...Like a mirage, the cars up ahead actually did kind of look like they separated and dissolved into the fuzzy heat waves on the horizon but they were still there and whole when we got up the hill. We had finally arrived at our destination. I was feeling beat down and a little worse for ware but nothing I couldn’t handle. I bent over for a minute with my hands on my knees, relieved to not have to walk anymore. The whole walk was only a few miles but when it’s 110* outside it might as well have been a hundred miles.
I stood and stretched my back looking around and thought to myself, I hate this damn place more than anywhere, but before I could let it get the better of me, I felt a little more optimistic at the possibility that at the least we might be able to get a ride later on downtown to auditorium shores for the last of Aqua-Fest. I was reminded of it as we heard the loud jet roar above us as the Air-Force Thunderbirds passed over us headed in that direction. I didn’t care too much to try and get down there to see them perform but hoped to make it in time to see Bubble Puppy at the 'battle of the bands', and then Willie on the big stage tonight, and then maybe we try to sneak into the Armadillo afterwards and see Commander Cody, although Billy will most likely rather hang in the front at Pops skating palace which i refused to go back to because the last time i was there, it was a Saturday night and i was the only white kid in there and Billy's older brother gave me a tiny 22 pistol to put in my back pocket. I thought he was joking. i went ahead and put it in my back pocket but wasn't scared of getting into any trouble but scared as hell of shooting myself in the ass if i fell. i was a good skater but not that good.
I swung at him to hit his arm but I completely missed and he just laughed again,” come on, hurry up!”as he landed a punch square in the tender of my arm.
It was so hot. I followed right on his heels and couldn’t get in that store fast enough. Maybe a soda water would put some gas back in my tank.
Billy forcefully slid open the door in front of me and instantly I felt the blast of air rush around and through me. I sighed a moan of relief out loud and just stood there like a statue with my eyes closed and arms slightly lifted. I never wanted to move from that spot. The sweat on my neck felt like it turned to hot ice. I lifted my shirt and let it billow out off my back, cooling the beads of sweat rolling down my spine and just when I was about to take another sigh of relief, Mr. Marks hollered over with authority, “close that door behind yaw boys before you let all the cold out. - Will, ya?”
“ Yes sir’ I replied automatically and sheepishly stepped on in.
We knew Mr. Marks name, as did everyone, only because the store was 5M grocery for the five Marks brothers that owned it. Even though there were actually six brothers. More than a couple times I have heard my dad and his friends agreeing as to why it was called 5m and not 6 but never actually said what the reason was they were agreeing on. i don't think they really knew anyway.
I went right to the back of the store where Billy was already standing with the coke box lid slid open. It was an old top end box cooler. I lifted the other side letting my arms hang and lay inside, against the cold aluminum sides for a moment before pulling out a tall Pepsi.
I reached behind it and grabbed an extra long bag of peanuts off the rack and for a moment thought about a cinnamon bun, but they looked ‘day old’.
Billy, as I figured would, got him a grape Nehi. He always got Nehi or Orange Crush and sometimes Root Beer but mostly grape. I watched him pocket a snickers from the shelf as he rounded the corner. I hoped Mr. marks didn’t see him take it. Even from where I stood, I could see down every isle through the big curved mirror hanging at the back of the store.
Up at the counter, I kidded Billy about getting some pickled pigs feet and hard-boiled eggs that were sunk together in the same fat murky pickle jar, sitting on the counter next to the register.
Hey Billy,” isn’t that what your people eat” I teased him poking at his belly.
He laughed and leaned back defensively shaking his head,” Oh hell no, I haven’t never ate that nasty country shit. I may be black but that's for that old negro blood." Then in a quick afterthought, laughing matter of factly, “My daddy loves it though. He will gnaw those pig knuckles to bare bone” That made me laugh so hard it almost sucked the wind out of me.
Mr. Marks, not amused by our humor, broke up our little chuckle by dismissingly saying, “Billy tell your daddy hello for me.”
“I will, said Billy, and will you just charge this on his bill?”
‘Sure thing if you say he's ok with that”, said Mr. Marks flipping through a brown paper notebook to write it down.
I was looking over Billy’s shoulder to see if he was going to also write down that snickers bar on the paper, but he didn’t.
“Y’all stay out of trouble now”, he said, meaning it was time for us to get out.
Even though he knew most of Billy’s family, he still didn’t like kids hanging around too long in his store. We weren’t even kids anymore but I guess he figured if we stay long enough, we might just steal something although i suspect he knew about that one little candy bar.. I myself felt guilty and disappointed seeing Billy prove Mr. Marks suspicions right. Then again, I for some reason felt guilty about most everything these days...
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