Dirty Faces - Book 2

Chapter 22: Coffee and Cigarettes

Chapter 22: Coffee and Cigarettes

Kody woke up and stared out the passenger window of Ralph's truck. What he was staring at, though, was a mystery, as it was pitch black. He didn't know how long it had been dark nor how long he had been asleep. What he did know was that Ralph had been driving far longer than he was supposed to. It probably was not unlike Ralph to fudge his log book, but concerned for his own safety, Kody addressed the orange glow at the end of Ralph's cigarette and offered to drive for a while. After all, he had dozed off and on for most of the day.

"You can take over the next time I stop," Ralph answered.

Kody glanced at the ashtray full of cigarette butts then cracked his window to let out some of the smoke. It didn't help much. Even when there wasn't a lit cigarette in the cab, it always smelled like stale smoke. He returned to staring out into the darkness.

Over the past week, he had racked his brain trying to make sense out of his presence on this trip. It was undoubtedly Mama's doing. Ralph would have never come up with such an idea, and he appreciated that; there were some advantages to mutual disdain. If his mother truly thought he might enjoy this way of life, she was gravely mistaken. Of that he was already positive. He wasn't sure what hurt more, his back or his rear end. It had been a good while since they last stopped to use the bathroom, and his legs were stiff. And he'd been bored out of his mind since they left the house that morning.

After a while, Ralph asked, "You hungry?"

It had been a long time since they ate the sandwiches Mama had packed. The long-empty thermos rolled around in the floorboard by Kody's feet. If nothing else, he could use a cup of coffee if he was expected to drive as long as Ralph had. "I could eat," he replied. He hadn't really been hungry, but the suggestion seemed to make him so, and it felt like a very long time before Ralph pulled his rig into a sleepy truck stop and parked.

Kody crawled out of the truck and stretched his back and legs, then followed Ralph into the 24-hour cafe. It looked a lot like the diner back home except it was open after dark; the diner in Mabry's Ridge closed up shop and the town rolled up the sidewalks around dusk. They seated themselves at a booth near the back of the cafe and a pretty, young waitress who didn't sound like she had swallowed a frog brought them menus and took their drink orders.

Ralph left the table and headed for the machine near the door that dispensed cigarettes while Kody perused the menu. His stepfather returned as the waitress was bringing out two cups of black coffee, just in time to enjoy some nicotine with his caffeine. He tapped the end of the pack against his hand before opening it and withdrew a cigarette, which he offered to Kody. "Smoke?"

"No thanks," said Kody. He might have been interested had he not found the smell of the truck cab so nauseating all day.

"Suit yourself," said Ralph, lighting the smoke he'd offered.

Kody turned the menu over to find an assortment of breakfast foods offered "all day and all night". He looked at the RC Cola clock behind the counter and saw that it was nearly eleven o'clock. "What do you eat this time of night?" he asked.

Ralph, who had not been looking at the menu at all, replied, "Whatever ya feel like. Sometimes a burger, sometimes bacon and eggs, sometimes pie." He took a draw off his cigarette and tapped the ashes off in the ashtray. "Coffee and cigarettes usually does the trick for me."

Kody flipped the menu back over. Coffee and cigarettes were certainly not going to do the trick. By the time the pretty waitress returned to take his order, he still hadn't decided.

"Are you ready?" she asked.

"Erm...what would you recommend?"

She hesitated. "I've had a craving for the grilled cheese lately," she finally said, placing her hand on her belly. It was only then Kody noticed the subtle bump showing through her uniform. There was no ring on any of her fingers.

"Can't go wrong with a grilled cheese any time of day," he said. "I'll have that."

"Fries?"

"Sure."

He waited until she had gone back into the kitchen before he remarked, "Poor girl. Tough break."

Ralph arched a brow. "How so?"

"Expecting and not married."

Ralph took the last draw off his smoke. "That is a tough break. Poor feller can't even afford a ring and now there's gonna be another mouth to feed." He put out the cigarette then said, "Shouldn't always assume the worst of folks, boy."

The few minutes it took for the sandwich to be made felt like hours, characterized, as always by the discomfort that generally accompanied being alone with Ralph. He gazed at the pictures and signs hanging on the wall across the cafe as he finished his coffee, never making conversation with Kody. The waitress sat on one of the stools at the counter, smoking a cigarette while she read a pulp romance magazine. There was music playing but it was too faint to make out over the exceptionally loud second hand on that RC Cola clock.

When the waitress returned with the food, she refilled Ralph's coffee cup and he silently sipped while Kody ate. When Kody was finished and the plate had been cleared from the table, Ralph lit another cigarette. "Does that offer for a smoke still stand?" Kody asked. He'd heard they were best after a meal and he figured why not go back to that smoky truck smelling just like it? Ralph slid the pack of cigarettes and book of matches across the table. Kody casually removed one from the pack and lit it, taking a couple draws before deciding it was much smoother than the smokes Jack had rolled with Uncle Bill's pipe tobacco a couple summers before.

He assumed the first thing Ralph would do when he spoke with Mama would be to tell her about this, but at this point, he really didn't care. He glanced at Ralph, who was watching him and frowning. Ralph didn't usually smile or have a particularly pleasant look on his face, but this was a deliberate frown. "What is it?" Kody asked, genuinely confused.

"Nothing." Ralph stood up and tossed a handful of dollar bills on the table. "I'll be in the truck. Make sure ya take a leak before ya leave. And tip her real good." And with that, he crossed the cafe and exited. Kody shook his head. He couldn't even sit there and share a smoke with him.

Even if he made more money from this run than he'd make all summer at the service station, it wouldn't be worth it.