Structure

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Beginning 

The short story "Rendezvous" by Daniel Ransom begins in medias res with Payton driving, speeding up even before he hits the Interstate, a can of beer between his legs. These reckless actions provide the initial clues that he is not trustworthy. He is also brie…

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Middle 

In the rising action, we are introduced to the second character of the story, Kim, who is sitting in an Interstate rest stop. Her internal conflict is revealed as she feels cold and briefly wishes she were back at home (p. 51, ll. 22-23). The external conflict between Kim and her parents is also briefly mentioned, as she hopes they are scared and that her short absence will persuade them to give her more freedom (p. 51, ll. 24-25). 

As the perspective switches back to Payton, we learn of his own conflict with the priest (which in fact point to an…

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Ending 

In the climax of the story, which also serves as an abrupt ending, the perspective focuses once more on Kim, as the tension rises until it reaches its highest point:

She wishes she'd been able to get a glimpse of the driver.
All the other drivers she'd been able to check out before getting inside (...)
For som…