Stacka Pancake

 Perry said " slow down". "Stop!" He seen em before me. An old man and a boy. They had home made knapsacks, handkerchiefs tied to sticks.  Perry said " lets give 'em a lift." I was't okay with helpin' hitch hikers. We got places to be.They looked like they could pay their way. Chip in some gas or something anyways.

Perry's all heart. He'd have me pick up the sorriest lookin' bunch crawlin' 'long the side of the road. I agreed to to make Perry shut up.  The boy was as grateful as could be. The old man didn't talk one bit, he was a mute. Blind, deaf, can't speak, can't hear, can't help himself. He ain't gonna be of no good use. They come from where we just come from anyway. We was tryin' to get some jobs, Help us to Mexico. Perry asked the boy where he was headed. "Sweetwater" replied the boy. Ain't never hearda no sweetwater. Boy said it's somewhere in Texas. His gramp Johnny (the mute) has a sister in sweetwater. Wonder how he knows that if the old man can't talk. They thought she lived in Jasper, but they were informed of her presence in Galvestone. Lady there said she was in Sweetwater though. They better hope she is. They been walkin since Christmas for Christ' sake. None of this really interest me anyway. I just wanna disappear. 

I stopped the car, don't want the sick old bastard in my vehicle. I was gonna put em out in the cold again. Perry argued against my action, implying it was inhumane or somethin'. Suppose he dies though, that wouldn't be one bit good.  Perry decided he'd get put out with 'em. I told him to remember, remember it's his own damn fault. The boy yelled "hold-it". I stopped for some reason, I don't know why. He came runnin' back with 4 cocoa-cola bottles. "There's plenty of money in bottle" he implied." Why, mister, if you was to drive kind of slow, I guarantee you we could pick up a big piece of change. That's what me and Johnny been eatin' off. Refund money."

The boy had a real keen eye for bottles. He commanded stop about every 20 feet. Hoppin out to collect bottle. It kinda' ammused me for a bit. Took about an hour to go five miles. Was worth is though. Perry got pretty damn good at spottin botttles too.  I hopped out of the car upon spotting wine and whiskey bottles.  "There ain't no refund on liquor empties." Even some beer bottles ain't no good." I then properly introduced myself to the boy and the boy to myself. His name's Bill, I told him he was a regular education. 

We had a whole car full of bottles. I said " Be funny if we had a smash-up." It wouldn't be funny at all.

 Bill said to pull into a place entitled "New Motel". There we could cash in our bottles. Made $12.60. The boy took half, then Perry and i split the other.

The boy ordered the old man pancakes. He said it was his favorite. The old man slammed down a whole sack and was ready for more. I wanna get rid of these two, we got stuff to do. The boy was as polite as can be though. Saying not to worry, they'll get another ride. We'll always know to refund bottles when needed though, Ya learn something everyday.

Sunday Dinner

I had mixed feelings, but I tried not to think, can't let them know. I think they might know. I'm going home, home to my parents. Home to my brother. It's Sunday, I'll spend it with my old man, watch the game, eat some grub. Nothing's out of the ordinary here. I'm just the same as always.

I arrived at about noon, greeted my mother with a kiss. Dad was askin all sorts of questions about my trip to Fort Scott. Good thing I'm a snappy thinker. Nothing ever happened. I'm just the same as always. We ate quite a meal, then relocated to the parlor to watch the basketball game. Nothing's different. I fell asleep watching the game. How could I do that, nothin more important than the game. I'm the same as always, just a little tired is all. I did just get back from a long trip. Over eight-hundred miles in the past 24. There's nothing different here. I'm the same as always. 

 

Blue Jump Suit

I was wearing a blue jumper suit, it advertised Bob Sand's Body Shop. I've been workin' there since I got out of the pin August. I earn a good sixty bucks a week. Today I was gettin paid to overhaul my own car. Needed some work done. Oil, adjust the clutch, recharge the battery, a whole mess of stuff. I had a black 1949 Chevrolet sedan. Perry's old Gibson was lying in the back seat, right next to a brand new pump action twelve gauge. It had pheasants etched into the side of the chamber. There was also a flashlight, leather gloves, and a hunting vest packed with shells. I knocked on the windshield to implicate Perry of the events soon to take place. "Knock, knock. Excuse me, sir. We've been out hunting and lost our way. If we could use the phone . . . "

" Si, Senor. Yo comprendo."

" A cinch, I promise you, honey, we'll blast hair all over them walls."

 "Those walls," Said Perry. Always correcting me. He's what they'd call a dictionary buff, a devotee of obscure words. He's been tryin' to improve my grammar since Kansas State Penitentiary. 

Perry asked me why I was late in meeting him at the Little Jewel, I told him my old man was around. I told him we'd be gone over night,visitin' your sister in Fort Scott.He'd a known if he'd seen me with that shotgun, known we was upta no good.

The Score

I've come up with a flawless plan. Well, it may not quite be flawless. I've asked an old friend of mine to meet me at the drug store in Olathe, Kansas so we could discuss a "big score". I enter the shop to see Perry Smith drinking a root bear (as he never drank coffee) and smoking a cigarette. Perry is surveying a very large sheet of paper. The content of the paper all have to do with routes of Mexico, the heading states "Phillips 66 map of Mexico". I look down to see a whole mess of Perry's useless belonging's, upon this sight my jaw instantaneously dropped. "Christ Perry. You carry that junk everywhere?" Perry replied "What junk? One of them books cost me thirty bucks." Perry puts out a cigarette, only to light up a brand new one. Perry had sworn to the State Parole Board, and then to himself that he'd never set foot back in this place. Here he is, ready to embark on a journey, just as always.  Perry had told me he knew "the ins and outs" of gold hunting. This was true, for Perry's father was a professional prospector. As I conclude this thought, Perry stands up, folds the map, hides it away, pays for the root bear and stands. He had seemed something like a giant when he was seated. That's bar camouflage. He really ain't no taller than a 12-year-old boy. Perry and I re stationed ourselves outdoor of the drug store, Perry still suckin' away on a Pall Mall. I was late, about a half hour. I made it clear as day to Perry how important the next 24 hours was gonna be. I pondered off thinkin' bout who knows what. Finally, a car horn honked.