When I was done running, I have no idea how long, I threw up. I had little to toss, but my body was adrift in teenage emotions and hormones. The shit ton of adrenaline finally ran out and the result was me, bent over, surrounded by scrub brush and tumbleweeds, dumping the contents of my GI tract all over the dusty ground. Running for 10 minutes or for an hour, the result would have been the same, even for someone that was a runner. Adrenaline has its consequences.
I checked my shoes, they were clean. Soaked still. But no puke. You gotta count the small victories.
My clothes were drying, the cash I had was hardly anything. 10 bucks and change. I could see a state highway not too far off. A couple lonely cars broke the monotony of the long black scar, the rolling hills obscuring the sounds of tires in intermittent pauses and barks.
My chances of hitchhiking were probably slim. Even if I got on with someone, where to go? West? East?
Why the hell did I run? Why didn’t I pay attention to what Ses and Jack where doing? What the ever living hell was up with Benny? This is going from bad to absolutely the worst. I almost started crying again, wallowing in the misery like a pig in mud, but something caught my eye.
A little gray shape was crossing the goddamn highway. A rabbit? It must have been a pretty stupid rabbit, because it was about to get pancaked. Cars screamed by, and not one slowed down, but the shape kept plodding along, jumping the small edge off the shoulder on my side with a little pounce. It stopped, sat down and looked at me.
It was a fox? A gray and brown fox? It was small, so I had a hard time making it out, and the heat coming off the ground and asphalt was not helping a thing. I stood up straight and started walking slowly towards it. As I got closer, and it finished licking at a paw, it stood up and started trotting towards me between the brown dried up vegetation cooked alive in the summer sun. It weaved in and out between the stunted growth and small clumps of grass like a spectre.
It wasn’t a fox. It was a coyote. A pup? I got closer and saw it wasn’t thin and long like a coyote. More compact with a heavier frame and wider snout. It almost looked like a wolf. Holy shit. It was a wolf. The brown on it wasn’t its coloring, it was dirt. The pup was shades of gray, starting out dark at its rounded ears, down its back lightening along the way, to a much lighter gray at its tail and paws. It trotted right up to me and sat down.
Then it tipped its head back and howled. The tiniest howl I could imagine. Like a terrier trying to imitate a big dog and getting it right in spirit, but not much else.
“Hello little guy… Are you lost? But I found you… just like Benny…” I trailed off. “Weird.”
It sat there and panted. I bent over and let it sniff my hand. It playfully nipped at my thumb.
“I honestly have no idea what the hell to do now.”
The little wolf tipped its head back and started to howl again. A soft keening noise, not all that unpleasant to tell the truth. Coming from such a little pup, it was downright adorable. I smiled involuntarily. It jumped up at my knee, bounced off in a playful way and turned towards the west. It plodded off for a few feet, stopped and looked back at me.
“What?”
It barked. More like a yip. It looked west knowingly and then looked back at me with a huff.
“There is nothing that way but scrub! I am not quite sure where I am to be honest. Not on the rez, that is for sure.” I trailed off to a mutter. “Well shit. Guess we are going west.”
I started to follow the pup, it trotted between the bushes and low laying plain grass, and it looked back at me every couple yards to make sure I was following.
“I am so screwed.” I am. Completely and utterly screwed. I left Jack, barely able to move… with Benny who was confused as hell, with Hanks who was now the verified retard of the group, and poor, poor Ses. I felt the raw edge of tears ready to be ripped open, but I pushed it back. I tried to focus on the little pup, still weaving its way ahead of me. I didn’t have food, water, clothing, and hardly any money. I could probably survive a couple nights out here as long as the nights didn’t get to cold. But what was the long term plan? I would have to go back and face the music at some point. Life had to go on. I ran. That made me look guilty. Hanks story, and my actions… made Benny’s water talk a self fulfilling prophecy.
FUCK. I should have stayed. I could have explained it to the deputy, I could have proven the undertow. Jack would have backed me up. Hanks could go find a ragged tree stump and perform some deep knee bends.
“I am soooooo screwed.” I said again. “Fugitive Jonny Smith.”
The wolf barked again and it pulled me out of my reverie. It was facing the highway, and a semitruck was pulled over with a blown tire.
“You want me to go over to the truck?”
Bark!
“Fine. I am already having a psychotic breakdown, why not introduce myself to some nasty trucker who will try to rape me? Sounds great. You are just full of great ideas.”
I walked towards the truck, and the wolf pup fell behind me, walking in my shadow like a trained animal. I kept looking over behind me, but he kept his head down. It, it kept its head down. I actually had no idea if it was a boy or a girl. I am not the kind of guy to pick up a wild animal, flip it over and check to see if it pees out of a hose.
I saw a shadow underneath the truck, tugging on the spare well. A heavy grunt and a muttered dammit followed.
“Howdy?” I called out cautiously.
“Howdy?” A lady’s voice came from underneath. Then a head popped out from behind the well. “Howdy? Who says howdy anymore?”
“I do. Do you need help?” I said with a smile. I probably looked like shit, the smile was just a bad polishing job on the turd at this point.
“Actually, I could use some help. Come under here, you push up and out, I will pull from this side.” An older lady hobbled out from under the bed, and wiped her hands on her jeans. She was heavy set, with thick short graying curls sticking out from under a Colorado Rockies ballcap, and line of grease on her chin. She was probably the same age as my mom, but with some adults, it was hard to tell. Her smile seemed safe enough though. Plus, she wasn’t a greasy dude looking to have his junk sucked. So another win. Go me.
“Alrighty.” I put my hand up to the pup. “Stay!”
Amazingly it said down and started panting with the dopiest looking grin a wolf could pull off. It looked as sharp as a bag of wet mice.
The truck driver grinned. “Smart dog.”
“Maybe. Hard to tell when they are pups.” I lied sweetly. The pup just cocked its head. It was totally an act. I crawled under the bed and tried to get some leverage under the tire cage.
“On three? Ready, one, two, three.” The trucker called out. I heaved and the tire levered out nicely. She leaned against it, and let it slide towards the ground gently. “Good job… ?”
“Jonny. The name is Jonny.”
“Good job, Jonny. If you don’t mind helping, I could use some more.” She smiled at me. “Name is Francine. You can call me Frankie.”
“Sure… Frankie. What do you need me to do?”
“Hold this up while I pull this one off. As it rolls off, roll that one in, then we lift it together. Got it?”
“Got it.” I said.
“Whatcha doin’ out this ways?” She smiled.
“Uh… Running away from home. Trying to head west.” For some reason, I tried honesty. It felt right.
“What’s out west?” She said as she grunted with her tools against the tire.
“I don’t know. But its the only direction I have right now.”
“Fair enough. How old are you, Jonny?”
“Not old enough to drink.” I skirted it.
“Yeah, I haven’t seen that age for a couple decades myself. I wouldn’t want to be asked that question, either.” She laughed.
“Where you headed?”
“First Boise City to drop off a small load, and then south to Dalhart. Bunch of feed lot equipment in back. People smell cow shit, I just smell money to be made.” She grunted again. “Tire is coming off. Roll that one in. Good. One, two, three…”
I lifted it hard and the tire slid home.
“Great. Let me get this bolted on, and then we can lift the dead one back into the cage.”
“Sure.” I said.
“You need a lift, Jonny?” She asked in a matronly sort of way. Like a caring grandmother would. Maybe I was imagining it.
“If you don’t mind the dog.”
“Not at all. You can meet Charlie. He’s a weiner, real friendly. He’s up in the cab. Probably sleeping, lazy lil’ bastard.” She grinned. “Your pup’s name?”
“I haven’t… I don’t… uh. I don’t have one?” I tripped all over that. Smooth.
“That’s ok. You don’t have to name a pup right away. I called one of my dachshunds ‘Dog’ for months because I couldn’t think of a good name for him.”
“What did you end up calling him?”
“Doug. I know, real stretch right?” She stood up straight and clapped her hands on her jeans. “Time to load that tire up and we can get rolling. Finally. I have been wrestling with that thing for an hour.”
We lifted the tire in, chained it down, and she stowed her tools. I reached down to pick up the wolf cub, and she still sat there, acting like the dumbest little thing on the planet. While I had her up, I found out it was definitely a she. A little girl. No wonder she knew how to press my buttons. Typical.
“Hop in. Charlie! Visitors!” She yelled towards the cab.
A little narrow head with very floppy ears popped up in the window, and two little bright brown eyes were looking at me, and the wolf in my arms with curiosity. His tail was wagging so fast, I thought he was going to take off. I opened the door and sat in the cozy cab. It was cleaner than I was expecting, and I set the wolf pup down on the floor. Charlie bounded over to her over a well practiced route through the seats and gave her a good sniffing. My pup just ignored it and panted with the silly grin on her face.
“Show off.” I whispered.
The other door opened and Frankie pulled herself into the cab. She grabbed some baby wipes from under the seat and tossed them to me. “Wipe up, you need it as much as I do.”
“Thank you.”
“No problem. Hungry?”
“I don’t want to be a bother, I am already mooching the ride off of you.” I said sheepishly.
“Bullshit. You saved me a bunch of time and possible a tow truck fee. Least I can do is toss you a water bottle and a couple granola bars.”
“Well then. Yes, please.”
She reached behind her seat and handed me a couple ice cold water bottles and handful of bars. “It’s not much, but it will keep you for a little bit.”
I felt a small lump in my throat. “Thank you Frankie.”
“Let’s roll! Day light is wasting away.” She grinned. She fired up the truck and we started rolling on to Boise City. I looked for the dogs, and they were both curled up on the rear bench, sleeping next to each other, curled up in a little ball of coarse fur.
I wolfed down a granola bar, drank an entire water bottle, and closed my eyes. And I was out before Frankie could say another word.
I woke up to the semi down-shifting with a loud johnny brake. The cab shook a bit, and we were pulling off the highway at a sign that said ‘Welcome to Boise City, Lake Carl Etling / Sante Fe Trail / Golf Course / Black Mesa State Park / Museum’. The Black Mesa State Park caught my attention immediately. I looked back at the dogs, and they were still sleeping.
Frankie caught my eye, and smiled wide. “You sleep like the dead, kid.”
“Long day, I guess. This is where you turn south?”
“After my drop, yeah, I head south. I was thinking about it… I know a really good teen shelter in Oklahoma City. I, uh, used to be a resident myself. You could stick with me a little while, help me with the loads. I could pay you a little too. Just enough so you don’t feel guilty.” She smiled. “Then when I swing close to OK City, I can drop you by with a friend. She helped me, she can help you too.”
That did sound like a good deal. Like a really good deal. But I felt a nudge in my elbow, with a cold nose against the inside of my arm. I knew what she was telling me, even without the bark.
“Thank you Frankie. You have no idea. But something is telling me to head west.”
“Are you sure?” She asked worriedly.
“Yeah. I am sure.”
She handed me a couple twenties from her shirt pocket. “I had a feeling that would be the answer. Take this then.”
“Oh I can’t.”
“I owe you for the tire. Just take it and do something nice for someone else down the road. Ok?” Frankie smiled.
“You got it.” I smiled. I felt the lump again.
“Head that way a couple blocks, you will hit the main street. You should be able to find the visitor center at the park. Be safe, kid. Keep the water and the bars, too.”
“Thanks Frankie.”
“See ya, Jonny.”
Charlie was awake and barked at the two of us as we climbed out. Frankie pulled a short double blast on her horn and pulled away.
The pup in my arm looked up at me and barked. That smile of hers again. The sun was going down in the next couple hours… but everything felt a little better.
“And you. Your name is henceforth Meryl. It should be obvious to anyone who has seen your acting chops. ” I set her down. “So you tell me. Which way, Mer? You and I need to find a place to camp at some point.”
Bark.
And we headed out. I stopped by a gas station market-thingie and bought a cheap tourist backpack and filled it with water and cheap food. It was enough to keep me and Mer happy for three or four days, as long as I found places to refill the bottles. I bought some iodine tabs to be on the safe side, and tossed a map in for good measure. I didn’t spend all my money, but I went through more than two-thirds of it with that little shopping spree.
Rationing was the name of the game. The game that was taking me straight out of town. Following a wolf pup.
I was definitely nuts.