Sundown in the Desert (Dandelion x The Lone Ranger)

[The Lone Ranger]

This part of Arizona had always been beautiful in a stark way. Temperatures for the day had steadily climbed since the sun began to rise that morning. Thermometers reached a sweltering ninety-seven degrees at the high of the day as heat lines drifted up from the pavement. In the bright glare, the spawl of desert vistas and canyons rose like red rock spires around the small open bowl at the edge of town. The terrain here was a mixture of rock, cactus, and small underlying brush, all adding to the feeling of isolation that hung in the air. Within the shimmering heat waves, tucked away from the rest of the world, rose the framework of a large stark white hanger. The big aluminum building sticking out like a sore thumb in this desolate environment.

Beside this oddity stretched out a span of black tarmac carefully lined and numbered. A small airfield spanning roughly a good chunk of the open land within the area laid out to any who would venture this far out. Not far from this lay a relatively comfortable-looking farmhouse, and it was neither cavernous nor petite—the porch wrapped around the well-built home, which stood about two stories tall. The large windows opened invitingly to the sun as it would quietly sit at the end of a long driveway. This homestead was a local oddity, its scale more extensive than the nearby town usually experienced.

Charlie Mitchell had bought the land roughly four years back. After working the airlines for the last fifteen years, it had been a significant gift to himself, a place to finally set up shop away from it all when he wasn't working. The thirty-seven-year-old found a home in his great escape from all the stress of the world around him. It was, after all, why the large blue letters of Shangri-La stood pristinely along the white hangers side. Where one could find Charlie at the moment was behind the wheel of his grey truck, the vehicle pulling its way down the drive at a slow cruising speed. His fingers drummed against the steering wheel as the radio would chime in with country music to fill the quiet of the cab. Charlie's thoughts were elsewhere as he pulled the vehicle to an eventual stop in front of the large farmhouse.

The man had come home finally after his most recent fifteen-day span in the air to his time off for the month. This was apparent in the fact that as he stepped out, his dark pilots uniform proved itself to be ill-suited for the Arizona heat. Thin beads of sweat were already forming away at his brown as he pulled his luggage from the backseat. A suitcase and a backpack had been the orbit of his life for the last fifteen days. Still, Charlie had kept good humor because bonus season was just around the corner. New bonus pay meant new parts for the old Grumman F6F Hellcat that now lay slumbering within his large private hanger, the latest money pit of old planes he had obsessively dedicated himself to within the last few years.

Today, of course, was not about bonus pay. That would wait till it came in due time. Instead, his focus today was on the new tenant he was bound to receive within the hour if his memory served him correctly. He had been told his ad had been picked up at the local diner by some girl from out of town, a real fish out of water in these parts. He could sympathize with the feeling as he'd had the same experience when buying the place four years back. Still, with a new tenant around it, it ensured a few extra funds trickling in and, more importantly, someone to keep an eye on the place when he wasn't around. 'If they could be trusted with it, of course.' He pondered in a bemused fashion with the whole thing as he took his luggage inside. Polished shoes tapped against hardwood floors as he rolled the big angry buffalo of a suitcase through the door. He stood it up as he rummaged through his pocket to extract his phone.

Fingers would cup around the cell phone as he lazily punched in the digits which gatekept his device. From here, it was just a matter of rereading what he had been sent from Susie at the dinner. For the most part, his possible new tenant was a college student in the local small division III university on the other side of town, a fact which he noted well. Knowing how he and his dear friends were in college, some ground rules would need to be set. Yet, according to the text, nothing of the initial meeting rang any real alarm bells with the waitress. This much ensured him he had a good kid on his hands. However, he wouldn't get much time to think as the security notification would ding to signal his front gate had begun its automated cycle to make way for an oncoming vehicle. His memory might have been off after all.

Charlie muttered a curse as he ran his fingers through his beard, the man simply dumping his things onto a nearby couch as he would swiftly break for the door. Out of the threshold, the man would come about briskly, shutting the door behind him as he walked onto the wrap-around porch in time to see the dust cloud of a vehicle approaching. His hand rose to his brow to better look at the oncoming vehicle while the other subconsciously gave his uniform one last smoothing-out process. The fateful hour at hand, Charlie Mitchell descended his porch steps with a warm smile and a flicker of confidence in his eyes. His mouth opened to give a greeting as the door opened, only to stop when he viewed who had climbed out of the vehicle. His look of confidence was replaced with one of visible surprise. "Well, I'll be damned..."

 

[dandelion]

Maya Lynn hated driving for numerous reasons. She owned a crappy old car: it had no AC, the radio wasn’t working and the exterior desperately needed a fresh coat of blue paint. However, taking a bus or a train wasn’t an option, and calling a cab would have been too expensive. So as she sat behind the wheel, watching the scenery change, leaving the city behind, she started thinking — there was nothing else she could do to pass the time. She couldn’t turn the music on, so entertaining herself by getting lost in her thoughts was the next best thing.

She didn’t want to leave the city and her small, cramped apartment. But after a year of traveling, not thinking about the future, and just trying to enjoy being a young woman in her twenties, it was time to come back to reality. Maya applied to several colleges. Keeping her options open, she didn’t set her preference on a specific one. That probably was a mistake because in the end, despite being accepted to several colleges, only one of them offered her a full scholarship.

She thought about not going — moving into some forgotten small town in Arizona, and living there for the next three years seemed.. horrible. However, she wanted to do something with her life, accomplish something that would prove to her parents that she isn’t just mindlessly floating through life with no plan, wasting it. Getting a degree seemed like an answer to most of her problems. Even though deep inside, there was an annoying voice, which never shut up, and constantly reminded her that a college won't solve anything.

Maya was almost done with her long, boring, and quiet drive. In the distance, she could see her destination, and even from afar, she was surprised at how lovely the place looked... She thought about living in a dorm, but the idea of getting stuck with a roommate, who might have no clue what boundaries are, was her worst nightmare. Since she was planning to find a job anyway, she thought that she might as well spend most of the paycheck she gets on the rent.

At the end of a long driveway, she stopped the car. Not wanting to sit in it because without any movement, sitting behind a wheel, felt like sitting in a sauna with clothes on, she grabbed her phone and got out. Even though she was wearing a pair of denim shorts, a cropped white shirt and had her hair up in a ponytail, she still felt like tearing her clothes off; a cold shower was at the top of her to-do list.

Maya was looking at something in the distance when the front door opened. She turned around on her heels, a bright smile on her face, ready to make a good first impression. However, when she saw him, the corners of her lips dropped. “I was.. didn’t know— Hi,” She began speaking, but the words were jumbled and didn’t make any sense. After regaining her composure, trying to hide the surprise, she cleared her throat and said. “I didn’t know I was meeting you, Charlie.” It felt strange saying his name. “Although that’s a good surprise, I guess.” Maya tried to pick her words carefully and not show that she was freaking out inside.

Part of her was excited to see him. He was her family friend, someone that in the past she used to see constantly... When she was younger, he always seemed to be around and she always enjoyed spending time with him. The other part of her wanted to get back in the car and get the hell out of here. The last time that they saw each other was when she— being a hopeless teenager in love— confessed her crush to him. Of course, that didn't go well, and even though as she grew up, she eventually understood why Charlie turned her down, it didn't hurt her feelings any less.

The embarrassment she was feeling right now was tearing her from the inside out. Her cheeks were bright red and hot. Her knees felt weak and she felt like if she moves too fast, she was going to fall. “So this is your place then?” Maya asked to keep the conversation going, afraid of any awkward pauses. She made her way over to the porch. The distance between them getting smaller. Her eyes darting up and down his body. As she noticed the uniform, tilting her head to the side, she asked. “Are you getting ready to go somewhere?”

 

[The Lone Ranger]

He hadn't seen Maya in years. The girl he once knew being an echo dancing in the back of his memories. She had been shorter last time he saw her perhaps? Charlie would offer a faint smile as Maya approached. A sideways glance toward the beat up blue car causing a pause. What in the hell was the poor girl driving? Either she had trashed the thing or a dealership had sold her a clunker. Charlie would mentally wince as the man took his steps across the porch to meet her at the edge of the steps.

"You say that like you're not that happy to see me, Maya." He chuckled dryly.

Eyes watching her a little more closely than he'd like to admit. Any intrusive thoughts shoved back down to the dark corners of his mind. Tucking his hat slowly into the crook of his arm, he would offer a gesture back to the house. The girl's nervousness clearly picked up on his radar as he would try to lower his tone to a more smoothing octave. "Well, this is indeed my place. I dropped most of my salary in the last couple of years into it if I'm being honest with you."

Shifting to open his body language up more, he would gesture to the hanger. "That is new and it nearly ate through my savings. Guess it was a bit of an impulse buy on my part. Though, ironically enough, the apartment you'll be staying in sits in a loft in there if you're interested." He cleared his throat. Charlie would gesture her to follow him with a come this way motion. Walking down the porch steps past her towards his large grey pickup. If memory served him correct, Charlie had a water bottle inside the cab.

Maya's next question would get handled as he walked towards the vehicle. "Ah this? I just got back from my flights. I thought your folks would have told you. When I left when you were younger is was because my job. I fly for one of the international airliners, so I had taken a gig out of state." It was an offering meant to smooth out one or two things surrounding his previous departure from her life. Charlie's mind drifting back to those days. His time split between teaching piloting lessons at the local airfield and visiting with friends in the area.

In those days, Maya had been a teenager, who for the longest time seemed to gravitate to him like the moon to its orbit around the earth. At first he didn't put much stock into it. He assumed his friend was a busy man, and as such Maya was just searching for a Father or Older Brother figure where she could find one. Wasn't until later on, when the girl confessed to him on a cool autumn day that he got the whole truth to things.

He'd turned her down flatly. Though Charlie was never one to be harsh in his rebuffing of advances. He'd tried to cushion the teens' spirits, though he never did know if he'd been success at such. When all things had been said, she looked as if she'd been shot by him. A memory which tied a knot in his gut as he was reminded of it. He would open the cab door now to push the specters of the past away. Grabbing the bottle of water, he would hold it out to the girl. Clear blue eyes fixed on her for a moment as he would give that little trademark smirk of his.

"Might be of use out here city girl, you're a long way from home."

She had grown into a lovely woman since they had last met. This much he could not deny in the closeness between the two. The way her white shirt clung to her skin in the heat or the jean shorts hugging each curve. He could probably amuse she had no trouble finding boys. A matter which he supposed her Father was having fits about even to this day. He would shake his head slowly to himself. A laugh escaping as he would motion towards the passenger seat. "Well Maya, if you don't want to drive off now, I can take you over to the loft. Can tell me about how you've been, how your folks are doing, and what exactly brings you out here on the way over."

"Or you can hop back in your blue old's mobile there, and take a trip back up the road to another spot. Though I'd recommend Rich's dinner on the corner of 3rd and Whitlock. Best sweet iced tea around. Choice is yours."

 

[dandelion]

'You say that like you're not happy to see me, Maya.'

That remark made her glare at him. At that moment, Maya felt like a teenager again, being mad over silly things which shouldn't have mattered anymore. She knew she shouldn't care — she had to act more mature, she wasn't a kid anymore — but the old wounds of getting turned down still hurt. Allowing herself to sulk while he spoke, Maya momentarily looked away, only turning back after wiping the negative emotions off her face.

She was surprised to hear that everything around her he owned. She also felt somewhat relieved when she realized she won't need to live with him under one roof, so hopefully, their paths won't cross too much and too often. After following him down the steps, Maya lingered behind the man, making sure to keep her distance and not get too close this time. "They told me you had to leave because of the job, but they didn't specify what exactly it was." She replied, shifting her weight from one leg to another. Her father was the one who informed her about Charlie's departure. When he told her that Charlie had left, Maya didn't believe him at first. She was sure he would have said goodbye, he wouldn't have just left her like that. In some ways, the fact that Charlie didn't say anything before disappearing hurt more than being turned down.

Maya accepted the water bottle, trying not to brush her fingers against his as she took it from his hand. "How thoughtful of you. As always, taking care of the lost lambs." She said after taking a sip. Her voice was full of sarcasm. As much as she tried to act grown, it was difficult to do so when all she wanted was to bombard him with questions and demand answers.

Her eyebrows raised up when Charlie laughed. She would have asked what was so funny, but he continued to speak, so she remained silent. "I don't want to leave, yet." She shook her head. "I need a place to live and either I rent it from you or some stranger. I imagine you're the better option out of the two." There was still a hint of sarcasm in her tone, but she was being genuine; she would rather stay with someone she knows, especially because, so far, she didn't like the new town.

As they started heading towards the loft, Maya decided that she should continue the conversation. She didn't want Charlie to be in charge of the topics they talked about. There were a lot of questions that she didn't want to answer. "I'm actually a student." She stated. "I know I used to be set on not going to college, but after taking a gap year, I actually changed my mind about it." Her fingers tapped against the half-empty bottle. "So that's the reason I'm here, looking for a place to rent. I want to live close to the campus."

Maya mostly kept looking ahead of her. She tried to avoid holding eye contact for too long because every time she looked at Charlie, she was reminded of why she had a crush on him. His appearance didn't really change over the years, or at least she didn't notice any big differences, besides that he maybe looked more mature, more handsome, and the uniform.. was the cherry on top, tying everything together and making it hard not to stare. "Do you live alone?" She unexpectedly asked. It was her not-so-subtle way of questioning if he was dating someone. Up until that point, Maya hadn't even considered the possibility that Charlie might have a girlfriend. But right now, because the question began to nag her, she had to know the answer.

 

[The Lone Ranger]

Charlie would wince as the girl's features were marred by her sulking pout. Perhaps he had been off point when he had teased her earlier about things. She was, after all, far more grown up now than she had ever been. Her presence near him caused a definitive reaction in how he stood just a bit straighter when she came nearer. Still, Charlie would offer an apologetic smile as he spoke again. This time hoping to dislodge himself from the hole previously dug, so long as such things were possible. "Come now, Maya; I didn't mean it in that manner. You know I'm happy to see you as always. Still got your old headset, just for my old co-pilot." He wasn't lying. What had started as his gift to her when she came around his job was something he ultimately kept even after the old Cessna 172 sold at auction. A bit dust-covered at this point, but ultimately no worse for wear. "I'd thought about mailing you them, but then it occurred you'd have nothing to use it with."

As she followed him, he was greeted with new questions as they walked and talked. Charlie's blue eyes glanced back as he seemed to give a thoughtful nod. "I suppose it was rather sudden. I got it because the first candidate fell ill and could no longer make the flight. I had to be rushed out that day." He would remark as he turned to face her. "My phone got stolen with some luggage when we landed in France. I sent a letter, but I assume that didn't reach you by your reaction now..." A lump formed within his stomach as he pieced together what had transpired. More labored breath released from his chest as he looked out to the horizon. This wasn't exactly how he intended a reunion to happen, but all the same, he had never wanted to hurt Maya. It seems as if that had been the case, however. His eyes met hers momentarily as she kept her distance from him. The space between them was a soothing thing to Maya, it seemed. All it did was make the pit in his stomach grow. He soldiered on, however.

Her tongue lashing didn't register at first. A moment passed as his face would flick to mild surprise at the tone, yet it would even out to a more stoic calm quickly after. Charlie's eyebrow cocking ever so slightly. Wounds ran more profound than he had thought. "Stray lambs, eh?" The man let off a gentle sigh. She at least intended to stay without running off for the evening. That much was a pleasant surprise, at the very least. He would gaze at her carefully, seeming to hear her out before speaking. Then he would give a light chuckle, his fingers lacing with a bit of cheer as he would give a quick nod. His eyes turned to the hanger as he gestured towards it. "I don't think it's too bad lodging. You get the loft to yourself, and it has all you'd need, you'd never need to leave it. As long as you're willing to deal with me working down in the hanger below, the price I ensured is fair...though I ain't even going to charge you of all people that." He would start the walk down the path to the hanger.

With Maya at his heels, Charlie responded to Maya's declaration of her student status. "Ah, got in at the University in town, did you? You didn't want to go to any place closer? I know your Father and Mother would gladly help you." He offered up as he tucked his pilot's hat into the crook of his well-muscled arm. A small but kind smile crossed his face as he spoke up again. "All the same, I am glad to have you. You certainly have grown up since I last saw you." The man would continue down the path, his mind trailing back to the fact that Maya had grown up since he had last seen her. This fact was readily apparent as he looked at her, even if it still took him a moment to process. The delicate curve of her jaw or how her hair set just so...she was undoubtedly beautiful. It was treasonous thought that he once again flushed from his head. He was only returning to reality as she questioned if he lived alone out here.

Given their past, Charlie would hesitate actually to answer. His eyes flicked downwards to the rocks beneath him as he continued along. Finally, he would relent to her wishes. His pace drew them nearer to the shade the hanger gave off to shield them from the sun. "No. I live alone here. My work life hasn't been very conducive to such things. That is not to say I have not tried to date in the past. However, nothing really worked out." A rueful smile traced his features as he reached into his pocket to pull out his key ring. The man was working to open up the door of the hanger. "I'll go ahead and get you a spare key to the hanger when I can. There will be a secondary spare I can give you for the loft as well. Feel free to park your car inside the hanger, but do be careful for the planes if you can."

 

[dandelion]

Maya's attention was piqued when she heard about the letter. She was still hurt about him leaving without saying goodbye, but after learning that maybe he didn't intend to take off like that, her attitude relented a little. "A letter?" Her head turned to look at him. "What did you say in it?" There was a possibility that Charlie didn't remember what he wrote, she knew that. But she had to ask because if he could recall something, at least one sentence, she wanted to hear it.

"No, I want to pay the full price." Maya shook her head. She didn't want any favours from him. She didn't want to forget about the way she feels– hurt and angry– just because he decided to act like a nice guy. "I'm going to a few job interviews later this week, so hopefully, I'll get hired. And when I do, I'll be making some money, so there's no reason for you to make exceptions for me." Her hand rubbed the back of her neck as she tried to get rid of the awkwardness inside her. "You should treat me like you would any other person, who could have come here today instead of me."

When Charlie mentioned her parents, she had to stop herself from rolling her eyes. "I'm pretty sure they don't care where I go, as long as I just pick something and stick with it." She wanted to tell him about how she and her father and her mother grew apart, that they didn't approve of her taking the gap year, and every time an opportunity presented itself, they liked to remind her that instead of doing something with her life, she was wasting it. "I didn't want to ask for help because I wanted to do it on my own," She continued, trying not to show desolation on her face. "Plus, I was offered a full scholarship, so I decided I'd be stupid not to take it."

After learning that he was living alone and still single, there was a second, when Maya felt herself getting exhilarated. Of course, a few moments later, she forced herself not to think about it more. Her question was answered and her curiosity was satisfied. There was no reason left why she should continue pondering about his love life. Especially, because when it came to dating, Maya wasn't having much action either. It's not that she didn't want to find a boyfriend: she had several dating apps on her phone, and she went on many dates, but no one seemed to be able to hold her attention for too long.

She watched Charlie unlock the door in anticipation, wanting to see where she was probably going to be living for the next couple of years. "Have any plans for the evening?" Maya asked, deciding it was better to keep the conversation going than stay silent. She thought about herself. As much as she would have liked to do something, maybe go out for a dinner or drive around the town, she knew that most likely she was going to end up just unpacking her stuff before taking a shower and going to bed.

 

[The Lone Ranger]

Charlie would note some of the original hurt faded slightly from the woman's eyes. Their beautiful vortex of color softened before him. She was still guarded, but to Charlie, such things were progress. He would take the little victories he could get. The man paused to think as he nodded. "Indeed, I sent one out previously. Suppose air mail ate it up on its way over." He turned his shoulder slightly. He looked back at Maya with a softer smile than he would think. "Well, I honestly just mentioned how sorry I ran off without telling you a thing. It's been the one thing I regretted the most. Not being able to tell the people I cared about where I was going." He would frown before glancing off at the airfield. "Though I don't quite think that softens things after the fact." However, Charlie finished fiddling with the lock and swung the door inwards. The scene before them opened up like curtains drawing back from a stage.

In the hangar, there sat roughly three different aircraft, all neatly parked together in their areas lined off with what seemed to be painted lines on the floor. Charlie had poured his soul into working on these three in his time, flying near and far. Around them stood several workshop areas and fuel lines. Everything was neatly kept in its own space and organized accordingly. The nearest to the door was a Cessna 172 "Skyhawk". Its body and shape are all too familiar to Maya in appearance. Though what might catch her eye more was the number emblazoned on the tail of the airframe. K899237 would be the plane Charlie would have first offered to take her up in when he was flying around where they lived. The blue paint on the sides was still strong after all these years. It was like a time capsule of that time. The two headsets are still hanging prominently on the dashboard of the aircraft. One of which was another blast from the past.

Across the wide hanger bay sat a SBC2 "Helldiver" with it's wings folded upwards. A set of two or three toolboxes rolled up to it suggested there was still work to be down on the plane. It was clear Charlie had a bit of a hobby tinkering with the old airplanes, though it had always been his longstanding hobby to patch things up. He was usually the one called around if one of his friends vehicles or appliances went out anyways. Parked between the two was one of his favorites. A shining silver metal body like a suit of armor on some old fashioned night. The shine only kept in check by casual splashes of color as the P-51 Mustang sat proudly between the two. He would smirk at Maya, almost as if waiting for a reaction. "I have one more plane on my radar to buy out, but I'm having to hold on to the project for the moment."

A moment of pause left a silence as Maya spoke about how she wished to be treated like everyone else. Charlie's eyebrow once more noticeably climbed. "Alright. I can charge you the full rate if you're sure about that, Maya. I don't want to break your budget. Trust me; I wasn't exactly rolling in cash prior to flying commercially." He gestured over to a door near the far left corner wall. It was kept relatively plain and out of the way, though Charlie would bring the key up to the lock to unlock the space and let Maya through. The door led to a stairwell leading upward into darkness. His hand moved over to flick on the lights to the hardwood stairs before starting them up. "C'mon, Maya. Your folks care about you and how your life's going. At least check in from time to time alright." Blue eyes, not bothering to make eye contact though she could tell a slight note of concern in his voice.

"Hey, you're doing well to get the full ride. Much smarter than my dumbass when I ducked college to go into debt learning to fly." He chuckled. His frame straightened up as he reached the landing of the upper floor. He was pulling his dark blue pilot's coat off and hanging it on the coat rack with his hat. It gave off the appearance of a man coming home to a place he was intimately familiar with. Charlie would then go into the grand tour of the area, for all it was worth, he supposed. "Well it's not lavish, but you have a living room, kitchen, laundry room, small study, bathroom and bedroom up here. The bathroom is connected to the bedroom so no need to walk far for that. The bedroom door also locks from the living room if you ever have a drunk friend crashing on the couch. Be warned though, only one bathroom and it's only accessible from your room. All the same I lived here for quite some time before the farmhouse was built so it's all pre-furnished if you don't mind my hand me downs in furniture."

Charlie turned back toward the girl as would offer a gentle smile. "Drawbacks are you might hear me working during the mid-day timeframe down in the hanger below, and as you can see..." He gestured around the space. "No windows. You'll have to go outside to get sunlight. However, the pros are it's everything you could ask for, and you don't pay utilities. Plus, you can be as loud as you fucking want here, and I couldn't give a shit. Just don't have your friends touch the planes or stuff on the hanger floor, will ya?" He would put his hands on his hips. His white undershirt was specked with a thin layer of sweat, which caused it to cling to his more well-built frame. Blue eyes locked on her as he clicked his tongue. A smile still remained on his face. "Ain't you curious. Well, I'm gonna go into town to grab a burger at the diner and pick up a part from the post office if you're interested in being my co-pilot. Might even take you up in the Cessna if you're nice."