End of the Road (7 page)

A clatter from the kitchen startled him out
of his thoughts. The older waitress, the one who had greeted him,
stuck her head out the swinging door. "Sallie Mae? You got that
handsome customer? He's mighty cute, I might have to take care of
him if you don't." A raucous laugh emanated from further back in
the kitchen.

"Ma, you just hush up. Go take care of stuff
in the kitchen. I got things out here handled just fine." Sallie
Mae returned to his table with the coffee. She smiled and told him,
"You just pay no attention to Mama. She's not used to fine folk
coming in here, just the local riff-raff." She giggled and managed
to plump her breasts higher in her low-cut uniform.

Gary surveyed her enticing figure as she
filled his coffee cup. "Thanks. I needed that." He wasn't sure if
he meant the coffee or the view but she seemed to appreciate the
thanks.

"So, can I get you anything else?" She
licked her pencil and held it poised above her order pad.

Gary returned the menu to its hiding spot
behind the napkin holder. "Just the apple pie, I think. Heated
maybe?"

"Sure thing. Wanna scoop of vanilla ice
cream on that?"

"Sounds good to me. And please, keep the
coffee coming. I'll be here for a bit."

Reaching into his back pocket, he found his
battered pack of cigarettes with the matches securely tucked into
the cellophane. He sighed, realizing he'd need to buy another pack
soon. "Should quit," he muttered.

"Yup, you should." The waitress cautioned
him with a waggling finger. "No smoking in here though." She
motioned to a side door. "Out there's fine. I'll watch your stuff,
not that anyone would bother it."

He glanced down at the
weathered gray duffel bag sitting at his feet as he stood and
stretched his lanky frame. He drawled a thank you, shuffled outside
and lit his cigarette as he surveyed the town again.
Not much to write home about.
He snorted derisively.
Not that I have
a home to write to.
Only half smoked, he
tossed the cigarette down and ground it out with the scuffed toe of
his boot.

He inhaled deeply, letting the smells from
the local farms invade his senses. He closed his eyes and relaxed
against the side of the diner, one boot propped behind him. He
tried to clear his mind but even envisioning cute little Sallie Mae
in a state of undress failed. He was quickly brought back to his
reason for being here.

He patted his pockets until he found it; an
envelope that looked as tattered as he felt. He carefully traced
the lettering on the front. It had been addressed to him care of
the only person he'd stayed in touch with from his past. Gingerly
he pulled out the letter and photograph, both looking as though
they would crumble if he wasn't careful. It had been written months
earlier but only gotten to him a few weeks ago.

Dear Gary,

I don't know if this letter will find its
way to you but I had to try. I wonder if you even realize I exist.
I'm your brother Edward, or Eddy as most folks call me. I've spent
years trying to find you, even when they told me you weren't alive.
In my heart I knew that wasn't true.

I finally got some of your old addresses
from the foster care office in Belmott and I wrote to all of them.
This is the only one that wrote back. She told me she heard from
you once or twice a year. So I'm taking a chance that this will
eventually get to you and I'm enclosing the only photo I have of
both of us.

I put my phone number on the back. Please
call me, even collect if necessary. I'd really like to meet you and
I hope you will want to meet me. It's been too long and you're all
the family I have.

Your brother,

Eddy

Gary refolded the letter and studied the
picture. It had seen better days, looked as though Eddy had carried
it in his wallet for years. An old black and white photo showing
two young children in an almost empty room. One boy was facing the
camera, the other had his back turned. It was hard to determine the
ages but he recognized the boy in front - it was him. He guessed he
it was taken when he was around two.

He stared at the picture until his vision
grew grainy. He carefully put everything into the envelope and
stuffed it back into his jacket. Taking a deep breath, he pulled
out another cigarette to calm his nerves. Changing his mind, he put
the pack away and walked back into the diner.

Sliding into the booth he realized he was
the only patron left in the diner. He waved to Sallie Mae and she
brought him a fresh cup. "You gonna be here long?" she queried as
she poured.

"Coupla' hours maybe. Depends. I'm waiting
to meet someone." He blew into the cup and took a tentative
sip.

"Well, have to say, this
place is as good as any for that. I'll get your pie 'n ice cream
now." She winked and he watched her hips twitching as she sashayed
off. He shook his head before he went back down the
if only
road
again.

Drinking carefully from the steaming cup, he
leaned back into the corner of the booth as he stretched his legs
out on the seat. His scuffed boots hung well off the end but since
the place was empty, he didn't worry about them being in the way.
While he waited for his order, he finally let his mind wander
backward through the years.

Eddy was right, he hadn't
known he had a brother. In fact, he still wasn't sure he
did.
Could just be a scam, although what
anyone stands to gain from me, I have no idea.
Tossed into foster care before he was three, he had no real
memories of life before school age. He had been small for his age,
shy and slow to make friends. When he finally made some friends, he
inevitably got moved to a different foster home in another area.
That meant a new school and no friends again. At some point he
discovered that pulling pranks brought attention and quasi-friends.
By the time he hit junior high, he'd been labeled as a troublemaker
with low intelligence.

Thank goodness for Auntie Tee, he thought,
picturing the woman who had been the only real mother he'd ever
known. She'd always been old, at least to him. Short and round with
her hair braided and wrapped around the back She'd taken him in,
set the rules and boundaries, then proved to him that breaking them
wasn't going to make her send him away. He'd stuck it out, improved
his grades, eventually graduated and then enrolled in the Army. Six
years and four inches later, he'd been discharged due to an
injury.

From then on he had drifted, from town to
town and job to job. His injury had improved and he tried his hand
at a variety of jobs. No one thing had ever really stuck, he wasn't
sure why. He'd loved some of it; like working the range as a
cowhand or as a roughneck on an oil rig. He tended to be a loner,
having retreated into himself over the years. He always felt like
he was searching for something but he had no idea what that
something was. With a loud sigh he drank the last few sips of
coffee and signaled for a refill as Sallie Mae headed towards him
with his order.

After setting the pie down in front of him,
she returned with the coffee pot and filled his cup. She sat on the
other side of the booth and stared at him for a minute. "You look
like someone's got aholda' your gut and won't let go. Wanna' talk
about it?" A warm smile accompanied the question and he was
tempted.

"It's kind of personal. Haven't really
talked to anyone about it." Well, except for Auntie Tee and she had
told him to go for it. Told him he had nothing to lose and lots to
gain if Eddy really was his brother. For some reason he was having
a hard time taking her advice.

Sallie Mae patted his arm. "That's okay but
sometimes it's good to talk to someone that doesn't know anyone
involved." She beamed. "Like me! I'm a good listener and I just
went on break." She leaned back and crossed her arms. "Try me," she
challenged him.

Gary sighed and considered the situation.
Why not tell her about Eddy? He'd leave later today and never see
her and Eddy again. Well, maybe he wouldn't. Taking a deep breath,
he pulled the envelope out of his pocket and handed it to her.
"This is why I'm here. I may have a brother." He sat back and
watched her face as she read the letter and looked over the
photograph.

Sallie Mae smiled slowly as she spread it
all out on the table between them. "So, who's the cutie-patootie in
front?"

"Um, that'd be me." Gary took several
swallows of water and waited.

"I thought so. I can see the resemblance.
Hang on. I'll be right back." As good as her word she returned with
an empty mug and poured herself some coffee. Taking a sip she
continued, "And I take it that's the missing brother in the
background?"

"Yup. Leastwise he says so." A worry line
creased Gary's forehead.

"So you never knew you had a brother? No one
ever mentioned him?" Gary shook his head. "How in the heck-"

"I know, it's weird. My, well our, parents
died when we were little. I really don't remember much until I
started school. I'm thinking Eddy is a year or two older so he
remembers more."

"You called him?"

"Yeah, finally. Took a bit before I figured
out I had nothing to lose. My foster mom, Auntie Tee, chewed me out
for not calling him as soon as I got the letter." Gary sipped his
coffee. "We didn't talk for long, I had to call him collect and
didn't want to cost him a fortune. I agreed to meet him here since
it was on my bus ride to my next job."

Sallie Mae raised an eyebrow and asked,
"What do you do?"

Gary laughed. "Just about anything legal
that pays." He leaned towards her and whispered, "In my younger
days it didn't even have to be all that legal sometimes."

Sallie Mae didn't appear to be bothered by
the statement. "Where are you headed now?"

"Up to North Dakota to work in the oil
fields. There's a boom going on up there and I've heard there's
lots of work available. I worked on the rigs in Louisiana so figure
that should count for something."

"Say, you gonna eat that pie or not? Your
ice cream's getting all soupy." Sallie Mae chuckled. "Guess maybe I
should talk and let you eat, then you can finish your story." She
waved her hand at the plate, "Go on! Eat up. I'll do the yammering
for a bit."

Gary returned the chuckle and took a big
bite of the dessert. He let the flavors meld a bit before he
swallowed. Crisp apples, sweetened with cinnamon and cooled
slightly by the creamy, rich ice cream, all wrapped up with a pie
crust that melted on the tongue. "Wow, this is really good. Been a
long time since I had a really good homemade tasting pie. You make
them here?" He stabbed another mouthful, not waiting for a
reply.

"Sure do. Ma makes the best pies in the
tri-county area, even won some ribbons for them when she was
younger." She looked over her shoulder at the kitchen. "She won't
give the recipes to anyone, not even me. Says her secret ingredient
is gonna' stay a secret."

"Well, can't hardly blame her for that. But
I have to admit that I hope she does give it to someone before it's
too late. It'd be criminal for this to disappear." Gary swirled his
fork around the plate, being sure to get every last crumb. "I might
just have to hang around long enough for supper, just so I can get
more dessert."

Sallie Mae's head swiveled as she heard the
kitchen door open. "I'm on break, Ma. Ten more minutes 'cause I
never got my morning one." Her mother nodded as she wiped down the
counter and filled the sugar containers. Turning back to Gary she
asked, "So tell me more about your family or your growing up. I
can't imagine not knowing your ma or brother or nothin'."

Gary wiped his mouth and picked up the
coffee pot, refilling both their cups. "Not much to tell. I was
maybe two when my mother died and my dad died before I was born. At
least that's what I was told at one foster home when I asked."

Sallie Mae interjected, "Didn't they have
any family?"

Gary shook his head. "I really don't know.
For some reason, no one would ever talk about them so I quit
asking. Just never felt the need to push the issue."

"What a shame. I fuss at Ma but I love her
to death. Can't imagine growing up without her."

Gary smiled, "You got any brothers or
sisters?"

"Sure do, but I'm the baby. They all moved
off to bigger cities. Me? I'm happy here helping Ma with the diner.
Someday I'll run it." Sallie Mae beamed with pride. "You said you
had a foster ma?"

"Well, there were a lot of foster homes but
only one stuck. That was with Auntie Tee. She showed me that no
matter how bad I was, she wasn't gonna send me away. We still talk
or write a couple times a year. She's been my only family..." Gary
pointed to the photograph in front of them, "at least till
now."