Nightrunners by Joe R. Lansdale Read Free Book Online

a town to service five hundred people, and from this point, it wasn't too outrageously far to Livingston or Lufkin, and one or both of those places would be where all the serious shopping was done.
    He drove a ways and found what served as a school. It was incredibly small, and probably housed all grades.
    A little farther on there was only the forest on either side of the road. The tour of Minnanette was complete.
    He turned around and drove back to Pop's. That seemed to be the hot spot.
    A pickup had parked in front of the gas pumps, and an old man in greasy grey coveralls was putting gas in it when Montgomery pulled up and got out.
    For the first time he really noticed the freshness of the air. Galveston always smelled like some giant was airing out a pair of stale underwear in front of a huge fan.
    The old man in coveralls turned around and looked at Montgomery. His eyes roaming up and down, tagging him "stranger."
    Montgomery nodded at him.
    "Right with ya," the old man said.
    "No hurry."
    A lean brown arm came out of the truck window, handed the old man (Pop?) a wad of bills.
    "Get you some change," the old man said. "Right back."
    "Okay," a woman said.
    Montgomery liked the voice. Lots of country twang with an underlying touch of velvet.
    Kind of woman who'd drink her whisky straight and roll up with a man and fuck like a snake.
    Sex. That was certainly on his mind a lot.
    And why not?
    There you go again he told himself. Such a fine, understanding husband you are.
    But he still walked around where he could see into the truck.
    The woman's face was nice. Large-boned, but attractive. Damned attractive. She didn't wear makeup. Her hair was shoulder-length and brown. She turned to look at Montgomery. Her eyes were large, like a doe's. She smiled at him, a sexy, out of the corner of her mouth smile, Or maybe that was just the way his brain was receiving it.
    Probably just friendly, nothing more. She winked.
    No, sir, more than friendly.
    Montgomery grinned. She was blatant, but effective. And he liked it. Somehow, Becky's inability to accept him sexually made him feel castrated. This looked like a woman who could hang a new set of balls for him.
    ". . . never had no balls, Monty. That's what's wrong with you . . ." His father's voice intruded on his memory. Mad. Very mad because of what he had let Billy Sylvester do to his little brother. It hadn't bothered him so much then, but now that he was grown (taller?), it ate at him. Maybe his old man was right all along. No balls. That was his problem.
    To hell with the old man.
    He winked back.
    She blushed.
    That was surprising. Country shy and aggressive too. A weird combination.
    Or maybe, he thought with sudden embarrassment, she had merely had something in her eye and he thought she had winked. And he, the big lover, had just made a fool out of himself.
    Pop came back with the change. "All right, Marjorie ..."
    He couldn't see her face now, just Pop's back, his grey head.
    ". . . nine dollars and fifteen cents change."
    "Thanks, Pop," she said.
    "All right. Come back now."
    She pulled out of the driveway and Montgomery watched her go, wondering if he had just made an ass of himself. But then again, it didn't matter. He'd never see her again.
    "Now, what can I do for you, young feller?"
    Young feller? Just like in the movies, thought Montgomery.
    "Need a few things from the store. Little gas, I guess?"
    "Little gas'll cost you a lot. Stuffs high as hell. Some folks blame me. Hell, I ain't got nothing to do with it. Do I look like a goddamned Arab to you? I sell it cheap as I can.
    Any cheaper and I don't make a dime."
    "No."
    "No what?"
    "No, you don't look like a goddamned Arab to me."
    Pop laughed. "Sorry. Just get tired of all this gas shit, you know?"
    "Yeah."
    "You want to pull your car up to the pump? Uh, how much?"
    "Fill it."
    Montgomery parked the car by the pumps, went inside. The store seemed frozen in a time warp. Merchandise was everywhere. Dangling from nails.