As she walked along the sidewalk Daria thought that the air was truly hot. This was typical for early August evenings in Lawndale. The humidity made the air sticky as well. Daria didn't keep up too fast a pace. She had plenty of time. Her mind wandered as she thought about the summer that was nearly over and her upcoming senior year in college. In another week she would be returning to Raft in Boston. At least Boston would be cooler than Lawndale – in both temperature and atmosphere. As she walked along she didn't hear the car approaching from behind her. The sporty foreign two-door crept up on her.

The driver lowered the darkened passenger side window and shouted, "Hey, can I give you a lift? We might even be going the same place!"

Looking over Daria responded, "Hi Tom. You know my history of getting into cars with you is kind of checkered."

"I promise to behave. Besides, it is so much cooler in here than out there. I certainly don't want to see my friend collapse and die of heat stroke!"

"Well, since you put it that way how can I resist a ride with you."

"C'mon. Let's get some pizza!" Tom stopped the car and Daria got in. The cool interior and the smell of leather both jumped out at Daria and she found them to be very pleasant. The two drove to the restaurant and parked the car.

Tom and Daria walked into Pizza King and each bought two slices and a drink. Walking over to a booth they sat down on opposite sides.

"So, how has the rest of your summer been going? How are things at the library?" Tom asked.

Daria looked at him. She was just pulling a slice out of her mouth after biting off a good sized chunk. A string of cheese connected her mouth to the slice. "Believe it or not, I have been quite busy at work. Kristen is a real task master." Daria cleared the string of cheese and wiped her mouth on a napkin.

"Does she make you run to return books to the shelf?"

"Ha ha. No. She has actually taught me how to use some of the more advanced search tools to assist customers doing research for potential businesses and expanding existing ones. We also have people researching everything from genealogy sources to background information for actions by the city council."

"That actually sounds interesting," Tom remarked.

"It is. I think what she has taught me will be really useful as I start writing my senior honors thesis."

"You honors students," Tom teased. "You are always thinking so deeply about things. Trying to find meaning where there is none."

"You would be surprised," Daria replied. "There is more meaning out there than you think. The problem is that Mr. Accountant has his nose so deep in numbers that you miss the wider perspective and meaning." She said teasingly, "You know that you can identify extroverted accountants because they are looking at the other guy's shoes and not their own!"

"And outgoing literature majors are even known to occasionally peek above the top of their books and see that there is a real world out there," Tom shot back playfully.

"Touché," Daria replied. "What have you been up to the last month?"

"I have been working on bond calculations. Our clients include several companies and cities wanting to float bond issues. Before they put the bond issues to a vote or go to major Wall Street firms they want to understand what the full costs will be and how those will affect budgets and net income."

"Sounds exiting," Daria said in total deadpan.

"Actually, it is kind of exciting. Not so much the calculating, but the fact that decisions based on my analyses will affect real people. In some cases it will determine their tax rates and in others the prices customers will pay for goods." Tom took a bite of his pizza.

"I have a question," Daria said. "Have you been getting bombarded by your parents – particularly your mother – about why you are not in a serious relationship and how you should be like them?"

Tom paused a moment and then said, "Yeah. She was haranguing me before I left the house this evening. I'm getting a little tired of it." This topic of discussion was making Tom nervous. He was desperately trying not to show it.

Daria commented, "My mom jumped on me just before I left as well. Of course, she had downed nearly a full bottle of wine when we had our 'little chat.' I really resent her implying that I have to have a man in my life to be happy. I'm happy doing what I do."

Tom really wanted to change the subject. So, he asked Daria, "So what have you been reading?"

"I'm working my way through a number of Booker Prize winning books from the last 5 years. Right now I am reading 'Vernon Little God', which is about a kid whose best friend massacres a bunch of other kids at school and then commits suicide. Let's say his experiences afterward are varied and the people around him are not a help and so he flees to Mexico, even though he is innocent."

"Wow," Tom commented.

Daria said, "The power of inter-library loan is really amazing. The book is actually a British one and we didn't have it in our stacks. But, I was still able to get it in just a week. So, what have you been reading?"

Tom answered, "I'm taking a course this fall on Steinbeck for my literature minor. So, I have been trying to get some of his books read this summer. It can be slow going at times." He went on to describe some of his thoughts on Steinbeck and his books, particularly 'The Grapes of Wrath.' Daria had, of course, read that book in middle school.

As Tom went on Daria sat there and her thoughts drifted a bit. It was nice to sit in a familiar place – even if this place was the definitive opposite of gourmet. It was also nice to sit with someone she had known and known well for several years. To some extent Tom had become a bit like an 'old shoe.' He made her feel comfortable and he was easy to be around. There was really only one other person that made her feel that way – Jane. There were still certainly things that she would tell Jane that she would never tell Tom. Tom was a guy after all and therefore by definition somewhat clueless.

As he came to the end of talking about Steinbeck Daria looked at him and tried to say in a very matter-of-fact way, "So Tom I have a question for you. What are the three things that you fear most?"

"Well, let's see," Tom said. "That is a pretty deep question."

"I guess you don't have to answer it if you don't want to."

"No, I'll answer it, but I am going to have to think for a moment." Tom took a couple of minutes to contemplate his answer. In the ensuing silence he ate his last bit of pizza and observed how Daria was fidgeting – not something she did very often. It usually indicated that she was very nervous. Then he answered, "The first and greatest fear I have is losing my mental capacity. I like an intellectual challenge and feeding my mind. Losing my ability to think clearly is my greatest fear. Second, I would say that losing my close friends would be particularly awful. I have many acquaintances, but I have very few close friends like you. I guess the third thing I fear is wasting my life. I want to live a life of accomplishment, which is very distinct from just making a large sum of money. It could be taking a business up another couple of levels. It could be figuring out a way to finance the solution to hunger in the world. The point is that I want to be known and ultimately remembered for something positive."

"Hmm," Daria mumbled. "Interesting." Silence fell after that. Daria just sat there and stared at her now empty plate.

"Since we're sharing," Tom quipped, "What are the three things you fear most?" There was more silence. Tom was trying to figure out what was bothering Daria. He wanted to reach out and hold her, but the rules of the game prohibited it. As far as she was concerned they were friends, but had broken off their more intimate relationship. And Daria did not particularly like to be touched.

Daria sat up, put her hands palms down on the table and stared at them. Then she said quietly, "The thing I fear most is being left all alone. Maybe it will be in my parents' house with a dozen or so cats. I could die and become cat food and no one would know or care." She said almost matter-of-factly, "Honestly, this whole thing with my mother is really bugging me."

Daria went on, "Like you the second thing is losing my very few friends. I don't even have that many acquaintances. I am also afraid of failing. I don't know what I would fail at. It certainly isn't school. But I am concerned that success in my studies will not translate into a job. What if no one cares? I need to succeed on my own. I need to prove I can make my way in this world."

Daria's face had turned red as she let out the list of her fears. She stared off into space as she listed them. She didn't want to make eye contact with Tom. Admitting these things was actually embarrassing her.

Tom could see that Daria was embarrassed and tried to console her. "Daria, don't feel embarrassed. You can tell me anything. I am not going to judge you."

"I know. Thanks." Looking up at him with almost pleading eyes Daria said, "Tom, let's take a walk."

Tom noted to himself how suddenly she had changed the subject from their fears. That was certainly interesting. Now she wanted to go for a walk. He knew that was what Daria did when she didn't want to be overheard by other people.

They walked out of Pizza King. It had gotten dark while they were inside and the night was sultry.