by Lynn, Davida
It dropped into a slot, and I tried my best to follow it around and catch the number, but the wheel was still whirring too fast. The man running the wheel was an expert, calling the number out long before I could read it.
“Twenty-seven, black.” I didn’t see any chips on that square, but there were bets on black. I could tell right away who placed them. As the casino employee paid out and cleared the table, Eddie pulled me toward an illuminated sign reading “Blackjack and Poker.” Lights flashed and beckoned us onwards.
I could feel the weight of the chips in my bra, two on each side pressing against my breasts. That Bonnie and Clyde feeling struck me again. We were gambling with stolen money, and blending in perfectly with the average patron.
Eddie dropped down into a stool at a semi-circle table. I knew almost nothing about cards, so I stood right behind him with my hands at his shoulders.
A woman dressed up like a sexy peacock came over and asked us if we wanted any drinks. At first I said no, but Eddie jumped in, acting like he owned the place.
“If it’s complimentary, we’ll have two Jack and Cokes.”
She smiled at him. “Of course, sir.”
I wanted to chastise Eddie for not blending in, but after looking around, I realized we were in a land of make-believe. Everyone here could have been a criminal or spy. It was easy to blend in, even if you were ordering drinks, shouting, cheering, or stumbling around drunk. I could look at anyone in any direction and see them completely comfortable. This place was a wonderland, and I was going to follow Eddie’s lead.
Eddie’s lead got us a comp’d hotel room for the night. We were prepared to cash out and pay for a room, but he hit a hot streak, and I think the hotel wanted to keep us around and vacuum back some of their green.
We thought about it, but not for long. We were tired, and there was really no hurry in getting to Bakersfield. Colorado Springs was years away. It didn't feel like three days before when I had been in church, sitting as close to Eddie as possible. Both of us had held our tongues, and when we just couldn’t anymore, he was there to hit the gas and drive all night.
In the morning, while Eddie and I sat enjoying the large buffet breakfast that had been provided, a man sat down at our table out of nowhere. He wore a black striped suit, and there were rings on almost all of his fingers. His hair was slicked back. The man smiled at us.
I was in mid-sip of my coffee. I slowly brought the cup back down to the table. Eddie leaned back and toward me, waiting for him to speak.
When he did, the voice was deeper than I expected. Maybe I had Joe Pesci in mind, but it was a smooth, baritone sound.
“Firstly, I’d like to welcome you to the Deluxe. We’re glad that you came to our establishment. I hope your stay has been enjoyable and entertaining. Secondly, we want no part of the illegal activities that may have led you to our hotel casino, and we’ll be asking you to move along.”
My eyes dilated and my pulse quickened. I felt like cops would swarm on us at any time. My gaze darted in every direction, knowing they’d be there. What I saw was more of the same, though. Older couples, young couples, and everyone in between was sitting down to a quiet breakfast before the excitement of the day picked up.
The man continued to talk, not paying me any attention. “Checkout is at eleven, and I fully expect you to be out of the Deluxe by then. If I catch you, Mr. Rivers, or you, Ms. Vincini, in my casino again, it will be bad. I cannot overstate this. It will be bad.” His voice dropped low, almost to a whisper, as a group passed us. The man leaned in.
“I’d like to let you know that the reason you two were granted a free room was we thought there might be a larger sum of money that you had stashed away, but after some research, my team alerted me to the robbery in Mesquite yesterday. The sums were damn close. How about that?”
Eddie remained calm. He was always calm. Even when I saw him furious, beating a man in a gas station, he was calm. My man smiled. “We don’t want any trouble. We’ll cash out and be on our way.”
“You will not cashing out. We’ll be keeping that which isn’t yours.”
My stomach dropped. We had finally come into a bit of luck, and it was being taken from us. It was our means of getting the rest of the way to California. We could obviously get more cash if we needed to, but it was clear that we were not as careful as we thought.
I heard myself speaking, but I don't remember trying to say anything. “We’ll be gone. Just... just let us get our things together.”
He nodded, satisfied with our answer. The man stood up and gave us a polite but damning smile. With that, he left us.
For a long time, Eddie sat hunched forward, his hands around the mug of coffee. I was out of ideas. I hoped he had at least one.
He turned to me with a sad smile. “Well, we’re done with Nevada. Why don't you finish up your breakfast and let’s hit the road.”
We didn't speak for the rest of the short meal.
We had enough gas to get a few hours outside of Las Vegas, and we both knew we’d have to make a stop for more than gas to get all the way to our destination. Outside of a small town, we came up with the best plan. Doubt was sewn into the fabric of every sentence, but we had no choice.
“Eddie, I haven’t driven this thing more than fifteen feet. I almost laid it on its side. I can’t do this!”
As we stood on the side of the highway, Eddie had me by the shoulders, that calming effect moving through my bones. “Baby, work with me. I know you can ride this thing. We need to pull the bike into the station solo. Hell, it will almost be fifteen feet. We’ll switch over two blocks before the station. I’ll walk up, and by the time you’re filled up,” he handed me the last of our money, a rogue twenty, “I’ll be wandering in. After that, it won’t be a problem.”
I shook my head. “Eddie, I can barely get this thing into first.”
“Darlin’, I believe in you.” He kissed me, muffling any opposition. “You know that, right? I believe in you, Faith.”
In my head, I talked myself through the steps Eddie had taught me about easing the motorcycle forward from a start. I was going to try my best. Maybe if I couldn’t get it going before the station, Eddie would switch our roles. Either way, we had to do what we had to do to survive.
“All right. Let’s do this. Just be careful.” I kissed him, leaning upwards into his height.
The switch went better than I had expected. Even though Eddie had done all the driving thus far, I felt comfortable holding the handlebars of the heavy bike. I eased the throttle back and let the clutch out. As the bike took off, I turned back to see Eddie hoofing it to the gas station.
My heart pounded as I pulled in. I hit the brakes too hard, bringing the Harley to a stop on a dime. I felt my face go flush, but the only other people in the place, a family in a minivan, didn’t seem to notice.
Taking extra care to get the kickstand down, I headed inside to prepay our last twenty dollars. After filling the tank and watching the family get their kicks down Route 66, I replaced the pump, replaced the cap, and pulled out of the station. No one was around when I pulled the Harley around the block, where I’d wait for Eddie.
I couldn’t see him enter the store, so I had to sit and try to stay calm. Keeping my heart in check was a practice I was getting used to, but I still was no good at it. I heard it thud as I waited.
Bells rang out, like a real bank would have. I was confused at first that a gas station would have a proper alarm and the bank in Mesquite. I cocked my head before realizing what it meant. Eddie might not have gotten any money at all. The cashier might have seen the gun and immediately hit the button. The cashier might have been packing his own weapon. I hadn’t heard any shots, but I was still anticipating the worst.
I had to keep myself occupied, so I twisted the handle back, revving the engine. Each jump in the RPMs seemed to match my heart. Thump, thump, thump. Rumble, rumble, rumble. I waited, the bell still ringing and alerting the world.
Eddie finally cam
e around the corner. As he sprinted, he stuffed the gun into the back of his jeans. I’ll never forget the smile on his face.
I leaned the bike vertical, pulling the stand in with my foot. My hand danced at the throttle, ready and waiting to twist it back and get away as soon as Eddie wrapped his arms around me.
He got closer, and I heard his breathing and his boots clomping on the sidewalk. Leaning forward, I allowed him to slide behind me, and I looked past him to see if he was being followed. Seeing no one, I relaxed just a tad.
“Good to go, Darlin’,” he panted at me as he slid behind me on the Harley. I waited a second to make sure he was secure, then took off.
Seventy-seven dollars. That was what Eddie yelled in my ear as we rode down State Highway 58. It would be more than enough, and I was surprised to say we were going to make it to Esther’s exactly when we said we would. Three days after leaving Colorado Springs and the first snowfall of the year, we were riding through the California desert.
I had put more miles on the Harley in that hour after the robbery than ever before. The highway was nerve wracking at first, but I soon fell into the constant rhythm of passing the trucks and holding the throttle steady. Eddie’s sure grip behind me was steadying and calming, as usual.
I knew we couldn’t stop, but I would have loved to have given the control back over to him. He was the man, and I loved that about him. Eddie loved control, and he loved being at the helm. Maybe he thought it was fitting that I would ride into Bakersfield, and maybe even to my sister’s house.
Bakersfield was seventy-nine miles out. I could hardly believe it. If I wasn't concentrating so hard on keeping the Harley upright, I might have let out a tear. The sun felt amazing on my skin. Even though I knew I’d be redder than Satan when we finally arrived, I loved the thought of never needing a scarf again.
I was so excited to sit down with Esther and talk to her. I hadn’t seen her in years, and I missed her so much. Hearing that Dad had spoken to her in a similar manner brought us even closer. She had promised not to tell my parents where I was. I knew she’d tell them I was safe and had contacted her, but they wouldn't be coming after me any time soon.
What were Eddie and I going to do for work? Where were we going to live? I don't think either of us had any idea. The world was our oyster, sure, but we couldn’t just rob some place every time we needed money. I wanted to settle down with Eddie and find a place to live.
One thing at a time, I told myself. We weren’t even in Bakersfield yet.
The buildings began to grow in their frequency. The billboards were advertising Fomoso Dragway and the Bakersfield Sound. It felt so friendly compared to Colorado Springs. To the east, there were foothills that mirrored the ones to the west of my hometown. I breathed a sigh of relief. My body was tired. I was sure Eddie’s was, too.
He still gave my shoulders a squeeze every once in a while, reminding me that he was back there; my rock. The farms gave way to houses, and they gave way to the actual town of Bakersfield. I was glad to slow the bike down and enjoy the stops and starts of the small city’s traffic.
I felt so comfortable on the Harley. I didn't think I’d ever feel afraid of driving it again, although I still preferred riding behind Eddie. It gave me the chance to wrap my arms around my man and enjoy the scenery. I didn’t have much longer to drive, though.
We pulled into a gas station not too long after getting into the actual town limits. After getting off the bike and stretching, I realized we had made it. We still had to call my sister, but we had made it. Three days, two robberies, and more close calls than I wanted to count.
I dialed Esther’s number and only had to wait two rings. “Hello?”
“We’re here.” There was a huge smile on my face as I said it. Even Eddie looked relieved.
“Oh my gosh! I can’t believe it. Where are you guys? Matt and I will drive out and meet you.”
I looked around, giving her the best description I could. I knew what road we’d come off of, and I knew what gas station we were sitting at. Surprisingly, Esther knew right where we were. She said to sit tight. Sitting was the last thing I wanted to do.
Eddie and I paced back and forth, stretching our legs and getting used to the heat. My skin was still tingling from the battering wind only beginning to subside.
Eddie’s arms were around my shoulders, pulling me backwards against him. “We did it.” His chest rumbled into me.
“We sure did.” I closed my eyes and felt him hold me. I felt so comfortable. That fear had melted away. I had my sister’s support, and I had Eddie’s support.
“What now?”
“Eddie, we sleep in. That’s what we do now. We’ll worry about what we’re going to do after a good night’s sleep. Agreed?”
He nodded. We wandered back to the bike, waiting for my sister to pull into the station.
“Faith?”
I spun around, my heart racing at the sound of my sister’s voice. I had a huge smile on my face. Esther was standing behind us, with Matt standing back next to an SUV.
I let out a scream. “Esther, oh my gosh!”
She stepped forward and we embraced. Esther was a few inches taller than me, the perfect fit for an older sister.
We swayed back and forth, holding each other tight for a long time. She whispered in my ear, “It’s so good to see you.”
“I’m so glad to be here. I’m so glad to be out of Colorado Springs.”
She laughed. “I felt the exact same way when Matt and I got out.” I broke the hug to wave to him.
“Thank you so much, Matt.” He was coming forward to greet us. I hugged him, too.
“Good to see you, Faith.” He was cautious, as always.
I turned to Eddie. “Eddie, this is my sister, Esther.” They shook hands, “And my brother-in-law, Matt.”
“Hey. How’s it going?” Eddie and Matt exchanged greetings in that manly way that won’t let them be anything but macho. Matt wasn’t exactly a tough guy, so I was sure he felt intimidated by Eddie.
“You guys want to follow us home? How long have you been driving?” Esther gave Eddie a look up and down, probably hoping no one would notice.
He had noticed, but didn’t let on. “Actually, Faith’s done most of the driving today. She gave me a bit of a break.”
I smiled, feeling proud. “He earned it. He did most of the driving all the way here.”
Esther smiled, “Well, I’m sure you guys are beat. Why don’t you follow us and we can grab some dinner and relax. Then, little sister, I am going to have to hear about this whole adventure from start to finish.”
Eddie drove this time, since it was going to be mostly stop and go. Meanwhile, I rode right behind him, wondering how to tell the censored story of how we’d met, and how we’d been able to afford getting to Bakersfield. I had a little over ten minutes to figure out how to explain the money, Vegas, and any other questions that might come up. It would definitely be interesting...
Living with Esther and Matt was a blessing, but even blessings have their downsides.
After two weeks, Eddie and I knew our welcome was wearing thin, but our choices were limited. He was looking for work, but we both knew the score. Eddie was good with his hands and not much else. He applied and kept a smile on his face, but I saw the real feelings behind it. I saw them because I felt it, too.
It was restlessness. He and I had lived a three-day adventure, then gone into two weeks of nuclear family stagnation. As I laid in bed next to Eddie, I thought about Bonnie and Clyde. If they hadn’t been gunned down in their prime, would they ever have settled for day-to-day work, again? I didn't think so.
