Read Online Fly the Rain by Robert Burton Robinson - Free Book Online Page A

his steak was overcooked, and he’s
not going to pay for it.”
    “ I’m coming,” said Angie,
still in his arms.
    Every fiber of his body screamed for him to
kiss her.
    “ I’ve got to get back,” she
said.
    **********
    “ I’m sorry,” said E.
Z.
    “ No problem,” said Sondra,
opening her car door. “She’ll come around.”
    “ She doesn’t want
us.”
    “ Oh, I’m sure I could
convince her…if it weren’t for him.”
    “ So, we’ll just look for
something else.”
    “ See you in a little while.
Don’t be late. We’ve got our first full show tonight. And we’re
gonna knock ‘em dead, right?”
    “ Right,” said E. Z.,
smiling.
    Sondra backed her car out. As she pulled
onto the road, she eyed Edsel’s shop with contempt. “The city of
Orange will be much better off when you’re dead and buried, Old
Man.”

    Chapter 11

    “ Come on, Craig, you’ve got
to get up!” Lenny banged on his brother’s bedroom door. “It’s
1:30.”
    Craig jumped out of bed. His throbbing head
made him wish he hadn’t. He opened the door just a crack. His voice
sounded tired and hoarse. “Stop it. I’m up.”
    Lenny tried to get a peek. “You got a woman
in there?” he said, grinning.
    “ None of your business. And
keep your voice down.”
    “ Where did you go last
night? I thought you were right behind me. I called your cell. Why
didn’t you answer?”
    “ I needed to think, so I
went for a drive.”
    “ And picked up a
hooker?”
    “ Again—it’s none of your
business.”
    “ Well, hurry up. Daddy said
he’d see us at The Barn at 2:00.”
    “ You go on. I’ll be right
behind you.”
    “ Craig…“
    “ Go. I’ll be
there.”
    After Craig shut the door, Lenny put his ear
up to it, and listened for a woman’s voice.
    Craig hit the door with his fist.
    Lenny’s head bounced off the door.
“Ouch!”
    “ Go!”
    Craig knew he needed to
hurry. He didn’t want to make Billy-Eye mad. But he had to take
just a few more seconds to admire Cindy’s sexy naked body, while
she lay sleeping in his bed. He wanted to, but he
couldn’t—because she was not there. He had been with her in his
dreams all night long. No wonder he’d slept so late.
    **********
    Edsel kept his old cassette player turned
down low, so he could hear when someone came into his shop. Most
people didn’t bother to call him on the phone. They knew he
wouldn’t answer it unless he happened to be on a break. If you
wanted Edsel to work on your car, it was best to just bring it
in.
    His shop had an in-floor hydraulic lift,
which had broken down over a year ago. Angie had been pleading with
him to buy a new one, to no avail. To him, it would be a waste of
money. He had a perfectly good portable hydraulic lift, and 36-inch
creeper. A creeper is a flat board on wheels, with padding and a
small built-in pillow.
    He didn’t mind rolling under cars to work on
them. He explained to Angie that he enjoyed being able to do some
of his work lying down. His feet got sore when he had to stand on
the hard concrete all day. A couple of times she had found him
asleep under a car. Not that it mattered. He wasn’t getting paid by
the hour.
    Edsel was working under a 1972 Impala,
replacing the starter, when he heard somebody come into the shop.
“Hello? Who’s there?”
    “ Uncle Ed?”
    “ Greg?” He rolled out from
under the car, jumped up and wiped his hands on a rag. He grabbed
Greg’s hand, and shook it hard.
    Greg had forgotten about Uncle Ed’s
vise-like grip.
    “ And this must be
Cynthia.”
    “ Hi.” Cynthia smiled and
shook his hand. “I’ve heard so much about you.”
    “ Well, I wouldn’t believe
everything Knuckle-Banger tells you.”
    “ Knuckle-Banger?” She
snickered. “You didn’t tell me you had a nickname,
Honey.”
    Another thing Greg had forgotten. “Yeah.
When Uncle Ed and I were working on my old Thunderbird I’d be
pulling on a wrench with all my might, and it would slip off, and
I’d bust my