rubber to the road, roaring rage : burning. shelby gt and he jet setting arizona afternoon sunbaked desert setting, black and blasting fast. busting past, empty space. dense air, hot and sand. salt white blurring visions blinding, grey strip scissions sections right and left : Lee racing leftlane lest he die – test drive.
he hand heel holding the wheel, right between bottle and gear. whiskey wet his lips, cigarette breath. chuck the butt, had enough : eight years of endless effort, crosscountry constant concrete slabbing. fatigue facing, work waking fifteen hour days exerting. building bridges, making gaps : pissing from pittsburgh to portland, constructing the world. tens of tons a son of steel and stone, unshaven. alone.
he Lee now nearing destination : dealer. he sees sitting, parking lot pretty a red ride inside : mustang. made that month, cost too much. he don’t give a fuck if – let me ride.
pulls in, winning grin descending from black beast gt. from inside two guys alive, waiting for a living soul. they’ll take it all : good evening sir, as it were, with your nice past year’s model. skinnyman wipes his hand, a noodle in a suit. can i help you sir, i see you were. looking at this year’s model. in two-thousand ten you can sin again with five-hundred and forty horses. business spiel here’s the deal, trying to get anything out of ya. you know what, i heard that stuff and let’s put the bullshit aside : i don’t decide until i ride, the red beast under my ass. plain and simple.
sir i said, i’m sure you have. all the necessary credentials. but this baby here, as you see her : she ain’t never been ridden. sir you see, honest package is she but we. can’t let you – test drive.
from the door comes one more, business boss in a tie. texas man fat and tan, golden teeth awry. toddling up, strutting his stuff. pull his belt buckle high : son, we don’t be doin the. test drive. for which you try, but maybe here we can still make a deal. i seen the two-thousand seven thing you be ridin up on in here, guy. the understandin is this red battle baby here is. all that and you git the kitchen sink n’ more : five and forty horses snortin and ninteen inch nine-five magnum wheels to ride. intercooled supercool five point four DOHC V-8, coolair intake and a switch you hit to let the nitro fly ; that be custom here with no fuss and, big bid texas Dick says you won’t apologize. with your thing in a trade and ten thousand ching chings for my new rings and you drive home tonight.
skinnyman suit knows he’s been duped, bossman taking his skinned hide : a seven thousand dollar commission – at least. i’m sorry sir, don’t want to infer but to take the beaute on a ride… and besides, let me show our sir the all-leather interior inside.
now don’t be silly there. don’t mind Billy, he’s just a worry wart but harmless and i. would like to discuss real man business with. this respectable gentleman. arm on shoulder, giving cold stares spinning. boy, let us talk eye to eye. with your ride.
big bid texas Dick i don’t want to insist. Lee disingenuinely sighs. he having seen Dick’s mean and unscrupulous tactics. thing is, i gotta get in but : i’ve already decided. let’s take a quick trip down the strip to where i’m holding up. i’ll go in, touch stop and then. grab my wallet which within it is wad o’ mine. just got paid, cash is made : i’ll give you eight hundred franklin’s smile. yours clean, cold cash from me – real man business now are we talking ?
son : you got yourself a deal.
they jump in, virgin upholstery accommodating. silent Billy skinnyman silly in his noodlesuit steaming aside. Lee looks up, nods his chucks : Billy, the workin man is god. slam the door, four on the floor and that red mustang flies.
*
red car roars up, deep engine rumbles and stops. in front of a skid-row motel in the middle of nothing. one second sir don’t you stir, be back in a jumpin jack flash with your dashboard cash fast and on hand. he hops right out, stout and proud going in to get his greenbacks grinning. no more than one minute more and he’s moving smooth through the door, a man following behind. Davin is always has been a big bang up boy. six feet ten, out of prison again, deep blue tattoos down both his arms. dirty white shirt, sunburned shoulders showing the work spent simmering under devil desert sun. scars from wars, drugs and whores. his father burnt cigars on his child.
hope you don’t mind, you’ll have to get in behind : my friend here wants to come for a ride.
big bid texas Dick can’t believe his eyes : well son. suppose i can, meant to say. we may, but then. back and safe, the dealership awaits. you can pay, sign the papers and be done ; right ? move over fat old man, don’t make me repeat myself again. let’s see what this baby can do. Davin stoops in, Lee still grins, fat man sweating behind. slam the door, foot to the floor engine engaged building rage, release the break : bellowing boom, thunder and doom, motor growling. drop the clutch fucking rough, tires mad and spinning. white smoke flaming spokes, and bam the traction sticks. three g’s pulling on these. three astronaut riders. turn your head, look again : zero to sixty in four point nine. red mare no longer there, now speeding on the horizon.
*
one-hundred and ten miles cutting the wind, slicing the world in two. straight out in salt flat drought, desolation without rain since ever. floating calm inside, driver’s eyes intent on the road, cold and determined. Davin says out of his bag a swig of whiskey passing. José had to split, the foreman pissed, threatened to call immigration. they’re all the same : bossmen and owners, Lee reaching for firewater flask and looking at. rearview mirror smug, flabby man in a hat. wetbags under flaccid fat tits bleeding stink like a stuck pig. can’t wait to see the day the working man can take what he makes and. kill all them bastards.
one-hundred and ten and ten again : one-hundred and twenty. faster he goes putting in more, internal combustion engine. in the back the man removes his hat, wiping the sweat from his brow. boys you know, one mile more and we’ll be back at the lot. think you got a feel for your new ride. so let’s just pull aside and a deal’s a deal, done and sealed with my word of honor. hell, i’ll even take seven not eight. two seconds later : wait that’s it, you just missed it ; eh, you’re gonna have to turn ‘round. still sweating. aw really ? that’s a pity, we’ll have to look for a turnabout. but at this speed before he speaks the dealership is banished behind the bumper. Lee speeds.
now one-hundred and thirty. Davin asserting, i brought this ‘cause i wanted to show you bro : look what i got, just bought an M2 .50 caliber GL. he pulls from the bag, bastard black and bad, cocking hand cannon clack – whispers of oh god from the back. still haven’t shot it, sure should get up on it. hell, let’s do it here. he swerves, high speed turn machine twirls and the mad dust comes up. off-road running through desert sun setting, ocean sounding lull. under body chassis pulling sand from hell and then : sending it to the sky. gliding over salt flats flying. weak whimper whining in the back.
daredevil skid one-hundred and eighty spin, the red beast jerks to a stop. out the doors two working men more, boss is in the back. get out now, don’t pout pal, come take a look at this gun. stumbling down without looking around, big bid texas Dick sits and prays. whiskey now gone Lee arms it strong, bottle floating free from gravity. suspended above, sunshine enough. blind labor grind everything behind. life mind inside still : time stops. two shots. drops in the desert.
*
rolling back in, parking lot sits. still nothing all around. from the car muscle force and smoke egress. Billy sees Lee, stops short of Davin and swallows, eyes wide. Dick stumbles out. carless and free Lee repeats it’s been good, it’s been good, resting on the hood. but i was wondering : does she come in black ? without a word Dick turns. goes in, wet spot behind. Billy blinks. Lee thinks and. thanks for the ride for your time, here’s a little tip for you. two-hundred bucks ain’t much, but it’ll get you drunk. with a quick flick of the wrist, the wad is his – Lee and Davin in black beast gt rumbling by. ah, and Billy : the keys are still inside.
translation : jason francis mc gimsey
