Max paid in 

cash

. He happened to have a 10 dollar and 5 dollar bill in his pocket from the tips. it felt right to pay in cash in a town like this. He remembered a time when he used to pay cash for everything. This was a silly habit he used to have because it made him feel edgy. Untraceable. Max had fancied himself like a secret agent such as Jason Bourne.

Now he was just trying to be a regular guy. But once in awhile he'd pay in cash. Not because of a will to be cool but because it was convenient.

It was convenient for the diner to pay out tips in cash. They barely got tips in cash, most people paid using a card anyway. But when someone did tip in cash, the team liked divvying it up. No tax man reaching in.

Max returned to the car and began pumping gas. He thought of how he used to never go below a 1/4 tank o f gas. But now that his car was getting old he was always keeping at least 1/2 a tank. Would he eventually never go below 3/4? That would be crazy. what else would he do, get an oil change every 500 miles?

There were limits to things. Even maintenance. No especially maintenance, MAx thought.