The Nightcrawler (18 page)

With difficulty he sat up on what he now realized was a lounge chair beside the pool. The nude stone woman poured water into the hot tub from her bottomless flask. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes. With some encouragement from deep down, he raised himself to a hunched, but standing position. He tried to straighten up, but the strain on his bladder made that exercise painful. So he began to waddle, bent over like a ninety-year-old, toward the stairs to the apartment over the garage.

“Wow, you really look like shit, Vermont,” Beth said. She was standing at the top of the stairs in the same swimsuit she had worn the previous morning. He saw the mockery on her face but it didn’t hide the sympathy in her eyes.
 

Roger wondered briefly through his discomfort, how she could be so stunning and seemingly unaffected by the victory celebration. She had at the very least, matched him beer for beer.
 

“I feel worse I’m sure,” he said in a barely audible whimper.

Beth giggled prancing down the steps. “Nice look, Roger, not everyone could carry it off but it works for you.”

Roger looked down to see that he wasn’t wearing a shirt. He was barefoot and still had his baseball pants on, which were damp and one pant leg was pulled up past the knee. He looked at Beth inquisitively, she pointed to the pool where his shirt and one of his shoes floated motionless on the sparkling surface.
 

“You sure got game on the ball field, Vermont, but in a saloon you are one shameful greenhorn.”

His stomach retched again, with some panic he squeezed past Beth who was now standing on the bottom step. He climbed the stairs as fast as his triple weight bladder would allow. His gut had settled into a low rumble by the time he got to the guest bathroom. He stood over the toilet expecting the pressure to release in a stream that could rival a fire hose, but what came was barely more than a trickle. His bladder swelled to the point that it restricted flow. So he stood there trickling until the pressure on his plumbing was relieved. A sigh of relief escaped his lips followed by a surge of despair when he felt the inevitable heave.
 

He heard a light knock followed by Beth’s voice, “Roger, are you okay?”
 

He flushed and said he’d meet her at the pool.
 

It took him almost an hour to get downstairs. He showered, shaved and brushed his teeth twice. He smelled and looked much better but his head throbbed. His stomach had settled, although his abs burned like he had been doing sit-ups all morning.
 

“Holy shit, Bethy, look what the cat dragged in,” Bobbie said. Bobbie and Beth were sitting at the edge of the pool with their legs dangling in the water. They giggled a bit and Roger flipped them the bird and sat next to Beth.
 

“How ya feelin’, Vermont?” Beth asked in a truly sympathetic tone.

“Give me a few more hours and I’ll be good as new,” Roger said. He didn’t believe that, but he had to cowboy up in front of the girls. “I won’t be ready to travel today. You don’t mind me staying for another day, do you?”

“Well, if she wants you out of the guest room, Roger, you can sleep with me tonight,” Bobbie said, laughing.
 

Beth punched her in the arm and told Roger he didn’t have to leave until he was ready. He thought it unlikely he would be welcome if he were still here in a month, but he wouldn’t need the guest room that long.

“I should be fine to hit the road tomorrow.”

“God damn, boy, you’re as pale as boiled pork.”
 

The three turned to see Jack Walker standing ten feet away wearing a denim shirt, pressed jeans and cowboy boots. “Listen, Roger, you really saved the day yesterday. That was the first time I didn’t have to pay for that shindig you attended last night.”
 

Beth was gleaming, as she could see where this was going.
 

“I understand you have school in the fall but if you want to spend the rest of the summer working here I’m sure I could find a spot for you.”
 

There it was, just what Beth was hoping for. “You seem to be moved in to Billy’s old room and you are welcome to it as long as need be.”

“I really appreciate the offer, Jack, but I really want to get to the Grand Canyon this summer,” Roger said without noticing the smile fading from Beth’s face. He stood up, faced Jack and added, “I’ve been planning this trip since I was a junior in high school and I need to see it through.”

“A man who knows what he wants and makes it happen. I like that, son. You go do what you gotta do. If you need to make a few bucks before September rolls around the guest room will be there.”
 

“Thanks, that really means a lot, Jake,” Roger said.

“You’re still a smartass, son.” Jack put out his hand and Roger extended his. With a quick shake, Jack turned and headed back toward the house.

“He really likes you, Roger,” Bobbie said. “I can’t remember seeing anything like that before. And it’s not just the damn ball game. He sees something in you.”

Bobbie stood and motioned to Beth as though they had a plan and it was up to her to get it in play. Bobbie walked away, and as she got to the stairs going up to the apartment, she made the same gesture. It was a shoving motion like one you might use to urge a child to join the line to jump off the diving board for the very first time.

“So you’re planning to leave tomorrow?” Beth asked in a voice that said, “I don’t really want to hear the answer
.”

“Yeah, I’m already a week behind where I thought I would be.”

“I wish you would take Daddy up on his offer to stay the summer.”

“Beth, you know I like it here. But it’s like I told your dad, I really need to do this.” He looked right at her and before he could stop himself he said, “Why don’t you come with me?”

“Do you mean it?”

He didn’t think he did but he also didn’t think he could take it back. Sure it would be nice to have some company and sure Beth was beautiful company, although this isn’t what he planned. But he said, “I wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t mean it.”
 

She kissed his cheek and ran away leaving little wet footprints on the stone. She didn’t follow Bobbie up the stairs. She followed Jack back to the main house.
 

Roger was left sitting on the edge of the pool wondering what had just happened. Two days ago, he hadn’t known any of these people and now he was offered a place to stay and a job. He invited a swimsuit model to join him on his trip and she seemed to be willing. The weird thing about that, he wasn’t totally convinced he wanted this gorgeous girl to come along. Having all distraction gone, he found the pounding in his head to be unbearable so he went back to the guest room to lie down.
 

Four hours passed before Roger was brought to consciousness by a honking horn outside his window. Beep, beep, BEEEEEEEEEEP. He looked toward the sound and the light streaming through the window caused his eyes to close to slits. He felt much better. The pounding in his head had been reduced to a low grade hum that intensified with each beep. When he got to the window and looked down to the source of the noise, he saw Beth standing beside a shiny lemon yellow Jeep. She waved up at the window with one hand, the other still on the horn of the Jeep.
 

She stopped beeping and yelled, “Come on down, Vermont.”

Roger laughed. Beth had released the horn and was standing with her hands on her hips.
 

“Well, are you coming down or do I have to come up there and drag your scrawny ass down here?”

He laughed aloud and shaking his head walked to the door leading to the stairs. When he walked out into the sun, which was well past being high in the sky, Roger said, “What the hell is that, Beth?”

“It’s a Jeep, Vermont,” she said hands still on her hips. “Don’t they have Jeeps in the east?”

“Yes we have Jeeps. But what are you doing with it?”

“Well, I told Daddy I was going to the canyon with you and he said, ‘Not in that Challenger you’re not.’ I said ‘shit no, we’re going to hitchhike.’” Beth broke into a hysterical laughter. “You shoulda seen the look on his face. He said ‘Bethy, you go see Billy. He’ll have a Jeep ready when you get there.’ So here it is.”

“So it’s Billy’s Jeep?”

“No stupid. It’s yours. At least for a year. Daddy owns a Chrysler dealership and Billy runs it for him.” She threw the keys at him and ran around to the passenger side. “Well, let’s go for a ride.”

“What do you mean it’s mine?”

“For a year, Vermont. Daddy told Billy to set up a one year lease. We have to go see Billy before he closes to finish the paperwork. Come on, let’s go.”

“Beth, I can’t even afford the insurance for a year on that car.”

“You don’t have to worry about that. It’s got Daddy’s fleet insurance.”

Roger surrendered and quick stepped to the Jeep. The top was off; a tarp was stretched across the cargo area behind the rear bench seat concealing the results of Beth’s shopping trip.
 

“What’s all that?” he asked with the look of a nine-year-old who just got the new Schwinn he asked Santa for.
 

She grabbed the tarp and pulled it back revealing a complete set of camping gear. A tent, sleeping bags, stove, lantern, cooler. It looked like a sample pack for a Coleman salesman. Roger sat stunned and speechless. The gear in the back of the Jeep must have cost more than he made last year.
 

Beth brought him back asking, “You okay, Vermont?”

“Beth, I can’t take the Jeep or any of this.”

“Look, the car is just a loan. And the gear, well if you don’t want to take it with you after the trip then it will just get stored in the barn until the next ice age. Or maybe me and Bobbie will use it. Now if we don’t get moving we’re going to miss Billy at the dealership.”

Roger started the Jeep and sat for a moment listening to the engine, his hand on the steering wheel thinking. He felt odd, like when he was little and his Granddad used to give him a dollar whenever he came to visit. His mother would always give him a look. Later, she would always caution Roger and his sister that Granddad had better things to do with his money. Surely Jack Walker had better things to do with his money, even if he did own most of Nebraska.

“Vermont, you have to put it in gear or it won’t move,” Beth said.

Roger followed her instructions without saying anything and the Jeep lurched and stalled. He restarted it a little embarrassed and with a smoother release of the clutch, they sped off toward the long driveway.

They got to Walker’s Chrysler about ten minutes before closing. Billy was talking to a pretty young woman at the reception desk. Beth had quipped to Roger that Billy always hired cheerleaders to work the reception desk and then spent a great deal of effort and money trying to get in their pants. She also mentioned that he was fairly successful.
 

A balding salesman dressed in black pants and a red polo shirt with Walker Chrysler embroidered on the sleeve was sitting at a desk in one of ten cubicles located around the perimeter of the showroom. On the desk a small placard “Bob Johnstone—Sales Associate”. Across from him a young couple, both dressed in jeans and western shirts sat nervously as Bob typed in the last of the offer to purchase on a new Caravan. The couple exchanged anxious smiles and then Bob left them while he retrieved the sales contract and presented it to Billy at the reception desk.
 

Billy and Bob the salesman walked over to the young couple, everyone shook hands, smiled and Billy left Bob to get all the signatures.

Beth and Billy hugged, and then Billy shook Roger’s hand.

“How ya doin’, slugger,” Billy asked.

“Better than I did when I woke up,” Roger said.

“No doubt. You were in sad shape when you left the party.”
 

Billy motioned for the pair to follow and they all went in to Billy’s office. Billy gave Roger a few pieces of paper to sign and told him to enjoy the Jeep. Beth got up and went to the restroom. Roger expressed his feeling about accepting the Jeep. Billy eased his mind, telling him that Jack was thinking of making it an MVP prize every time Three-B’s won the annual ball game. The only thing Roger had to do was bring it back when the lease was up.

When Beth returned, Roger and Billy were sharing a laugh about some of the gaffs from players on both teams during the game. The laughter broke off when she entered and asked what was so funny.
 

“Billy was just sharing some stories about your childhood,” Roger replied and the two men shared another chuckle that broke off when Beth pinched Billy’s left arm hard enough to make him squeal. Roger side stepped away from her and Billy told him to be careful around her. Billy laughed harder; Roger decided it might be best not to respond to this one.

“Okay then, that’s all we need to do here. I guess I’ll see you both at dinner tonight,” Billy said as he ushered them back out to the showroom.
 

Roger looked at Beth with a confused expression, “Dinner?”
 

“Oops, sorry, Bethy,” Billy said, leaving them, he returned to the receptionist.