An ancient Chevy Vega with Texas license plates crossed the stone bridge in the opposite direction and honked at Edward. Edward turned and saw a collage of bumper stickers covering the back of the car, including the trunk and lower corners of the rear window. One glaring Day-Glo pink sticker immediately caught his eye: REGISTER PUSSY NOT FIREARMS. A faded yellow plastic square hung in the window's upper corner: CAUTION! CHILD DRIVING.

"Hey, Edward!"

"Minelli!" He walked to the window and leaned down to wrap his hand around the back of Minelli's neck. "You madman. You own this?" He spread his palm at the Vega.

"Bought it three weeks ago, complete with decoration. A beauty, isn't it?"

"I am genuinely glad to see you."

"I am glad to be seen. It was rough for a while after we parted. You went back to Texas?"

"That's right," Edward said. "How about you?"

"I made a scene in the institute office. They pulled my papers and kicked me out and said go ahead, sue us. I was going nuts. I bought this and I've been driving around ever since. I went to Shoshone again and dropped by the grocery store. Said hi to everybody. Stella wasn't there. She was off in Las Vegas talking to lawyers about mineral deals. Bernice was there. She asked about you. I said you were fine. Are you?"

"I'm great," Edward said. "Park and take a walk with me."

"Where to?"

"I hear there are rock climbers on El Capitan."

"Hot damn. Just like Disneyland."

Minelli parked the car under a cloud of blue exhaust. He patted the trunk before opening it. "Why spend lots of money on something that doesn't have to last more than a month or two?"

"Looks like it could break down in the middle of nowhere," Edward commented.

"Hey, I've always relied on the kindness of strangers."

"With your sense of humor, that could be dangerous."

Minelli shrugged and spread his arms out to the sun. "Ultraviolet rays, do your worst. I don't give a fuck anymore."

They followed the asphalt road for two miles, past the Three Brothers, then took a trail for another mile and stood in the El Capitan meadow, looking up at the massive ancient wall of gray granite. A pale streak showed where a sheet of rock had broken off in 1990, revealing unweathered surface.

"It is magnificent. I haven't been here in ten, twelve years," Minelli said. "Why'd you come?"

"Childhood memories. Best place on Earth."

Minelli nodded emphatically. "Wherever I am right now is the best place on Earth, but this is better than most. I don't see anybody up there. Where are they?"

Edward held up a small pair of field binoculars. "Look for ants trailing ropes and bags," he said. "There's five or six up there today, I hear."

"Christ," Minelli said, shading his eyes. "I see a black spot. No. It's a blue spot. Color of my sleeping bag. Is that one?"