truck and rumble into town. I
wait in the truck while Gabe buys the rats. I’ve quickly learned never to enter
a pet store or animal shelter. Animals can somehow sense my “otherness,” and
they break into spasmodic barks and growls and chirps whenever I get within
their vicinity. Just one more delightful side effect of my change. It’s amazing
that my eyes don’t intermittently blaze red.
I convince Gabe that we should roam
around town a little bit. Tarren would have objected on two grounds. He doesn’t
like me near other people unless absolutely necessary, and the idea of doing
anything without a strict purpose would probably give him hives. Gabe, however,
is hip to the idea and so we wander.
Farewell, Colorado is an old,
sallow dump. It’s there, and that’s about the best thing it’s got going for it.
In the late fall, when the air is cold enough to threaten snow, everything
takes on a hoary gray hue, and the colors lay flat and unassuming across the
landscape.
There are a few little strip malls
that we can walk to from the pet store. I follow Gabe through the aisles of a
GameStop until I get bored. Then I head over to the used clothing store across
the street.
I’m still technically a missing
person, but the police called off the search for me a while ago. The news
coverage of my disappearance and my desperate parents didn’t even get much play
in the West. Still, I’m terrified of being recognized. Today I’m wearing
sunglasses and a black knit cap, but I feel exposed, vulnerable. Tarren’s
paranoia must be rubbing off on me, because as soon as I step inside the store,
I automatically stake the place for cameras and memorize the swiftest routes to
each exit.
A single clerk stands at the counter.
She’s got a large mole on her chin and a blue-green aura that brightens as she
greets me with a smile. I give her a short nod back and then plunge into the
aisles. The store is small but well organized. There’s sort of a funky odor
lingering over the merchandise, but I get used to it after a while. I discover
cool checkered sneakers, a purple headband that maybe I’ll wear if I’m in a
weird mood, two sweaters, and a brown and blue nylon jacket that will work with
this weather.
Then I see a brown duster hanging
in the men’s section. I pull it out and search for stains or holes. The coat is
clean and fantastic and utterly perfect for Gabe. I glance furtively at the
door, but he is nowhere in sight. I pay for my purchases, nearing the end of
the $150 prepaid credit card Gabe gave me last month. I’ll have to ask him to
put some more money on it if he can. Gabe doesn’t tell me much about our
financial situation, but I think things are pretty tight. The boys are always
careful in buying supplies, and we usually stay in cheap motels when we travel.
The lady with the mole and the
blue-green aura folds up the duster and double bags it on my request. I’ll have
to think of some grand presentation.
After a short while of wandering, I
find Gabe in a RadioShack looking at some sort of router configuration. Somewhere
along the way he has come into possession of glowing plastic devil horns, which
he wears on his head.
“It’s amazing people pay retail for
this stuff,” Gabe says, scowling at the price tag. “Hey, I got Lords of
Darkness IV ; prepare to be fire-balled into oblivion!” Gabe holds up a
video game box on which a ridiculously-chested heroine swings a glowing sword
at a huge goblin creature. Her tattered blue dress struggles mightily to shield
her private parts.
“You just bought that because her
boobs are about to pop out,” I tell him.
“Well, if her clothes are in this
shape now, I figure she’ll have to be naked by the end of the game.” Gabe gives
me a raunchy grin.
“You got hosed by some marketing
intern. That game probably sucks.”
“As long as she looks like this the
whole way through, I won’t even notice.”
And this is the way things are
between us. Comfortable.
wait in the truck while Gabe buys the rats. I’ve quickly learned never to enter
a pet store or animal shelter. Animals can somehow sense my “otherness,” and
they break into spasmodic barks and growls and chirps whenever I get within
their vicinity. Just one more delightful side effect of my change. It’s amazing
that my eyes don’t intermittently blaze red.
I convince Gabe that we should roam
around town a little bit. Tarren would have objected on two grounds. He doesn’t
like me near other people unless absolutely necessary, and the idea of doing
anything without a strict purpose would probably give him hives. Gabe, however,
is hip to the idea and so we wander.
Farewell, Colorado is an old,
sallow dump. It’s there, and that’s about the best thing it’s got going for it.
In the late fall, when the air is cold enough to threaten snow, everything
takes on a hoary gray hue, and the colors lay flat and unassuming across the
landscape.
There are a few little strip malls
that we can walk to from the pet store. I follow Gabe through the aisles of a
GameStop until I get bored. Then I head over to the used clothing store across
the street.
I’m still technically a missing
person, but the police called off the search for me a while ago. The news
coverage of my disappearance and my desperate parents didn’t even get much play
in the West. Still, I’m terrified of being recognized. Today I’m wearing
sunglasses and a black knit cap, but I feel exposed, vulnerable. Tarren’s
paranoia must be rubbing off on me, because as soon as I step inside the store,
I automatically stake the place for cameras and memorize the swiftest routes to
each exit.
A single clerk stands at the counter.
She’s got a large mole on her chin and a blue-green aura that brightens as she
greets me with a smile. I give her a short nod back and then plunge into the
aisles. The store is small but well organized. There’s sort of a funky odor
lingering over the merchandise, but I get used to it after a while. I discover
cool checkered sneakers, a purple headband that maybe I’ll wear if I’m in a
weird mood, two sweaters, and a brown and blue nylon jacket that will work with
this weather.
Then I see a brown duster hanging
in the men’s section. I pull it out and search for stains or holes. The coat is
clean and fantastic and utterly perfect for Gabe. I glance furtively at the
door, but he is nowhere in sight. I pay for my purchases, nearing the end of
the $150 prepaid credit card Gabe gave me last month. I’ll have to ask him to
put some more money on it if he can. Gabe doesn’t tell me much about our
financial situation, but I think things are pretty tight. The boys are always
careful in buying supplies, and we usually stay in cheap motels when we travel.
The lady with the mole and the
blue-green aura folds up the duster and double bags it on my request. I’ll have
to think of some grand presentation.
After a short while of wandering, I
find Gabe in a RadioShack looking at some sort of router configuration. Somewhere
along the way he has come into possession of glowing plastic devil horns, which
he wears on his head.
“It’s amazing people pay retail for
this stuff,” Gabe says, scowling at the price tag. “Hey, I got Lords of
Darkness IV ; prepare to be fire-balled into oblivion!” Gabe holds up a
video game box on which a ridiculously-chested heroine swings a glowing sword
at a huge goblin creature. Her tattered blue dress struggles mightily to shield
her private parts.
“You just bought that because her
boobs are about to pop out,” I tell him.
“Well, if her clothes are in this
shape now, I figure she’ll have to be naked by the end of the game.” Gabe gives
me a raunchy grin.
“You got hosed by some marketing
intern. That game probably sucks.”
“As long as she looks like this the
whole way through, I won’t even notice.”
And this is the way things are
between us. Comfortable.
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