“Good morning Ms. Blanco. You’re right on time,” the receptionist said in greeting. She gave Zoe a smile.

“Good morning to you too,” Zoe replied returning the smile. “And it is a fine morning indeed.”

“Oh? Did you sleep late?” the receptionist asked. “Sleeping late always puts me in a good mood.”

“No. I’ve been up since 6:30 so I could go on a morning run around the park near my house and I’ve already done a couple of jobs this morning,” Zoe happily answered. “Today has been great so far.”

She had found two Manhattan runs Cartier Transport had bid on and undercut her former employer by bidding only 250 on each, causing her to win both. This not only allowed Zoe to get back at Henri a little, but it would also set her up for a sweet 2000 credit day even if the VP didn’t buy whatever pictures she took. So, yeah, she was in a great mood.

“In that case, I think this change in the plan will make you even happier,” the receptionist stated.

“Change in the plans?”

“Yes. Mrs. Newton wants you to wait at the Palumbo law firm for them to complete their work and bring the contract to her at her home at 15 Old Hollow Lane in the Hamptons,” the receptionist replied. She smiled as Zoe’s eyes widened in alarm and she held her arms up in surrender. “I know. It’s a long trek, but she’s willing to pay 2000 credits for your time and the run.”

Zoe’s mouth dropped open in an “O” of surprise. She snapped her jaws shut a few seconds later as the receptionist laughed. The laughter didn’t bother her, and she chuckled a litter herself.

“I’ll do the extra run and wait for the attorneys for 2500 credits,” Zoe finally replied after giving it some thought. Sure, she was being greedy and perhaps overplaying her hand, but no risk, no reward.

“Let me run that by Mrs. Newton,” the receptionist said. Zoe nodded in agreement. A few minutes later, the receptionist said, “She agrees to that amount on the condition that you do your best to take pictures for her and forget about the 500 credits offer to buy them.”

“That’s fine,” Zoe shrugged feigning indifference while fighting to keep from shouting for joy. The day would still see her making 4000 credits!

*

Two boring hours later, Zoe finally entered the Ramapo Mountains on Highway 17. She perked up as she took in the sights around her. The area was covered in trees showing some pretty red, orange, and yellow fall foliage, which sort of surprised her considering corporate greed for natural resources, and the lakes and rivers seemed clean, which surprised her even more. She still wasn’t foolish enough to drink from them though even if it was tempting. Zoe’s stomach rumbled and she did a quick net search for area restaurants.

“Oh! Dater’s BBQ has pulled pork,” Zoe said to herself. That could be good. “Ugh. Tangy apple BBQ sauce? Well, beggars can’t be choosers.”

*

“What can I get you, hon?” the older waitress asked while handing her an actual printed menu after Zoe took a seat at the counter. The place was fairly crowded with a couple of tables left open, but she didn’t want to take a whole table to herself, so Zoe had waited a few minutes for a stool at the counter to come free.

“Flo, I’ll have a BBQ platter with lemonade,” Zoe answered after spying one of her favorite beverages listed on the menu and checking the waitress’ nametag.

“The platter comes with two sides and bread,” Flo replied. “The Cole slaw is good as is the beer cheese and macaroni.”

“I’ll take double fries and hushpuppies,” Zoe said.

“Alright,” Flo replied taking the menu back. “I’ll be right back with your lemonade.”

*

“How was it?” Flo asked after Zoe finished her last hushpuppy.

“Best 10 credits I’ve spent on food since moving to New York!” Zoe answered making the waitress laugh. “Though the tangy apple BBQQ sauce took some getting used to.”

“Too spicy?”

“No. Pork BBQ sauce should be vinegar based,” Zoe replied.

“Well, if your accent didn’t give your origins away, that sauce snobbery does,” Flo laughed.

“The truth is not snobbery,” Zoe countered ignoring the accent jab.

“Uh huh. Is there anything else I can get you? Maybe some dessert?” Flo asked.

“Do you guys sell the BBQ to go?”

“Of course. It’s 10 credits a pound,” Flo answered.

“How big are the containers?” Zoe asked.

Flo turned and walked to the wall behind the counter. She picked up a small plastic oval shaped container. “This big and they don’t leak.”

“I’ll take three pounds of plain BBQ and a container full of hushpuppies if they’ll fit in my backpack with my running clothes,” Zoe said holding up her pack. The two of them ensured the containers would fit into the backpack before Flo placed Zoe’s order.

“Anything else?” Flo asked.

“A liter of lemonade and another of water in my camelbacks would be great,” Zoe answered giving Flo a winning smile. The waitress sighed, returned the smile, and gestured for her to remove the camelbacks from her backpack.

*

Zoe sighed in contentment as she mounted her GT4 a short while later. Lunch had cost her an hour of time and 60 credits in total but was so worth it. Finding good BBQ in a tiny upstate NY town had been an unexpected, but welcome surprise.

Zoe decided to take a picture of Dater’s BBQ. It was a simple building with large windows and a fading sign over the door. She frowned as her Eagle Vision failed to take the picture. A message popped up stating she had to purchase the photo mode upgrade or purchase V3s or V4s for the mode to be included. Photo mode cost 100 credits. She discovered video mode was another 100 credits after checking the price of it on a whim.

“Kaiser Optics is a bunch of greedy mother f…” Zoe trailed off instead of completing the curse.

A message popped up as Zoe placed the photo mode option in her cart stating she could get a 25-credit discount for buying both optional modes. Zoe purchased the combo package after deciding she would record some video of her trip. Perhaps Mrs. Newton would like video instead of just pictures.

*

“I think Mrs. Newton, Aunt Anne, Jimmy, Newt, and the others will appreciate this video,” Zoe said to herself as she took a quick detour through Dater Mountain Nature Park. What she could see of the park was nice, and Zoe made a note to return and explore the place on her own at some point. “Perhaps even over a four-day weekend this week.”