It was a good thing we'd left when we did. While the drive into town was largely uneventful, witnessing the level of snow and ice that coated, hung, and clung to every surface of every building, was truly startling. A number of buildings had damage, and several others had boards nailed across their windows.
I drove around town for a good half an hour, avoiding buried cars and other snow-covered items that I couldn't be sure wouldn't put my truck out of commission. Almost everything was closed. One gas station still had power and the pumps looked in working order. I pulled up and hopped out, only to see a sign taped to the pump that said: Premium-Only. Pay inside. CASH.
Slapping my pocket to make sure I had my wallet, I walked in front of the truck and pointed to the gas station, so the girls would know I was going inside.
The wind was cold and bitter, but surprisingly dry. No wonder, as every bit of moisture was now sitting on the ground as snow or ice. I pushed the door open, heard the bells tied to the handle jingle, announcing my entry, and a clerk called out from behind the register.
"Welcome in. What can I get ya?"
"Sixty on pump one," I said, pulling my wallet out and fishing out three twenty-dollar bills. I handed the money to the clerk who then punched numbers on his screen and then told me I was good to go. I thanked him and turned to leave, but the cashier's next words stopped me. "Holy fucking shit," he said, staring out the window.
"What?" I asked, not seeing what he was seeing.
"Check out these two chicks!" he said, sitting back and folding his arms across his chest.
I stepped forward so I could see past the multitude of signage and stickers coating the inside of the door, and then saw what the cashier was seeing. Jennifer and Mackenzie had decided to come inside, and both of them were hurrying toward the door now, their skirts blowing sideways, revealing absolutely everything, other than what the thin black elastic strip covered, which was pretty much nothing at all.
I grabbed the door and pushed it open, just as Jennifer and Mack made it to the door.
"Holy fuck!" Mackenzie yelped, rubbing her arms with her re-gloved hands.
"Oh my god it's cold out there," Jennifer added, smoothing her skirt down.
"I've gotta go pump gas," I said to both of them. "Did you need something?"
"No," Jennifer said, and then she turned to Mackenzie. "You said he wanted us to come inside!"
"He pointed at the door," Mackenzie said.
"I was just telling you where I was going," I said.
"Well, I'm getting something to eat," Mackenzie said quickly.
"With what money?" Jennifer asked.
Mackenzie made a tight-lipped face and then turned to Jennifer and asked, "Will you buy me something to eat, and maybe a drink?"
"Of course," Jennifer said sweetly.
I shook my head, not understanding, but knowing that this was another one of their little agreements. "When you're ready, just come out and we'll go," I said and both Jennifer and Mack nodded.
I didn't really appreciate just how unbelievably cold it had gotten overnight. As I pumped gas, the wind blew against my pants legs, freezing them stiff. It only took a second of touch for them to thaw back to normal, but it was strange feeling them freeze and thaw with every gust of wind that blew.
I looked up to see just where I was with regard to the sixty, and it looked like I was only halfway. The pump was surely taking its sweet ass time, but then again, the girls were too. I continued pumping until the tank was completely full, and then went to the back and pulled a small gas can out and filled it up too, using the last of the money on the pump. After putting the gas can away, I went back to the store to let the girls know I was done, and they should have been too.
I opened the door, only to see Jennifer and Mackenzie standing at the register, both of them holding bags of items, having a full-blown conversation with the cashier.
"So, uh, how do I get in on some of that action?" he asked, turning to me and giving me a nod.
"Oh, you can't," Mackenzie said, chuckling and kicking a leg up behind herself before putting it back down. "I only like older guys, but I'm taken now, obliviously."
"Ob-viously," Jennifer said, attempting to correct Mackenzie.
"Obviously," the cashier said, and he turned to Jennifer. "And you're going along with it?"
"Sure," she said, smiling. "He's my Daddy," she said, twisting back and forth at the hips.
"Yeah. That's my point," the cashier said.
"Well, I didn't say anything to you when everyone was saying you were fucking your little sister, now did I?" Jennifer said sharply.
"That...wasn't true," the cashier said, his face turning red.
"It wasn't?" Jennifer said, and she glanced at Mackenzie before turning back to the guy. "Mysteriously, Melody ended up getting pregnant and had to move out of state. I remember distinctly telling you, that was fucked up. If something happened, then it happened. Live with it. If it didn't happen, then you should have been sticking up for your little sister, instead of putting your head in the sand and letting the entire town talk shit about you, your family, and your sister."
"She moved out of state to go be with the guy that knocked her up," the cashier said sharply.
"Good. Good for her. That's awesome."
"I...I'm sorry Jen. I wasn't trying to start shit. I was, just surprised is all. What you do is your business."
Jennifer gave the guy a little smile and then said, "Well, you got a free show, and a story to tell. Thanks for the snacks. We do appreciate that."
"I won't say nuthing," the cashier promised then. "Just don't forget about Charlie next time you need gas...or snacks."
"He wants another show," Mackenzie said and she spun around in a circle, her skirt flying up like a whirly gig.
"I ain't gonna say no to that," Charlie said, his face turning red again.
"Time to go?" I asked, stepping back out into the brutal cold, not waiting for an explanation. Apparently, it was their mission to tell the first person they met today, about me having some sort of weird relationship with Jennifer's friend. I supposed it was inevitable. People were going to find out. People were going to talk. I just hoped that I didn't lose my job, or my life over this stupid shit.
I climbed back in the truck and slammed the door, not bothering to put on my seatbelt or start the engine. Jennifer and Mackenzie came out running, slipping and sliding, but remaining upright all the way to the truck. They got in, in a flash, and Jennifer closed the door behind herself.
"Okay, we're ready," Jennifer said as she banged her booted feet against the floorboard, knocking the snow off of them.
I rammed the key in the ignition, roared the ending to life, and threw the truck into drive. We ripped out of the gas station so fast I had to spin the wheel to keep us on the paved road, and I silently berated myself for driving in a manner that reflected my mood.
Once Mackenzie and Jennifer extricated themselves from the floorboard and the side door, they frantically grabbed for their seat belts and put them on.
"What the hell, is going on with you!!!?" Jennifer shouted at me then, clearly pissed off.
"Me? What the hell is wrong with me? What about with you?" I asked.
"I didn't say wrong with you," Jennifer said calmly. "I asked what's going on? What's wrong?"
"Why do you have to tell the first guy we meet, our business?" I asked.
"What do you mean?" Jennifer replied.
"That cashier! You're in there basically telling him your life story," I said, unable to fathom why.
"Charlie Dad. That's Charlie. You don't remember him?"
"No," I said sharply, trying to figure out who he was.
"That's little Charlie. His mom is Wendy? You remember? The lady with the short skirts?"
Jennifer's description did jog my memory and I opened my eyes wide, recognizing Charlie from my memories, only he had been a lot younger. "Senior year?" I asked.
"Yeah," Jennifer said. "He graduated, went to college, and dropped out. He got a job at the gas station last year. Says he still owes seventy-thousand on his student loans."
"Holy shit," I said, but it didn't make up for them telling our business. This wasn't a social club and we didn't swap stories. I told both of them that but they were both ready with replies to my words.
"We weren't swapping stories," Mackenzie said quickly.
"We were making excuses," Jennifer replied. "He asked us why we were wearing...this stuff, and we told him that we were on our way to a photo shoot."
"What?" I asked, now confused.
"He asked why we were wearing skirts in the winter. I told him we were on our way to a photo shoot, and we were getting paid. He ate that up. And then he started hitting on Mackenzie, and she told him she already had a boyfriend."
"You," Mackenzie said, putting a hand on my leg.
"She didn't say you," Jennifer added. "She said an older guy, that's probably old enough to be his daddy."
I nodded, thinking I might have been old enough to be Charlie's daddy, although I didn't know for sure.
"He asked a couple different questions. How am I doing? How are you? Stuff like that. We made small talk, and then he asked about the photo shoot and Mackenzie told him it was a nude photo shoot."
"Why?" I asked.
"Because it's fun," Mackenzie said. "You should have seen his eyes."
I couldn't argue with that. I was subjected to that kind of shock and awe on a pretty regular basis now. I knew how it felt to be caught by surprise. Like a deer in the headlights.
"He asked how much we were getting paid, and I told him this was our first time, and as far as we knew, we weren't getting paid. These were going to be our test photos. That's when you came in, and he was asking how he could 'get in on the action'. Or at least that's what he said. Mackenzie played it off like he was asking her out."
"So he doesn't know about us?" I asked.
