I sat there pondering all the things I had experienced up to that point; until Richard opened the door and got in the back with me to eat lunch. Definitely not your usual chauffeur!

I'd say it was a hamburger of great character. Not that I'd had many in my lifetime. I think my enjoyment of the burger had something more to do with my state of mind rather than it being an especially well made burger. Well, then again there was that onion. Talk about character! It was at once hot and sweet, with every bite. The onion almost overpowered the burger itself. I looked up at Richard with water in my eyes and he said, "The onion, right?"

I nodded.

"Here gimme your malt, we'll stick 'em in the fridge here an have 'em for dessert. Crack open the wine and pour us both a glass. We actually got plenty `a time before we need to get where I'm takin ya." He must have understood the look I gave him because he quickly came back with, "I just didn't want to talk to ya when you got off the plane. Cause you didn't seem too receptive to my kind of character at the time. I kinda figured the drive through the saguaro forest would do the trick. It did." He winked.

I did as he asked and we ate in silence.

He ate quickly and finished first. He crushed up his paper trash, tossed it into the front, then sat back to look out the window while he sipped on the wine remainder in his glass. When I finished he took my trash, without a word, and proceeded to wad then toss it up front too. Then he handed me a toothpick, took one himself, and sat back as he had before. I took his cue and did likewise, except that I put my feet up on the small wet bar in front of me. We sat that way for about five minutes or so. I felt quite comfortable in his company.

"What d'ya think he wants?" he started.

I looked over at him, but he kept looking out the window. "Not too sure," I replied. "With Gilbert, it could be anything. But my best guess is that it has something to do with character."

"Yeah that's what I was thinkin too. He told me I couldn't talk about anything but myself. But man, ain't that the most borin kind of sound that one hand makes clappin? Besides he knows me well enough to know I ain't gonna do what he says even if he pays me better for it. Anyway, he's always been fascinated by my sense of perspective. I don't see character the way most people do, leastways I don't think I do. To me, it's like a wardrobe one shuffles through to find the appropriate costume for an occasion. So why would he pick me to be your limo driver if it didn't have somethin to do with character? Besides I ain't driven nothin in over four years now, kinda got burnt out on it."

"So you're not a chauffeur?" I asked.

"In my previous life I was."

"You believe in reincarnation?" I asked with some curiosity.

"Nah, not that kinda previous life, my previous life when I lived in New York, New York, you know; the town so pretentious they named it twice."

"I take it you don't care for New York?"

"Awh, it ain't that bad. Ya see I was born here in the southwest and moved up there 'cause I was a painter. You know, if you wanna `make it,' they say ya gotta move to the BIG city. What a crock... But then I guess it all depends on what ya wanna call `makin it.'"

"So what's `making it' to you?"

"Finding a source of constant discovery."

"Damn good answer, Richard."

"Yeah, we’re both artists, I thought we'd think the same on that one. You looked like a brother when I first set eyes on ya. Hey! Boss man wanted me to take you one more place before ya meet up with him. Here, sit back while I take ya there."

We were shortly on the road again and heading roughly northwest. - By the time you get to Ajo, coming from the southwest, State Road 86 turns into SR 85. - As we neared a bend in the road heading off to the west, I could see the remains of what must have been a very large strip mining operation. The buildings were so large and old; it was nothing less than a ghastly sight. The torn land was actually beautiful in comparison. Rusted metal, broken windows and cinder block constructed buildings with nothing but pealing paint flecks left on them: these were all the impressions left of human concern for the area. As we cleared the bend in the road, I saw what must have been the main building, looking more an eye sore than any of the others. Richard took the left into the drive leading into the main complex.

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