What Kind of Paradise

Esme spends two days in Boise, Idaho, developing a plan. Her face is all over the news, so she buys a new wardrobe and cuts and colors her hair. Gone are her long, blonde locks, replaced by a dark brown bob. She ditches the truck after scrubbing it down with bleach and purchases a bus ticket to San Francisco. On the bus, she meets a blue-haired, loud girl named Desi who shares her Walkman with Esme. While listening to Liz Phair for the first time, she feels empowered: She can reinvent herself, and her mother will help her sort everything else out.

The bus stops in Salt Lake City, Utah, and Esme will have to transfer. Desi suggests that they head to McDonalds. She has no money and plans to panhandle. Esme tells her that she’ll cover their food. When they get to the register, however, she realizes that she only has a couple dollars in her pocket. She must reach into her bag to get more money. There is $23,000, in bundles, at the bottom of the bag—all her father’s money. Trying not to reveal the cash, she randomly pulls out one bill, a hundred. She hopes that Desi doesn’t notice.