Dry Popcorn Snow (chapter one)

8/8/2019 Dry Popcorn Snow (chapter one)

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Dry popcorn snow whirled in hypnotizing patterns onthe frozen asphalt. The edges of the winterlandscape furred in shades of grey: sky, adobebuildings, light poles, trash, electric wires, the

concrete on-ramp. Headlights of on coming trucksand cars floated in the grey blue haze of blowingsnow. The kneeling bundle on the side of the on-ramp rubbed his gloved hands together, pressingthem between his thighs. The snow stung his noseand eyes, the only skin exposed, as the dry crystalscaught in his trim beard. He stood and stomped hisboots to wake up his frozen feet. His jeans, pressed

with a sharp crease, felt frozen against his thighs andhe pulled the collar of the caramel colored downparka up against his ears.

Clayton heard the signature putting of a Volkswagenvans engine and turned to see headlights. The vanwas crunching slowly up the on ramp and he waved aconfident hand and gestured with his thumb

hopefully. The van passed and then slowed as theroad leveled. He lurched against the wind and pulledat the handle. It took two hard tugs to get the frozendoor open and then he jumped in and pulled it shutwith a hollow bang.

Thanks man, Clayton rubbed his gloved hands onhis thighs.

Im headed towards Phoenix. That suit you? thedriver was a young man with a carefree grin, and hebounced a bit in his seat tapping the steering wheel.Leo had just been thinking what a long boring drivehe had ahead when he saw the man at the top of the


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onramp.

Perfect. I appreciate you stopping and giving me alift. Clayton took in the young mans shoulder

length black curls, swinging under a knit cap with themomentum of his tapping, silver bracelets janglingand his small frame gypsy wrapped in layers offlannel and wool. Leo had the appearance of atwelve-year-old in wire rim glasses. Only the wispsof mustache and beard that patched his cheeks kepthim from being carded at Zias bar when he hadbeers with his fellow UNM grad students.

Clayton tapped down his contempt. His years ofmilitary school were long behind him, but thediscipline was deeply engrained. His clothes werealways clean and pressed, his boots shined, his shirttucked in. Even during his daily exercise ritual, hekept his t-shirt tucked in. His beard and letting histhinning hair graze his collar were his only outward

flaunting of protocol, and both were meticulouslygroomed. Clayton scorned overeducated trust fundhippies, but he was desperate to disappear and feltthis kid would prove an unreliable witness ifquestioned later.

Leo pulled back onto the freeway, slowly shiftingback up to third gear. The blue Volkswagen slowly

dissolved into the storm.

Rough day for travel. Theres a thermos of coffeeright at your feet there. Help yourself.

Thatll work, Clayton sighed as he reached for the


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thermos. He poured a cap full of black coffee andheld it in his gloved hand. I can help with gas andpick up supper for your trouble.

Leo raised his eyebrows. Thatll work, he parrotedand grinned.

Clayton grimaced into the cap of coffee and grunted,sealing the contract.

Before the vans headlights had given Clayton asmall hope of being rescued from the freezing wind

of the on-ramp, he had wondered briefly if this washow he would end up. That his frozen body would befound on the I-40 on-ramp leading from theAlbuquerque airport to points West. It was puresurvival instinct that led him to start walking fromthe rental car return desk toward the freeway andnot toward the Frontier Airlines terminal where aplane was waiting with two seats that would

ultimately not be filled.

His plans had derailed when he reached into theinterior side pocket of his leather satchel to get thecash to pay for the rental car and his fingertipsgrazed a loose .38 cartridge. He startled and felt aice hot surge in his stomach. Where was the holster?

At the motel that morning, Clayton had becomeirritated with Ben, who had insisted that they countthe cash for the third time. They were pressed fortime and he was worried about missing their flightback to Phoenix. The .38 was his favorite, lovely witha pearl handle. He had meant to return the zippered


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holster to its hiding place in one of his prizedkangaroo skin boots, below the form. But had he?Was it now nestled in the boot bag and sitting safelyin their suitcase waiting to be loaded into the belly of

the plane?

The boots were custom made and they werebeauties. Too flashy for everyday, but commandingrespect during business deals. He had visited the oldMexican in the boot factory in Juarez and had his feetcast, a ceramic form had been made. He handselected the cuts of leather from piles in a

cinderblock building that smelled of tanning solventsand thread color and heel size. They fit his feet likethey had grown there.

Standing outside the rental car office he closed hiseyes, knowing hed left the holster in their carryonduffle with his dop kit. Knowing that Ben was nowprobably in police custody after taking the duffle

through security. The fear and anger blended in hisbloodstream and with no plan he headed for thefreeway on ramp.

The intensity of the cold didnt register at first, hisface was pinched in rage and his determination to beswallowed into an anonymous westbound vehiclepushed him up the curb and over the guardrail.

Snow was not yet accumulating and no ice hadformed so he was able to walk up the ramp easily,but he didnt want to call attention to himself andalert the cops so he stayed on the top of the rampand waited. Standing with his back to the wind andhis grey felt hat pulled low on his forehead his pulse


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began to slow and the cold asphalt began to leachthe warmth from his body from the souls of his boots.

These were also custom made from the forms in

Mexico, but everyday calf, more cozy thanhouseslippers, one of a half dozen pair that Claytonpolished and buffed each week. But they were notmeant to catch the eye. The jewels in the suitcasewere special and the ache Clayton felt at loosingthem sparked a new warmth in his belly. Now boththe boots and his gun were possibly gone foreverand he was freezing his ass off on the side of the

freeway.

The landscape west of Albuquerque could be calledbeautiful by some, in a painting or photographed atdawn or dusk. Looking out the Volkswagens snowsmeared windshield one couldnt tell if it were noonor twilight. There was nothing but grey blue and noedges to anything. The van had a CB and an 8 track

player. Leo was partial to the Doobie Brothers whichdid not improve Claytons mood.

Do you mind if I browse your tape library? Claytonasked, trying to sound curious not judgmental.

Theres a shoe box under your seat. Got Waylon,

Willie, Creedence, Cash and I think my brothersStones tapes in there too. You can be DJ.

Great. Clayton reached under his seat and pulledthe box onto his lap. You wear Hush Puppies?Clayton smirked.


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Ha! Right! Naw, I grabbed that box outta my oldmans garage. Leo continued to giggle.

Ah! Heres something. This is great. Claytonejected the Doobie Brothers tape and inserted a VanMorrison tape. Much better.

Okay, Mr. Morrison it is. Next gas stop should be inabout an hour. I suppose we should get a hot mealabout then.

Clayton had covered this route countless times andknew every exit and what it offered. He was aregular at a few spots and mentally settled on aMexican caf in Gallup called La Cucaracha. Helonged for their homemade tamales and a cold DosEquis.

We can stop in Gallup and like I said, its on me, I do

so appreciate you keeping my ass from freezing outthere.

Clayton looked out to the moonscape of the frozendesert and considered for a moment what Ben washaving for lunch. If he was in a holding cell, if hedbeen given a phone call, and who he would possiblythink to call.

Aw now Im getting hungry. Change the subject quick! I cant drive an hour with my stomachchurning.

Clayton tried to think of a subject he wanting to talk


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about with the kid as his senses became dulled byVan Morrison, the putting Volkswagen engine, theslow hiss of tires on snow and the occasional lazyswipe of the windshield wipers against the teasing

snow.

You dont need to feel shy about telling me that itsnone of my business, but I am curious what put youin the mind to hitchhike in this weather.

There was a long pause as Clayton began to limberhis mind to meet this challenge. Clayton had never

told a completely true personal narrative in his life.He wouldnt know how.

I had what you might call a breach of confidence.Someone I thought was trustworthy, ya know, in mycorner? Turned out he wasnt the man I thought hewas. He set me up but before he could lower thenet, I saw him for what he was. Unfortunately it left

me with no option but to get out of Dodge. I wasunable to make proper travel arrangements.

Clayton enjoyed how that sounded. He wasimpressed with his talent for crafting his story with

just a peppering of the facts to keep the structuresound.

Leo nodded and smiled at the evasive answer. Fine,have it your way. Dont tell me. But Ill bet theres awoman.

Clayton laughed out loud, Well, hell. Theresalways a woman. And he smiled at Leo for the first


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time, a seductive youre alright smile of malebonding.

Leo liked having a companion on his long drives but

was not unaware of the dangers of picking uphitchhikers. He felt lucky that he had never run intoa problem doing it. Everyone had stories and in theend everyone was the same. People all have thesame needs and desires, when you get down to it.Plus he had nothing worth stealing, and a rider wasalways willing to help with gas or buy coffee. Leowas beginning to warm up to Clayton and was very

eager to hear his story.

The men listened to Van Morrison and Clayton talkedeasily about women who had been too demanding ortoo bossy. Each had a woman who had left themscarred and several they had accidentally forgottento call the next day or any day. Leo felt that theirstories and laughter had dissolved any trace of

unfamiliarity and at one point Leo asked Clayton aquestion whose answer made Leo wish he hadnt ofasked.

Whats the worse thing you have ever done to alady friend? Ill confess mine: I slept with my ladysyounger sister. Stupid. She was trouble, theyounger one. So that was the end of that. What

about you? Every completely misstep?

Id be lying if I said no. Clayton smiled a sad smile.I think I need the comfort of a full stomach before Iget into the details on my worse misdeed when itcomes to women.


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We got about 30 miles before Gallup. So, do youhave kids? Thats one thing I look forward to butlater, like maybe ten years or so.

Yeah. Thats part of my story though, I dont wantto ruin the punch line.

Billboards began appearing in the darkening greyhaze, mostly torn and partial advertisements for foodand shelter with the remnants of the former businessunderneath. Leo eased the van off the highway into

the first filling station on the access road. Under thefluorescent lights of the gas pumps Clayton lookedolder, his face more angular and lined. I got this,he said and walked quickly up to the window to pay.

The attendant turned on the pump and Leo filled thetank while Clayton took the restroom key and leanedinto the wind as he made his way toward the side ofthe building. Inside the mens room he locked the

door and then took off his felt hat. He washed hisface and hands with the icy tap and dried them andthen took his hat and peeled back the satin liningnear the brim. He removed four fifty dollar bills andreplaced the lining. He combed the water throughhis thinning hair and put the hat back on and putthree bills into his wallet and one in his front pocket.His thumbnail caught on a thread from his pocket

and took out his knife and clipped the nail, thenrubbed the nail smooth. He took the key back to theattendant and then paid for the gas.

Back in the van the men drove slowly down theaccess road until Clayton pointed to a side street and


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told Leo to turn. Two blocks down was the Mexicancaf, La Cucaracha, above the door was a red neonsign outlining a dancing cockroach in a sombrero.Inside the men claimed a booth and an older Mexican

woman brought them sticky plastic menus and waterin red plastic cups. Her name was etched in a redplastic badge: JOSIE. The table was covered in brightoilcloth still damp from being wiped down. Both menordered coffee and quietly studied their menus. Theclack of billiard balls could be heard from the bar inthe back.

I recommend the tamales. Theyre small so youshould get the half dozen. I prefer the green chilebut the porks their best seller. Clayton raised hishand at Josie and mouthed Tecate and she noddedand turned back towards the kitchen.

Josie recognized Clayton but didnt know his name.He came through regularly, ordered the same each

time, always tipped well, always the wolf mask smile.A dangerous hungry smile. Always alone.

Im hungry and if youre paying I might as wellsplurge. Hows the chimichanga? Leo had atwinkley smile that Clayton hadnt noticed when theywere sitting side by side in the van.

Well, what isnt good thats deep fried? I prefer theenchilada plate if Im going for a full meal. Ohgreat. Clayton smiled flirtatiously at Josie as she putthe can of Tecate down and a small dish of limewedges.


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You ready to order? she smiled back, a neutralwaitress smile.

The men ordered tamales to split, the chimichanga

and the enchilada dinners and Josie took their menusand headed back to the kitchen. Josie clipped theorder slip to the wheel then ducked behind the sodadispenser to spy on the men She was worried forthis young man with the wolf.

Leo was ready for Clayton to resume his story. Soyou have a child and you wronged a woman? Now

for the details. Whats your story?

Clayton hung his hat on the hook provided behindthe booth. What hair he still had was pressed in atight ring where the hat had been. He smoothed itback with his manicured hands and reached for alime wedge. He rubbed the lime wedge on the rim ofthe Tecate can and squeezed the rest into the can.

He then reached for the salt checker. well, it startsout simple enough. Then it gets complicated. Thatswhere I am now, the complicated part.

Clayton took two long swallows of the beer, savoringthe lime and salt. I married under duress. I wasenjoying life as a drunk frat boy and wham Clayton

slapped his palm on the table, suddenly Im at thealtar with a shotgun at my back. He licked the saltfrom his mustache, holding Leos gaze.

Josie came by and dropped off a plastic basket ofwarm tortilla chips and a fake lava bowl of salsa. do


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you have a chipotle or a tomatillo salsa? Somethingmuy caliente? asked Clayton with his Tecate smile.si, she said and returned again to the kitchen.

I guess you were out of the frat? asked Leo.

Technically, sure. I still went to a lot of thefestivities and helped with pledges. I was prettyinvolved. But yeah, I was not officially a member andhad to move out of the house. Clayton scowled atthe memory and took several more gulps of beer.

Josie made another trip to the mens table with thesalsas and put them next to the chips. One was darkbrown and the other light green. She smiled andpointed to each, Chipotle. Tomatillo. You wantanother Tecate? Josie knew what his answer wouldbe.

Por Favor. Clayton smiled.

So off to manhood, fatherhood and the daily grind oflife in an office, suit and tie, yes, sir to the boss. Iwas happy to do business trips and client lunchesand the trips became longer and more frequent.Fast forward eight years and I have a regularschedule with my out of town clients, hotels andrestaurants in those towns. In each town I have a

routine with bartenders, desk clerks and waitresses.They remember my name, treat me with respect andI remember them at Christmas.

Almost none of this was true. Clayton stayed on theroad as much as possible, but kept to himself when


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not showing new designs to a purchase manager. Hehad spiral notebook with crib notes on each client,with the name of the secretary and her description,family members names and kids ages, schools, any

relevant information including physical description.

Leo was listening and testing each salsa. Thechipotle was too smokey but he liked the citrus flavorof the tomatillo. He was sweating and nodding, notfriends or family but important.

Exactly. Except in one town, at one bar. A lounge

singer became more than a friend. She was happywith the arrangement we had because she wasstudying to be a nurse and she didnt have time tobe anybodys full time girl friend. She didnt makedemands of me and was fun. I never gave her anypersonal information about my home life and shenever asked. Everything was perfect.

Josie arrived with a huge tray balanced on oneshoulder and a tray stand in her free hand. She setup the tray and began arranging the platters of food.Hot plate. She warned as she set the oval plate ofred sauce and cheese in front of Clayton. Sherepeated the warning to Leo and set the tamales inthe center between them. She replaced the empty

Tecate with a new full can and asked, anything

else? and then, Enjoy. and turned and headed forher hiding place behind the soda dispenser beforeeither could answer.

The men tested the heat on their platters and startedunwrapping the tamales. Steam rose from their


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table and the men were quiet while they navigatedtheir food.

Leo nudged Clayton back to his story, perfect

except you were married and had a child at home.

Wrong! challenged Clayton, Perfect until I comeinto the bar one night and she wasnt there. Shestaking a break, the bartender said. I figure shes infinals or started an internship at the hospital. Shesmentioned that being a concern, not getting paid fora while so she can intern. I have a hell of a time

getting her number from the bartender. When I call,shes living with her mother. She had moved out ofher apartment so Im thinkin thats gonna put acramp in our relationship. I always went to herplace. I just felt more comfortable having my motelroom be just for me, ya know?

Clayton started in on his enchiladas. He thought

longingly of his motor home parked in the desert. Heonly started staying in motels again when he andBen had started their business venture. His motorhome was sanctuary for him and he never let anyoneelse sleep there. Clayton paused in eating to washdown a mouthful of enchilada with the last of hisbeer, which Josie replaced without his asking.

Leo nodded. He was enjoying Claytons story, andfeeling thankful that his own life was more simple,and a little sad for Claytons wife and child eventhough he didnt know them.

she says we should get dinner out, doesnt want me


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to come pick her up. Says shell meet me at thisrestaurant I dont know. I should have known thatwas a bad sign. So we meet at the restaurant -some Italian place near the mall and she doesnt

even let me get a drink first before she hits me. Impregnant. I dont need to tell you this is not goodnews for either of us. Clayton is finishing hisenchilada platter, using pieces of tamale to soak upthe extra sauce and slurps the fresh beer. He signals

Josie with a spent lime, a request for another.

The waitress hurries over with a new dish of limes

and clears his empty plate. Leo shakes his head ather when she offers to take his. He is slowly finishinghis meal and eager to learn the rest of Claytonsstory.

that is a drag, Leo says. bummer

yeah, tell me. Im thinking, OK, she could be lying,

or maybe she wants money. Or maybe shes gonnathreaten to tell my wife and want a lot of money. Ihavent even told her Im married I dont wear aring so maybe she found out and got pregnant onpurpose. Man, my head is spinning and Im notmaking any sense to myself. I should tell her Imgoing to the mens room and take off. She couldnttrack me down. Id switch territories with another

rep and never come back to this town again. Imlooking for an escape hatch. Then she says, Imnot getting rid of it. Im keeping it. My momma willhelp me with the baby until Im finished with school.I just thought it was right to tell you. You can beinvolved or not, but dont say you want to and then


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go and flake out later. You need to decide now.

Clayton is leaning in studying Leos reaction. Wherehe takes the story next depends on the audience. A

real man will see how clearly in the right Clayton is.

Leo pushes his platter to the side and turns to lookfor Josie. He catches her eye and mouths coffeeand she nods. that is quite a situation you havethere.

A safe neutral response. Clayton can see he has to

bring Leo more forcefully to his position. Explain amans perspective by example.

Josie is quick with the coffee and clears the rest ofthe dishes off the table. She leaves the hand writtencheck face down on a black plastic tray with twopeppermints. take your time.

Clayton is smiling in his wolfish way, oh you have noidea. So shes having my kid, , and Im welcome totake on the responsibility of being Daddy, but shecuts me out of her life and I get to live in fear of mywife and family learning of this bastard child. Shesalways got this to hang over me. Its a potentialnightmare scenario, right? So I figure, she cant hurtme with this if I beat her to the punch. So, I had a

frat buddy of mine open a new checking account inhis name for me to put some money away, I rent anapartment in Flagstaff and set up house. Then I gohome and come clean with the wife, whounderstandably wants me out. I let her file fordivorce and that, my friend is the worst thing I ever


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did.

You win. Leo laughs nervously, and Clayton joinshim laughing loud and with relief.

Clayton palms the check and glances at it then pullsa fifty from his pocket and walks up to the cashier.He tips Josie generously as she expects, and returnsto the booth for his hat and coat. gonna use the

john before we hit the road. And he walks to thehallway.

Leo is lost in thought. He doesnt know Clayton at alland he is not sure he respects a man who is socavalier with his children, even if they both came intohis life serendipitously. He remembers his thermosand asks Josie to fill it with coffee and hands her afive. She waves the cash away and takes thethermos with a smile, this time genuine.

In the mens room, Clayton washes his hands withthe bar of rough lava soap provided and thensplashes water on his face. He hadnt meant to gointo so much personal detail in his story and hopesLeo isnt appalled. Most men who travel have affairs,and the women know what theyre getting in to. Hedries his face and hands and puts on his hat andparka. fuck it. He thinks, No charge for the

education, son.

The men meet up at the cashier as the full thermos isreturned to Leo. Clayton takes a toothpick from thedispenser and puts it in his mouth. Both men standin the alcove zipping their parkas and raising their


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collars before they brave the blowing snow and jogquickly to the van.

next stop Winslow! Leo announced as he started

the van. He forced Claytons sordid tale out of histhoughts. He set the coffee filled thermos on thefloor and nosed out of the deserted gravel parkinglot. He began to sing: Standin on a corner inWinslow Arizona, hey, find the Eagles tape. Letslisten to that one.

Eagles. Okay. Clayton ejected the tape and then

fumbled in the Hush Puppies shoe box then insertedthe Eagles and hit rewind. The whiny screech filledthe van. It was dark, early evening and theheadlights showed there was nothing on the road.Leo didnt seem upset with him. He was feelingrelieved, full and the beers helped his thoughts settleon that mornings fiasco. The salsa in his gut beganto smolder as he relived his anger at Ben.

Ben was surely incarcerated at this moment back inAlbuquerque. They had worked this simple dealmany times with no hitches. It was a no brainer - hehad the supplier Ben had the clients and it was fast.Easy money. Everybody wins.

Clayton had met Ben through his kid. They had kids

the same age and they were in a summer tumblingclass together at ASU. Waiting for the class to beover, they struck up a conversation based on the t-shirt the partner was wearing. It was a Grateful Deadskull in a New Mexico zia. Clayton wasnt adeadhead but he liked the design, thought it clever.


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Ben had worked as a local stage crew on that tourand made money on the side selling weed to thecrew. He had volunteered this information, withoutlowering his voice as if hed been a sno-cone vendor.

Clayton bought from a guy who was always trying torecruit him into selling, because he said he looked sostraight no body would suspect. By the end of thesummer Clayton and Ben had organized a businessplan to make drops at rock shows in Albuquerquethrough Bens roadie crew contacts.

He had never had any need to carry a gun, but forsome reason he felt any self respecting dealer wouldhave one. He bought the pearl handled pistol in apawnshop on Guadalupe street before their first deal.

Ben had laughed hysterically when he saw it. whatwas that line, man, from Patton? Only a pimp in acheap whorehouse in New Orleans would carry a

pearl handled pistol or was it the piano player? Manyou are not going to need that. Just be cool. Crazybastard. Ben shook his head in disbelief.

Hed been right. Hed never needed it and it was aliability. Now hed forgotten to put it back in his bootbag and Ben had unknowingly taken it throughsecurity in theircarryon. Shit.

Dry Popcorn Snow (chapter one)

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Transcript of Dry Popcorn Snow (chapter one)