“Has anybody ever told you the story-” I’m yelling even though he’s in the passenger seat next to me. We have the windows down, the sunroof open- I’d be fighting against the ipod but I had turned that down in anticipation for my speech. “-of how when you make a deal with the devil, you have to beat him in a contest?”

He’s looking at me like he’s never heard of Charlie Daniels.

“Well,” I’m staring down at the speedometer- Akina is thrumming along at 4,500 RPMs from under her carbon fiber hood, and I need to keep it there. I take one of my hands off the wheel to tighten the four-point harness. As my hand comes away, I glance at the face of my hand-built watch.

16:19:30 is important but not nearly as important as the neutrino dial- it is nearly full.

I start to tremble. I look back at him. He’s still waiting for me to finish my sentence.

My watch hand goes to rest on the handbrake. It’s warm from the sunlight.

“They never mention that you have to beat him twice.”

The watch beeps. I pull.