“There’s only three left that you haven’t asked. Henry, Mug, and the quiet dude.”
“Yeah.”
“My friend, this is a very strange adventure we’re on.”
“A movie quote?” If it was, I couldn’t place it. Maybe Bill amp; Ted’s Excellent Adventure.
“No, just the truth. Somebody shoots out our tires, somebody steals our money, you have someone tell you that he’s not supposed to talk to us, and,” he reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper, “then we get this.” He handed it to me, folded.
I opened the paper and read it out loud.
We know who you are, we know why you’re here. It would be best for all concerned if you left now. The next time, it might not be the truck.
“You were thinking of telling me about this?”
“Of course, pard. It was laying on the truck bed when I woke up this morning. I needed some time to process it in my mind.”
“Jesus, James. We’re getting new tires, maybe we should just hit the road.”
“And I think we should stay. I’d like to know who’s shooting out our tires. I’d like to know why people can’t talk to us, and I’d like to know who we supposedly are and why we’re supposedly here.”
“Isn’t it enough the person who wrote the note knows those things? We know who you are and we know why you’re here. Come on, James. There’s no reason we have to know the answer too.”
He smiled. Not a laugh, but a smile. “Free tires, pard. There’s always a silver lining, eh?”
I needed time to process it too. Last night I’d agreed to stay. Now, someone was threatening our lives. That didn’t sit well at all.
“Come on, Skip. I don’t think they mean it. They’re not going to kill us, for God’s sake, and they really don’t have any reason to run us off. Do they?”
“You know, James, everyone was being so nice, then you had to spoil it. You had to go and do it.”
James’s eyes got wide. “What the hell did I do to spoil it?”
“You don’t even know?”
“You tell me.”
“You won at poker last night.” I was only half kidding.
He flicked his ash in my direction. No smile. “Yeah. Maybe that’s it. But my guess is it’s something to do with you asking too many questions, pardner. In fact, I’m sure that’s exactly what it is.”
“Maybe. But what aren’t they supposed to be talking to us about? And was that a threat that they might shoot us next time?”
“It beats me, pard. I just want to make enough money to get this little business venture on its feet.”
“And now there are full-timers with guns walking around the grounds.”
James smiled a grim smile. “Yeah. Let’s hope Mug doesn’t do guard duty. A three time felon with a gun. Scares the hell out of me.”
“And what were the felonies?”
The repair truck showed up on time, and with power jacks and two able-bodied men, they had our truck re-tired in half an hour. James couldn’t stop smiling. It was the most expensive repair on his pride and joy so far, and it hadn’t cost him a penny. In James’s world, this was nirvana.
It was closer to nine thirty when I saw the red T-Bird working its way down the narrow park road. I’d figured maybe she wasn’t coming, then I thought she might have had an accident, and finally I decided if she didn’t show up, it was just as well. But there she was. I checked my pocket one more time for the money and walked out to meet her.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
S he sat across from me looking fresh, blond, and wonderful. The News Cafe was bustling, with a steady stream of walkers and gawkers parading up and down the sidewalk. We sat by the street, feeling the morning heat starting to steam the place up, as cars lined up, going nowhere very slowly, and the sideshow that is South Beach played out for us in every direction.
“You haven’t said four words since I picked you up.”
Twenty minutes, driving A1A through ethnic villages, past big hotels and ritzy shopping areas, by Indian Creek where the elite rich live, and down to South Beach. She’d asked how I was and I think I answered “okay.” Then she’d talked about her father and how she was working for him again, although she’d really never gone off the payroll. Then she asked how James was, even though the two of them do not like each other, and I think I answered “okay.” The other two words I don’t remember.
“Skip, what are you thinking?”
It came spilling out. “That you left. That I know you needed some time to work things out, but I was stuck here with everything closing in on me, and I missed you and needed to talk to you every day and you weren’t here.” It wasn’t what I wanted to say. Not even close. I wanted to hold her, ask her if things were back to normal, and ask her to never leave again. I know it sounds sappy, but I really care for this girl. It just didn’t come out right.
She stared at the sidewalk and the review marching by. Overweight tourists in T- shirts and shorts, girls in bikinis, half the gay population of Miami Beach, and two dogs as big as horses being walked by a midget. Finally she looked at me. “Well, I asked, didn’t I?”
“What do you want me to say? I don’t know what you went through. You thought you were having our kid, then found out you weren’t. I guess you needed some space, but I thought you were having our kid, then found out you weren’t. And I guess I didn’t get any space. Maybe I needed some space too.”
She turned and looked into my eyes. She took my hand, covering it with her own. With a slight smile she said, “I’ve got the answer.”
I took my free hand and picked up my cup of coffee. “I’d love to hear it.”
“You take off. You go away for three months. Whatever harebrained scheme James is working on, I’ll take your place while you get the space you need. Okay? I’ll fill in with James, and you get your space.”
Just the picture of that made me laugh out loud. If she only knew what James and I were into. “I would pay to see that. I really would.”
“Now, can we get past the self-pity? I’m ready for a new start.” She laughed too.
I was ready. “I’m working on it, Em. And I suppose you’re not too far off with the harebrained scheme that James has hatched.”
“Oh, Jeez, I was hoping it was something halfway decent.”
“I think it started out that way, but things have a way of — ”
The waiter brought two steaming plates of eggs, hash browns, sausage, and English muffins to the table.
“A way of what?”
“Things have a way of not working out.”
“Are you in trouble?”
“We may be. It’s too soon to tell.”
“Skip!” She was looking at me like she didn’t even know who I was. “What are you thinking? Get a real job. Quit buying into your roommate’s dreams and find something that works for you. Have you noticed how many of his ideas turn into nightmares?”
I told her how he’d turned the truck into a traveling kitchen. I told her about the carneys, Cashdollar’s message of wealth, dreams, and destruction, about the poker games, the threats, and the flat tires. I told her about Crayer and Stan, Henry, Dusty, his gun, and Mug. I think I left out the silent partner. Again, everything came pouring out of me. I’d wanted to talk to her, tell her exactly what was happening, but never figured the situation would present itself. And now that it had, I unloaded. All concern for our relationship, my hurt feelings, whatever, disappeared for the moment. I told her everything. When I was done she was stone-cold silent. Neither of us had touched the eggs, hash browns or bacon, and breakfast was cold.
“You know, this is a novel. Fiction. No two guys stumble into this much crap, just by accident. Either you are making half of this up,” she paused, “no, two-thirds of this up, or you are the most unlucky son of a bitch that ever lived. I should not only keep you at arm’s length, I should move to another state, west of the Mississippi. Tell me you’re messing with me, Skip. Please, tell me.”
“Come on, Em. You know I’m telling you the truth.”