A man stands at a car dealership.

There are 14 Toyota RAV4s.

One has a red ribbon on its hood.

It will not survive the drive home.

Nick runs his hand over the hood of a Prius.

A crow lands on the light pole.

Nick remembers his father.

His father never trusted hybrids.

His father is dead.

The salesman asks if he wants to hear about financing.

He does.

There is a figure waving his arms and legs wildly outside the showroom.

It is daytime.

He is dancing but there is no music.

He is filled with air.

At night, his blower fan is cut.

He deflates.

The night will be long.

Ted counts the number of cupholders in a Toyota Sienna.

There are 18.

The seating capacity is eight.

This was not the future he had imagined for himself.

He thinks of Paris.

A black Corolla hatchback winds down a mountainous road.

The driver has one thing on his mind:

A bullfight.

To feel alive.

He will have to settle for merging across five lanes on the 405.

A poster at the dealership says:

“Zero percent APR for three months.”

No one is promised three months.

A woman reads the sign.

SUMMER SALES EVENT.

Summer is nearly over.

She wonders how many summers remain.

The chirping was everywhere.

Robert remembered the peace he had known as a boy.

Four Camrys unlocked.

One trunk opened.

There was talk of cargo space.

Henry stares at the electronic displays on the dashboard.

“This one has wireless Apple CarPlay,” the sales manager says.

Henry has not spoken to his son in three years.

A panoramic moonroof opens.

A child looks up for stars.

He sees red, white, and blue bunting.

And a SAVE BIG poster.

His father looks away.

Toward the finance office.

“Take her for a test drive?”

“Yes.”

“Five hundred miles on a full tank.”

“That won’t get us to Italy. ”

It would get them to Fresno.

The weathered sportsman looked over a red Tacoma.

“You’re about to catch some serious savings,” Blake said.

“I was hoping for trout.”

Blake pointed out the trim package.

The finance office was cool.

There were no windows.

The interest rate was fair.

Nothing else was.

*Toyota appreciated Mr. Hemingway’s submission.

They went in another direction.