Pietro and Valencia, Part Fourteen

Five or six miles out of town the truck started to burp.  The engine sounded like it had had too many beans and it belched and lurched and burped until it finally stopped.
"What the fuck?"  shouted the Coyote.  "God damned piece of shit!"  He got out of the truck and opened the hood.  He looked at the engine but he had no clue as to why it had made the weird sounds and then quit.  He slammed his fist into the hood and spewed curses into the air.  He got back into the truck and turned the key.  There was a wrenching squawk, but the engine did not start.  The Coyote leapt out of the truck, slammed the door and kicked it hard.  He was beyond mad, he was raging.  Crazy.  He had no skills to fix the truck, now he would have to walk back to town and find someone to come and get the stupid thing going.  Time and money.  "Fuck."  Again he kicked at the truck.  Again he swore. Then he began the hike to town, kicking rocks and making dust that choked his throat and made him cough.  He wanted to hurt something, someone.  It took him hours to reach the little town and he headed straight to the bar.  He hadn't taken his water when he left he truck and he was desperately thirsty.
He blew into the bar like a thunderstorm, howling for tequila.  The bartender could feel his bowels tightening in fear, but he took the bottle to the Coyote's table and set it down along with a glass, then  hurried back to the little bit of safety of the bar provided.  His eyes watched, waiting for the man to explode.  It didn't happen.  The Coyote drank half the bottle, slapped some money on the table and left.  Other than his ordering the tequila, he had said not a word.  That scarred the bartender even more.
The Coyote headed for the gas station.  When he arrived, smelling of liquor, and not quite walking straight, he glowered at the station attendant and demanded to know where the boy's boss was.  Now.
The boy told him that Juan was at home.  He was too afraid to lie.  The Coyote left, heading for Juan's house.  As soon as he had turned the corner, the boy ran out the back and taking a shortcut, ran as fast as he could for Juan's house.  He found him and quickly told him the Coyote was on his way.  Juan had expected it, but the thought of facing the man whose gas he had tainted was definitely not a pleasing prospect.  "Go back to the station."  He told the boy.  "It will be okay."  The boy looked at him with doubt, but did what he was told.  He didn't want to be here when the Coyote showed up.  Juan went into the house and told his wife to go to her mothers.  "The Coyote is coming, I don't want you here.  Go, quickly, I will come for you when he is gone."  His wife was afraid for her husband, but she did what he said.
Juan tried to look relaxed as he worked at fixing the old car he had been working on when the boy arrived.  The Coyote shouted as soon as he saw Juan.  "My fucking truck died on me in the middle of nowhere.  What the fuck could be wrong with the thing?  You come fix it.  I don't have time for this shit."  The Coyote scowled, his face screwed up in frustration and anger.  He hated to have to depend on anybody.  He hated when things did not go his way.
If he only knew thought Juan.  "Your truck died?"  Juan said seriously.  "What happened?"
"I don't know what the fuck happened, if I did I wouldn't be here would I?  Just get your stuff and take me back to my damn truck and get it going.  I have business to do."  The Coyote stood almost touching Juan, nose to nose, he didn't speak as much as he choked out the words.
"Sure, sure, just let me pack up some tools, I really don't know what I'll need.   It will only take a minute."  Juan loaded a few tools, and some gas, into his own truck and got in.  He motioned for the Coyote to get in the passenger seat.  "Okay, where too?"
"West, out of town, toward the mountains.  About five miles.  Just go, hurry, I want to get going before it gets dark."  The Coyote was getting tired.  The effects of the tequila were wearing off.  He wished he had taken the bottle with him.  He was thirsty and he could feel the beginnings of hunger pangs rumbling in his belly,  reminding him he had not eaten lunch and it was nearing dinner time.  "Stop at the cantina first, I need something."  He grumbled to Juan, gesturing wildly.
Juan was only to happy to delay any way he could.  And he knew the owner of the cantina was aware of what was going on between the Coyote and Pietro, the fires and the pain that the evil man had caused.   Juan hoped he would be far away by the time the food did it's work.  The Coyote would not be having any fun tonight.  Juan almost smiled.  He stopped the truck in front of the cantina and watched as the Coyote went inside and demanded a quick meal to take with him.  The owner knew what to do.  He retreated to the kitchen, packed a few things into waxed brown paper and handed them to the waiting man.  "Wait."  He said.  "I'll get you some water to go with that."
"Don't bother with fucking water, give me a couple of bottles of Cervesa.  Cold."  The Coyote was grabbing the wrapped up food, as the cantina owner went into the back of the restaurant to get the cold beer.  Not much he could do to the beer, it was capped.  He hoped it made the intestinal troubles that the Coyote was going to have worse.
"Hurry up!  I ain't got all day"  The Coyote belched loudly as he yelled. The owner handed him a sack with the beers.
"Put it on my tab."  The Coyote sneered.
The cantina owner didn't even react.
The Coyote jumped back into the truck with his packages and gestured to Juan to get going.  Before they reached the Coyote's broken down truck, the man had eaten everything in the package and drank both beers.  The jouncing of the truck on the rough roads didn't help him digest the food.  He felt like shit.  Maybe he had eaten too fast.
Juan pretended to check out the engine, he fiddled with a few things and undid one of the belts and then reconnected it. He bent deep under the hood, banging his tools to make some noise.  He wanted the Coyote to think he was doing something.  After he had crawled under the truck and banged around a bit there, he finally crawled out and poured some gas into the gas tank.  Again he fiddled around under the hood, adjusting the carburetor so the engine would once again work.  After a few attempts, the engine caught and rumbled to life.  Juan saw the first actual smile on the Coyotes face, but if he had expected a thank you, which he didn't, he would have been disappointed.  The Coyote got behind the wheel and shut the door.  "It better not die again, you grease monkey, or you will regret it."  He revved the engine, put the truck in gear and roared down the road, dust flying.  Juan didn't mind the dust.  He got back in his own truck and headed home.  He would stop at his wife's mother's on his way home.  He could relax now, at least for a while.  He would enjoy the evening, especially knowing that the Coyote was going to be very uncomfortable, even miserable.  Yes, Juan would have good night.  He smiled all the way home.

April 17th, 2011 just life

My 62nd birthday was great.  My husband brought me a latte in the morning.  I went and got my haircut and it turned out great and it was only $26.00 because they have a special for birthday services.  Yay!  Eight of us went to dinner and it was delicious, and the wine was 50% off so we had two bottles.  Yum!  Then we all went home and had cake and champagne.  Awesome.  Oh, but did I mention that I chipped a tooth then tripped and fell going up the stairs to our house after dinner and broke a toe. Ouch.  But.........then.... I had a great conversation with my son, Robert, Howard got me an ice pack for my toe, and I finished off the champagne.   So today, 4 days later, my toe still hurts along with some other bumps and bruises that showed up and I have an appointment with the dentist on the 18th.  Did I mention that I hate going to the dentist.  Oh well.  Sometimes God listens and sometimes....Yeah, the good and bad in life, it's just life.

Toys

Okay, so my birthday is on Wednesday, but I got my present early, an iPad 2! I am writing this on my new toy. Love it, love it, love it! Life has been weird lately, I haven't had time to write. Soon, but I must play, the child in me calls.....and I am a very demanding thing.