Josh again.

I got off the steps of the bus, said "Thanks" to the driver and stepped on the concrete sidewalk of Santa Fe. I looked around and surveyed this town which looked like a foreign land to me. How the hell was I going to find Dad in here? I decided to just walk around and ask. I asked at the local gas station, the food store, even the homeless people on the streets. But no one knew anything.

Exasperated but still determined, I shifted my bag pack to my other shoulder and entered Moe's Bar. I knew I was under the age but I had to see there. I had to. Bars have bands and stuff, right? Maybe Dad would be here, playing and singing for money. I bit my lip and walked towards the doorway where I heard an old Guns N Roses record playing and saw a few barmaids cleaning tables of the partially empty bar, but was stopped by a tall, muscular bouncer who put his meaty hand on my arm.

"Hey little guy. What do you think you're doing here?" he asked, eyed me suspiciously.

Shit, I thought. He better let me in. "Hey look, uh I'm sorry. I'm not here to drink, or anything. I'm just looking for my Dad. He's about 5'10", with green eyes, light brown hair, stubble on his face, and he's always dressed in ripped jeans and stuff, 'coz he's a rock star. I just wanted to see if he's here, please. They had a fight...and...I'm so worried about him after he left home yesterday," I rambled, my voice breaking.

The bouncer then smiled, and squeezed my shoulder gently. "Oh I'm sorry buddy. Why don't you come in and I'll ask the band if they've seen him around? But I still ain't givin' you any beer though." He giggled. I giggled back and sat down at the bar on one of the stools and surveyed the place. The remnants of smoke, beer and women still lingered in the air, from last night no doubt. I smiled awkwardly at the brunette barmaid as she winked at me while wiping the table, her plunging neckline revealing more than what it should. I blushed and turned my head to the bouncer, who came walking back to me. He asked:

"Hey kiddo, was your Dad wearing ripped jeans and a Dirty Sanchez t-shirt?"

I literally flew out of my seat. "Oh my God, YES! That's him! Do you know where he is? Do you?" I babbled incoherently.

He sighed. "Well, John, our drummer, says that he saw him sitting at the back of the bar last night, drinking beer and looking very depressed about something. He had about three of them and then staggered out the door. We don't exactly know where he lived or where he was going. But my guess is that if he's in this town, he can't be living too far," he said as gently as possibly.

I slumped back onto my stool just as quickly as I flew off it. "Oh great. This is just great!" I yelled. I buried my face into my hands and cried softly. My only last hope of finding Dad and now I've lost that too. Now what?

"Hey hey there. It's okay, little dude. It's okay," mumbled the bouncer as he slowly rubbed my back. "Just calm down now. You'll find him. All you have to do is be patient." I raised my face to meet his and he smiled sympathetically at me. I smiled back.

"There, that's better," said he. "I'm Al, by the way. And you are…?"

"I'm Josh," I answered, feeling a bit more hopeful now that I found someone who could possibly help me in my search.

"Hi Josh. Can I interest you in a Coke?"

"Sure," I replied with a nod. He pulled out a tall Heineken glass from behind the bar, filled it with Coke from the drink taps, put it on a cardboard coaster and slid it to me. I was about to reach for my wallet, when he stopped me. "Don't worry about it, dude. It's on the house," he said, winking at me.

"Well thank you," I said, grinning widely at him.

For the next 45 minutes, I sat there at the bar, drinking my Coke and chatting to Al about my parents and everything that happened to them. He listened intently to me, with a worried look in his eyes. Drumming his fingers on the table, he said to me:

"Josh, I promise you that I'll keep a lookout for anyone named Roger Davis. I have a pretty good idea where to look, anyway. If we don't find him by any chance, we can always go ask the cops to help us. But I can assure you that we will find your Dad. I don't want you growing up without one the way I have."

"Why? What do you mean?" I asked him, taking another sip from my glass.

He eyes suddenly became dark and grave. "My dad and I had a huge fight once, when I was about 16. He told me to fuck off from his life and so I did just that. But he got a heart attack two weeks later and died because I was still mad at him and he couldn't find me anywhere, no matter where he searched. So ever since then, I've spent the rest of my life wishing I had come home at least once to say I was sorry and see if he was okay. I don't want the same thing to happen to you, Josh. I don't want you to lose your Dad."

I stared at him with my eyes wide open. "Oh my God, Al. I'm so sorry. But thank you so much for helping me. If you ever see him anywhere, please tell him to come home straightaway. Tell him his son misses him so badly and wants to see him again."

He smiled at me. "Will do, son. Will do."

I beamed at him from ear to ear. "Thank you so much, Al," I mumbled, giving him a big hug.

"No problem, Josh," he replied as he hugged me back. I downed the last of my drink, picked up my bag and waved goodbye to him. I stepped out onto the street, feeling more hopeful now that I had someone to help me. But soon that got replaced by a feelingof dread and worry. What if Dad didn't make it back alive last night? What he got murdered or mugged? What if…? I was so wrapped up in my thoughts that I didn't notice what was happening around me, until I felt the hard metal crash itself into my side, and throw me a few meters across the street. Before I could even register what happened, I felt a sharp, searing pain in my head and some warm liquid running through my hair. Probably blood, after that impact caused by landing on the hard, tar on my head. The last thing I remember was that brain-numbing pain in my head, my whole body going limp, a faint voice yelling "Are you okay?" and Al's worried face hovering above mine.

And then, everything went black.

Oh no! What happens to poor Josh? Will he make it out alive? Tune into find out...