Read Online The Ghost Lights of Marfa by Maeve Alpin - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Maeve Alpin
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pale blue eyes, then brushed a coat of thick mascara on her long, thin lashes. She had to look good just in case. Maybe they were hiring there. You never know .
* * * * *
Cody unbuckled his seatbelt and scurried into the Dairy Queen with Kristy at his heels. He plopped onto the seat of a bright orange booth, as she asked the cashier if they had any openings.
She received the familiar reply. “Not at this time.”
After ordering a junior hamburger and a kid’s meal, Kristy gave into her cravings and ordered a watermelon slushy. The sweet, cool, refreshing treat was a favorite of hers since she was Cody’s age and it didn’t look like she’d be having another one any time soon. So she decided to splurge. She ordered Cody one, too.
She sat in the booth and hungrily clutched her hamburger. The moment she bit into the soft bun, the combined flavors of beef patty, ripe tomato slices, and lettuce wrapped around her tongue. As Kristy munched her burger, she reflected on how she’d ended up here.
When she found out she was pregnant with Cody, it was a shock. Though she took birth control pills, she’d missed a day. She never considered not keeping the baby, even when her boyfriend pulled the routine ‘I don’t want this, I don’t think it’s mine.’ But he manned-up, and at six months into her pregnancy, a justice of the peace married them. The judge wished her the best of luck, but even then, she wondered if she was making a mistake. A year later, after her husband hit her for a third time, she escaped to a shelter for battered women. The divorce took all her savings and her ex-husband disappeared. She never received a single child support payment.
At school events or anywhere someone asked Cody to introduce his mother and father, he always said, “My mother and father is Kristy.” That never failed to bring a warm flutter to her heart.
Then, she lost her job. She went to work on Friday, payday, and found the office locked. The owner skipped. Since it was a contract position, selling credit card machines to businesses, her boss didn’t take out taxes, so she wasn’t able to file for unemployment compensation.
Kristy managed the rent that month and a United Way charity paid it for her the next. The third month, her luck ran out. She still hadn’t found a job.
Now, she’d spent her last dollar on fast food. But in the back of her mind, she believed the ghost lights of Marfa would bring her luck. Something has to , she thought.
As he finished the last of the slushy, Cody’s noisy slurping brought her back from her musings.
“Mommy, is it time to see the lights?” He puckered his lips and strummed his finger across them, making a brrrrrr sound.
“Don’t you want your treat?” She tore the coupon off the kiddy bag and used it to get the free chocolate-dipped ice cream cone. She handed it to Cody and piled a stack of napkins on the table. He grinned ear to ear, eagerly biting through the chocolate covering to the soft vanilla ice cream.
“I finished, Mommy.” He popped the last piece of the kiddy cone into his chocolate-ringed mouth. “Are the lights ready to come on?”
Kristy grabbed a napkin and wiped his face. “First, I’m going to take you to see the world’s biggest horseshoe. Would you like that?”
“Yes, yes.” He climbed off the seat and jumped up and down. “Let’s go.”
She stood and grabbed her purse. “What a lucky boy you are, Cody. You get to see the giant horseshoe now and the ghost lights tonight.” She spotted the toy on the table. “Don’t forget your sword.”
He ran back, grabbed the pirate sword and darted to the car. Kristy buckled him in and slid behind the wheel. She fit the key into the ignition and took off down the quiet, traffic-free street.
Chapter Two
Kristy drove past a row of small adobe houses, and then spotted a looming wall with an old army barracks rising above it. “See that, Cody? Soldiers lived there a long time ago. Now
* * * * *
Cody unbuckled his seatbelt and scurried into the Dairy Queen with Kristy at his heels. He plopped onto the seat of a bright orange booth, as she asked the cashier if they had any openings.
She received the familiar reply. “Not at this time.”
After ordering a junior hamburger and a kid’s meal, Kristy gave into her cravings and ordered a watermelon slushy. The sweet, cool, refreshing treat was a favorite of hers since she was Cody’s age and it didn’t look like she’d be having another one any time soon. So she decided to splurge. She ordered Cody one, too.
She sat in the booth and hungrily clutched her hamburger. The moment she bit into the soft bun, the combined flavors of beef patty, ripe tomato slices, and lettuce wrapped around her tongue. As Kristy munched her burger, she reflected on how she’d ended up here.
When she found out she was pregnant with Cody, it was a shock. Though she took birth control pills, she’d missed a day. She never considered not keeping the baby, even when her boyfriend pulled the routine ‘I don’t want this, I don’t think it’s mine.’ But he manned-up, and at six months into her pregnancy, a justice of the peace married them. The judge wished her the best of luck, but even then, she wondered if she was making a mistake. A year later, after her husband hit her for a third time, she escaped to a shelter for battered women. The divorce took all her savings and her ex-husband disappeared. She never received a single child support payment.
At school events or anywhere someone asked Cody to introduce his mother and father, he always said, “My mother and father is Kristy.” That never failed to bring a warm flutter to her heart.
Then, she lost her job. She went to work on Friday, payday, and found the office locked. The owner skipped. Since it was a contract position, selling credit card machines to businesses, her boss didn’t take out taxes, so she wasn’t able to file for unemployment compensation.
Kristy managed the rent that month and a United Way charity paid it for her the next. The third month, her luck ran out. She still hadn’t found a job.
Now, she’d spent her last dollar on fast food. But in the back of her mind, she believed the ghost lights of Marfa would bring her luck. Something has to , she thought.
As he finished the last of the slushy, Cody’s noisy slurping brought her back from her musings.
“Mommy, is it time to see the lights?” He puckered his lips and strummed his finger across them, making a brrrrrr sound.
“Don’t you want your treat?” She tore the coupon off the kiddy bag and used it to get the free chocolate-dipped ice cream cone. She handed it to Cody and piled a stack of napkins on the table. He grinned ear to ear, eagerly biting through the chocolate covering to the soft vanilla ice cream.
“I finished, Mommy.” He popped the last piece of the kiddy cone into his chocolate-ringed mouth. “Are the lights ready to come on?”
Kristy grabbed a napkin and wiped his face. “First, I’m going to take you to see the world’s biggest horseshoe. Would you like that?”
“Yes, yes.” He climbed off the seat and jumped up and down. “Let’s go.”
She stood and grabbed her purse. “What a lucky boy you are, Cody. You get to see the giant horseshoe now and the ghost lights tonight.” She spotted the toy on the table. “Don’t forget your sword.”
He ran back, grabbed the pirate sword and darted to the car. Kristy buckled him in and slid behind the wheel. She fit the key into the ignition and took off down the quiet, traffic-free street.
Chapter Two
Kristy drove past a row of small adobe houses, and then spotted a looming wall with an old army barracks rising above it. “See that, Cody? Soldiers lived there a long time ago. Now
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