Chapter Thirty-six: A pass behind the back
We were off to see Rascal. I opened a window let the sound escape and some grassy air inside. Unaware, I took a deep breath. My eyes watered. My mouth was paralyzed. I forced my lips closed as Tim bounced away to “Mid Life Crisis” by Faith No More. With an explosive twist, he turned. His eyes widened.
“Shit, I love this song,” he screamed.
We crossed the railroad tracks of the factory town in sun filled minutes. Lighting and puffing on a smoke hurt so I smoked half and tossed it out the window as it deflected off the window behind me.
We got on to the highway for two exits and pulled off on the outskirts of Wessex. Buds on a few trees were fought to awaken. The forested hills were dotted with scattered houses. Pastures came and went on the road. Tim pulled over and took a piece of paper out of his pocket. He stuffed it back and slammed on the gas. We shot gravel out on the shoulder of the road, a greyhound out of the gate on its way to buy a rabbit.
A skein of crows fought on a bare maple above the dirt road we pulled into.
“This is the place,” he shouted and turned down the music.
Each side of the road was thicketed with gray barked trees. I couldn’t see more than twenty yards in any direction.
Fear bloomed like a lotus.
Something was not right. We were too far away.
“Why are we out in the boonies man?” I asked.
“It’s where Rascal told me,” Tim said.
“We are two northern boys just ripe for getting jacked,” I said.
“Don’t work yourself up man. It’s routine business,” he said.
We rolled into a large parking lot where no parking lot should exist. A dilapidated farmhouse rested in an overgrown field in front of us. Forest surrounded a hill behind it.
A sign reading Coming Soon was crossed out nearby in a ditch.
Parked at the far end was a gray-metallic Mercedes with yellow lights and reflective rims. Tinted windows sucked in the light.
“That’s him,” Tim said and drove up driver’s side to driver’s side.
He turned the car off. The other car’s engine ran.
“It’s cool. You can stay in if you want?” Tim said and in one fluid motion was out of the car.
I stayed put.
The window was open so I could hear. The tinted window snuck down to reveal Rascal’s face.
“What’s going down Rascal? I hope you don’t mind I brought Joaquin with me?” Tim said and Rascal’s face puckered as he tipped his mirrored sunglasses to me.
“You can fucking bring Napoleon if you got my cash, and the rest of what you owe me too. Everything else in order?” he said.
Tim reached into his pocket and pulled out a wad of cash. He counted out twelve and handed them to Rascal.
“That’s what I owe and for now. Won’t be needing any more fronts,” Tim said and handed him the rest of the wad.
“Really,” Rascal said.
“This is a nice car man, new?” Tim asked.
Rascal grew a grin and said, “It’s nice but I don’t like the color, but it was alllllllllready customized to my condition.”
They shook hands and an overfed farm hand with black Heavy Metal hair got out of the passenger seat. He went to the trunk as a pistol dangled under his pit stained white t-shirt. Why was he projecting so much heat?
An epiphany burst, Tim brought me as a witness.
The guy unclipped a few metal clamps, slammed the trunk and walked over to Tim and gave him a plastic bag. It was dense like dried up brown sugar. There was not much give when Tim squeezed.
“You can sample it like always,” Rascal said as he turned up a Beatles song playing on his stereo.
Tim declined and shook his hand once again and then asked, “Why did you want to meet here?”
“I have business with a new customer. She came through you, so I wanted to make sure everything was on the up and up. I want you to wait and make a final check,” Rascal said.
Tim was there to pay the piper or get beat with the pipe. The corn fed white elephant man was never introduced and got back into the car without a word.
“Who did I set you up with? I can’t recall anyone recently,” Tim asked and then Rascal raised his hand and pointed at the road.
“There you go man. Your question is answered,” Rascal said and I twisted in my seat to look and see who it was.
It was Erin’s car with two people in it and it came to a halt, engine running. I looked at Tim. Erin and Elyssa popped out smoking cigarettes. With the same stride, they went straight to Rascal’s window. Elyssa waved to me as they stood next to Tim. Erin was yellow and her cheeks sunken. Elyssa was bright as the reflection of the full moon illuminating a dark primordial jungle. Crazy enough, I got hard for the first time in a week.
“Here’s the five,” Elyssa said and pulled money from her pocket and gave it to Rascal.
Rascal gave her a bag from the car and said, “Well it’s been nice seeing you guys, but I have other clients to attend to.”
He rolled up his window and screeched away.
“What the fuck?” Tim asked Erin as splotches of red became defined on his face.
“I didn’t know you were doing this and we needed a few things,” she said as she batted her glazed eyes.
“You don’t need anything, I told you to slow down. If it was something else you should have told me. And how in the fucking world did you get his number?” Tim asked.
“I got the number out of your organizer when you said I could use it,” Erin replied imitating Tim’s voice.
The veins on Tim’s face engorged.
“I meant you could use it for school not Rascal. Don’t you know how dangerous he is?”
“You never said that. And what? You think I can’t take care of myself?”
“No, I just don’t want you getting hurt,” Tim said.
“I won’t!” Erin said.
Elyssa waved as they got into Erin’s car and took off in a cloud of gravel dust.
Tim slammed into the driver’s seat and said, “Going behind my back shit.”
I did not say a word and lit a smoke and put it in the one good side of my mouth. Tim gave me the product to place in my baggy pants and the package stuck out like I was a potbelly pig.
“What did Erin get?” I asked.
“Crank,” he said and lit up a cigarette as the smoke drafted into his eyes.
“I knew she was doing shit without me, but this treachery is inexcusable. I’m not getting her shit anymore. That’ll show her not to go over my head!” Tim said while sweat dripped from his forehead.
We pulled out to the rural route and green was returning to Appalachia.
“Are we going to get some food or not?” I asked to break the tension.
“Sure whatever you want, and thanks for coming with me,” he said.
I leaned back.
“Where ever since you are buying.”
After a quick meal we plowed back through the thick light of day and wanted to sleep.
Sleep couldn’t be denied.
The alarm shrieked but I twisted the knob. Eight blinked on the face. Another missed class, and another day spiraled down the drain and I needed a shower.
My favorite stall with the broken soap holder was open and the last of my shampoo oozed out.
I made it to Luke’s house and there were people out like it was Friday. I then saw the sign on the front door that was hanging on its hinges.
Happy Birthday read in glitter lettering.
The joyous sound from inside sickened me and I decided to make this the last temptation. I would not go out on the weekdays after this under any circumstances.
The patched door opened to a table stacked with chips, dips and a party sub sandwich. Three large tubs of beer gleamed behind. A plain girl with a Boston red Socks cap came over with a tray of plastic shot glasses filled with a pinkish concoction. Fruity vodka drinks weren’t my favorite but I took two.
r /> Beers in hand, I went searching for people. A screaming match from the backyard drew me like shark to chum. I pressed the creaky screen door to reveal Tim and Erin entrenched in a battle. I backed away and bobbed and weaved back to the living room. People came flooding down the stairs from the second floor. The laughter of the crowd sealed the envelope and I was going to go out in the mail, but then I saw Luke and went up and said, “Hello.”
“Joaquin, glad you made it. How long you been here?” Luke asked and reached for my hand and shook it with a strong grip.
“I have been here for a bit. I am going to take off now. Oh by the way whose Birthday is it?”
“Mine asshole! You’re not allowed to leave. Show the proper respect and do some slippery shots with me,” he said and grabbed my shoulder and I figured I could have one more.
Another merry band of Luke’s friends came bolting through the sea of slosh and it was time for their own kind of sadistic birthday celebration. They surrounded him and I was added to the circle. One guy with a Calvin and Hobbs t-shirt handed me another beer and said to Luke, “It’s time to earn your age. Twenty-two in twenty-two.” A lesser man than Luke could die of alcohol poisoning but Luke was a professional puker.
Red dots danced on the floor.
Luke finished with a minute to spare and then I heard the demons of pressure whisper in my ear. Two beers in pocket, two in hand, I stepped out onto the porch. The demons didn’t know darkness was my ally. I closed the doors of my mind. In a room, a stool sat in a spot light.
I sat.
The lights dimmed.
And, shut off.