The yellow dirt mountains lined the distance of the flat barren ground. The sleeve of Sadie's dress fluttered in the air. Her cowboy hat and reflective sun glasses stood fixed in place. Her arms held onto the rollover bar of the Jeep that she was standing in. Her body bounced with the rhythm of bumps and the soft suspension. She was half Japanese and Caucasian. One could not tell the Japanese aspect, except for her special beauty that most interracial offspring has.
Tyra was the one gunning the Jeep down Black Butte Basin Road. The map was pinned under her thigh to keep it from flying around. Her thighs were thick from the recent military training. Her black arms held firmly onto the steering wheel. She looked a bit weird for a black person. Her mother was Japanese. They were the odd friendship of two different Japanese half-and-halves.
The maze of tire tracks and dirt roads in the desert lead them towards a lone tall man in the flat land with many ball sized dried out plants. He wore a large felt hat and trench coat. His long barreled shotgun with the orange tip was pointed straight at their Jeep. Tyra drove straight for him. The features of his face became clearer. He had a thin beard over his lip. There were plenty of furrows in his skin and Native American features on the edges. He waved a hand up into the air to signal them to stop.
"Valet -- You cannot drive any further."
Tyra got out of the car and left the keys in the ignition. Sadie climbed on her seat and on top of the roll bars. She had one foot on the roll bar over the windshield. The other foot was on the roll bar over passenger's door. Her dress was of a light fabric. The desert wind played with it and jostled it. The wind refreshed her sweat moistened skin.
"It's a sin to use door with this car."
With a cowgirl scream, she jumped off the car. The hemline of her dress lifted from mid thigh to her belly button. Her turquoise panties flashed the desert. She was amused by it and laughed. "You wild hippie," hollered Tyra. The valet was unmoved, placed their little luggage on the ground, and got into the car.
They were on their way to checkout the latest craze of the South Land: Day clubbing. Partying solely at night was no longer enough for the youngster. New venues had arrived that offered social life and fun during the day. The new day clubs had more relaxing rooms in addition to the blaring loud dance floors. The food selection was serious and varied enough to let party animals party the entire weekend in the venue. The Underground was the most famous of all. And, it was literally underground.
They had driven North of Los Angeles for 45 minutes. Somewhere off the Pearblossom Highway was a path through the desert to their current point. Ten minutes ahead was a Joshua Tree. A Joshua Tree is a yucca that looks like a tree. The tips of the branches have dozens of thick, long, triangle-shaped leaves. The leaves are lined with spikes. The hard baked dirt with a thin layer of dust had been trampled by many footsteps. The flat footsteps blended with each other, except for the deep holes that stiletto high heels had left.
When they reached the tree, the shade that it offered did not feel any cooler than the rest of the hot and bright desert. The directions to the club ended here. The entrance had to be somewhere around. Sadie put her knees together, jumped with both feet, and punched her arms into the air: "I wanna party!" Tyra carefully scanned the horizon for mounds that could hide an entrance. Then, she walked around the front area of the Joshua Tree. The area was especially flat, even for the desert.
"Ha," she screamed out. Sadie came running with excitement. There was a wooden trapdoor. The wood was old, worn, and bleached. Desert dirt covered it to make it the exact same color as the landscape. Tyra pulled the trapdoor open. A creaky old miner stairway let underground.
Down there, a few historic metal and glass lanterns lighted up the dark room. Little gas lights flickered inside of the lantern. The light reflected on the dust floating in the air. The whole room was covered with old, bleached, and battered wood: floor, walls, and ceiling. A friendly smiling woman with perfect makeup waited for them behind a counter. The counter might have served as the counter of an old grocery store, when you would still ask the grocer for your goods and he would get it for you. That was before the time of modern self service stores.
"Welcome to the Underground. May, I have your names for the reservation."
The receptionists lip moved. The lips were the color of a dark, purple, and ripe cherry. The glistened and reflected like the light reflects on a shiny new car. The white teeth and bright red tongue occasionally shimmered behind the lips as she talked. Her hands were neatly folded together until she heard the names and began typing. The computer was hidden deeply in the century old counter.
"Of course, Tyra and Sadie, this is your first time staying with us. Can I have your luggage? It will be brought to your accommodation. If you have any bathing attire, I'd be happy to place it inside of the spa locker. Anything that you put inside these bags will be put in your locker."
"Oh, and please, take off your shoes. Many of the surfaces in the club are sensitive. I will keep your shoes right here until you leave."
The two girls zipped open their luggage. They labored over shifting their items and filling the spa bags. Once in a while they paused to catch the glimpse of a taxidermy fox on the wall or a raggedy map to a gold treasure. The receptionist calmly waited for them to rifle through their underwear and personal items. She did not react at all at the dust covered shoes that were handed over the counter.
"Here are your keys. These are Chinese secret boxes. They are a neat puzzle to open. Inside, you will find a key that you can put around your ankle or wrist. It provides you with access to your locker, room, and any chargeable services. Most of our clients really enjoy the challenge of opening the secret box. If you get frustrated, the staff is ready to help you."
The Chinese secret boxes were about the size of a large fist. They were made of polished wood. The wood consisted of different colored and differently shaped pieces. Sadie immediately tugged and pulled on the box. The front side of her box moved a quarter inch. The gap let her slide another tile in the box. Pleasure flushed over her face. Tyra tugged her arm: "Let's get something to eat."
They pushed open the heavy timber mining door. Behind the door was a dark, black hallway lined with blue velvet curtains. Light and chatter sounds directed them to a chill out room. A couple small ceiling windows let ultra bright sun light fall through sheer fabric into the room. The ultra bright light scattered and dispersed into the dim room. The entire floor consisted of a soft mattress. Wood pillars supported the ceiling. The pillars were covered with cushions to provide a backrest. Many colored and plenty cushions were gathered into piles on the floor.
Youngsters sat in little groups on the floor. Some were eating. Some were playing board games. Some were chatting. A lone man was slipping stretched out with his arms over his eyes. Tyra sat down with her legs bent and to one side. She wiped the fabric neat with her hand. She waved a waitress to get the menu. Sadie looked around the room with sparkles in her eyes.
The order of Ramen noodles arrived quickly. Two bowls, two chopsticks, and soup spoon on a dark mahogany wood tray. Little samurais and sumo ringers were carved into the tray edge. They were fighting with human sized koi goldfish. The napkins were folded into two floating swans. The ramen noodles were a dark broth. A white fish cake with an artificially pink swirl floated in it. A cut in half boiled egg floated next to it with a tangle of green onions.
The mood of the room was peaceful filled with hush voices. People used discretion and little motion to talk with each other. Everyone was dressed elegantly. A group of young males invaded the room. Their leader carried his shoulders way back. The followers shifted their gaze around the room. They wore sun glasses uneven on their head and anywhere but on their nose. A guy with large socks yelled to the whole room: "This place rocks, " and he swung his hand through the air. They settled next to Sadie and Tyra about a foot closer than they would have needed to.
The waitress swiftly footsied her way to the group with menus. A guy with a large t-shirt and oversized print cocked up and looked directly at the waitress: "You are damn hot, as hot as this place. What is the best dish you got?" The waitress smiled nervously and made a step to the side. She carefully put her knees together, bent at the hip, and precisely pointed her finger on the menu in front of him: "Pork job is the special today."
"Can you touch your elbows behind the back?" asked another guy in the group with a big smile. The waitress paused. She was a young girl straight out of high school. Her hair was beautifully done. The restaurant suit fitted her perfectly with a slightly sexy elegance. Trying to be friendly to the guests, she attempted to comply. Her movements quickly betrayed her professional earlier demeanor. She looked like a common girl doing an exercise in physed class. When her attempts made her arch her back and provocatively show her breasts, the whole group burst out laughing. The guy offered his fist as a peace offering. She bumped it and quickly hobbled to the kitchen: "I'll get you water."
Tyra and Sadie set their focus back to themselves. They probed their Chinese secret boxes. They moved closer, touched at the shoulders, and put their faces together as they helped each other. With a final snap, the box opened. A key was attached to a spiraled rubber wire. Sadie slipped it over her heel onto her ankle. Her feet were pale and beautiful. A metal ring stuck on one of her little tootsie toes.
The boys interrupted again. A couple, apparently on their first date, looked at them. The couple was dressed almost formally. It made them move a bit stiffly. One of the boys had thrown a tomato slice at another boy. That boy was busy biting his teeth into a mustard single serving plastic bag. With a little hole, he aimed the bag at the first boy and squeezed. A yellow string of mustard crossed the table, cushion, and pillows. The first guy snorted with happiness at the mess they were making.
