.........*** Chapter 6 ***.........
"No sé Tú!" Javier crooned, worse than the last time. Esther laughed even harder from the passenger seat.
The road stretched ahead of them, a two-lane state highway without much traffic. Miles of brown plowed fields mixed with the deep green of a few early winter crops. Javier had never driven this far up the state, but he had to admit it all looked pretty much the same once you got into the enormous bowl of the Central Valley. Even the radio all sounded the same. But he was unexpectedly happy. The bright sun, Esther's laughter, the open road — he didn't want it to end.
They stopped for gas in a little farming town. Javier went in to ask for the women's restroom key for Esther, who was almost too nervous to leave the car. He sometimes forgot how closed-off her life experience had been so far. Javier chatted in Spanish, making up a story about his nervous Anglo girlfriend here in deep farming country, and got a knowing smile from the bored cashier as she handed him the key. They could do this. He'd always known how to talk to people, if he just paid attention.
Esther made a face when she emerged from the bathroom.
"That was the worst restroom I've ever seen," she said. "The sink didn't even work."
"I bought hand wipes," Javier said sympathetically. He was starting to get worried about how Esther would manage if they had to live more roughly. But then he remembered her expression that one morning, dressed in just a towel, covered in her own blood, yet with her pride still intact. He smiled.
Esther was a fantastic navigator once she'd studied the map a while. But she'd never learned to drive, and the heavy traffic as they approached their destination was exhausting for Javier.
"It's too late in the day," he said as they finally reached the corner of Stanford campus. He'd hoped it would feel like more of an arrival than this. "We'll have to wait until tomorrow."
"Can we walk around at least?" Esther asked. "We could see the library. That way we can be all set for the morning."
It was exhilarating to walk hand in hand with her. In the lowering light they could almost be any pair of young college students, and Javier indulged himself in the fantasy. They found a sign with a campus map and Esther memorized where the math department and the library were.
"It's so beautiful," Esther said as they walked. Javier could see the money everywhere. Esther should be attending here, with the brightest and the best. Not begging for help because it was the only place they could think of.
They picked out the library meeting spot and then returned to the car. Esther was exhausted from all the walking by the time they arrived.
"I have to find somewhere to park overnight where they won't hassle us," he told Esther, who nodded and slumped further into her seat.
They were well out of town on a dead-end off the freeway before he felt secure about that. He could already tell they weren't going to be able to spend much time in nice suburbs.
"I'll just sleep here in my seat," she said. "I practically dozed off already."
Javier had already flattened the back seat, and he'd hoped maybe they could squeeze together in the long space. Memories of doing that with Clara floated up, of the creative positions they'd tried. He had to admit it had been really good sex. He didn't exactly miss Clara, but he couldn't deny the way his dick hardened at the memories.
"Too cramped for me up here," he admitted, getting out of the car and wriggling into the back. Soon he was stretched out on his sleeping bag, his head as close as he could get to Esther. He pulled off his pants and lay still, hand resting on his hard dick. It didn't feel right to do anything with Esther right there. But as her breath deepened, he found himself stroking lightly, thinking about last night. About learning more of what unexpected things gave Esther pleasure. And maybe her small hand, or her mouth, touching him just so ...
* * *
"I thought I was going to burst," admitted Esther when she emerged from the bathroom. Javier had made do with some scrubby bushes off the road, but Esther couldn't bring herself to try that, and she'd waited until they got to campus. It was so much easier for boys.
They were hungry, grubby, and a little cranky. It hadn't been a very comfortable night, and Esther didn't think she'd try sleeping in the seat again. But Javier didn't seem that much better off. She'd heard him tossing and grunting a few times during the night. At least he didn't snore.
Now came the really scary part. She'd agreed to wait out of sight while Javier went to figure out the department mail system. The last thing she needed was to run into Professor Patel or his colleague before they'd prepared.
"OK," he said when he returned. He had a big reusable envelope and some sheets of paper. "Just tell me what to write."
'
Dear Raj,
' she dictated. '
I received a reply from that school librarian I told you about. He said the books they're deciding about are these:
'
She rattled off her own list of textbooks, in the same order she'd said during her meeting with the professors.
'
I'll be looking through them in the library study room on the third floor. Please come by any time this morning if you have ideas. Best wishes, Anatoly.
'
"All right," said Javier. "I assume the Professors will know what this means."
"They will," she said.
"And you're absolutely sure about them?"
"Father said I had to trust someone," she said. "I knew to trust you, and I was right. And I choose to trust them. Professor Patel in particular. There was something in his eyes."
* * *
"Where are they?" Esther said nervously. They'd been pretending to work in the study room for over two hours. "What if they're already watching the professors? What if they found out about the offer they gave me? Maybe we weren't careful enough."
"Maybe he just hasn't checked his mail yet," Javier said. "I know I dropped it in the right bin, but there were a couple other things in there already." But he could feel his leg shaking. In the light of day the students around them seemed so mature, so intent about their studies. He was sure everyone knew they didn't belong here.
Esther suddenly smiled, and Javier looked up to see a very young professor matching Patel's description and carrying a couple books. He was alone and he looked nervous.
