From behind the counter of Tim's Diner, Amber Donaldson stared out at the shimmering desert across the highway. The wasteland was as dry and dead as the dreams she had in high school.
Amber could still recall the excitement of graduation night ten years before and the plans she and her girlfriends had made, but somewhere things had gone wrong and she had never left the small town where she grew up.
Tim, the owner of the diner tapped on the counter and awakened Amber from her reverie. "We have a customer waiting" he reminded her. Amber wearily retrieved a menu and walked over to the new arrival. "Would you like a menu sir?" she asked a dark-haired man who was studying the horizon. The man smiled at Amber and ordered a cheeseburger.
When Amber brought the burger, the man looked up from a map that he was studying. "Do you know any good trails through the desert?" I am writing a book about American wastelands, and I could use someone to show me around." Amber shook her head. "I never had a reason to go out there. It's just rocks and sand." The man seemed disappointed and went back to his map.
Eventually, the man finished his meal and drove away, and Amber spent the rest of the afternoon remembering hopeless dreams.
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