Dorothy Garlock - [Route 66] (18 page)

Margie stepped in front of her. “I’m in no mood to put up with your hateful attitude, Mrs. Luker. Don’t insult my friend again unless you want a handful of that dyed hair pulled out of your mean, stupid head!”

“Well, who do you think you are?” Sugar sputtered.

“I know who I am. Hasn’t anyone ever told you who you are? You’re a self-centered bitch. And you’ve got the manners of a guttersnipe. Come on, girls.”

“Ha, ha, ha.” Mona chortled softly as they walked toward the garage. “You sure told her, and I’m glad you did it in front of Daddy.”

“I get tired of always trying to do the right and polite thing and letting bitches like Sugar walk over me. I guess you heard me yelling at Elmer. He’ll probably leave me here.”

“You could ride with Brady.”

“I would not ride with Brady. He—” Margie would have said more, but she looked down to see Anna Marie tilt her head to look up at her. The child was drinking in every word that was said and no doubt would repeat them to her uncle.

Deke was squatted beside the radiator he had taken from the Luker car.

“Will you be able to fix it?” Margie asked.

“ ’Fraid not, darlin’. I’ll have to get another one from Elk City. I know a fellow over there who does salvage work. He’ll have one or know where I can get one.” He stood wiping his hands. “Ready to jump in the tank? I put a tarp around it since you was here. I’ll go let it down.”

“This is Mona Luker, Deke. Mrs. Bales said she and Anna Marie could bathe with me.”

“Howdy, ma’am.”

They followed Deke to the tank beside the barn where he pulled on a tarp he had strung on a wire.

“Ain’t nobody out back to see ya, darlin’, but Mr. Roosevelt and a couple of horses.”

“Who’s Mr. Roosevelt?” Mona asked.

“My buffalo. I’m not sure he knows he’s a buffalo. He’s been making eyes at Mama’s milk cow.” Deke pulled a small platform up beside the tank. “Something for you to step out on to keep your feet from getting dirty. I had to build this for Mama so she could get in the tank.”

“Thanks, Deke. It’s going to be a treat to take a bath.”

“Take your time. Nobody will bother you.”

The next thirty minutes were pure pleasure. When Margie sat down, the water covered her breasts. After she had scrubbed herself and washed her hair, she held Anna Marie on her lap while Mona washed the girl’s hair, then held her over the water while she rinsed it. Margie loved the feel of the little arms around her neck and the sound of her childish laughter.

After they had all bathed, Margie climbed out, put on her dress and lifted Anna Marie out onto the platform. While Mona was dressing she asked a startling question.

“What are you wearing tonight when Brady takes us to town?”

Margie didn’t answer until after she had pulled Anna Marie’s dress over her head.

“I’m not going to town.”

“Huh? Brady said that—”

“Brady doesn’t speak for me.” Her tone was sharp.

“Don’t you like Uncle Brady anymore?” Anna Marie asked while Margie was tying her shoe.

“I never said anything about not liking your uncle, honey. I’m just not going with them to town.”

“Will you stay with me and Aunt Grace?”

“We’ll see.”

“I know what that means. It means no. Uncle Brady says it sometimes.”

When they stepped from behind the tarp and headed back to the campground, Rusty and Jody were sitting on the bench behind the garage.

“You girls took your time,” Jody called. “Deke said Rusty and I could be next.”

“If I’da known that, I’da picked up a cowpie and put it in the tank,” Mona retorted. Her cheeks had turned rosy. Her eyes were on Rusty’s smiling face as, with his hand resting lightly on Jody’s shoulder, they came toward her.

“See what I have to put up with, Rusty? Let me have that bar of good-smellin’ soap, sis. Me and Rusty might want to catch us a girl tonight.”

“I left it in the tank.”

“No, you didn’t. I know you better than that.”

“Oh, all right. But it’ll take all of it to clean you two up.”

“Count me out,” Rusty said. “I brought my own.”

“Bet it isn’t lilac like mine.”

“No, it’s a plain old bar of P&G.”

“Save some for the washpot tomorrow.”

As they passed by the garage, Brady was there with Deke.

“Hey there, darlin’,” Deke called. “Ever’thin’ all right?”

“Fine. The bath was wonderful.”

“Get yourself all pretty, we’ll go to town tonight.”

“Oh, Deke, I don’t think so. Not tonight.”

“I want to show off my best girl, darlin’.” Deke put his arm around her. “When I come waltzin’ into the PowWow with you on my arm, old Booger’s eyes is goin’ to pop right out.”

Margie refused to look at Brady when he came out to pick Anna Marie up in his arms. He didn’t move away, so she knew that he had to be listening.

“There’s a drawing tonight at the picture show if you’d rather go there,” Deke said.

“I’ll be ready. You decide where we’ll go.”

“It’ll be a while, darlin’.”

“Thanks for bathing Punkie.” Brady walked away with the child in his arms.

“Are you going with …
him
?” Mona asked as they neared the campground.

“Him? You mean Deke? Yes, I’m going with
him
.”

Chapter 13

C
HESTER STOPPED THE FORD COUPE
on the top of the hill when the lead car of the caravan pulled into the space in front of the garage.

“
She-et!
” Homer snorted when the two trucks and the cars followed. “Hell. Looks like they’re goin’ to camp there. I thought they’d at least pull off the highway onto a back road.”

“Whater ya goin’ to do now?”

“Shit! Shit! Shit! Drive on. We can’t be but a mile or two from a little burg called Sayre.”

“How do you know that?”

“Dammit to hell! I can read. The sign way back there said five miles.”

“Ya don’t have to be so shitty ’bout it,” Chester grumbled.

“Things ain’t goin’ right. I wanted to get at that cowboy tonight.”

“Maybe we can go on past and come back through the woods when it’s dark.”

“I want the car close by.”

“Sometimes ya don’t get ever’thin’ ya want. We’re ’bout outta gas.”

“We’ll get some in Sayre, then go back to Elk City. I saw somethin’ back there that looked good.”

“I’m hungry too. We ain’t et since mornin’.”

“If what looks good turns out to be good, ya can have ya a big old fat steak—later on.”

“We goin’ to hold up somebody?”

“Ain’t sayin’ till I size the place up.”

She needed a haircut. Margie bent over. With her hair hanging from the top of her head, she brushed it vigorously. Then while it was still slightly damp, she parted it on the side, brushed it over and held it back with a shiny clasp.

A dark blue jersey skirt gathered on a wide band and the white blouse that went with it were the only things she owned that didn’t need ironing. She dressed, pulled on her stockings and slipped her feet into black pumps. She hated wearing black in the spring, but her white shoes were so run-down at the heels she was ashamed of them.

After touching up her eyelashes with Maybelline mascara she tinted her cheeks with a little rouge and put on her lipstick. Margie studied her face in the small, round hand mirror and wished that she could see the overall effect. Then, again, maybe she was better off not seeing the overall effect, she told herself, and put away the mirror.

The last things she did before leaving the truck were to dab a little Evening in Paris perfume behind her ears and to make sure the three twenty-dollar bills, all the money she had in the world, were secured with a big brass safety pin to her brassiere.

Elmer was sitting in his canvas chair when she climbed down. Ignoring him, she walked across the campgound and up the path to the house. It was almost dark. A bird wheeled overhead, searching for one last meal before seeking its nest for the night. The chubby figure of Mrs. Bales occupied the porch swing.

“Come on up, my dear, and have a seat. My, don’t you look pretty.”

“Thank you. It’s hard to look presentable when everything you have to wear is crammed in a suitcase.”

“Deke will be out in a minute. I’m glad he’s gettin’ away from here for a while. He sticks close because he doesn’t want to leave me alone.”

“I’ve no idea where we’ll be going.”

“That nice Mr. Putman put Deke’s mind at ease. He said he’d keep an eye on things while he’s gone.”

“And he will. He’s very reliable.”

“Deke jumped into the tank. That tank’s had a workout since suppertime. After the two young fellows, that tall one with the little girl got in, then Deke. Deke will pull the plug and let the water out tonight. It’ll be good on the garden.”

“I thought we were in for a little rain tonight. I’m afraid of storms especially while camping.”

“We’ve got a good storm cellar. A few weeks ago Deke thought sure a cyclone was comin’. He took me and two camper families to the cellar. It blowed real good, but we only got a dab of rain out of it.”

As Mrs. Bales talked, Margie saw the headlights of Brady’s car flash on. The car backed up even with the garage and stopped. Deke came out of the house, the screen door slamming behind him.

“I thought I heard you out here, darlin’.” He was wearing a white shirt with a string tie. His coarse, straw-colored hair had been slicked down. “Mama, Mr. Putman is goin’ to keep an eye out. Switch the porch light on and off several times if you think there’s somethin’ he needs to know.”

“I’ll be just fine. Go on with Margie and have a good time.”

“Ready, darlin’?”

After saying good night to Mrs. Bales, Margie took Deke’s arm and they walked down the path to the garage. When they appeared to be headed for Brady’s car, Margie pulled back on Deke’s arm.

“Deke? We’re not going with them, are we?”

“Darlin’, you wouldn’t want to ride to town on my cycle. Brady’s takin’ the kids to town and invited us to go along.”

“I want time to visit … just with you.”

“That makes me feel ten feet tall, darlin’. Come on now, I want to show you off.”

Brady sat silently behind the wheel. Mona sat in the backseat between Rusty and Jody.

“Get in, darlin’. Not too close to that old boy. You’re my girl tonight.”

Margie moved across the seat to make room for Deke. It was impossible not to come up against Brady’s long, hard body. She heard him draw in a harsh breath as if being close to her were as unpleasant to him as it was to her. Deke crowded in beside her and slammed the car door.

“All set?” Brady asked.

“All set,” Deke agreed, and put his arm across the back of the seat. Margie moved close to him to allow as little contact with Brady as possible. “There’s a picture show and a roller-skating rink in Elk City along with a few honky-tonks. In Sayre we have the PowWow right in town and the Starlight farther on down the highway.”

“Don’t let me keep you from going to the picture show,” Rusty said. “I’ll enjoy hearing it, and Mona can whisper in my ear and tell me what’s going on.”

Deke looked over his shoulder as they pulled out onto the highway. “You can’t see?” he asked bluntly.

“With my eyes I see a few shadows and a flickering light now and then. But I can hear a cloud passing overhead, so be careful what you say.”

“Well, I’ll be hornswaggled. I talked to you when you and the young fellow got out of the tank, but I didn’t know you were … that you were blind.”

“Thank you,” Rusty said cheerfully. “I’ve had a lot of practice foolin’ folks into thinking I can see.”

“Let’s stop in down here at the PowWow, Brady, and see what’s goin’ on. That all right with you, darlin’?” Deke’s arm tightened around Margie. “When you get to Main Street, turn left. It’s on the next corner. They’ve got a dance floor and one of them new jukeboxes you put a nickel in. Bootlegger money paid for it, but that ain’t none of my business.”

Lord, help me get through this evening.
Margie was so miserable by the time they parked in front of the PowWow that she wanted to cry. Brady had said a total of two words. In the backseat Mona giggled, Jody teased and Rusty seemed to be enjoying himself.

The outside of the honky-tonk was decorated with wagon wheels and steer horns. Margie vaguely wondered what they had to do with a place named the PowWow. There was, however, a painted wooden Indian beside the door.

Several cars and two motorcycles were parked in front. Three horses were tied to a rail on the side of the building.

“Some of the boys from the ranch where I used to work are here. Their eyes will bug out when they see ya, darlin’.” Deke led the way, with Margie anchored firmly to his side. She was uncomfortably conscious of Brady behind them.

Rusty’s arm was tucked inside Mona’s, their fingers entwined. “One step up,” she whispered when they reached the door.

The large room had booths down two sides of the dance floor and a bar across the far end. On the jukebox Gene Autry was singing “That Silver-Haired Daddy of Mine.” Half of the booths were occupied and nearly all of the barstools.

“Hey, Deke. Who opened the gate and let you out?”

“Same damn fool that let you out, cowboy.”

“Howdy, Deke. Introduce me to your lady.”

“Not on your life, Bulldog. She’s not for the likes of you.”

Deke was greeted boisterously by friends as he led the way to a booth in the back. It was evident that he was well liked and that he was enjoying the spectacle he was creating.

As she slid into the booth, Margie looked up to see Brady heading toward the bar.

“I’ll get us somethin’ to drink,” Deke said. “What’ll ya have, darlin’?”

“Cola, if they have it.”

“How about you, Mona?” Rusty asked.

“Cola for me too.”

“Lead the way, Jody.” Rusty placed his hand on Jody’s shoulder. “I’m buying for my girl tonight. You too, if you behave yourself.”

They followed Deke back up the line of booths to the bar. Deke stopped along the way to talk to several men wearing big, Texas-style hats.

Mona’s eyes were shining. “Isn’t Rusty something? I never thought I’d ever meet anyone like him. He called me his girl because that’s what Deke called you.”