picture the perfect start to the day. You, me, Beard, and Sandra all go eat at Mountainview Cloud again and show them what's on the menu. Then we all hit the road in the bus with Earl and come up with a way to feed him that minimizes harm to animals as much as we can. Ya know, I realize he's a little lion, and unfortunately that means him eating dead animal flesh. I hate the idea, but... He's a cat. Yet I love him anyway."

Calvin smiled as he pulled open the fridge and retrieved his leftovers in the box, and Jeremy's root beer. "Don't worry about Earl. We'll come up with something."

Getting a plate out of the cupboard, Calvin dumped the contents of his box onto it and then he headed over to Jeremy and handed him the root beer. "Here ya go."

Jeremy took it from him. "Thanks, Hippie."

"No problem, Office," was the reply. "Anyway, I'm hungry."

Jeremy was thirsty, so he popped open his can of root beer. "And I'm thirsty."

Then Calvin returned to heating up his leftovers in the microwave while Jeremy took a seat at the table and sipped on his pop. For the rest of the day, they mostly snacked here and there while sipping on waters as well (but decided to pick a place for the road trip later). They watched some movies and a little TV. Even the news came on showing that the animal rights activists were at it once again outside of the slaughterhouse.

The footage they showed this time were of cows being slaughtered and it was absolute nightmare fuel. Once again, the guys felt good about having gone vegan, but they weren't sure what to do about Earl. Eventually they got tired of the news and returned to watching movies.

34

When it got to be late evening, Jeremy and Calvin were in the middle of watching a movie about dinosaurs when suddenly Calvin's phone rang in his pocket. Taking out the phone, he discovered it was George.

"Hey, pause the movie, it's Beard!" Calvin said. "Hey man, how ya doing?"

"Hey, hey, hey!" George said over the phone. "How you and Office doing over there?"

"Just trying not to worry about you and Earl," Calvin told him. "Ya know, we care about you a lot, but yet I know how you are. You don't like people worrying about you."

"I'll be okay, Hippie," George said. "So, what you and Office been up to all day?"

Telling George about their interesting breakfast and shopping trip, he also told him about the t-shirts and how they made fun of Jeremy's biological father.

Laughing over the phone, George coughed a little and said, "Sounds like a good day. I've just been over here chilling with Earl. Spoiled sum'bitch doesn't want me to get up so I've just been sitting here with him on my lap."

Calvin suddenly felt bad for not having called George sooner in the day. "Say, I'm sorry I didn't call you sooner, Beard. It's just that... Office and I had a father-son bonding moment."

"What was that like?" George asked. "Bet it felt pretty awesome!"

"It did, but I wish we could be with you and Earl right now too ya know?" Calvin said, still feeling a little guilty. "You could bring him over here in the truck if you wanted, or Office and I could pick youup in the bus, your choice."

"Nah, I just kinda wanna snooze over here," George said. "Thanks for the offer though, Hippie. I'm enjoying a good buzz from the buds."

"How ya feeling, Beard, other than the buzz?" Calvin asked. "You been coughing up into the rag much today?"

"Nah, not really," was George's answer. "Only coughed up a little but it was a while ago. I'm doing alright today."

"I sure hope so," Calvin said. "Anyway, I know tomorrow's gonna be a great day for all of us. I'm a bit excited to meet Office's sister Sandra."

"I'm curious about meeting his old man," George said with a chuckle. "I wanna see what he thinks of the bus, Hippie."

Calvin chuckled. "Same. So, after you see the doc and figure out how you're doing, we want to bring you and Earl on our little road trip, as well as Office's sister."

"The bus would be awful packed," George said with a laugh." But yeah, I'll come with you guys. I'll bring Earl along too if he isn't too lazy to move haha!"

Calvin laughed too. "Yeah, Earl is pretty lazy. But I know he rides with you in the truck sometimes."

"That he does," George confirmed. "We'll figure out something, Hippie. You guys just figure out where ya wanna go and I'll come along and bring Earl."

"Sounds good," Calvin said. "So, you wanna chat with Office for a bit?"

"Hell yeah!" George said. "Put him on."

Handing the phone over, Calvin smiled at Jeremy. "Beard wants to chat with ya."

Taking the phone, Jeremy put it up to his ear. "Hey, Beard, what's up?"

"Chilling with Earl," George said again. "What about you?"

"Well, we were in the middle of watching a movie about dinosaurs," Jeremy told him. "It's one I've never seen before but I kinda like it. Perhaps you could check it out as well."

"Perhaps," George said before he let out a cough. "Anyway, I can't wait to see how tomorrow goes. Your old man's gonna flip."

Jeremy laughed. "I think so!"

"I'm curious to see what he thinks of the bus," was George's next comment. "He's gonna ask a lot of questions about it probably."

"Probably," Jeremy agreed. "When my Dad sees the rainbows he might be afraid that Hippie is gay and he's a bit of a homophobe too, ya know?"

"Ah, he's one of those kinds of people," George said with a laugh. "Whether he loves it or hates it, he's still gonna be surprised."

Calvin smiled as he listened to Jeremy's side of the conversation. "A homophobe... Too funny."

"Anyway, I'm gonna let you go, I gotta feed Earl again," George told him. "See you around Office. Tell Hippie I said see him around too."

"Will do Beard," and then Jeremy hung up the phone.

Handing the phone back to Calvin, who took it from him, Jeremy went silent for a moment. Then he chuckled a little.

Curious about why, Calvin had to ask. "What's so funny, Office?"

"It's just that I can only imagine my father's reaction when he sees all three of us get out of the bus," was Jeremy's answer. "And he's gonna wonder why we're calling each other Office, Hippie, and Beard."

Calvin was amused by this. "They're only nicknames. He doesn't need to know about the forum. Besides, the nicknames are fitting."

"You think we should give my father a nickname?" Jeremy asked.

Calvin paused to think. "Well Office, we could call him Dickhead."

"No, he wouldn't like that," Jeremy said, laughing. "Maybe just call him Ted because that's what his bowling buddies call him."

"Ah, so his name is Ted," Calvin said. "I'll call him that then."

Changing the subject back to George again, Jeremy said, "So, you think Beard's doing okay?"

Calvin shrugged because he wasn't sure. "He told me he only coughed into the rag a little. How true that is, well... I wanna trust him because it's Beard, but I also know how he is. He doesn't like people worrying about him."

Jeremy sighed sadly. "Well, we're just gonna have to worry about him anyway, aren't we? That sum'bitch doesn't realize just yet how much we truly love him. He's an uncle to me."

Calvin smiled when he heard that. "An uncle, huh? I like the sound of that. Also, I like how you're talking like him just now. Too funny."

Jeremy looked a little angry for a second, but a smile forced its way back onto his face showing that he wasn't actually all that upset. "Hey, I'm not! I'm not trying to be funny! I just... Like the way he calls everything a sum'bitch. You do it too every now and then, Hippie."

Calvin paused to think and he shook his head. "You're right, I do. Damn, when you spend so much time with him, you just pick up on his phrases. Once you start dropping em, it's hard to stop and before ya know it... You don't even realize you're saying it."

Jeremy laughed. "Kinda like most of the words we say... We sure do swear a lot."

"Right, we do," Calvin agreed. "But it's hard not to! The way things are in this world of ours... Sometimes it's hard not to say 'what the fuck?' ya know?"

Jeremynodded his head. "I know exactly what you mean. But hey, at least we're self-aware, ya know?"

"That we are!" Calvin said with a laugh. "But you're old man probably isn't quite as much, I suppose."

Jeremy shook his head and looked disappointed all of the sudden. "I'm not so sure he is. Perhaps it's not completely his fault, I mean, he could've been raised the same way I was for all I know."

Realizing he was probably right about that, Calvin put a hand on his buddy's shoulder. "You could be right, Office. So, whad'ya say we watch more of this movie, huh?"

Jeremy glanced at the TV, suddenly looking curious. "Sure!"

When at last they returned to watching their movie, they enjoyed what was left of the day until nighttime came. Then they went their separate ways, slept in each other's separate bedrooms, and rested until the sun came up. By then, Sunday had arrived.

Lost in a Dream · Jul 25, 2026

35

When Jeremy woke up on Sunday, the sun was shining in through a window above his headboard, directly down at the bed sheets that covered him and the pajama pants he had on. As he sat up, he stretched his arms and yawned, before checking his phone, which he discovered had missed calls on it from both Sandra and his father. Figuring he would call his sister first, he went to dial her number but hesitated.

As he thought about it, he actually considered calling his father back first. What would he say though? Jeremy wasn't sure. Of course he then shook his head and called Sandra. Putting the phone up to his ear, he waited for three rings before she picked up.

"Hey, little bro, finally up, huh?" Sandra said with a chuckle. "How ya feeling about today?"

"Well, I'm not entirely sure," was his answer. In that moment, it was difficult to tell how he truly felt about it, because his feelings were mixed. "I went to the store with Cal yesterday and we got these new burgers to try. We were gonna see if Dad would cook em for us."

"I'm sure he will," Sandra said. "What's so special about em?"

Jeremy paused as he prepared to explain his sudden interest in veganism, but his reply was, "They're made entirely out of mushrooms. Also, I tried tofu for the first time."

"Veganism huh?" Sandra said, figuring it all out on her own. "If being vegan helps you feel better than I'm all for it. Say, you guys got enough of those mushroom burgers that I could try one? I'm hella curious."

"They were a bit pricey, but we got four of em, so if Beard tries one too, there would be enough for all four of us to get one."

Sandra sounded genuinely excited. "Hell yeah! I'll try one, but um... Who the hell is Beard?"

Jeremy paused, suddenly feeling anxious. "My buddy George. We call him that because of his huge beard."

"Ah, I see," was Sandra's reply. "Does your buddy Cal have a nickname too?"

"Yes, actually," Jeremy told her. "He drives a Hippie Bus everywhere so we call him Hippie. And also, Beard has a cat named Earl. He's adorable as fuck."

"Someone should get a little hat for him," was Sandra's suggestion. "For Earl, I mean."

"Right," Jeremy said, chuckling. "Earl is a chill dude, so I'm sure he wouldn't care if we put a hat on him."

"I might even know where you can get him one!" Sandra told him."Just down the road from where Dad lives, there's an elderly woman selling hats for cats. Literally!"

Jeremy laughed. "Seriously? That's why you suggested someone get a hat for him?"

"I'm just giving you one more excuse to get out of bed in the morning is all," came Sandra's genuine sounding reply. "I know you're probably worried about the cookout. I am too, but more importantly, I'm excited to meet your new friend Cal. Is your buddy George coming too?"

"Yes he is!" Jeremy told her. "All three of us are coming in the Hippie Bus."

"Ha!" Sandra laughed over the phone. "Dad's not gonna know what to think!"

"But also, wait until you see the new t-shirts I bought," Jeremy said with a grin, just as he heard knuckles tapping on the door from out in the hall.

"Office, you up?" Calvin said from outside.

Holding the phone away from his mouth for a moment, Jeremy said, "Yeah, I'm up! On the phone with Sandra, sorry!"

"Okay, see you in a bit then," Calvin said before wandering off down to his kitchen.

"Sorry about that," Jeremy said as he put the phone back up to his ear. "I stayed over at Hippie's place for the night. He's got this really nice guest room here."

"That's cool," Sandra said. "So, does he normally live alone?"

"Yeah, we both do," was Jeremy's answer. "Would be interesting if I simply moved out of the apartment and just stayed here in the guestroom. I could help Hippie with the bills and we'd both be okay."

"I like the way you're thinking, little bro," Sandra said. "Anyway, I know Dad tried to get ahold of you too. Maybe just give him a shot this morning, ya know?"

"I'll do that, I promise," and Jeremy meant it.

"I'll let you go so you can get ready," she said. "See ya around, bye."

"Bye," Jeremy said before she hung up.

Holding the phone up, he clicked on his father's number and dialed it. It didn't take long for him to get an answer, only two rings, but anxiety immediately filled Jeremy's chest when he heard his father answer the phone.

"Hello, Son?" his father asked. "It's been a while."

Jeremy had no idea what to say at first, so it was up to his father to ask a few questions to carry the conversation along.

36

After checking on Jeremy and discovering that he was awake in there, Calvin sat down at his table and opened up his laptop. Truth be told, he had only just woken up before he went and tapped on the door to the guest room, and he was wearing an old shirt and pair of jeans that he threw on last minute. He had forgotten to set an alarm, but he also somehow managed to wake up without a nightmare. That had shocked him, to go so long without a nightmare felt like a blessing.

Opening up his browser, he returned to Ready2CheckOut? once again. He was curious to see if he got another reply from Flowers@MeGrave. After logging in he discovered that he received one more message from her.

Opening the message, all he saw was this, "You don't expect me to show you all my cards do ya?"

Calvin had to pause as he tried to think of where he heard that phrase. So much had gone on since he first met the old lady at the cemetery that he had to think for a moment, but when at last it dawned on him, he knew exactly who he was talking to.

Typing in an answer, he told her, "No, I suppose not. Have a good one, I'll catch you later."

Logging out, he closed his laptop, set aside his reading glasses, and got back up from his chair. He was also surprised that his hip hadn't been hurting him much lately either.

Worried about Jeremy suddenly, he went back up the stairs to check on his buddy. As he was about to knock on the guest room door, the door came open and Jeremy stepped out wearing a pair of jeans, his new shoes ,and his two t-shirts with the one that said "PEEP THE MYTHOS" on over top.

"Hey, you feeling okay?" Calvin asked when he realized Jeremy seemed anxious.

"Maybe," was Jeremy's answer. "I just talked to my father. We didn't fight or argue or anything, he's just curious about the mushroom burgers and the bus."

Calvin felt a little anxious himself, but also a bit excited. "Is he now? Enough to try a mushroom burger?"

"No, but I already told him Sandra wanted to try one," Jeremy said. "I said that you, her, Beard, and I would all try one and we only had four."

"I see," Calvin said as he inspected the t-shirt Jeremy had chosen to show his father first, the one with the temple and the gaping jaws, and then he chuckled. "I can't wait to see what he thinks of your shirts."

Jeremy looked down at the shirt himself. "He's gonna drop that Fuck Bomb just like you said. It's not a matter of if, only of when."

Calvin found this hilarious and he burst out laughing suddenly. "Guess we'll see how long it takes him. So, what's he and your sister up to?"

"My father's still at church sipping coffee with his church buddies," Jeremy told him. "He was just waiting to hear back from me, but he seemed very patient today, but also kinda... Distant ya know?"

Calvin's amused smile faded and he patted Jeremy on the shoulder. "I get what you mean. Anyway, I just kinda woke up too myself. Just threw on a random shirt and a pair of jeans when I got up."

Jeremy looked up and down at Calvin's outfit, the shirt had a classic rock musician with a guitar on it and his jeans had patched up holes over the knees.

"I do like your shirt though," Jeremy told him, looking quite genuine. "I think my father will be asking questions about both of our shirts. He isn't much of a rock fan."

"What kind of music does he listen to?" Calvin asked curiously.

"Classical music," was Jeremy's answer. "Especially when it comes to his favorite religious songs, but he loves to hear them sing the lyrics on occasion too."

This made Calvin genuinely curious. "Interesting. Perhaps if I show interest in his favorite music, after selling him on the idea of spending his time on the zero turn instead of riding with us, he'll fall in love with me."

"I'm sure he would," Jeremy agreed. "So, since it is kinda late in the morning, perhaps we should comb our hair really quick, maybe give ourselves a quick shave, and be on our way."

"How long of a drive we got, Office?" Calvin asked.

"Depending on if we run into city traffic, could be an hour, maybe just a little more," Jeremy told him. "He lives west of here in a small town that I used to call home."

As the two of them returned to the kitchen, Calvin glanced over his shoulder and smiled as he approached his table and put his hand on his chair. "Just give me the directions on your GPS and I'll get us there. Anyway, I was on the site again."

Jeremy seemed surprised. "Did Flowers message you back?"

"Mm-hmm," was Calvin's reply. "While I can't ever be one hundred percent sure she's the old lady I met at the cemetery, I think she probably is."

Walking over to the table, Jeremy pulled out a chair for himself and sat down in it. "So, when do we pick up Beard?"

"Shit, I still have to call him," Calvin admitted as he grabbed his phone up off the table from where it lay beside the laptop. "I'm gonna call him now I think."

It didn't take long for George to answer, three rings, and then a, "I'm up, hahaha! Good to hear from ya, Hippie. How's the kid doing?"

"He's a little anxious about today," Calvin told him. "But I got things under control over here."

"That's good," George said. "So, when you guys gonna pick me up?"

"In a bit here," was the answer. "We're just gonna do some basic hygiene stuff before we head out. We both just kinda woke up."

George laughed, just as an audible "Mraow!" came in over the phone.

"Good morning to you too, Earl!" Calvin said into the phone. "I'll call ya when we're on our way."

"Sounds good, see ya in a bit," and then George hung up the phone.

Setting his phone aside, Calvin smiled at Jeremy. "Well, we better get ready and get those mushroom burgers out. I want to see what everybody thinks of em."

Then the two of them got themselves looking presentable for Jeremy's father, while also wearing shirts that he would deem questionable, before packing up their mushroom burgers, the onion, the cabbage, the vegan cheeses, and the vegan bacon they got into a grocery bag to take with them.

Lost in a Dream · Jul 26, 2026

37

When Calvin at last pulled the bus into George's driveway, Jeremy spotted George sitting on the steps of his front porch, eagerly waiting for them to arrive, and he was wearing a pair of jeans shorts and a t-shirt with a couple mugs of beer clinking together displayed on the front. He got up from where he was sitting and strolled over as soon as the bus came to a stop.

Jeremy smiled and waved to George just as Calvin parked the bus, and George waved back. "Today is gonna be interesting..."

Calvin chuckled but said nothing, just as George climbed into the back and made himself comfortable on the foldable couch before he said, "Ah, can't wait to see how today goes. So, about those mushroom burgers, you mind if I take a look at em?"

Calvin reached down for their bags underneath the wireframe basket that was clipped to the dash and retrieved one of the boxes of mushroom burgers. "They come with two in a package."

Handing the box to George, who took it from him and laughed, he and Jeremy watched as he inspected the box in his hands. "Looks good to me, holy shit! Can hardly tell it's made out of mushrooms and not actual burger..."

"I know, right?" Jeremy agreed. "I can't wait to try em cooked on the grill later."

George handed the box of mushroom burgers back and Jeremy took it from him so he could shove it back in the bag. Then Calvin shifted his bus into reverse and hit the road, while Jeremy used his phone to give them the directions to his father's house.

"I can't believe we're doing this," Jeremy said to the guys. "Can't believe I'm giving my old man another chance."

George laughed as he buckled himself in on the foldable couch. "I'll make sure he never forgets that this is his last chance to change his ways with you. If he pisses me off, we're leaving."

Jeremy liked that suggestion. "Thanks, Beard. Hippie tells me you're an excellent judge of character."

"That I am!" George said. "I'll figure out what kinda man your father is right away."

While the GPS was guiding them along, Jeremy thought about calling his sister really quick to let her know they were on their way. Once they hit the highway and started heading west out of the city limits, it was then that he finally called Sandra.

When she answered, he could hear the sound of her car running in the background. "Hey, little bro! You on your way?"

"Yep!" Jeremy told her. "I got Hippie and Beard with me and we're bringing some stuff with us in the bus."

"I can't wait to see the hippie bus you guys are in!" Sandra said excitedly.

Jeremy chuckled. "I can't wait to try out the mushroom burgers. We've been trying really hard to stay out of em so we can have em cooked on the grill."

"Same here," Sandra agreed. "Anyway, I'm picking some stuff up at the store for Dad, so I'll see you when you get here."

"Sounds good, bye," Jeremy said as they hung up their phones.

Bringing the GPS back up so he could keep track of where they were going, Jeremy glanced at Calvin. "I figured I better call Sandra so she knows we're on our way."

"Good idea, Office," Calvin said as his hippie bus flew down the highway. "How's your sister doing anyway?"

"She's doing good as far as I can tell," Jeremy told him. "She's been out at my Dad's already. Said she's picking some stuff up at the store for him."

Calvin whistled. "She must've got an earlier start than we did."

Jeremy chuckled. "That's Sandra for ya. Always up early."

George laughed. "And by the time we get there, your frozen burgers should be thawed out enough to cook!"

Jeremy glanced back at him and laughed. "Fuck yeah they will be! So excited to try em."

George rubbed his hands together excitedly. "Me too! Say, you guys want em in the mini-fridge?"

Jeremy glanced back at George as he thought about it. "Maybe just in case. That way they stay cold, but can still be thawed enough to cook."

Handing the bags back to George, who unbuckled himself so he could grab them and shove them in the mini-fridge, Jeremy let him take their stuff and shove it inside to keep cool while the mushroom burgers inside were thawing.

After shutting the door to the fridge and buckling himself back in on the couch, George laughed. "There we go! I heard it might get hot out today and wasn't sure if turning on the AC would be enough to keep the burgers cool."

Jeremy glanced at Calvin, who gave him a shrug and turned on the AC. "Well, since it wasn't even on before, guess I'll turn it on now."

As soon as the AC came on, Jeremy felt the cool air blowing out of the vents in the dash onto his face. Then he smiled at Calvin. "Feels good! Holy shit!"

Calvin chuckled. "It's getting to be that time of year, Office. Summer heat will be here before ya know it."

Jeremy rolled his eyes. "Don't remind me... I hate Summer! Almost as much as winter, but for different reasons! In Summer, I hate the heat and the yellow jackets that put nests under the ground."

Calvin chuckled. "When was the last time you had to worry about those?"

Jeremy grinned at Calvin. "Before I moved into my apartment, I used to help my Dad mow his huge ass lawn. Yellow jackets were always building nests under the ground so whenever we mowed, we had to make sure none of em were coming out."

"I see," was Calvin's reply, which caused George to laugh.

Jeremy glanced over his shoulder at George, who shared a story of his own. "Every time I get yellow jackets with nests under the ground, I pour a little gas on em. Those underground nests are a bitch to deal with... You can spray and spray and spray with the wasp killer until you're blue in the face, and they'll still come out! But if ya pour a little gas on em, it kills em instantly."

Jeremy liked the suggestion, and he considered sharing the idea with his father. "Maybe you could suggest that to my Dad. Back when I lived with him still, we just waited till nightfall and sprayed the shit out of em with wasp killer. Pouring gas on em sounds like a great idea..."

George laughed. "Sometimes I burn em too when they're far away from the house and garage. Don't wanna set those on fire, ya know?"

Jeremy completely understood. "Yeah, makes sense! Yellow jackets are a bitch no matter where they put their nests!"

George laughed again. "Sometimes they put nests in my gas pig out back. I always check it for wasps and spray it when I see any. Gotta make sure the gas man can refill it when the time is due!"

Jeremy rolled his eyes. "They did the same thing to us at my Dad's!"'

Both Calvin and George laughed at this, but when Jeremy looked down at the GPS and saw that they were getting even closer, he began to feel a little anxiety. As glad as he was to have his two best friends with him, he still had this fear that his father would find a way to ruin the day anyway.

38

Calvin was a little nervous when they finally arrived at Jeremy's father's house. The house itself really was quite beautiful; it was a large structure with sloping, grey roofs on it, and it was three stories tall with a couple wings on the sides and was surrounded by a massive, green lawn that had two large trees growing on either side of the house, an elm and an oak. The siding on the house was all light-gray vinyl and the shingles on the roof were dark gray but all in good shape.

Out in front of the house, Calvin saw the picnic table which was covered with plates and empty cups while Jeremy's father stood behind a small BBQ grill that sat on a second, smaller table with plates and condiments sitting on that as well. The one who he guessed was Jeremy's sister Sandra was in the middle of setting the picnic table and he smiled when he saw her.

"Looks like we made it here!" Calvin said excitedly.

Jeremy sighed when his father and sister looked over at the bus pulling into the driveway. "Well, here goes nothing!"

When Calvin parked the bus behind Sandra's car, which he saw on the paved driveway, he shut off the engine and then he and his two friends got out after retrieving their stuff from the mini-fridge in the back.

The moment Calvin stepped out of the bus, George jumped out from the back carrying a couple grocery bags, and Jeremy got out from the front on his side and joined his friends as they shut their doors and started walking over to the picnic table.

The young woman Calvin saw with the shoulder-length brown hair and the glasses came over wearing jeans and a t-shirt with a golden retriever on the front wearing a top hat, and offered him a handshake. "So, you are Cal, I take it?"

Calvin shook her hand. "That I am. You must be Sandra!"

She laughed. "Yes! I take it Jer has talked about me..."

Calvin smiled at her as he shook her hand and let go. "I've only heard good things, I swear."

Then Jeremy's father headed over in a yellow t-shirt with white lines going across it, wearing his gray outdoor pants and his lawn mowing shoes. Despite Calvin's expectations that he be cold and uncaring, the man seemed genuinely surprised when he saw the bus. "Interesting choice of transportation."

Calvin shook his hand as well. "It was my Dad's, but I had to finish restoring it after he passed. Back when my wife was still alive, we painted the seashells on there, so when I finished restoring it after that, I made sure the shells were illuminated by the coat of paint around them."

"You did a fantastic job," Jeremy's father said without sounding very enthusiastic. "My name's Ted. You must be Cal."

Just like he said to Sandra earlier, Calvin chuckled. "That I am, that I am."

When Ted looked over at his son, Jeremy suddenly looked anxious, but then George held up the grocery bags that were in his hand. "We brought the mushroom burgers and stuff to put on it, if ya wanna try cooking em!"

Glancing at George, Ted held out his hand. "Lemme see what you've got."

Handing the grocery bags over, George, Jeremy, and Calvin all watched as Ted rummaged around inside before retrieving a box of the mushroom burgers. "What's this? Mushroom burgers? Interesting..."

"Any chance you could cook em for us?" Calvin asked. "Your son was hoping we could try em on the grill."

Turning the box over in his hand, Ted inspected the mushroom burgers and discovered that there were two in a box. "I'll definitely cook em for you... It's just that, I've never heard of these before."

Calvin laughed. "We also brought a few extra things to put on our burgers, just to make em interesting."

"I see that," was all Ted said as he looked through the bags again, discovering the cabbage, onion, cheese, and the plant-based bacon strips.

Putting a hand on Jeremy's shoulder, Calvin pointed at the picnic table. "Office, why don't you have a seat at the table with Sandra and Beard. I'll cut up the onion for your old man."

Jeremy didn't argue, he just smiled. "Sure thing!"

While George, Sandra, and Jeremy were heading over to the picnic table, Calvin walked to the BBQ grill with Ted, who was still looking through the bags. "So, what do ya think of these mushroom burgers?"

Ted raised his eyebrows in surprise as he carried the box in his hand over to the grill and started to open it. "They sure are interesting..."

Taking the burgers out of the box, he raised his eyebrows in surprise. "They look interesting too. Surprisingly thick."

Calvin chuckled while Ted set the plastic-covered mushroom burgers on a plate next to his grill, which was already smoking as the charcoal had already been lit. "You got a knife?"

Reaching underneath a plate that was covered with pickles, Ted handed Calvin a sharp knife with a serrated edge. "This should get the packaging open."

Taking the knife from him, Calvin used it to open the package and take out the burgers, which were held apart from one another by a single sheet of tissue paper. The patties were difficult to separate, since they were still partially frozen, but after setting them down on a clean plate, Calvin was able to separate them with the knife in his hand.

"There!" Calvin said as the patties split apart. "I got em!"

Reaching for his metal spatula, Ted smirked. "Excellent. I hope you and my son enjoy them. How's he been doing anyway?"

Calvin reached into one of the bags and retrieved the second box of mushroom burgers so he could open them up as well. "He was having a rough go of it when I first met him, but now he seems to be doing much better."

Ted didn't sound very happy when he said, "That's good to hear. How did you two meet?"

Calvin took out the onion and began to peel it while he explained everything that happened with the pothole and George towing Jeremy out of the road. "He called in from work the very next day, but since then I've been taking him to work in the bus."

Ted glanced at the bus while he was putting the mushroom burgers on his grill over top of the burning coals. "Interesting ride, Cal. What can you tell me about it?"

Hurrying over to them suddenly, Sandra interrupted their conversation. "I almost forgot about the corn and beans! I'll be right back out!"

Ted glanced at his daughter and smiled a little. "Sounds good, thank you."

Sandra headed up to the house, leaving Calvin alone with Ted once again, causing him to ask, "So, Ted, Jeremy tells me you sometimes like to cook corn on the cob with your food."

Ted frowned as he flipped all four of the mushroom burgers over on the grill. "I prefer corn on the cob yes, but it's a little out of season at the moment, so heating up frozen corn in a bowl is all I got for now. So, about the bus."

"Oh, right, sorry," Calvin said before telling him the full story of how he, his father, and his wife both helped in the process of painting and restoring it to its current condition. "Unfortunately,I lost both my father and my wife, so I had to finish restoring the bus on my own."

Changing the conversation back to deceased wives, Ted said, "I'm sorry to hear that. I lost my wife too, just after Jeremy was born."

"I heard," was all Calvin said before he started to cut his onion into small pieces.

Nothing more was said between them while they cooked the mushroom burgers and cut up the onion, at least until Sandra returned with a large bowl of steaming corn in her hands, which she was carrying around with oven mits.

"Okay!" Sandra said as she set the corn down beside the grill. "Now I just gotta heat up the beans! Be right back!"

Calvin chuckled as she hurried back up to the house, and then he said, "So, Ted, Jeremy tells me you gotta zero turn in the garage."

Looking excited all of the sudden, Ted flipped the mushroom burgers again and glanced back at Calvin. "It was a bit pricey, but still worth the investment. I love mowing with it."

"Maybe when we get done eating, we can go take a look at it," Calvin said to him with a smile. "Jeremy said you have good taste in lawn mowing equipment."

Ted scoffed suddenly. "He did, huh? That's a first..."

Sensing the difference in Ted's mood, Calvin paused with cutting his onion and wiped his eyes off on the sleeve of his shirt with the guitarist on it. "What do ya mean?"

Ted glanced back at his son, who was sitting at the table chatting with George, and scowled. "He never liked my zero turn before..."

Calvin glanced at Jeremy as well, and then he chuckled. "Could be he just didn't realize how cool the zero turn was until we talked about it the other day."

Returning to his cooking, Ted said nothing else, so Calvin shrugged and went back to cutting up his onion until Sandra returned with a large bowl full of beans. "I'm back, guys!"

Calvin smiled at Sandra as she set it down on the table. "Ooh, the beans look good!"

Sandra put her hands on her hips and grinned, just as Ted flipped the burgers again and glanced at her, and then she said, "They sure do! I love me some baked beans!"

Ted smiled at her, but then turned his attention to the mushroom burgers. "I think these might be done... Maybe you guys ought'a get your buns ready, hmm?"

Calvin was almost done cutting up the onion, and when he finished it he set the knife aside and wiped his eyes on the sleeves of his t-shirt again. "Sandra, you think we can get a bowl and a spoon for the onions too?"

"Absolutely!" was her answer. "I'll be right back!"

Hurrying back to the house, she left the guys alone again, so then Calvin turned towards the picnic table where Jeremy and George were sitting and waved to them. They both looked up, and then he motioned for them to approach the grill with his hand.

Getting up from the table with their plates in hand, George and Jeremy started walking over, so Calvin looked down at the mushroom burgers on the grill. "They sure do look good."

"Yes, they do," Ted agreed. "Hard to believe they aren't real burgers."

While George and Jeremy were getting their buns ready, Sandra returned with a bowl and spoon for the onions so the guys could scoop those onto their mushroom burgers. Calvin took out the cabbage and started tearing leaves off the head so they could put some on their burgers as well.

"You wanna go get your plates?" Ted asked Sandra and Calvin.

Calvin gave him a thumbs up. "Sure thing, Ted. Be right back."

While he was walking over to the table to grab his plate, Sandra went with him to get hers and she said, "So, what made you and Jer decide to become vegans, Cal?"

Calvin glanced at her. "Office was watching a newscast about animal rights protesters by a slaughterhouse. He saw the footage of the animals being killed and it really shook him."

"I see," was all Sandra said as she picked her plate up from the picnic table.

Grabbing his plate as well, Calvin chuckled. "When he said he wanted to give up eating meat, I figured I'd try it too. Why the hell not, right? If it makes him happy, I'm gonna do it."

Sandra laughed as she and Calvin returned to the grill for their mushroom burgers. "I like you, Cal! I'm really glad you and Jer met."

"Me too," Calvin agreed, just as Ted put his son's and George's burgers on their buns. "Anyway, those burgers sure look good."

Suddenly remembering the bacon strips, Calvin showed those to Sandra once they got back to the grill, and chuckled. "Almost forgot I was gonna put these on the burgers too."

Jeremy and George smiled when Sandra took the bacon from him and looked at it. "One hundred percent plant protein it says. Very cool."

Ted glanced at her. "I'll cook em on the grill for you guys if ya like. Then you can put em on your burgers."

Tearing open the box, Sandra retrieved the vegan bacon from inside and discovered about a dozen strips of it that were contained inside of a sealed plastic bag. Tearing that open, she then handed them to her father, so he could take out all the bacon strips and start cooking them on his grill.

"Wow, I'm getting hungry, you guys!" Sandra said, before lightly patting her brother on the shoulder. "What about you?"

"Same!" Jeremy agreed, grinning suddenly, which caused his father to glance at him curiously before returning to his task of cooking the vegan bacon. Instead of using his spatula like he'd done for the burgers, he used a pair of tongs to flip them over.

As they were cooking, Ted made a comment while Calvin and his friends all huddled around him. "It smells just like real bacon... Very interesting."

"That it does!" Calvin agreed as he put everything else on his burger and left the top bun off. "Can't wait to try it on the burger."

Suddenly curious about their vegan cheese, Sandra picked up one of the resealable bags and looked at it. "Mozzarella vegan cheese huh? Lemme guess, Jer picked this out cause he loves mozzarella."

Jeremy laughed. "Cal picked out a couple different kinds to choose from. They look pretty good too!"

Calvin handed a bag of his cheese over so Sandra could look at it; it was cheese made from oats and it was a Mexican style blend. Wanting to try some of that cheese as well, Sandra put some on her mushroom burger instead of the regular cheese her father had, and then the four of them all held out their plates when the bacon was ready, so Ted could lay the strips on top of their burgers, before heading over to the picnic table to dig in.

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