Jordan turned off the macaroni and cheese on the table and spooned it into a bowl for her daughter, "Now you be careful cause this is hot." And slowly replied to Linda, not meaning to be so busy, "Well, ok. I like having them over. Old Mike is always fun to have around, and his son has never given any of us problems. I'd be glad to have them over. He can have my bed." She chuckled to herself, "We haven't been doing all that much with my yeast infection anyhow. What a pain!" she exclaimed.
"Another one? You should get to the doctor and see if there isn't something wrong with you." Linda spoke with concern, "You just want to be able to say that you've had Mike in your bed though. I know how you are."
"He can have my bed and your son too! He loves his nookie… the doctor I did see told him, 'She needs time to heal down there. Give her some time.' But he won't listen. Mike can have it, but I don't mind having them over. He has a check for me… owes me the three hundred for the ceramics that I sent to Febe and him."
Linda smiled to herself, "Ok good. Monty and I talked it over and we'll bring them over tomorrow. I'll see you there then."
"Ok… be sure to bring some extra hot dog buns ok?" Jordan added.
That night, Nick sat in the top bunk of the trailer of Monty and Linda's house, looking down at the open window. It was about three in the morning, and the only thing that he could keep in his mind was that he was finally there, in Seattle. He adored going up there and seeing Monty and Linda and Donnie and Jordan, they were all like family to him. Especially Monty, although he had his moments of getting on the young man's nerves, he was like an uncle that he had not seen in a long time.
The moon echoed her sparkling glow through the open window, down on the bare flesh of his arm, and he knew that somehow it was the same moon that was shining down on the lake that he loved so much. The memories that he held as a child when his mother and father would take him all around the city. He remembered going swimming in the lake with them, and with Jordan and Donnie.
Donnie and Jordan, the two crazy assed young blood of Seattle. They were both in their early thirties. Those two were always fun to be around. Now they had bought their own house, just east, out in the country and walking distance to the lake. It was exciting to think that he was going to, from what he'd heard, spend the next few days out there walking all around the property. Totally amazing to him. His young body ached for action the next day, walking around the party. There were supposedly fifty guests to show up, and people that he had never met.
"God," he said in a whisper, "I'm so glad that you've brought me here to see all of this beautiful land. Driving here was so neat. I hope that I get to have fun tomorrow at Donnie and Jordan's and that I will get to spend more time with them. Especially Jordan, I like how she always says what she feels and means what she says. She's so cool. Amen."
He covered his eyes with his hand for awhile, blocking the moonlight, realizing that it was keeping him awake. But still, he looked down at the bottom bunk as his father moved in his sleep, he knew that his thoughts were racing like a freight train. He couldn't and wouldn't be able to sleep at all, and was used to the feeling that he got on trips.
The next morning, Mike and his son woke up late. It was well after noon by the time that they had all of their clothes changed and met Monty at the truck for their ride to the party. It was still rather early, a full three hours until the party. It was going to be one of those all afternoon parties where the guys would sit around and break in a keg of Iron City Beer.
"We're gonna stop by the distributor and pick up a case of beer in case the party goes bust ya know. They never plan ahead these things." Monty said with a sigh, "I keep telling my fricken son that you need to figure out how many people are coming."
"He said around fifty." Mike chimed in.
"Fifty, he always says fifty. And then he ends up inviting everybody and their brother and you have a hundred or so. And then I hear, 'Hey pop wanna go get me some booze?" Monty laughed, grinding down on the clutch.
"Yeah that's when nobody shows up though." Mike smiled. "Don't let me forget to give her my check."
"Ok. Yeah you know it."
Monty was a wild driver, always going twenty miles over the speed limit, just for the hell of it. Always with the lead foot, and it made Mike extremely nervous. It was one thing that he'd never understood about Monty and his family, when they wanted something done they wanted it done immediately. The great outlaws who defied every man made law on the planet.
"Ya know," Monty said with a smile, "This party is gonna be great. Maybe we'll piss Jordan off like we did the last time."
"What'd you do now?" Mike chuckled, looking in his wallet for money to pay for half of the beer.
"Well….. well…. Ok you got me." Monty stated to laugh hysterically, almost driving completely off the road towards a little girl on a bike who gave them the finger.
"Monty watch the road!"
"I am Mike," Monty continued, "So anyway what was I saying?"
"Um… something about your son's party that he had and pissing his wife off."
"Oh..yeah ok." Monty said, paying more attention to the road this time. "We got hammered. And Jordan can't drink booze, so we were out of it and she was sober. So we went…." He paused as he passed a slower driver, "He um… anyhow she was there wearing a T shirt and a bathing suit underneath that. And we got riled up and tried to get her to do a little strip for us. Had a bet what her breast size was. Donnie got in on it too and she flipped. Wouldn't talk to me for a whole.. fu.. frickin week!" He was starting to become annoyed by Mike, questioning his driving ability.
By then, it was time to get the booze, and Monty's mind was too absorbed in the idea of the beer more so than his broken stories. None of his stories ever made sense, and they were never finished. He'd spend the entire time driving to a place and wait until the last two minutes of the drive to begin a deep conversation because he knew that there was nobody who would ever end the conversation in anything but his favor.
Not long after, they arrived at Donnie and Jordan's. Donnie having already had at least four beers. They would not make it much further than the garage. They already had the chairs and the tables set up out there under the spotlight where they could all be alone and get drunk, pass out under the gleaming light. Mike and his son left Monty and Donnie alone to discuss a few things about mechanics out in the garage with Jordan's father.
Nick was always careful to take a look at his surroundings. It was a long walk to the house from the garage. They had a beautiful garden, now in ruin from the frosts, and he wondered what it had looked like in the Summer. They always had beautiful tomatoes and peppers and corn ripe for the picking, most of it falling off on the vine. Jordan had her art studio out in the garage as well, a small sectioned off area with all of her paints and paintings, something that he would have to be sure to ask her about when there was more time. She was always interested in spending time with him discussing strange occurrences, having grown up on a farm she was far from innocent. He remembered her once telling him that she was proud of him for being such a good boy and being so level headed. "When I was your age, I was screwing boys in the barn and drinking beer like you can't imagine" But of course that concealed how she had talked and acted around him when she was alone. She had a side of herself that was crazy.
It was shortly before the party, Mike and his son sat it the kitchen of Donnie and Jordan's house, relaxed and enjoying the shelter from the mid November day. The heater fired up in the cellar, and the vents turned their hot air with the loud clutter from the old machine.
Jordan stood in the doorway, sweat beading on her forehead, just coming from the garage. She had the look of frustration, which was clearly visible with all of the new people in her house. "So are you guys leaving tomorrow or the day after?"
Mike looked up at her, he noticed that she gave him that look, it was the look with a twist of her hips. She had the innocent schoolgirl face that looked as if it would disappear at any moment, "Not sure yet. I was thinking about tomorrow morning or maybe the next day depending on what Donnie says he's doing."
"Well it might be a little bit of a day tomorrow, we might need you around. There is something wrong with my dad's truck, he took it down to his place to have a look at it and did all kinds or work on it. Monty wouldn't even let his father in her to touch his tools or anything." Jordan said, moving into the kitchen where Mike and his son were sitting quietly.
Mike laughed at what she said, looking though his wallet to see how much money he had on him.
