Wanderer Nick

"Why do cars need gas?"
"Right, bro, that's what I'm saying, why they need gas, and why gas cost money."
"Which is in a very limited supply."
"And will always be."
"Which one?"
Ethan stares blankly, confused by his friend’s question. Andrew clarifies.

"Which is always going to be in limited supply? Money or gas?”
"OH, gotcha. Well, both I guess. But in this case, I meant money."
"Of course you did. Well, hopefully not always."
"Bruh money is always going to be a thing. If enough was ever enough, don't you think there would be enough by now?"
"It's like I always say, you don't have to study phil—”
"—osophy to be a philosopher. Yes. You really do always say that."

Andrew gets out of the car.

"You got a five?"
"Yeah." Ethan hands him 10. "Keep the change, hun."
"Wow, we're really going to get there now. "

Ethan steps out of the car as Andrew heads in to buy the gas. He takes the remnants of a joint out of his pocket and proceeds to light it.

"Can I get a hit?" says a man behind him.
Ethan turns around a little astonished. "Woah buddy didn't see ya there. Yeah, sure." The man looks harmless enough. Well dressed, a little out of sorts, but definitely someone with a home.

"This is good shit."
"Right?! The best on campus."
"You go to school here?"
"Yeah, you?"
"I'm a little old for school."
"You don't look a day over 18."
"Maybe, but I don't feel a day younger than 35."
Funny, if Ethan had been asked at gunpoint to guess this guy’s age, 35 is exactly what he would have said.
"So, what do you do?"
"Lately? I've just been wandering."
"Wandering?"

Andrew pops out of the Chevron and walks over to their 1997 Honda Civic.

"Hey, I'm Andrew"
"Nick," replies the new guy.
"Wanderer Nick!" Adds Ethan.
"That's me."

Andrew proceeds to fill up the tank, and the other two continue their conversation.

"When did you start wandering, Wanderer Nick?"
"Eh, I can't remember, it's too hard to remember."
"It's been that long?"
"No, not that long."
"But long enough that you can't remember?"
"Yeah, that's about right."
"Where are you wandering to?"
"That's not how wandering works."
"But where do you live?"
"I've been staying at motels mostly. Who knows, it's cold now, so I'll probably need to find somewhere warm to sleep in a bit."
"But you don't know where?"
"There's a lot around here."
"So...where's home?"
"Eh, I would reckon some 30 miles away."
"Why don't you go there?"
"Nah."
"Nah?"
"Nah."

Andrew comes back around the car.

"Good to go, bro."
"Give me a little bit, I'm chilling with my pal Wanderer Nick."
"What."
"Five minutes bro."
"Ugh fine, I'll be in the car."

Andrew sits in the car and starts blasting music. Passive aggressively starting with “Waiting” by Green Day.

"You'll have to excuse my compadre. He's a little rude sometimes."
"Nah seems like a good dude to me."
"Yeah, he really isn't...so what happened?"
"Why do you ask that?"
"Something must've happened."
"You ever get so mad that you just.....get up and leave?"
"Damn, what did she do?"
"She?"
"It must be a she."
Nick laughs. "It doesn't matter. My life was getting a bit too complex, so I got up and left. Now I just wander, it makes everything a lot more... simple."
"Simple, huh?'
"Simple. I wander. I see something that I need, I get it. I eat, I walk, I sleep, I walk. I keep going. Keep wandering."
"But to where?"
"I guess at some point I'll hit an ocean and have to turn around."
"So is that what you're doing, going to the ocean?'
"I don't really know, I'm just wandering right now. "
"Yes but until when?"
"You don't get it, kid, I'm just wandering."
"Just wandering?"
"Just wandering."
"Damn, she must've done something really fucked up!"
They laugh.

Andrew pops out of the car.

"Dude I really want some fucking Taco Bell."
"Two minutes bro."
"Dude!"
"Give me two minutes, bruh, I'll pay."
"Fuck you. Fine!"

He turns back around and pops into the car, pouting. Bob Marley’s “Waiting in Vain” starts blaring through the speakers.

"So are you like, rich?"
"What?'
"You sleep at motels, you eat, but all you do is wander, and last I checked, wandering doesn't make any money."
"I have a job, kid."
"Yeah but how do you work when you're wandering?"
"I suppose I will have to get back to it at some point."
"At some point?"
"At some point."
"So what are you going to do now?'
"I suppose wander to a motel, I'm getting tired."

Andrew’s halfway through “Too Long” by Daft Punk. Ethan wonders for a moment whether Andrew’s relying on Google or knows these songs on his own.

"When do you think you'll stop wandering?"
"Whenever I calm down."
"You seem pretty calm to me."
"Looks can be deceiving kid."
"But when?'
"I'll hit an ocean at some point."
"But when!"
"Don't worry about me kid, I'll be okay. I'll return home someday, but that day is not today. Thanks for the joint."

Nick proceeds to walk away from the Civic. Ethan is stunned, sitting on the front of the car.

"Can we fucking go?" Andrew rolls down the window and yells.

"Dude, what's the fucking point?"
"What?"
"What the fuck is the point?"
"Taco Bell motherfucker! Taco Bell! Now get in the fucking car!"

Ethan chuckles and gets into the car's passenger seat.

"It's like you always say, you don't have to study phil—."
"—os0phy to be a philosopher. Right. Got it. Glad that little chat was so enlightening for you. Let’s go fucking eat.”
Andrew burns rubber as he speeds out of the gas station.