Tabula Rasa

I got out. I was a few hours out of town and the scrubby desert stretched to both horizons. A short distance from the car there was the body of a man. He was wearing a black suit and lying face down in the dirt. I walked over to him. “I’ve broken down. Do you know how to fix an engine?” The body didn’t move. “Sir?” I nudged him with my foot and he swore. He rolled over, lent up on one elbow and eyed me with contempt. His face was covered with brown dust and he wore a dog collar. “Yes?” he fired at me, annoyed. “My car has broken down. I was wondering if you knew how to fix it?” “Can’t you see that I am busy?” He gestured with his head to the flattened earth beneath where he had been lying. It was damp with condensation, he must have been there for a while. “Oh, I’m sorry.” I trailed off. “What exactly is it that you are doing?” “Well, I am not trying to die if that is what you thought.” He eyed me suspiciously. "Definitely not." “Yes yes, of course.” He glared at me from the dirt. "Well, do you want to hear my story then?" “Ah, yes, I guess so." “Well, I am a priest. Have been for as long as I can remember, and I am one of the best. But, I have questions you see, questions that aren't answered by the bible. Questions only He can answer. Taking one's own life is a sin of course, but if I just happened to lose it, you know, then I figure that is ok. Then I can ask him in person" "So you are out here, trying not to die?" "Absolutely, but if something were to happen to me of course, I wouldn't be able to prevent that. It's out my control." He was looking me directly in the eye. "Let’s have a look at your car then.” He prised himself off the ground and we walked back to the car. I popped the hood. “Ah, I see your problem. It’s haunted. Clearly haunted.” I knew the salesman had been a crook. The priest set about exorcising the carburettor. He popped his head out. "What brings you out here?" "This morning I was accidentally delivered tomorrow's paper. I was flicking through and I saw that I died in a fire in my house, about 6pm this evening. I still have a lot of places I would like to see so I decided to leave town and drive west." "Very wise." He muttered from somewhere under the hood. It was 1pm when he finished, and the sun was beating down. I wrote my address on a slip of paper and handed it to him. He took it, smiled and shook my hand, leaving a smudge of grease on my palm. As I drove away I could see him in my mirror. Thumb out. Heading east.