Chapter 21. The Night Will Go As Follows
“Life’s pretty easy, as long as you can keep your heart out of it.”
– Alma’s Diary
“Well, that was some shit. If you’ll excuse me…” Jake said.
“Where’re you going?” Alma questioned.
Jake walked out of the bar, leaving her and Lorena standing around with little to do. Lorena took a seat at one of the tables, staring into nothing.
“Lost ‘em both…now what?”
“I vote we get shitfaced. I mean, this is a bar, right?” Alma spoke up.
Lorena sighed. “S’pose ta’ be. Almost impossible ta’ get any alcohol, and it’s not like we’d want the people it’d bring in.”
“So where’s a real bar then?”
“Next town over. But Ade took the truck.”
“Still got my car.” Alma smirked. Kody entered through the kitchen, kneeling next to Lorena. He set a flower before her. “He left this for you.” Lorena looked up to him, then down to the flower. She shook her head. The three of them remained in awkward silence, Alma watching Kody intently with a furrowed brow.
Lorena slammed her fist on the table, knocking over a glass of water. As Kody reached up to comfort her, she smacked his hand away and took the flower. She hobbled off to her room with her dog. Alma scoffed, heading for the kitchen. As she reached the door, Kody caught up to her, stopping her.
“You heading out?”
“Why not? Nothing going on here. Bored as hell, and seems like a good of time as any to get wasted.”
“You gotta stop hanging out with your brother.”
“Don’t remember that being any of your business.” She turned to him, scrutinizing him, “speaking of, why the hell’re you all up in mine?”
“You can’t go out there by yourself. You don’t know how dangerous this place is, especially at night.”
Alma paused for a moment, considering her options. She stood with her hands on her waist. “So you’re offering to come along, huh?” She tapped her fingers against her hips. After casually looking around the bar, she redirected her attention to him. “Better than drinking alone, I guess—long as you stay outta trouble.”
Kody ran downstairs, grabbing the leather duster and heading back up. He and Alma headed out the back door, Alma tossing the blankets that covered the convertible into the back seat. She hopped in the driver’s seat, kicking on the engine.
“C’mon, bucko, don’t got all night.” She beckoned, waving Kody to the passenger seat. He climbed in, and they took off. Alma cranked up the radio, playing Black Kids’ infectious dance song, “I’m Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance with You.”
“You gotta admit—it’s catchy.” Alma grinned.
“Funny. You know a loud radio in the middle of the night makes us a moving bandito magnet, right?”
Alma shoved Kody, turning the radio down to avoid any potential issues. Ignoring her violent tendencies, Kody directed Alma to the next town while avoiding any bandito stomping grounds.
“You used to be fun. What happened?” Alma asked.
“Spent the last couple months looking for you and trying not to get killed.”
“Still don’t get that. For all the time you spent looking for me, you didn’t say much.”
“Yeah, well…made more sense in retrospect.” Kody shrugged.
“The master of half-assed plans…now that sounds more like you.” Alma stuck her tongue out.
They reached the next town, parking the convertible on the outskirts and covering it with blankets to avoid drawing any attention. They wandered the streets with Kody leading the way, following the sound of loud music and louder drunks. They made their way inside a small but surprisingly busy bar, Alma managing to snag a table in the corner. She headed up to the bar and grabbed the first round of drinks.
“So, you owe me an explanation, Lehane. What happened to Glenn?” Alma took a swig of her drink.
“It’s gonna take more than one drink to get me to talk about that.”
“You were never a hard ass, sweetie, don’t start tryin’ now.”
The two exchanged glances, waiting to see who would fold first. Alma took another drink, coming up with a far better solution to their situation.
“All right, wanna-be cowboy, I’ll give you a chance to prove yourself.”
“Huh?” Kody cocked his head, coughing on his drink as he tried to take a sip.
“You’re a new man, all badass-like? Got it. Then we’ll settle this the best way any dispute can be settled in a bar—darts.”
“Alm, c’mon…”
Taking another swig, Alma got up, dragging Kody out of his seat and carrying their drinks over to a vacant dartboard. She pulled the darts off the board and handed him three.
“It’s real simple. Three shots, high score wins. See the outer ring? It’s worth double. Inner ring is triple. The bull’s-eye is twenty-five and fifty points respectively.”
“How do you even know this? You’re not old enough to go to bars,” Kody asked.
“Like you said—hanging with my brother too much.”
Alma stepped up first, backing up to the throwing line. She closed one eye, lining her shot up, and flicked the dart. She struck a triple in the five region.
“A five? You sure you’ve played before?” Kody chuckled.
“That’s a fifteen, hun. You’re up.”
She backed up, making space for Kody as he moved forward. He cocked his arm back, whipping the dart forward. It bounced off the board, dropping to the floor.
“Ouch. How am I gonna compete with that?”
Alma grinned, stepping up to take her second shot. She loosened up and let the dart fly, striking the narrow spot on the one region.
“Hm, well, we can’t all be pros like you now, can we?” Kody chided her as he stepped up, taking a deep breath before sizing up his target. He kept his arm close to his body as he threw the dart, striking the eighteen region. “Huh.”
Alma took her place, remembering the fundamentals Jake had taught her. She steadied her breathing, holding her breath while she lined up the last shot. She tossed the dart, striking the double bull’s-eye.
“Ooh, sorry honey. I think you might be done here.”
“How much is that?”
“Double bull is fifty, which gives me a grand total of sixty-six to your eighteen. Good luck.”
Alma finished off her first drink, watching Kody’s poor form. He lined up his arm, looking the target over. He brought his arm back. “Don’t choke!” Alma shouted as he threw the dart. She watched it fly. The dart landed on the triple twenty. She scoffed.
“Oh that’s such…beginner’s luck. Good job, Lehane.” Alma offered him a celebratory hug. “C’mon, it’s a show of good will.” He eyed her suspiciously, but she moved in toward him regardless. She wrapped her arms around him, not appreciating the fine scent of dirt and sweat that coated him. He gradually returned the gesture. She slid her hand down to cop a feel, breaking the embrace shortly after.
“Uh… thanks?” Kody stammered.
“Mhm. So, as the winner, I guess I’ll let the issue go and you can buy the next round.”
“How does that even work?”
“I bought the last one.”
“So?”
Alma stared at him expectantly. Defeated, Kody walked up to the bar to buy the next round. Alma returned to her seat, watching him with a big smile. Kody received the drinks and reached into his pocket, before becoming flustered and getting into a minor dispute with the bartender. Alma worked her way up to the bar.
“Problem, hun?” Turning her attention to the bartender, she said, “Don’t worry about my friend. This one’s on me.”
Alma pulled out Kody’s wallet, paying for the drinks. She left a generous tip for the bartender, nodding politely to Kody as she picked up the drinks and took them back to the table.
“Good will, huh?” Kody said sardonically.
“I thought so
. Although since I had to buy the drinks—”
“With my money!” Kody interrupted.
“I think you’ll be telling me the story now. Unless you consider your wallet a generous donation, that is. Drink up, and get to talkin’.”
Kody shook his head. Alma watched, amused, as Kody forced his first drink down, and began telling her about what happened to Glenn. He explained how he and Cris had found him, and how they were forced to run off, leaving him.
“Are you shittin’ me? He was bleedin’ on the bed, probably OD’ed, and you two just left him? Kody, c’mon, honey…there’s no way you did that! Not to Glenn!”
“Didn’t have a choice. He was gone, and the crowd thought we did it. They were gonna take us in, and there was no getting out.” Kody took a sip of his second drink. “I’m sorry. I know you two were close.”
Alma took a minute to digest the information, finishing off her second drink. She looked away from Kody, watching the other drunks in the bar. Thinking the situation over, she turned back to him.
“I can’t believe you did that. I mean, I guess I shouldn’t expect much, but to be completely honest, I didn’t care all that much that you slept with Cris.”
Kody looked up, raising an eyebrow.
“Not saying I’m fine with it, asswipe. What I mean is I’ve had time to think it all over, and I used to do you dirty all the time, we both know that. So how can I really be that mad that karma finally paid me back? What really pissed me off was Cris. I expected so much better of her. But this isn’t anything like screwing around with someone. You left our friend for dead. That’s something I can’t forgive, Lehane.”
Alma rose from the table, walking to the door. An arm grabbed her, Kody spinning her around.
“Alm, wait.”
“Back off, Lehane!”
Alma ripped her arm away from Kody, shoving him and stepping back. As she started to walk off, a loud crack rang out from a splintering chair as Kody hit the floor hard. She caught sight of a small cut across his face. One of the larger drunks had apparently stepped up to defend her honor.
“Stay away from the lady, bandito. You’re all alone here.” The burly drunk took a swig as he moved toward Kody.
“Thanks, but he’s not dangerous, just stupid.”
Alma tried to placate the larger drunk as he kicked Kody in the gut. Kody curled up into a ball, trying to protect himself. Alma tried to break it up. “Hey! I said—”
“Banditos start trouble, we put ‘em down.”
“Well, he’s not a bandito, so leave him alone!”
The drunk ignored Alma, continuing to kick Kody as others started joining in. Alma jumped into the fray, slamming her elbow into the large drunk’s nose, producing a violent cracking sound. She grabbed one of Kody’s hands, pulling him up and trying to force her way through the increasingly thick crowd. The exit blocked off, she tried to make her way through as a hand grabbed her from behind. She clutched Kody tightly, trying to free herself, but was pulled through the crowd by the hand that had her. The stubbly man dragged her outside—Kody along with her.
“You fuckin’ idiot. If there’s nothin’ I taught you, it’s how to not get caught in a damn bar fight.” Jake scolded his sister.
“What’re you doing here?” Alma asked.
“It’s a bar. The question is what’re you doin’ here? This place is way too dangerous to be goin’ off on your own. And don’t try to say this little bitch dressed up like a bandito…”
Jake kept his eye on Kody, who was still reeling and bruised on the ground.
“That’s my goddamn duster!”
Jake lifted Kody up enough to pull off the jacket, and dropped him back onto the ground. Jake put his duster back on, visibly content.
“All right, school kids, where’d you leave the car? It’s time to get you fuck-ups home.”
Alma picked Kody up off the ground, helping him walk as she guided Jake back to the car. She tossed Kody along with the blankets in the back seat, finding Jake in the driver’s seat as she pulled out the keys.
“Uh-uh.” She shook her head at Jake.
“Sad to say I’m more sober than you, little sis. Get in.”
Jake snatched the keys away from Alma, starting the car and taking them home.
“How’d you even get here? Figured you’d be off doing something shady.”
“Don’t think her name was Shady,” Jake smirked as he lit a cigarette. “‘Sides, drink first, then business. Calms the nerves. And I lived here for a good while, sis. Know this place pretty well, including all the ways to get around.”
Jake put on the Eagles’ classic “Hotel California” as they rode back to the bar. He pulled the car in front of the porch and kicked his sister and Kody out, taking off. Alma walked Kody into the bar, with his arm wrapped around her shoulder, dragging him along down to the basement. Setting him down for a moment, she noticed him passed out as she laid him out on his bed.
She took his shoes and socks off, looking his face over. She turned it from side to side, noticing a black eye starting to develop. Carefully, she took his shirt off, drawing her hands across his chest. She felt some tenderness on his warm, swollen skin.
“You idiot…what’re you doing out here, trying to play cowboy…it’s amazing you haven’t already gotten yourself killed.”
Alma went upstairs into the kitchen to get some rags. She dampened them and brought them back down. She laid one across the tender parts of Kody’s face, and a few on his ribs to try to bring the swelling down. As she finished dressing his wounds, she looked over her own body, noting the scrapes and cuts she’d gotten in the bar fight.
“Mom would be so proud.”
Alma lifted Kody up, pulling his blanket out from under him and covering him with it. She yawned, looking over his bruised scruffy head. She smiled to herself, mussing his hair and playing with it for a moment, before she drew her hand across his face. She shoved him over to the side of his bed, making room for herself, and laid down next to him. She rested quietly as he began to stir. She could feel his neck crane down, trying to see what was going on.
“Alm? What’re you doing?” Kody asked groggily.
“Shut up.”
She adjusted herself, snuggling up to him and placing her head on his chest. She felt its warmth—tougher than it used to be, yet not as fragrant. There was something of a man amongst this boy. For a moment, she rested and listened to his heartbeat as he continued to stir. His arm found its way around her shoulder. As she lay there, embraced, she tried to get cozy, but it just wasn’t the same. He wasn’t her snuggy bear anymore.
She tossed his arm aside, got up, and returned to her bed. Sliding under the covers, she took her bra and pants off, lying down and staring at the ceiling. Another unfamiliar ceiling. Too many things crept through her mind, including her last moments with Glenn. She closed her eyes.
She gently drew her fingers across her stomach, walking them one by one. She shivered as they slid down her abs and crossed her pelvis. Convinced she heard something, she froze as she cast a furtive glance toward the stairs. Seeing nothing, she took a moment to relax herself, certain it was only her overactive imagination. Gradually, she continued as she comforted herself to sleep.