Blacktop Wasteland(46)
“Why would you say that?”
She pushed an errant curl behind her ear. The breeze came up and knocked it loose.
“Mama says that you do things. Illegal things.”
“Does she.”
“Yeah.”
Beauregard crossed his arms and looked straight ahead.
“You take that money and you get the fuck out of this house. Out of this county. You ain’t gonna get in any trouble. Go and don’t look back. Don’t ever come back. There’s nothing here for you. Not Lil Rip. Not your Mama. Not me. Your star is too bright for a place like this,” he said.
“I don’t know what to say.”
“You ain’t gotta say nothing. You my daughter.”
He didn’t say he loved her. He wanted to, but it felt wrong to say it now. She might feel obligated to say it back and he didn’t want that. Just because he had given her this money didn’t mean he had earned an “I love you” just yet.
Ariel let out a long sigh.
“And you my daddy,” she said. She hadn’t called him that since she had learned how to tie her shoes.
There didn’t seem much to say after that so they both stared straight ahead with their feet on the front bumper of the Duster. They stayed like that for a while, neither one of them saying a word. They just watched the sunset and listened to Emma yell at the tele vision. At some point, Beauregard felt Ariel’s hand in his own. He squeezed it and sat there for a little while longer.
* * *
Once he had left Ariel, Beauregard decided to go out to the Walmart and pick up some Delmonico steaks, potatoes and some ice cream for dessert. He wasn’t going to buy a car, but Ronnie had a point. He should enjoy some of the money. He usually avoided going by the Walmart because it meant passing Precision and he didn’t have any desire to see all the cars that should have been at his shop behind their black-powdered aluminum fence. Kia did most of the shopping by herself. On the days he did accompany her he took her over to the Food Lion in Tillerson two counties to the north.
He turned onto Market Drive and dropped his speed down to 35 miles per hour. A mile from the Walmart he heard the shrill whine of sirens. He clenched the steering wheel and got ready to punch it. He looked up in the rearview mirror and saw a fire engine bearing down on him. He pulled over and let it pass. Two more followed the first one, sirens and lights blasting at full power. Beauregard pulled back onto the highway and continued to the store. He wondered if the trucks were headed to the Walmart. Had some bored high school kids called in a bomb threat?
“Goddamn,” he said.
Precision Auto was engulfed in flames. Plumes of fire shot fifty feet into the air, setting the sky ablaze. The volunteer firefighters were valiantly battling the inferno, but it didn’t look like they were making much headway. The Precision Auto Repair sign was melting on its fifteen-foot-tall pole. Beauregard studied his rearview mirror as he passed by the scene. The flames glowing behind him made it seem he was driving straight out of Hell.
When he got home from the store, Kia was sitting on the couch with Darren.
“Hey, where’s Javon?” he asked.
“He asked could he stay over at Tre Cook’s house. I didn’t think you would mind.”
“I don’t. I was just asking.”
“What you got there?”
“Got some steaks. Gonna make some potatoes au rotten,” Beauregard said as he brushed Darren’s head with the shopping bag.
“Eww.”
“What, you don’t want no rotten potatoes?”
“No, Daddy, that’s nasty.”
“Well, more for me,” he said as he walked into the kitchen. Kia got up and followed him into the kitchen.
“You got paid?” she asked.
Beauregard put the steaks on the counter. “Yeah.”
“No more, right?” Kia asked.
Beauregard went to her and enveloped her in his arms.
“No more.” He kissed her forehead before releasing her. He cut open the packages of steaks and placed the meat in a bowl. He poured some seasonings in the bowl and filled it with water for a quick marinade.
“Precision Auto Repair was on fire when I went to Walmart.”
“What? When did this happen?”
“I just told you. About an hour ago.”
“Well, fuck.”
Darren collapsed into giggles.
“What?”
“You know they gonna think you had something to do with it, right?”
The thought had crossed his mind, but he hadn’t so he didn’t expend any energy worrying about it.
“Yeah, but I didn’t.”
“I know you didn’t, but they still gonna say it.”
He walked back into the living room.
“So? You gonna peel these potatoes?”
* * *
They had dinner then sat on the couch watching a movie until Darren fell asleep. Kia picked him up and he snuggled against her neck.
“I’m going to put him down. Then I’m gonna be right behind him. You coming to bed?”
“In a few. Gonna check out the news.” Kia cradled Darren to her chest. Beauregard thought she was going to ask him a question. He waited for it, but the moment passed. “Tell your daddy goodnight,” she whispered to Darren.