by P X Duke
Dreams Die Fast
P X Duke
Published: 2010
Tag(s): "adult content" "short story" "language warning" contemporary drugs fiction motorcycles
Dreams Die Fast
by
P X Duke
Frank Ross spent the winter on the Baja riding his motorcycle under sunshine and blue skies. Now it’s spring and he’s headed home, but bad luck encountered in a casino parking lot means that he’s stuck waiting for parts in a small, isolated town on the west side of the Salton Sea just 70 miles north of the Mexican border. With nothing to do but kill time, Frank accepts an invitation for a home-cooked meal. Before he knows it, Frank is knee-deep in cartel drugs with a woman itching to pull the trigger on the gun she has pointed at his back.
Dreams Die Fast Copyright 2010 P X Duke
All Rights Reserved
1106240818
Disclaimer
What follows is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental. Places mentioned by name are entirely fictitious and purely products of the author's imagination, and are not meant to bear resemblance to actual places or locations.
The road never ends. Neither does the adventure.
Broke Down
The Salton Sea. It wasn’t much of a sea. At most it was 50 feet deep in places, and more likely 30 feet on average. It was 225 feet below sea level, only five feet higher than Death Valley’s lowest elevation.
It must have been quite a sight when the Colorado River burst the levees by Yuma and overran towns and farms and a railroad in the Salton basin. By the time the burst banks were repaired the sea was 40 miles long and 13 miles wide and covered 400 square miles.
When it was all over and the damage was done, the water remained and the sea thrived. There was nowhere for the water to go, then or now. It couldn’t drain south into the Sea of Cortez or north into the L.A. Basin. Salt levels were about the same as that of the Pacific Ocean, and the fish that were transplanted liked it that way.
During the late ‘50s, the developers moved in to take advantage of the location and the fishing to create a recreation and vacation resort destination. Yacht clubs, marinas, restaurants and nightclubs vied for the attention of the rich and famous that came to escape the big city to the north. Like moths to a flame, they were drawn to the excitement on the newly-discovered California Riviera.
The party didn’t last long. In the early ‘70s years of heavy rains created floods and runoff. Then, to add insult to injury, not one but two hurricanes finally extinguished the flame completely. The coastline towns and resorts were flooded and re-flooded when water levels rose. Eventually everything was closed and abandoned as people walked away in droves. Scattered rusty junk was left behind to be salvaged by anyone remaining or by those wanting to escape who made a choice to move to the former seaside resort towns.
It’s a depressing area now, located as it is in the southern Sonoran desert where temperatures in the basin can hit triple digits on summer days and remain that way through the night on a regular basis. While it had once been a successful resort area, that was only a faint memory for the old timers scattered around the Salton Sea. The towns are mostly deserted now, populated only by the regulars who remained long past their best-before dates, living in dilapidated trailers and houses built in the ‘60s when times were good.
In a place like this the dream had died fast and hard.
The Salton Sea Motel. It wasn’t much of a motel. It almost overlooked the sea. It would have if a second story had been added when the place was built back in the late ‘60s. Now it was barely hanging on in a region that had long ago passed its prime.
New bath towels.
Fancy comforters.
Well-lit parking in nine paved stalls.
All that according to the brochure on the front desk. What a draw.
Nowhere.
That, and I was broke down in nowhere.
Okay, technically it wasn’t exactly nowhere, but it was close enough for me.
I had pulled into a casino to take a break, and that’s when the clutch on my motorcycle took one too. When I saw the flatbed in the casino’s lot, I figured the driver was playing the slots, so when he walked outside I was like a puppy glad to see anyone. I helped him load the bike onto the flatbed and then he found me a ride to the motel. The bike would get dropped off later.
Come morning the flatbed caught up to me in the motel parking lot. The driver tipped the bed and I slid down the back alongside my bike until both wheels were on solid ground. I kicked the stand and leaned the bike on its side.
–That’ll be 50 bucks.
–Fifty? Shit, I could’ve pushed it here for that.
–You want the bike or not? This time, when I drag it up the bed I’ll be sure it’s on its side so you won’t have to help me.
–No, don’t do that. I’m just killing time. Thanks for helping me out at the casino. I didn’t even have time to get to a phone to call for a tow.
Yeah, right. No chance of that happening once I had spied that flatbed in the casino’s parking lot. I counted out 50 and added another ten to the roll I handed over. You never know. I figured he’d be back at the casino burning that 60 in a Las Vegas minute.
–No problem. I would have been here sooner, but I had to make another stop up the road a piece. You good now?
–You bet. The parts are ordered and I’m gonna hunker down here until a friend does his thing and ships them out to me.
–Well, you could do worse than this place. It’s pretty clean. Not too far from a place to eat. You might even get lucky and find a ride back to the casino for a change of scenery.
–Thanks. I’ll keep that in mind.
If I could, I would have escaped at sunup–my normal modus–in the cool of the desert morning, but I couldn’t. I was trapped–broke down and waiting for parts. And now I was leaning against the motel’s rusty 1960s vintage neon signpost, smoking a cigarette. I hate cigarettes, but what the hell else was there to do at the Salton Sea Motel in Beach Bay?
I heard her before I saw her. Or rather, I heard the sound of the exhaust when the car rattled into the motel parking lot. Well-lit parking lot. So said the brochure I had snagged from the front desk. The overhead light was still on. Except it was morning. So yeah, I guess the parking lot was well-lit.
And there she was. Getting out of a beat-up old Pontiac with the paint on the hood and roof faded from too many years in the desert sun and salt-laden sea air. Windows were rolled up against early-morning desert cool.
I stood still and watched as she got out of the car. She had to go right past me to get to the motel office, so I took a nice long drink when she walked by. I couldn’t help it. I never could. And I didn’t care if she noticed or not.
She wasn’t anything special to look at. No makeup. Thin lips. No breasts. But she had dark hair and dark eyes, and I knew those two alone were enough to get me hooked. The bridge of her nose had that little bump on it that always caught my fancy. When she got real close I noticed eyes surrounded top and bottom by the longest eyelashes I’ve ever seen on a woman.
Then she was past me and I turned for a fresh look.
Nice ass in those jeans, I remember thinking, and then wondering about her legs. That, and I hoped I’d be seeing more of her.
I pushed the bike into the back and got my tools out of the saddlebag. I wanted to get started, the sooner the better. Old friend, I’m counting on you to get me the parts so I can get the hell out of nowhere.
The sound of feet scraping sand on the parking lot made me look. She was standing against the sun, and I had to look up and squint to see her silhouette.
–Hello.
A soft voice.
–Hello. Aren’
t you the woman I saw getting out of the car out front?
–Yes, that was me.
–You staying here?
–No, I clean the rooms.
–Not too busy today, are you?
–No, we only had a couple of rooms rented last night. You make three.
–Kinda sleepy here, isn’t it?
–It’s okay if you want to escape.
–Are you escaping?
She changed the subject.
–You want your room done now? I can come back later if you like. I live just down the street.
–No, now would be good. I’m going to be busy out here for a while. Let me know when you’re finished.
Twenty minutes later she was back.
–Your room is done.
–Thanks. Say, is there somewhere to eat close by?
–I’m going to the casino in a bit. You can tag along if you like.
–Sure. Give me a couple to clean up this mess and put away my tools.
We made small talk on the short drive south to the casino. She was working at the motel to make a little cash to get farther north. I was headed north after spending the winter down Mexico way on the Baja.
–So your bike broke down and now here you are.
–Yeah, that’s pretty much it.
We pulled into the casino’s parking lot. The sun was beating down on the fresh black asphalt. Not a sliver of shade was to be had anywhere. It’d be a bear to walk out of this place in the middle of a summer afternoon and get into a car after spending an hour or two in air-conditioned bliss at the slots.
–Do you work here too?
–No. My girlfriend does though. She’ll be getting off her shift in a bit. When you’re fed and watered come find me and we’ll head back.
–All right, I will. Thanks.
I wolfed down a sandwich and then wandered into the small casino. Slots, mostly. A game table. Cigarette smoke. A native casino. Obvious given the isolation. I looked around in the dim light and finally found her with her friend.
–Hi.
–Hello.
–This is my friend I was telling you about. Tammi. I’m Kelly.
–Hello, Tammi. I’m Frank. Pleased to meet you, Kelly.
I put out my hand and she took it.
–Hi, Frank.
Her voice was so soft against the background noise of the casino that I barely heard her. When she turned back to her girlfriend I looked her up and down. Still a nice fit in those jeans. She had a bra on under her white blouse, but it wasn’t holding much. That’s okay with me though. I like small-breasted women. They’re not always trying to stick their tits in my face to get what they want. They have other ways to do that.
I barely noticed Tammi.
Kelly turned towards me, and I knew she could tell I had been checking her out. What the hell, she’s a woman. She ought to be used to it by now.
I looked into her brown eyes. Well, now what, I wondered.
–Tammi and I were just talking about going over to my place to hang out and listen to some music. You can tag along if you like.
–I’d like to, but I should finish up a couple of things on the bike first. I want to be ready when the parts get here. You said you lived just down the street from the hotel. How about if I show up later and join the two of you?
–That’d be okay with me. Tammi, do you mind if Frank comes by later?
She didn’t.
Things were looking up.
On the drive back to the motel I listened to Tammi’s story.
A local girl. No car and high school was a bus-ride away. After graduating she moved away for 18 months and traveled around. When she came back she got a job at the casino and was happy to have it.
I didn’t ask if she had a boyfriend. I figured she had a local she had gone to school with. Next you know she’d be shacked up, knocked up and getting smacked up regularly by her old man on drunken Saturday nights. On Sunday morning he’d be crying his way to forgiveness at the breakfast table and finding salvation later in church.
Life goes on.
Like I was such a prize.
Stuck in a nowhere town after spending the winter broke-ass down on the Baja. Lucky I had made it across the border before the bike broke down. At least the ass wasn’t torn out of my jeans. Yet. I still had a bit of cash left. Probably enough to get me back home if I counted pennies.
Yeah. Like I was a prize. Not.
Kelly dropped me off at the motel and I walked around back to my ride. A couple of hours and I’d be good to go. Good to go, that is, when the parts arrived and I did the work to put them in.
In no time I had the primary off and everything loosened up to make it quick and easy for me when the parts got here. I didn’t want sand and dust getting in there, so I buttoned up the primary with a couple of bolts to keep it clean.
I checked the time and wandered back to my room. The air conditioner was rattling away in the window, the cool breeze a welcome relief from the hot and dry outside. I washed up, stripped down and hit the bed for a mid-afternoon snooze.
You can’t be too careful.
And I’m not getting any younger.
Holed Up
It was late afternoon when I came to. I dove into the shower. Dried. Dressed. Then I was out the door and down the road.
And here I was–still nowhere, looking for a car in a driveway.
Shit. I never asked Kelly about the house. Was this the right place? I knocked on the door and Tammi showed up to let me in.
A good guess.
I looked around. There was no one but the two of us.
–Where’s Kelly?
–She’s at the store. She thought you might like a real meal since you’ve been down in Mexico all winter. She’s a pretty good cook too.
The tow-truck driver had been right about a meal being not far away from the motel, although I’m pretty sure he hadn’t meant this place.
–Well, you’re not wrong about me wanting some good food.
I grinned at her. Tammi grinned back. Now that Kelly wasn’t around to distract me, I took a second look and discovered that Tammi was no slouch in the looks department. She had a nice little body too.
And then the door opened and Kelly was back. She had changed into a green sun dress, and I knew right then and there that I was going to have a problem. She was a plain-looking woman, but the color of that dress just set her up perfectly. I was hooked. And she did have legs–at least the half I could see hanging down from the bottom of her dress looked pretty interesting.
She smiled at me.
Just what I needed–more trouble.
–Were you wondering if I had abandoned ship?
–Only until Tammi told me where you were.
–Good. I don’t like to be too predictable when I’m getting to know someone.
Women. Some are always looking for an angle. She had obviously found hers. Better yet, she was admitting it. It was starting to look and sound like I was going to have a nice comfortable wait for my bike parts.
Tammi and I set the table while Kelly did her thing in the kitchen. When I offered to help she shooed me out, banishing me to the living room with Tammi–a perfect opportunity to find out more about Kelly.
–So what’s her story? Kelly isn’t a local. Did she get stranded too?
–No. Well, kind of. She and her boyfriend ended up here looking to keep his dream alive. He was expecting to come down here from L.A. and live a life of leisure with no money, no ideas and no future across the sea in that concrete jungle junk yard.
I’d heard something like that one time too many. Before the boyfriend figured out there was no free lunch, I’m thinking Kelly threw him out on his lazy ass and he skipped town with her money, her car and her future. The dream died fast and I’m betting he hasn’t been seen since.
–Wow. And she’s still here? How did that happen? It sounds like she’s too smart for that.
–She’s making a little cash to get by. She found th
at wreck of a car across the sea at Slab City. She had some help working on it, got it running and drove by the motel just when there was a help wanted sign in the window. You know the rest.
–Yeah, I do. And here I am.
We both laughed.
–Hey, you two, you’re having too much fun out there. Dinner is almost ready. And stop talking about me. I’m only in the next room and I can hear everything you say.
Tammi went into the kitchen and I could hear whispering. When she came back she made some excuse about having to get home, and that was that. When she left I took the extra dishes off the table and put them back in the cupboard. I figured that if it was going to be dinner for two I didn’t want anything cluttering up the place.
–There’s candles in the drawer by the sink.
–Matches?
–With the candles.
I lit the candles just as she set dinner on the table.
The sun was starting to disappear behind the Santa Rosa Mountains, and the shadows were making long streaks on the desert floor.
–I’ll turn on a light.
–No, don’t do that, Frank. Let’s sit and watch it get dark.
–I kind of miss those long summer evenings up north when the sky is lit up until nine or ten. Down here it gets dark all of a sudden.
–If we were up there, it wouldn’t be dark now.
–Yeah, but if we were up there, it’d be light enough for me to see your legs.
–Don’t concern yourself with that.
And she paused just long enough to make me wonder.
–You’ll be seeing them soon enough.
I couldn’t help grinning and she couldn’t help smiling and then she stood up and turned towards me and hiked up her dress so she could straddle me on the sofa.
–Damn you, woman. It’s too dark in here for me to get a look at those legs.
–You’ll see them, Frank.
She settled onto me and my hands slid under her dress and up her thighs as she pulled the top of her sun dress down to her waist. The candles had just enough light to let me see the dark of her nipples. My head went down to one and then the other as I fastened on each.
