85...

Prior to this, in a life that seemed to be someone else’s all together, Alexis learned the ins and outs of the southern Pacific coast. At one point, the winding line between Oceanside and Long Beach was more familiar to her than the lines in the back of her hand. The knowledge never really left, but as its usefulness became less and less over time, its prominence diminished. Now, riding the curves that the Cadillac seemed to grip like a rough lover, the knowledge slowly trickled back in.
She remembered a wide variety of trips, both north and south and in varying degrees of sobriety and rage, along this long strip of road that could sometimes get so dark. She remembered how the stretch between Dana Point and T Street in San Clemente had begun to feel like the driveway of a commuter must; familiar and safe. She remembered a number of trips cruising the narrow peninsula in Newport, so many of them seeming to end just as the hours cried their dawn tears over the rocky jetty that burst from the end and the water began to magically take on the lightness of the sky.
Alexis remembered beaches that were impossible to see the long hike down to from the highway. Alexis remembered beaches that were marked from the street, but the long trek down still made them unsavory to many visitors. Alexis also remembered many beaches that began with parking lots right off of the god damned highway.
This was what she needed.
But more importantly, she needed one of these that would be fairly deserted. There were beaches that were known as being heavily patrolled by the police. It was a trade off, but possible police activity versus a number a late night beach fucks and bonfires probably worked out a little better.
The Cadillac was taking a rising curve, the asphalt following the graceful shape of the sea. She knew it before she saw it. Just on the other side of the rise, as the road began to fall once again, was a wide expanse of beach. She pulled her foot from the accelerator as she decided.
It sat fairly unaffected by the crowds in Laguna to the south. She was still a good distance from the lights and maddening riches of Corona Del Mar and on into Newport. She could see three or four bonfires scattered along the sands, but these weren't of much concern. There were close to a dozen cars in the asphalt parking lot and this was the problem. She was going to pass the parking lot's entrance in a second.
She made a quick turn in. Alexis figured that after examining the scene, if this was not a place that suited her needs, well later on down the road girlfriend. There were more beaches than this one. She could wait till north of the peninsula if necessary, but then she'd be getting closer to Huntington Beach, to Long Beach and then the LA county beaches and where there just were not the long stretches of dark and deserted. Plus the longer she stayed on the road with what was in her trunk, the greater chance she took.
The Cadillac cruised the lot at a slow speed, moving towards a group of white lines not containing cars. Without the throttled roar of the engine, Alexis could hear the surf pounding on the shore and she smiled slightly, overwhelmed by a dizzying rush of memories all falling to the fore. She pulled into a spot, turned off the engine and sat staring at the black Pacific, her eyes seemingly lost behind that wistful smile.