Broken Down
Jake swore as he looked down at the engine with the flashlight. He’d blown a seal and oil was everywhere. The stink of it burning was wretched, causing Jake to step back and sigh. Well, this was inconvenient as hell. He slammed the hood of his car in irritation and walked back to the driver’s side door, reaching in to flick his warning lights on. There was a town ahead, not a long ways, but a ten mile walk was not what he was interested in. He dug his cell out of his pocket and looked at the screen.
“Fuck!”
No bars. He tried walking this way and that, but there didn’t appear to be a tower nearby. Now, he was facing a real dilemma. Leave his things in the car and walk to town, wait outside to see if maybe someone came by, or get comfy in his car until morning? If he headed out, he’d have to take his flashlight. He was out in the middle of nowhere Missouri and it was pitch black outside, with only the distance stars provided illumination. As he was debating, he leaned in to grab his smokes and the distant roar of an old engine began to creep up to him. He stood straight, looking for the sound, seeing headlights approaching from the way he’d come from. Jake crossed his fingers mentally, hoping it was a sane person he could hitch a ride with to the next town. Fortunately for him, a man pulled a ’70-something Ford pickup who eyed his car with interest before his attention turned to Jake.
“Need a ride?”
“Yeah. I just need to get to the next town up,” Jake explained.
The other man glanced in his rear view mirror, then forward before he looked at Jake again with a single nod.
“Well, grab your things. Mikki’s working tonight, so you’re in luck. Bill will get out of bed if she calls,” the big man informed him. “There’s room in the bed for your stuff,” he added, jerking his thumb toward the back of the old truck.
“I really appreciate this, man,” Jake expressed, truly grateful he wouldn’t be spending the rest of the night walking or sleeping in his car.
“Don’t mention it. Just glad to have been driving by at the right time,” the big guy dismissed with a slight wave of a meaty hand.
Jake hurried to grab his old duffle bag and his guitar from the trunk, putting the big utility flashlight back in its place. He tossed the duffle bag into the bed of the truck, then rested the guitar case flat atop it. It might slide around a bit, but the guitar would e protected by the padding in the case. After he closed up the car and locked it, he made his way back to the truck and hopped in on the passenger’s side, settling on the bench seat. He’d barely closed the door when the truck began to move.
“I’m Jake, by the way,” he said by way of introduction.
“I know who you are,” the other man said, keeping his focus on his driving. “I’m Larry. That’s a nice ride you’ve got there,” he added. “You restore it or have it done?”
“I had it done. I don’t have the time or skill for the major stuff,” Jake answered.
Larry nodded. “Looks like they did a decent job. On the outside, anyway.”
Jake chuckled wryly. “Yeah, they did. It’s been about 10 years since there were any problems with it. I suppose it’s about due.”
He could see the big man’s head nodding in response. Jake took a moment to study his older companion. While he was only 5’9”, this guy was so big he essentially took every inch of space available for the driver. His head almost brushed the roof, and his arms were bigger around thickness of Jake’s legs. There was a bit of a beard on the man, and he could tell his dark hair needed a trim. Outside of that, he couldn’t make out much.
“So, Bill’s the local tow truck guy?”
“More like the local mechanic who’s happy to pick vehicles up ti fix. Man can fix anything – tractors, semis, cars, trucks – new and old,” Larry explained.
“So who’s this Mikki,” he asked after several minutes of silence.
“She’s the gal who runs the diner overnight. It’s the only place open this late, except for the gas store,” Larry said. “Diner’s better. Fresh food, coffee, and our girl.”
“Your girl,” Jake asked, confused.
“Me and the guys adopted her. We kinda became her uncles.”
“You and the guys?”
“Yeah. Bikers from way back in the day. She calls us her uncles. Ain’t one of us wouldn’t kill for that girl,” Larry said evenly.
Jake nodded, giving him a thumbs up. “Lucky girl. She must be very special.”
“She is.”
“Sounds like I am in for a better morning before I had too much time to even get too annoyed,” Jake mused. “It’s always nice to hit a place and have a genuinely nice person waiting inside. She’s not going to go all fan girl, you think?”
Larry laughed for a few moments before he glanced over at Jake. “I doubt she’ll even know who you are.”
Jake lifted his brow. “She doesn’t listen to rock?”
“Oh, she’ll have heard you, but I’ve heard enough conversations that make it clear she… well, put it this way: One of the girls was looking up something about Randy Travis. Man’s been around forever and I’ve heard her singing along to his songs sometimes. When the girl pulled up the picture, Mikki saw the photo. She asked who the man was. She’d never noticed the picture before. They didn’t believe her, so they started testing her and 20 pictures later, they gave up.”
Jake was inwardly shocked. “Damn. Thank you, by the way, for not making a big deal about me being… well, being me.”
Larry chuckled quietly. “You’re just a guy, like the rest of us. You just get a lot more attention because you have a great talent.”
It was Jake’s turn to chuckle. “I like that description. Can I quote that the next time I’m interviewed?”
Larry laughed a bit at that. “Yeah, I reckon you might need it. You didn’t let it go to your head. That’s the best kinda man there is.”
Jake was smiling as he saw the lights growing brighter. It wasn’t that they were nearing the town though, it was the big man next to him speaking the reality and giving him a compliment that he really took to heart. He had the distinct impression this man didn’t dish out compliments easily or often.
“I appreciate that, man. So, what’s the best food at the diner?”
“Well, actually, the food’s better than what you’re thinkin’ it’s gonna be. This ain’t no shit diner. People come from all around to eat here. Mikki helped them spice up the menu a bit, too. During the day,” Larry explained. “It just depends on what you like.”
Jake was suddenly finding his stomach feeling very, very empty. “Man, I am getting hungry with all this talk. My gut’s going to start eating my spine soon.”
“Good thing we’re here, then,” Larry said with a grin, pulling his truck into the lot and driving around to park in the front. “Your stuff will be safe for now,” Larry said as he took a look around.
Jake nodded and hopped out of the truck, closing the door with a bit of force that these old vehicles required. He followed Larry inside, only now realizing the big guy was a lot bigger than he’d thought. Larry towered over Jake, reaching about six and a half feet tall. He was also big, not just heavy but by his frame. He imagined anyone would be terrified to see him angry. His hands were the size of dinner plates, and he had that worked hard his entire life muscles.
“Hey, kid,” Larry said, looking off to his left, but out of Jake’s sight due to Larry’s broad back. “Call Bill, will ya? Got an old car broke don about 10 miles back. I got the owner here.”
“Hey, Larry,” he heard a friendly, almost musical voice reply. “I’ll be right back.”
Larry continued to a table in the back, with Jake still following behind. The place was empty and so clean you could eat off the floor. He took a chair at the end of the table, to the left of Larry. His eyes drifted around to get a better feel if the place. The chairs around the tables were deep red, matching the color of the booth seats. All the tables were white, with a thick, clear sheeting he guessed was acrylic, covering the top and displaying old postcards, tickets, and other paper memorabilia from the 19th and early 20th centuries. Red paper table mats were placed in front of each chair, two on each side in the booths. The lights were up in thee high ceiling,, a soft fluorescent of the more modern bulbs. The counter was essentially like the tables, only with stools instead. There was a window between the front and back, along with a ring that held tickets. Next to it was a door that opened both ways.
Suddenly, a little redhead appeared in the door, heading to the coffee maker, hollering over her shoulder. “You both want coffee?”
Jack nodded and Larry spoke up. “Yeah, please.”
Jake tried to get a good look, but all he could see was a lot of red curls, loosely pulled into a french braid that started near the crown of her head. He could also see she had slim shoulders and a narrow waist, clearly not meant to be built big. When she turned around and collected something else in her hands, he could see her skin was a golden color that reminded him of some of the people of Argentina. Her eyes, however, were a light emerald green, drawing you into them to explore their depths. She had reasonable curves, properly proportioned with with plump, but not excessive, sized breasts and a gentle flare at her hips. Still, there was something slightly off. She seemed haunted and sad, in spite of her cheerful demeanor. He looked over at Larry, who was studying him.
“Lot more than meets the eye,” he commented quietly.
Jack nodded. “So it seems.”
Mikki was standing at their table only moments later, with a bowl containing a variety of liquid creamer and another with sugar, sweeteners, and powdered creamer as well as two cups of coffee. The coffee cups were placed in front of them almost the same time as the bowls were placed in the center of the table. That’s when Jake realized she was not quite as tall as he first thought, standing about five foot five, instead of his first impression that she was closer to his height. Another thing he noticed was the tension around her eyes and mouth. Best guess, she was in her early to mid thirties.
“So, you guys hungry?”
Jake looked up at her. “Are you doing breakfast or…,” he trailed off.
“No, we serve everything, 24 hours a day,” she answered with a smile.
“I’d love a fat, juicy burger and some onion rings, honestly,” Jake told her.
“You got it,” she said, then looked at Larry. “Anything?”
“A sandwich,” he said and she nodded, turning around to head for the window.
“Hey, handsome, I’ve got an order,” she called through the window.
Jake raised his brows at Larry, who’s eyes were crinkled, betraying his amusement. When someone else spoke to her, he saw the head of what appeared to be a man well in his 50s, with a crooked nose and a big scar under his eye.
“Give it to me, baby girl,” he said with a grin in his voice, causing Larry to chuckle.
“Big burger, O-rings and Larry’s sandwich,” she relayed, sticking the ticket into it’s slot.
“That old man hates almost everyone but her,” Larry commented. “They like to tease each other a lot. She’s a sweet girl – never talks shit about anyone and nice to everyone.”
“Last of a dying breed,” Jake commented. “The kind that deserves a good man who’ll always let her shine.”
Larry nodded. “Yup. But I get the feeling she won’t be here much longer.”
“Yeah? Your gut pretty reliable,” Jake asked curiously.
“Yup. I learned the hard way to listen to it.”
The door to the diner suddenly opened, and in walked a thick, squat man with thick legs and arms that seemed a bit too long, as if he was too short for this build. His legs were almost as big as Larry’s.
“Well, there’s Bill,” Larry stated, a hint of waning or maybe irritation in his voice.
“Mikki, I’m here,” the man bellowed before walking toward Larry and Jake. He acknowledged Larry with a nod, but when he looked at Jake, he held still for a moment. “Are you Jake Carlson?”
Jake nodded hesitantly. “Yeah.”
“Is it your car that broke down,” he asked, almost looking hopeful.
“Yeah, about 10 miles down the road,” Larry interjected. “Nice one. ’66 Mustang.”
Bill whistled, sitting down next to Jake. “That’s a beast. I’ll have a cup of coffee, then I’ll go pick her up. I’ll personally take a look at it, not just one of my guys. It’ll get done right.”
“Well thank you,” Jake said with a relived look.
“It’s my pleasure. I’ll give you a good rate, too,” Bill stated as Mikki appeared out of nowhere with another cup of coffee and a coffee pot to refill the other men’s cups.
“Usual,” she asked Bill.
He shook his head. “No, darlin’, just this. I gotta go pick up this guy’s car.”
“Okie-dokie,” she answered, flashing them a smile before she stepped away to put the coffee pot back into it’s place.
Bill looked at Jack, whose eyes continued to follow her. He laughed quietly.
“Don’t worry about her fangirling. She’s clueless,” Bill told him.
Jack nodded, “Yeah, Larry told me. It’s actually cool to be treated like a normal person. A lot of waitresses all but crawl in my lap some days. I tip those who remain professional much more, just to make a point. I even leave notes to explain the tip.”
“I’d be loving that,” Bill said, taking a swallow of his coffee.
Larry snorted and shook his head. “Pain in the ass. Not being able to go anywhere without women throwing themselves at you to try to get to your money and become famous would get old, fast.”
Bill shook his head. “We’re never going to agree on this one. I’d love the attention.”
Larry squinted at Bill. “Well, your wife wouldn’t take kindly to that.”
Bill shrugged his shoulders. “I didn’t say I’d screw ’em. I picked the one I wanted. The attention is still fun, regardless.”
“You’re too ugly for that,” Larry retorted.
A smug smile curled Bill’s lips. “And Hugh Hefner was a hundred years old married to a twenty-something chick.”
“Hugh Hefner was a prick,” Jack spoke up. “He did not treat those girls well.”
Bill eyed Jack with piqued interest. “You knew him?”
Jack nodded slowly, sipping on his coffee. “I met him a few times. I felt sorry for those girls, too. I went to a party there the one time and didn’t go back.”
“Mmm,” Larry hummed in response, laser focused on something on the other side of the restaurant.
Jack glanced over to see Mikki scrubbing another coffee machine’s hot plate. His gaze returned to Larry with curiosity. After a moment, Larry’s eyes shifted to Jack, then he lifted up his cup and took a long drink of his coffee. A few moments later, Mikki appeared again, seemingly out of nowhere once more, placing plates in front of everyone. Even Bill, along with a couple packets of extra butter.
“I didn’t need anything,” Bill stated in protest.
“Oh, some toast isn’t going to kill you,” Mikki retorted before heading off to resume her cleaning.
Bill sulked a moment, but began to eat his toast anyway. Larry chuckled, though Jack was bewildered. Before he could say anything, though, Larry spoke up.
“Doc says he needs more whole grains in his diet.”
“She changes my bread on my sandwiches,” Bill grumbled again.
“Oh, quit. You like the attention” Larry admonished.
Bill smirked after a moment of eyeing Larry. “Yeah, well, can you blame me?”
“Nope,” Larry stated flatly.
Jack had to chuckle at the two. “She the kind that likes to feed people?”
Larry nodded slowly, while Bill ate his toast. Jack noticed Larry was again watching Mikki like a hawk. Jack looked over, but saw nothing unusual.
“What’s up,” he asked Larry.
Larry’s eyes shifted over to him. “Nothing. Just watching.”
“Alright, fellas, I’m off. I’ll find you tomorrow,” Bill said before pushing himself off the chair. “Have a good one.”
The two men fell into silence as they ate. Jack was pleased Larry wasn’t kidding about the food. The burger was thick and juicy, the toppings were generous, and the onion rings were hand-breaded. It was absolutely delicious.
“Damn, I could eat a couple pounds of this stuff.”
“Thank Mikki for that. She showed them it was cheaper to do them by hand,” Larry comment. “They fry faster, too.”
“I just showed them a couple videos with Gordon Ramsey,” Mikki said from his side as she began to pick up empty plates and trash. “They just followed along his comments and went from there.”
“Uh-huh,” Larry mused. “You did the research for them and gave them your suggestions. Not that I’m complaining or anything; you’ve just gotta give yourself more credit.”
Mikki shook her head. “Just happy to help. I don’t need credit. Anyway, you guys want anything else?”
“No, I’m good,” Jack said. “That was awesome. Now I just need to find a motel or something.”
“You can’t stay at the motel,” Larry and Mikki both said, almost in unison.
Jack looked between them, caught off guard by their reactions. “Uh… why not?”
“It’s got cockroaches,” Mikki stated.
“And fleas. The buildings are falling apart,” Larry added.
“Don’t forget that carpet is at least sixty years old,” Mikki concluded.
Jack looked back and forth between them. Judging by their expressions, they weren’t kidding. “Well, that leaves me with a problem,” he said, rubbing the back of his head. “I need a place to crash until my car’s fixed.”
Larry looked at Mikki. “You’ve got that upstairs. It’s all clean, right?”
She nodded slowly, looking thoughtful. “Yeah, I do that weekly, even though no one ever goes up there. I just did the shopping, so he’ll get fed.”
“What time you leaving?”
Mikki pulled a watch out of her pocket and glanced down at it. “Less than two hours. Jimmy’s coming in.”
“Good,” he said, then looked over at Jack. “If you can wait a bit, Mikki can take you over to her place….”
“Your place. I’m just renting it,” Mikki interjected.
Larry rolled his eyes, which was somewhat amusing on the bear of a man’s face. “It’s yours till you’re gone,” he stated flatly, then turned back to Jack. “As I was saying, Mikki’s house has an apartment upstairs. It’s got it’s own door, it’s own kitchen, and it’s fully furnished. Better than a motel. Though, I wouldn’t let my dog stay at that rat motel.”
“If it’s so bad, how is it still open?”
Larry shook his head. “I don’t think anyone has ever checked into it. ’course, the cop’s crooked and the mayor couldn’t care less.”
Jack chuckled wryly. “Figures, but yeah, that’d work. How much?”
Larry shook his head and raised his hand. “I don’t need anything. The only request I have is don’t fuck with Mikki. If she’s into it, fine, but if you give her trouble, you’re going to wish you never met me,” Larry said in the same tone he’d been using, but his eyes accentuated the threat. “I might not kill you, but you won’t leave this town in one piece, you got me?”
Jack nodded in understanding. “You don’t have anything to worry about; I’m not into that kind of thing. I worked hard to get where I am – I’d never do something like that.”
Larry nodded once, his gaze shifting back to where Mikki was rolling silverware up in napkins. “I just had to say it. I’d say it to anyone that went over there.”
“I get it. You want to protect her. There’s nothing wrong with that. I don’t blame you about being cautious. If she was mine, I’d be the same way,” Jack assured him, looking over to see the quick, efficient movements she took to stack and wrap the silverware in seconds. “Any idea where she’s from,” he finally asked. “I detected a bit of an accent a couple of times.”
“Yep. She hides it pretty good, but it slips now and then. I’m thinking it’s somewhere north. Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan… maybe even southern Canada – Ontario or something. It’s hard to say. She doesn’t slip much often.”
“I’m guessing asking her where she’s from doesn’t work?”
“Nope. Girl wants to keep her secrets, I’m not going to pry.”
Jack nodded then yawned and stretched. “Alright, then. I can hang out a couple hours for her to get off. I’m guessing you’re about to head out?”
“Yeah, I gotta check in and get some sleep. I’ve gotta clear out a couple of shacks of kayaks, rafts, and inner tubes so we can inspect everything before the season hits here in a few weeks. Something always needs fixed,” Larry told him.
“You run some kind of campground?”
“Not the campground, just the rentals,” Larry corrected.
“Well, have a good day, then.”
Larry smirked before pushing his chair out. “I’ll see you again before you go. Oh, and Mikki’s a good cook. If she offers to feed you, don’t say no.”
Jack chuckled as Larry headed off to his truck. His attention soon swiveled back to Mikki, who was prepping the coffee machines, likely for the next shit. He picked up around himself, grabbed his coffee and moved to sit at the counter across from where she was working. Mikki glanced at him over her shoulder.
“Need more coffee?”
“No, thank you. Water would be appreciated, though,” Jack answered. “Any more caffeine will keep me awake all night.”
“I’m so glad I don’t have that problem,” she said, finishing up with the coffee pot before grabbing a cup to put ice in for the water.
“Things change as you get older,” he explained. “I used to not have that problem, but somewhere after forty, things changed.”
“Oh? Hoe old are you,” she asked, placing a thin coaster down before setting the cup atop nit.
”Forty-six,” he answered promptly, then paused. “Forty-seven. Sorry, I just had a birthday a couple months ago.”
“My Dad used to say that after forty, the body starts falling apart,” she told him with a slight smile. She grabbed her rag and walked over to the table Jack had just vacated.
“He’s not wrong, though I’m still in good shape, so it’s not too bad yet,” Jack admitted, watching her. “So what brought you here?”
“It looked like a cool town. I got cheap rent, the people are nice, and the job keeps me busy,” she told him. “There’s not a lot here, but I don’t mind. It’s quiet, hardly any crime, and everyone looks out for each other. It’s relaxing.”
“Hmm,” he hummed in response. “Are you from a big city?”
“I lived in one most of my life,” she responded vaguely. “But, I needed a change for a while.”
“I love it, myself. Everything is pretty close, places open all night… though I don’t party like I used to. You have to tone things down a bit sometime.”
Mikki only nodded, rounding the table as she made her way back. “I’m not much of a partier,” she stated as she realized she was expected to say something. “A few drinks at some hole-in-the-wall is more my thing.”
After saying that, she dumped her rag in a sink behind the counter and went into the back.
“Guess she doesn’t want to talk,” Jack mumbled to himself.
