Gah did coming up with something for this WFC drive me crazy. I have four other beginnings prior to the one that I finally went with. As for the one I went with, I think in my random thoughts and searchings I came upon this entry in Wikipedia and couldn't quite believe that they'd skipped over what I doubt is the first road movie, but probably the major landmark of the breed, "It Happened One Night." So realizing that I probably wasn't going to make it onto the road at all, I thought an homage would be in order. Not a particularly deep piece, but I enjoyed writing it, which was not the case for any of my prior attempts. 

As for the critics.

Kellnerin: Her reading habits tend towards old translations of German philosophers. She spends no more than $1/book and thus has no copy more recent than 1971.

blixco: Yeah, the dialog isn't supposed to be natural but to emulate the patterns of the movie. However, I have known people with whom I talked to in almost exclusively in that manner. I suspect that like me, they were exposed to too many Katherine Hepburn movies as children.

ana: your encouragement of my cheating in no way robs me of the joy inherent in cheating.

Phage: Thanks

fleece: Thanks to you too.

bo: technicolor is probably the best compliment this could have received such that I'll look past the use of precious.

tf: agreed that the end was forced. As for the connection, yeah, it's all banter and no substance, but in my recent experiences, I'd say that the lack of banter is a more telling aspect to my dates and relationships, than substance details that would indicate a good match.

Scrymarch: Never heard of Goodbye Red Dragon Inn, so any lifting from the source is accidental. As for doughnuts, a friend of mine hearing what I was up to insisted I include a doughnut dunking scene, though as it was, I was almost done with it before she said so.