Playing Patience

Page 11

So I’d saved a governor’s daughter. I should’ve known she was a white-collar girl, all khaki and white linen. I’d known just by looking at her that she didn’t belong on my side of town and I was right. She was probably a silver-spoon baby slumming it to piss off her daddy. It happened. They were usually the best bangs. They tried extra hard to be bad girls and were more willing to experiment.
He reached his hand out to shake mine and for a brief minute I contemplated this was a joke. Here I was the epitome of white trash and the man across from me was wearing a suit that cost more than my trailer and car combined. I reached out and shook his clammy hand.
“It was nothing. Can I go now?”
“Sure. Listen, you seem like a man who’s quick and to the point so I’ll just put it out there. I’ll have all drug charges dropped against you if this doesn’t go any farther than this room. The last thing I need is for the papers to find out my daughter was drugged. She’s fine, everyone’s fine, and I’d prefer to keep it out of the media. Does that sounds like a deal?”
And finally the reason for his visit comes out. Whatever got my ass out of this room and home.
“Sure. I’ll keep this to myself, but you may want to keep your daughter on her side of town.” I stood and he followed me and shook my hand once more.
“Oh, I think she’s learned her lesson. Thanks again.” Then he turned and left the room.
I followed behind him and walked out of the police station, unscathed.
Thankfully, when I got home, Dad was asleep and none the wiser about my little spell in jail. Finn had texted my phone until it died, so I stuck it on the charger and texted him back to let him know all was well.
I stripped down, took a quick shower, and then passed out in my boxers.
The next day, I took a ride over to Finn’s to pick up my guitar. Everyone was there lounging around the garage, including two new chicks I’d never seen before. One of them passed me a joint and I hit it a few times. These days, my life was becoming one big high. I guess it was easy to not think about how fucked up everything was when I couldn’t feel anything.
“So what happened with blondie last night?” Finn asked.
My mind flashed back to platinum hair and blistering, blue eyes. It was weird that I could remember her eyes so easily. It made me uncomfortable.
“She lived. I dropped her off at the hospital and dipped out.” I shrugged.
For some reason I left out the part about going to jail and her being the governor’s daughter. I’m not sure why I cared, but it felt wrong to tell that part. She’d been through enough already and I was almost positive I’d never see her around this part of town again, so there was no need to disclose that bit of information.
Finn nudged me with his boot. “So, The Pit booked us again for next weekend. There’s supposed to be some agents coming around town then too, so we need to look sharp. I got a new song I want to bang out. Let’s meet up here tomorrow afternoon. You hear me, Tiny?” He tossed an empty beer can at Tiny, who was making out with some black-haired girl in the corner.
“Yeah, dude, I heard you. Practice. Tomorrow. New song. Got it.” He went back to kissing the chick.
Tiny was a big boy, but chicks dug bass players and he was one of the best.
I didn’t stay long, just long enough to get high and grab my strings. I stopped for gas on the way home and stuck my last twenty bucks in the tank. Being broke sucked donkey cock and at this point I was strongly considering selling some powder to make some dough. A dealer in my neighborhood had offered me a job, but I wasn’t quite that desperate. I’m getting there now, though, and I’d been debating dealing and making enough money to get out of my old man’s house.
When I pulled up in my driveway, there was a white car parked on the side of my yard. The passenger-side door opened as I shut my door and grabbed my guitar case out of the back of my car. I was close to turning away from the car and rudely walking into my trailer when the sun caught the sandy locks of the girl from the night before.
She shyly smiled over at me as she shut the door and walked toward me.
“Shit,” I said out loud to myself.
This was the last thing I needed. Helping some strange chick was out of character for me and all I wanted was to stick last night in the back of my head and forget about it completely. Parts of me wanted to turn and walk away. Maybe if I did she’d take the hint and just leave, but something held me in my spot.
Next door, my neighbor Carlos pulled up in his apple-red Impala. Loud Mexican music blared from his car speakers and the sounds of children laughing spilled outside when he opened the front door to his trailer and called to his girlfriend in Spanish. Across the street two guys started to argue and cuss each other over what I could assume were drugs. And of course, the never-ending sounds of the cars on the interstate filled any quick moments of silence.