Roadside Bodhisattva Part 5

I looked away, but then she said, "Here, Kid, for you," and I had to look back at her.

Grinning like a cat, she held out a pink-wrapped condom for me.

It took me way too long to find my voice. "Oh, great, whatm I gonna do with that?"

"If you dont know-"

I s.n.a.t.c.hed it out of her hand and stuffed it in my pocket "I know plenty. Are we done here?"

"Almost."

We left the bathroom. Sue moved to the bed. From her box she took two Hersheys Kisses and placed one on each pillow.

"Cla.s.sy," I said. "Im surprised you dont lay out chocolate d.i.l.d.os."

"Oh, now thats just crude."

"Me crude? Who handed who a condom?"

Sue shrugged, her face now sober. "Nothing personal, Kid. Just preaching safe s.e.x, right? Who you do it with is no concern of mine. Lets finish up this a.s.signment Its been a long day."

When Sue said that, I felt suddenly bone-tired. It seemed hard to believe that this morning I had woken up under a tree with just the open road ahead of me, and no awareness of what was going to happen, or that such a place as Deer Park even existed.

We laid out condoms and Kisses in the remaining cabins. Then Sue brought me back to the rooms where she and her aunt lived. I didnt get a tour and really wasnt interested at that point. A single bedroom with twin beds, a living room, a small kitchen that hardly looked used, a clunky old computer on a desk. One of the beds was covered with stuffed animals, I noticed. But only the green-tiled shower held any real attraction for me.

I locked myself in the bathroom and stripped. Pretty soon I was soaping up and shampooing myself more enthusiastically than a squad of football players after the game. This was my first shower in too many days.

Someone knocked on the door. "Kid A," yelled Sue above the noise of the shower, "you want to put your grungy old clothes back on?"

I hadnt thought about it. "Um, not really."

"Well, Ive got some other ones here that might fit. Stuff left behind by people. Its all clean."

"Im not fussy."

"Good. Ill leave them on top of the hamper, and take your dirty ones for the laundry."

"The doors locked."

"Not now its not."

She got the d.a.m.n door unlocked somehow. I moved away from the shower curtain, but she didnt come any closer than the hamper. When I heard the door shut again, I peeked around the curtain.

Sue had left. I wasnt sure if I was glad or disappointed.

The clothes fit good enough, a flannel s.h.i.+rt and some no-name jeans. I left the bathroom and found a connecting door to the office part of the building. Ann was the only one there, sorting through bills at a desk. She looked worn-down and preoccupied. I wondered why most of the adults I knew wore that same expression. One of the great things about Sid was that he never showed such a down face.

"Wheres Sue?"

"She took my car into town to get herself some more cigarettes. I really wish shed quit."

"Well, uh, thanks for everything, Ann. I think Im gonna head back to the trailer now."

"Fine."

Inside the stubby trailer it was kinda gloomy, even though it was only about five oclock. I flipped the switch on a forty-watt bulb and was surprised to see it light up. Ann mustve turned the electricity back on. The beds had been made up, and I had to laugh when I saw the candies on the pillows. Sids pack rested on one bunk and mine on the other. I lay down on the bed alongside my pack. I dug out my headphones and started some cla.s.sic Bad Brains playing. I was thinking about Jack living all alone in his mountaintop fire lookout tower. I thought Id just close my eyes for a minute.

I dont know what time it was when the noise of the busted door fighting somebody woke me up, but it was darker than dirt outside the trailer windows. Still half-asleep, I saw Sid come in. He looked b.u.mmed. But when he spotted me looking at him he managed to grin.

"Get back to sleep, Kid. Tomorrows a brand-new G.o.dd.a.m.n day."

Three.

The variety of sc.r.a.ps you had to sc.r.a.pe off breakfast plates was much less interesting than what you got at lunchtime. I had never really thought about how traditional breakfast food was so much more limited than meals at other times of the day. Bits of toast with teethmarks in them. Smears of egg yolk. Chunks of pancake, soggy with b.u.t.ter and syrup. Some red and white crumbs of Sonnys excellent hash. Splinters of well-done bacon. Paprika-sprinkled hunks of potato with fork grooves through them. That about covered the range of what people were ordering out front at the Deer Park Diner. Oh, and the occasional sticky bowl of oatmeal or Cream of Wheat. I shoveled all the leftovers into the compost bin and stacked the empty plates in the washer.

I had my earbuds in, listening to some skatepunk. The music helped me get into a real intense work rhythm. A line from The Prophet kept running through my brain below the music. "You work that you may keep pace with the earth and the soul of the earth." Thats how I tried to work, even though this job was pretty unchallenging.

Peoples leftovers could be pretty disgusting. But the sight and smell of all this mangled food probably wouldve still had me drooling, if I hadnt already eaten. Eaten too much, in fact. Ann and Sonny had indulged me and Sid when we got into this dumb contest at breakfast.

When I opened my eyes that morning, my second day here, I had a feeling light mustve just struck into the trailer. The light had that kind of early-morning freshness. But Sid was already up, in a manner of speaking. Actually, he was stretched out on the floor doing pushups. All he wore was his underwear. It was kinda embarra.s.sing, especially since I was still totally dressed. But I figured if we were going to be sharing this s.p.a.ce, Id have to get used to this kinda display. I shucked my silent earbuds before I spoke.

"Uh, morning, Sid. Guess I fell asleep before I could get out of my clothes."

"Thats the kinda thing. Usually happens. When you go full out. During a busy day. No shame. In that."

Sids words came in bursts between his pushups. I couldnt get out of bed while he was hogging the limited floors.p.a.ce, so I had to watch his cotton-covered b.u.t.t pumping up and down. The sight raised thoughts in my head about where Sid might have been until late last night. Trying to get into Anns pants, of course. And probably not succeeding, based on that scowl he had shown me in an unguarded moment. I remembered Sue handing me a condom, which still burned right now in the pocket of my new jeans. I had found it transferred there after Sue took my old clothes away to wash. But with a little effort I managed to push the stupid visions of these elderly people getting it on out of my mind. The advice Sue had offered me also applied to Sid. Whatever Sid did with his d.i.c.k was his own business. If he was s.c.r.e.w.i.n.g Ann, or had at least tried to get into her pants, it was none of my affair.

Sid finished his exercises with a fancy little maneuver that left him standing, panting just a little. I got out of bed and moved off a bit from him. He wore a wide grin, and I couldve believed that the grim expression I had seen him sporting last night was just a dream.

"Nothing like the old boot camp drill to get the blood flowing in the morning."

"Are you telling me that you were in the Army once?"

"Maybe. Whats the matter? Cant picture me taking orders? Well, I can accept bossing around just fine, if I put myself deliberately in a place where thems the rules of the game. If you choose to join some system, then you should play by the systems ground rules. At least thats the way I look at it. Living outside all structures is one thing. Thats where Im happiest. Then you get to make your own code. But if you sign onboard some s.h.i.+p, you dont go bucking the captain. Unless you intend to overthrow him and take his place. And while there might be times when youre compelled to do that, and to face all the heavy s.h.i.+t such a move brings with it, most of the time things work out best if everyone sticks to their a.s.signed place, and does their job intelligently"

"Does this lecture have two parts? Because I really have to pee."

Sids laughter rocked the trailer. "Jesus, Im a windy old b.a.s.t.a.r.d, huh? Well, my only excuse is that I dont get to spout off like this all that often. And besides, youre a good listener, Kid. Go take your leak. Ill see you at the diner."

As I left, Sid was skinning into his pants and s.h.i.+rt, and still chuckling to himself.

Outside, the air was a little chilly. Yesterdays heat seemed like a distant memory. I was glad I hadnt been sleeping under some tree last night. As I crossed the distance to the motel office, a man and a woman came out of one of the cabins, all sneaky-like. They crept into their separate cars and drove away. I wondered if they were each married to someone else, and exactly what they had done with each other in their hideaway last night. More stupid thoughts I had to force out of my head.

I knocked at the back door of the office, and when I didnt get any answer I went inside. The rooms where Ann and Sue lived were empty. A clock told me it was just six am. I used the toilet. On the sink were two new toothbrushes, resting atop a sheet of paper. The paper had my name and Sids written on it. I ran my tongue around the inside of my mouth, and it felt pretty skeavy. So I brushed my teeth and put the wet brush in a slot in the cup-holder on the wall. I looked in the mirror, and my hair was a mess. I ran some water into my hand, and slicked my hair flat. I dabbed some on my mustache, wis.h.i.+ng that there was more hair there to dab. Then I went to the diner.

Even though Ann was busy hustling orders to a handful of occupied tables, she had time to smile at me. "Sit at the counter, Kid, and Sonnyll serve you something."

I dropped down onto a stool. Sonny the chef had on the same outfit as yesterday, except that it was clean. White short-sleeved s.h.i.+rt and khaki pants, both of which hung on him like he was a scarecrow. I wondered if his sister washed the same s.h.i.+rt and pants every night, or if he just had a closetful of the same clothes.

Without looking back at me, Sonny said, "Wha-whatll it be, Kid?"

I thought about the one meal my mother liked to cook. "Can I get some blueberry waffles?"

"Guh-got no waffle iron. How about buh-blueberry pancakes?"

"Sure." I felt a little disappointed, but then mentally kicked myself for feeling that way. Why had I been trying to recreate the best part of home? I was on the road now, and everything was different. Wasnt that just the way I had hoped it would be?

Just as Sonny was sliding a tall stack of blue-streaked pankcakes topped with a melting hunk of b.u.t.ter in front of me, Sid waltzed in. His hair was wet, curling onto his collar, and I guessed he mustve taken a shower next door. He made this elaborate goofy bow to Ann, and she smiled at him in what seemed a sincere and appreciative way. Whatever had gone down between them last night must not have caused any hard feelings.

Sid swung a leg up and around like a cowboy getting on his horse to claim the stool next to me. "Do my eyes deceive me, or has this pipsqueak gotten my order by mistake?"

"Pipsqueak? Did you see me eat yesterday? Ill match you pancake for pancake."

"Oh-ho, a challenge! You heard the Kid, Sonny. Start those flapjacks flying my way."

Even though my mouth was watering, I held off eating until Sid got his stack. Then we both chowed down. Sonny had drawn two coffees for us, and I used mine to wash down big mouthfuls of pancakes.

No sooner had we swabbed up the last bit of syrup with the last piece than Sonny had more pancakes ready for us. Sid and I started in our second batch, with coffee refills to help. I wasnt even really hungry anymore. My stomach felt like a balloon expanding in the waistband of my jeans. But Id be d.a.m.ned if I was gonna let Sid beat me.

I didnt look up from my plate, but I got the sense that everyone in the diner was watching us. That just added to the pressure. I kept shoveling the pancakes down, watching Sid out of the corner of my eye. I was hoping hed be slacking off, but he wasnt. In fact, when he caught my eye he went "Mmmmm!" like Homer Simpson and started eating faster.

At the end of the second round, Sonny didnt automatically serve us more. He looked at us with his rabbitty eyes and said, "Wuh-well?"

"Keep em coming!" said Sid. "Unless youre full, Kid ...?"

"No way!" Id eat until I puked, but I wouldnt give up.

At that point Ann came over. "Okay, you two, thats enough. When I said youd get free meals, I didnt plan on you eating up the whole days profits just to prove whos the biggest glutton. Or the biggest five-year-old. This contest is officially over. I declare a tie."

Anns words made me feel relieved. And I got the sense that Sid was also glad for an easy out. His face was kinda flushed, which just made his old zit scars stand out the more.

"Fair enough, boss. Kid, youve got the makings of a contender. How about giving me a shake?"

I shook Sids hand. This was getting to be a regular ritual. Ann went behind the counter to get two orange juices for a customer. Thats when I had a thought.

"Ann, wheres Sue? Shes not cleaning cabins this early, is she?"

Ann looked worried, and her voice softened into nervousness. "She didnt come home last night."

Sid jumped in, like he was Sues father or something. "This a regular thing, Ann? Should we be worried? You want me to hitch into town and look for her?"

"No, no, thats not necessary. Shes stayed away overnight a few times before. But she always comes back in time for work. I dont think shes getting into any trouble. Sue is more responsible and careful than her parents give her credit for. I just wish I knew who she was hanging around with. Theres a bad crowd in Lumberton, and Id be happier knowing she was steering clear of them."

"Want me to talk to her when she gets back? Try to learn some names?"

"That wont do any good, Sid. Ive tried. Sh.e.l.l clam right up."

n.o.body said anything for half a minute, and I realized that both Ann and Sid were waiting for me to speak. I was already a little anxious for some reason, picturing Sue hanging with a bunch of dangerous jerks. But now I got a little mad.

"What? You think Suell talk to me, and then I can narc to you? Forget it! I dont want her to get hurt by anyone, but whatever she does is her business. Ive only known Sue one lousy day, but I can tell already that shes got her act together. Probably moren you two! Thats the whole problem with you geezers. You dont think people our age have any sense. You dont trust us to make good decisions, or to know right from wrong. We can run our own lives without any help from you, thank you very much."

Sid held up his hands like he was protecting himself against some punches. "Whoa, Kid, n.o.bodys asking you to do anything, least of all something against your principles. I know youll follow your conscience. But sometimes if people need help they dont always know how to ask for it. So just stay alert for any signs that Sue might be in over her head."

Sids words struck me as decent advice, not too preachy, so I calmed down. "Okay, thats just common sense. Everyone knows enough to do that."

Ann said, "Huh, youd be surprised, Kid." She moved off to deliver the juices to the fidgety customers. When she returned, Sid asked, "Whats on the agenda for today, bosslady?"

"Well, the Kid has kitchen duty from seven till ten, and from noon to three. But I thought he could help you outside of those hours with some painting. You mightve noticed that every building in sight is peeling pretty bad. I bought the paint when my old handyman still worked here, but he never got a chance to start the job."

Sid scratched one whiskery cheek. "Wont be touching any actual paint for some time. Plenty of sc.r.a.ping first. Kid, you ever done any such work before?"

"No. But how tricky can it be?"

"Kid, never underestimate the skills involved in any job, no matter how easy it looks. Once I got hired to shuck clams, and it took me a month before I could manage to open more clams in an hour than I had cuts on my hands. You can learn something new and useful from any job."

"Okay, okay, honorable Supreme Master of the paintbrush, I get your point. Now Id better start was.h.i.+ng dishes before you come back there to teach me how to scrub lipstick off a coffee cup."

I got off the stool and went to work.

Now the clock above my sink said it was nearly ten. I looked out front to see if any tables needed bussing. They were all clean.

Yasmine rested her slim b.u.t.t on the edge of a stool, long legs braced out in front of her.

"Sue come back?" I asked She stopped inspecting her painted fingernails for chips long enough to flash me a smarmy grin. "Aw, did you miss your little friend? Did you two have a playdate planned?"

I tried to control my anger. "Listen, Yasmine-"

Ann popped up from below the level of the counter, a package of napkins in her hand. "Yasmine, thats quite enough. Yes, Kid, Sues back. Shes fine."

I took ofF my ap.r.o.n. "Mind if I stop and say h.e.l.lo to her before I go help Sid?"

"Not at all."

I found Sue coming out of one of the cabins, juggling an armful of dirty sheets and a pail with cleaning stuff in it. She wore a different s.h.i.+rt today, a long-sleeved one with the phat farm logo on it, but with the same farmer pants and Docs. I noticed that for a heavy girl, she moved real easily.

"Hey."

"Hey, Kid. You look like a good excuse for a cigarette break. Just let me dump this stuff."

Sue disappeared, then rejoined me at the nearest cabin. Like yesterday, we sat on the stoop. She lit up a Camel, inhaled deeply, the cut loose with a big cloud of smoke.