One After 909

by Paul Berry

When we stop, pulling in over gravel, I can walk out barefoot into the diner. She says it is not busy enough though. It is busy, there are two couples, that is enough. I have the better argument, Skovitz I say. She says to me no.

That morning we wake in a Motel 6. We only take Motel 6, each one is only barely different and they are all fine. Skovitz says when she flips the lights on Welcome to home. She plays Across the Universe on the 2 deck tape player that is mine. Let it Be is one of the last tapes it hasn't eaten, never needed repairs. I have a friend who looks like McCartney.

She says she plans to drive the morning, the pillow is cold from the airconditioner. We freeze ourselves at night, it is better for us that way, later in the day when it is hot.

I had already broken into the bathroom with a knife. You can slip any of these locks I know.

She was showering and I pissed. The moisture that was everywhere smelled like pink bar soap, not wall soap at all. She deserves a shampoo that smells like green apples or papayas. I know she used to be only fruit flavors.

In the car she says she wants to hear the BBC, I say PBS but fine. The crackling news comes in with all the apocalypse of another day like every other day. She says it matters to her these names. London she says is hot, I tell her I know Dorris Day, no problem fine and that Jacques Cousteau is surely still making movies. She says he shouldn't be, that he is too old I go bah but do not know. All her words.

Skovitz will not tell me her real name. She is a blond, she is not accented. I say it is ridiculous that I call her Skovitz. She has said if I knew the real name, I would leave. Ridiculous stuff.

When Let it Be comes on it is because the PBS is out of range now again. The tape player only plays the left speaker. She is against the playing of this tape recently. She said, after I popped it in, you are a pattern.

Quietly I tell her I am not flannel, I open my daily bag of Sunchips, 99 cent bag anywhere. She says I repeat and I repeat and I am a pattern never ending. I am a fluid motion I say to her, one fluid motion.

It is cold you know, you're lips are blue I say to end this. She loses the red in her lower lip so quickly. It is good though, because it is still morning and we had not been leaving until afternoon before.

We are ready for the end anyway, then we can stop driving. The house is in the middle of Main Street and there is a back entrance from the gravel alley that is behind it. It is three stores off the Texaco and there is a larger family, which is fine, just above them.

They are three men, mostly always drunk. And small ones too, all of them, which is perfect. The biggest of them is only five six and the others are smaller. Skovitz says we can't bypass them and she is right. We watch the three men closely one day, two days, staying a Sundowner because there is no 6 in town.

They are all out from 10:30 when the last man leaves until 2 when the smallest man comes home first. At 10:45 to be safe we are in the house. By 11 all that we needed is in the house. One bottle of Absolut in the freezer, a Kaluha in the closet, next to Yukon Jack 100 proof. Skovitz and I cleaned some.

At noon we are hiding in the closet so that by 2 we know what the sounds are the house makes. In the closet, beside the boxes they have we have Cheeseballs and one large Pizza. Skovitz picked the toppings. Two 15 and we hear from the first floor that they are climing up the stairs. It is all fine and soon the very little man, he is just four 9 has come inside.

The light was flat and I missed it initially. She said she saw it. Miserable, the light was flat, that's all, it was missable. She says no, not in any right mind, the light was good enough. She says she saw it in the back pocket of his jeans, clearly. I say it could have been a hairbrush, the light was flat, she said no knife, clearly knife.

He has not checked the freezer or the cupboard yet. Instead, he has opened their last beer. Fifteen minutes pass he has just staired out the window. I think he needs a shave, Skovitz says no she is young I think.

When the second man comes in, he is nothing more than 5 or 5 one, it is 3:10. The taller man goes to the kitchen. They've been talking some. He grabs a pan. Skovitz has a long story about the pan, she tells me too much of it while we hear frying. She says it has a stain on it, the pan, an original stain.

They have found the freezer now, in searching for the meat that we took from them. The man who discovers it (the meat is gone and Absolut is there), the taller one is excited and of course hungry. He says they won't need to leave at all anymore and expect to stay in. Same time he finishes saying the door opens and the tallest man comes in. I see nothing again, the light is flat. I know it. She says this time maybe I am right. She says we should have bought them a light maybe something halogen. Two hours later they have been drinking enough. The radio is on with just air-time not like the PBS we listen to Skovitz and I but just radio with music everyone has to by rule already have heard. I know they don't like it but she says they don't mind it. She may be right. Rick Derringer and Aerosmith play.

Doesn't he need to shave, the smallest one, I say to Skovitz again.

By 6 it is loud enough and they are drunk so we begin eating our pizza. It is good, she picks toppings that combine well, things alone that would be terrible together like she has them suddenly are good. She has feta cheese, small strips of anchovies betweeen chiles on one half and on the other barbequed chicken and pepperoni with sun dried tomatoes and goat cheese. It is our last money anyway and so I tell her it is good. But I wait for my Cheeseballs. They are louder things. The men have gone through what was in the cupboard and we will be able to go out before too long.

I say we're going now suddenly and she starts praying. I say Skovitz, don't. Skovitz goes how could you know? She is Skovitz always.

I walk out first, she is light behind me. The rug is a shaggy long-haired thing, I am aware of standing barefoot in it. They turn around but slowly and I ask them if there's anything left.

The littlest one he was lying on the couch and he is the one who answers me. He says you get the fuck out to me, and I say man that I want a drink before I go. He says get the fuck out to me again but louder a little. He is reaching for his knife maybe like he will get up.

Skovitz says loudly that she adores him. He stops entirely.

Skovitz I say does not, to him. I eat a cheeseball. She asks the tallest one if he thinks she does. The tallest one says no, he doesn't even shave, Skovitz could not adore the littlest of them all, and the one that does not shave. I applause some for him. The middle one who has been quiet is watching the littlest.

Skovitz says the knife was in his back pocket, but I still do not know. The light is flat in here I say to all of them. And there is no food in here. The floor is a mess you never sweep the bird that you bought is half starved. I say to them you are too drunk and not small enough yet?

The small one rolls half the way over, like maybe Skovitz was right and he will be grabbing his knife. I say to him you littlest one, your job only lasts till two and then you lie on the couch and drink. And you hide things in your backpocket. You keep the light flat you smallest of three men or is it helpful by accident.

He says to me nothing at first. Just says the light is plenty bright, plenty. Ridiculous shit.

Skovitz says to them what she told me-- you are a pattern she says. I already see it she says. They have no argument like mine, the fluid motion argument. I say to them then what I tell her -- You are not even fluid motion.

They still have nothing to say. She says I walk in and, with him, I tell you what is wrong here with your life. What don't you like. My name is not Skovitz. You would leave if you knew my name. What don't you like.

None of them believe that. I get some Absolut for what she did, she gets Yukon 100 proof. They are too drunk.

We can not leave together. I look to Skovitz and she says to me it in lips. I watch her start to go. It is the deal. She has my tapedeck now too. The little men say nothing. They watch her leave. I hope that Skovitz is and that the little man does have a knife and that I would have left her if I ever knew her name and eat the last cheeseball.