As the hours elapsed, it was now 7:30 PM, and Lisa was standing by the others holding the list.
"Okay," she announced. "Now all we have left on the list are tiles and fabric. Now is there any store out here that sell either of those two?"
"You know what, Lisa?" CJ told her, stepping up to her. "I don't think we need to buy any fabric or tiles at all. Screw wasting money on that."
"Okay?" Lisa replied. "So what are you suggesting, Carl?"
"I know this old guy," CJ told her. "He goes by Truth, and he always has a supply of any type of texture: tiles, fabric, stone, wood, you name it."
"Great idea, Carl," Kendl said. "I'm sure he'll provide us with enough material."
"Yeah," CJ said. "He lives all the way over at Flint County."
"Don't tell me you gonna go all the way over there again," Lisa complained.
"That's where he stay at," CJ replied. "So just wait here until I come back with all the stuff."
CJ was about to head out of the garage door when Lisa suddenly cut him off.
"Hold it, Carl!" she called.
"What is it, Lisa?" CJ asked.
"I'm coming with you!" Lisa answered.
"What?!" CJ asked, bewildered.
"Since you keep claiming that you're not getting yourself in trouble returning the material to the garage," Lisa told him, "I'm gonna come with you, to see if you're really telling the truth. Because my intuition is telling me that you're behind something. So I'll be by your side, to make sure you're not in any shit!"
"Come on, Lisa," CJ protested. "Just think about what you might get yourself into during the night."
"Ah, but wasn't it YOU who claimed to not be in any trouble with the law or any of that shit?" Lisa replied.
"I'm not," CJ said. "I just think that– that– that–"
"Not another word, Carl!" Kendl added. "Lisa's coming with you! That's final!"
"Man, she really IS the Moms of the family, holmes," Cesar said.
CJ knew he had no other choice. There was no other way to talk Lisa out of it. So he decided to just let Lisa come along on the ride.
"Alright, Lees," CJ sighed in defeat. "You can roll with me."
He guided Lisa outside.
"Yo take care of her, Carl," Ryder called.
"I'm sure you'll take good care of Lisa, Carl," LB teased.
CJ could feel his face blushing. Aside from the fact that he didn't wanted Lisa to know he and his friends were involved with illicit adventures trying to pick up material, he was still feeling nervous about being around Lisa. He fought his hardest to not develop any deep feelings for Lisa no matter how beautiful he admitted she was.
He slowly enter the vehicle parked outside, with Lisa hopping inside the passenger's seat. CJ started the engine and drove onto the road. He drove straight to Doherty.
"So you say this Truth guy resides over at Flint County?" Lisa asked CJ.
"Yeah," CJ replied. "Just to warn you, he's rather...colorful to say the least."
"I think I get the euphemism, Carl," Lisa answered. "You don't need to speak loosely to describe the guy."
"Well that's good," CJ responded, entering the freeway up ahead. "Maybe that way, I won't have to repeat myself."
"Of course," Lisa replied. She studied CJ's face. "You feeling okay, Carl?"
"Yeah," CJ responded, his voice cracking slightly as if he was fearing something. "Why?"
"Because you're sweating," Lisa told him.
"Girl, I ain't sweating," CJ protested.
"Yes you are," Lisa said. "I can see the perspiration on your face through the darkness, and your shirt is slightly damp."
"Oh that!" CJ replied nervously. "It's just...a little...hot out here. Yeah, that's it. It's way too hot out here."
"Carl, it's 72 degrees outside," Lisa told him.
"Well...CJ started. But no other words came out. The fact that he was sitting adjacent to Lisa had him lose his ability to speak coherently. He could already hear LB and Cesar's voices in his head.
"I saw you staring at her ass earlier this morning."
"I think she's your type, holmes."
"Look at his face. He's blushing. He knows the truth."
"I think you two would look sweet together."
"GET OUT OF MY HEAD!" CJ screamed at the top of his lungs.
"Whoa!" Lisa said, looking shocked at CJ's reaction. "What's wrong, Carl?!"
"Oh! Uh, nothing, nothing's wrong," CJ told her as he drove through Whetstone. "I'm just worried about what might happen to you here in the Badlands."
"Well please chill the fuck out!" Lisa told him, sounding apprehensive. "This is exactly why I wanted to come along with you, Carl! I'm really starting to worry about you."
"I'm sorry, girl," CJ said, feeling contrite of his random outburst. "I promise you, I'm gonna keep my composure when we go see Truth, okay?"
"Please do that, Carl," Lisa told him calmly. "Just continue driving and stay calm. I'll turn on the air so you'll cool down."
Lisa turned on the air conditioner, and CJ no longer felt like sweating. But he was still blushing on the inside. He felt his stomach tying in knots, as if a boa constrictor was wrapping its body inside his abdomen.
Come on, CJ, he thought to himself. Lisa may be beautiful, but don't let yourself get any deep feelings for her.
After a few minutes of driving around, CJ finally made it to Flint County and to the farm.
"That old guy lives here?" Lisa asked as CJ parked in front of Truth's hut.
"It's a long story," CJ murmured, still sounding slightly nervous.
He and Lisa walked up to Truth's hut. "Yo Truth!" CJ called. "You in there?!"
Just then, he heard humming inside. CJ brought Lisa along with him to find The Truth standing on his head humming loudly. The former two stared back in confusion.
"Uh, Truth?" CJ told the old man. Truth opened his eyes soon enough to see CJ standing next to him.
"Carl, brother," Truth said, climbing on his feet. "Pleasure seeing you here."
He then stared at Lisa. "And who might this ostentatious young lady be?" the old man asked CJ.
"Oh," CJ said, greeting the two to each other, "Lisa, this is The Truth. Truth, this is my friend Lisa."
"Pleasure meeting your kind, princess," Truth greeted Lisa.
"Uh, salutations, sir," Lisa uttered, still looking rather puzzled.
"So, what brings you two here to visit the old fashioned hippie of Woodstock?" Truth asked.
"Listen," CJ started to say, "we redesigning the garage back in San Fierro and we need some tiles to rebuild the floors."
"Well, you come to the right place," Truth replied. "My Mothership is loaded with tile designs. I like designs that come in many different colors. Helps me identify the weird-looking creatures from another planet. I'm even on the lookout for Bigfoot. Word around the Badlands is that he's notorious for snatching belongings he mistakes for food. He even comes in different colors."
"Geez, and I thought my brother was a fucking stoner," Lisa whispered, still perplexed on what she just saw.
"I told you, Lees," CJ said. "He's a guy who would take some time to get used to."
"Follow me to the Mothership," Truth announced.
He guided CJ and Lisa to his vehicle.
"Look on the bright side, Lisa," CJ told Lisa. "We may be dealing with a whack job, but at least I ain't doing nothing illegal. Most importantly, there's nothing dangerous going on out here."
But before they could continue, Truth stopped the two.
"Hold it, you two!" Truth shouted.
"What?!" CJ yelled. "What is it, Truth?!"
"Look there!" Truth pointed straight down. "The hungry night prowlers have arrived!"
CJ and Lisa took a good hard look at the "night prowlers".
"COYOTES!" CJ and Lisa yelled simultaneously.
They watched as the coyotes came out from behind the hay and growled furiously.
"We gonna get the tiles or what, Truth?!" CJ yelled. "Because I can't afford to be an African barbecue sandwich!"
"Unfortunately, the tiles are all in my Mothership, which is parked by the barn over there!" Truth said, pointing across the farm.
"What?!" Lisa screamed. "Why the fuck would you park your vehicle all the way over there?!"
"It's the only spot around the farm!" Truth replied. "I park it by my hut, the cops with be around to arrest me for parking violation!"
"Shit!" CJ shouted. "I guess it's up to me! Yo Truth! You got something to get past those predators?!"
"There is something," Truth replied. He headed to his hut to pull a motorbike out and walk it to CJ and Lisa. "This should get your two to the Mothership. Here are the keys as well."
"Cool!" CJ replied. "Thanks, Truth! Hop on, Lisa!"
Lisa reluctantly complied and grabbed CJ around the waist, causing CJ to blush. But he didn't have time to feel nervous this time. He rode the bike around the farm, narrowly swerving around to avoid the viciously snarling coyotes. CJ watched as he saw them growling hungrily with drool falling turbulently out of their mouths as they tried to snap at him. Finally, they made it to the Mothership, and they hopped off the bike, the coyotes chasing after them.
"Get in, Lisa!" CJ cried out as he hopped inside the Mothership.
As Lisa attempted to run along, she stumbled to the ground and got her ankle caught on a crack on the ground. She struggled to get her ankle out as the coyotes were closing in.
"Fuck, my ankle is stuck!" Lisa shouted. "Carl! I need help!"
"Shit! Shit! Shit!" CJ chanted in frustration. "Hang on, Lisa!"
He quickly hopped out of the vehicle and helped pulled Lisa's ankle out of the crack right on time.
"Please hurry, Carl!" Lisa shouted desperately as CJ struggled to pull her ankle out of the crack. "They're closing in!"
"Don't worry, girl!" CJ told her. "I almost got it!"
It took a while to get it out, but he finally succeeded, barely slipping Lisa's ankle out of the crack unscathed.
"There you go," CJ said. "Come on."
As the coyotes came dangerously close, CJ and Lisa quickly made it back into the vehicle.
"Seriously, who put a fucking crack in the farm?!" Lisa snapped, still rubbing her ankle.
Just then, the coyotes slammed into the vehicle snarling viciously at the windows.
"Hold on, Lisa!" CJ said, starting the vehicle. "This gonna be one bumpy ride!"
As CJ put the vehicle in reverse, he drove around the farm and ran over all the vicious animals. After running over the last coyote, CJ drove over to Truth.
"Thank you, brother Carl," Truth thanked, getting into the vehicle. "I can't tell you how much I appreciate your altruism."
Just then, another pack of coyotes arrived growling viciously.
"Ah shit!" CJ groaned. "Truth, you didn't say these animals come in packs!"
"Perhaps I should have been specific," Truth replied. "Only at night!"
"Just drive back to the garage, Carl!" Lisa demanded. "We have the tiles! Now get us away from these damn predators!"
So CJ drove Truth's vehicle through the farm, running over several coyotes as he exited out.
"So the tiles are all back here!" Truth said. "Which color would you like. I got ones that are blue, red, silver, white, and even plaid - you know, to go with the grunge look!"
"Sorry, dude," CJ said as he drove downhill and made his way on the road through Whetstone. "I ain't down with that grunge bullshit. We don't do shitty trends."
"Well, you're welcome to just take all of them to see which ones are the right ones," Truth informed as CJ drove onto the freeway. "Whatever fits your style."
CJ then exited the freeway and made a left turn. He drove straight down the road and made a right turn on Doherty. He went straight down the road and made a left turn on the garage.
"Thanks again for the tiles, Truth," CJ told Truth as he and Lisa hopped out of the vehicle holding the tiles.
"Yeah, thanks so much," Lisa added. "I really appreciate your dependence."
"No problem," Truth said. "Just see me whenever you need anything else."
The old man then backed up from the parking area onto the road and squealed away.
As CJ and Lisa set aside the tiles, Lisa reached out and hugged CJ.
"What's that for, girl?" CJ asked, beginning to blush.
"Thank you so much for helping me out there, Carl," Lisa told him. "I would've been mauled to death out there if it wasn't for you."
CJ blushed even more. He couldn't think of the first thing to say.
"Hey, that's the least I could do for you, Lisa," CJ replied, feeling rather nervous inside. "I'm always there to protect the ones I care for."
"And so it turns out you're telling the truth," Lisa told him. "You aren't involved in any senseless crimes."
"Yeah," CJ replied. "That's right. Sorry for nearly putting you in danger though, girl."
"Don't worry about it," Lisa said. "I know you were trying to keep me safe, and for that, I thank you for it. Besides, it actually was kind of fun."
Just then, Kendl, Ryder, Cesar, and LB walked over to the two.
"You two okay?" Kendl asked.
"We fine, sis," CJ told her. "Me and Lisa ran into a little situation when we met Truth, but it worked out and we got the tiles."
"Thank God," Kendl sighed.
"What a relief," Cesar replied. "I heard there were wild animals that prowl at night in the Badlands."
"Cesar, you have no idea," CJ told him.
"Well thanks again, Carl," Lisa told CJ. "Well, it's been a long day. So it's that time for me to take a rest. I'll see you all again later."
As Lisa and Kendl walked away, the other guys stared at CJ.
"So what happened there, CJ?" Ryder was the first to ask.
"Well, when we went to see Truth, we had visitors, and they didn't need no guns either," CJ told him.
"I can tell you two had fun," LB said, smiling. "Look, your face is red right now."
"Come on, LB," CJ groaned. "Please don't start."
"This is your chance, CJ," Cesar whispered to him.
"Look," CJ told his friends, "I'm getting tired now. So I'm gonna head to the crib and rest. Peace."
The other three returned the gesture to CJ as he walked out of the garage. LB and Cesar still wouldn't give him a break about Lisa. He only liked Lisa as a surrogate older sibling and couldn't bring himself to have any romantic feelings for her. CJ refused to think about it anymore and just walked back to his apartment.