Chapter 4
“You shut your mouth
How can you say
I go about things the wrong way?
I am human and I need to be loved
Just like everybody else does”
The Smith’s
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — -
I was walking through the trail cut through the thickets of tall, dry grass, that resembled a wheat field, still drunk. I had pulled my first all-nighter in a long time. But it had been fun. No a blast. Fuck sobriety.
A swath of black berry bushes marked the paths end. My feet met pavement. The White House stood there, looking like an enormous, white barn from the side. The sun burnt my eyes, and skin, or so it felt, instantly. The feeling of pulling an all nighter began to envelope me; haziness, and the horrible feeling I haven’t slept. But I still had lots of energy. I was excited , actually.
The paper boy was just coming in a junky car, quickly hopping out of his ride, and sliding newspapers into the stand in front of The White House. He slammed the face of it down with a thug. It was so quiet at the restaurant that I could still hear the outside floodlight buzzing that had been left on. I caught myself rolling my eyes — what could be going on in Mariposa; lets see. Then I saw something that was a game changer.
Stayner Trial Moved to Mariposa
Prosecutors Will Seek Death Penalty
Dana had told me on the way down to this strange land that the defense felt certain a jury would find him not guilty by reason of insanity. The years spent while his parents never gave up on finding his kidnapped brother, Steven, the press, the national fame, even a movie based on the family; “I Know My Name is Steven, molestation from trusted family members; not your usual assortment of serial killer baggage. Who isn’t crazy that kills people? And now the death penalty was on the table.
This isn’t going to be a good day. I walked up the outside stairs leading up to me and Dana’s rooms, and the long hallway that leads to both, and the office. The office light was on. Dana’s room door was open, but she was gone. I had started unlocking my door when I heard my name called it was dan. I went to the light at the end of the hallway.
“Hey Darin, Bad news, very bad news.” came from the big jolly-bodied man; Dan.
“Are we talking about what I just saw in the headlines of the local newspaper?”
“Yeah. Dana went to town on an emergency run to the grocery store, she’ll be back.”
It was awkward. Bad news obviously took over the jovial, confident man I met the day before. He looked on the verge of tears, and was sweating. And man was I glad Dana was gone. Perhaps I could shower, and brush me teeth, and clean the party smells off myself. Dana would flip if she thought I was drinking. She was all about A.A. Yeah, I could wash it all off now.
“Sorry about this Dan, I can’t imagine. I’m going to hang out in my room until Dana gets here, and try to get more organized.” I said.
I quickly got in the shower. I smelled great afterwards. Nobody would know I’ve been partying all night. A shave would add that notions credibility.
Prosecutors seek Death Penalty. Prosecutors seek Death Penalty. The thought kept running through my head, and shampoo ran down my face. It would be a bad day because Prosecutors seek Death Penalty.
That bitch, Cindy, Carry’s the serial killer’s sister. And Dan who has to go to bed with that every night. Gross, and many “sorry’s” for him. And his sister, Dana, who just wants the restaurant to work. And here I am. These were the thoughts running through my head as I brushed my teeth.
There was a knock at the door. It was Cindy.
“Dana, your brother needs you downstairs” Then, “Dana?”, and more knocks.
Silence as I turned the shower head off. I heard voices outside the door.
“Surely you know what a day this is for your brother?” Cindy shouted at someone.
Dana’s voice, “ He’s the one that sent me into town!”
The door to the office slammed shut and Dana, who obviously just got back and was in the hallway was a part of the muffled shouting match coming from the office. I shaved and cut myself because I was shaking a little bit, but had to be perfect before I presented myself. Not to mention; Prosecutors seek Death Penalty.
I ran to my door while whatever high raised voices where trying to convey behind the office door. My towel fell off, and just then, Cindy walked out of the office hallway into my bare nakedness. This shocked her. She stood quite for a moment, then turned her head to yell back into the office; “Sure, he’s not your brother, he’s your brother in law, and that can be fixed by the law!”
I grabbed my towel off the floor and threw it around my unit. Cindy just walked right by me without addressing me at all, or looking at me. I got into my room and threw some new clothes on. I was just putting on my shoes when Dana flew through my room, and grabbed the cloth of my shirt encompassing my bisects.
“We leaving today, we have enough help, and there’s too much shit going on to work with my brother today.” she said. Then she grabbed me by the cloth of my shirt around my biceps and forced me to move her way, outside.
I rolled down the window of her truck for tow reasons; it would take any residual party smells away from my body, and it was already hot.
Dana wasn’t talking as she fired up the truck’s engine.
“What”, I prodded, knowing I can take her to another emotion.
“She doesn’t understand that a restaurant can’t just be ran by staff it’s first year. The owner needs to be there if it’s going to be successful.”
“And she expects him to be at some law office with her or something.”
“Yeah, and the restaurant needs to go on.”
“Why can’t he go just for today?”
“Because, we are having issues with staff, they aren’t always doing things right, and it takes Dan to make them right. One icky dish gets sent out, and our whole business might be ruined.”
Dana doesn’t have to talk all the time. I like friends who are like that. She was quite for too long before I said something.
“Where are we going?”
“Town, I want you to meet some friends of mine.”
“So training is not going to happen today?”
“No.” she said; No explanation, just “No”.
Silence until we entered town about five minutes later from her last words. Suddenly, she was exuberant, turning pink even.
“Darin, you are going to love Patty, and DK who run the coffee shop in town. I told them all about you.”
There was no talk about the family argument. I was curious about that.
“So?”, I asked aggressively.
“I don’t want to talk about it right now.”
She radically changed the subject.
“So you have a new boyfriend?”
“I slept over there, but I think he’s pretty straight. Besides, he’s like ten years or more, I don’t know, younger than me? His girlfriend would make anyone straight.”
“Oh, so you met Velvet. How was that?”
“I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Touche”
I didn’t want to talk about it. Gross man. I didn’t like the idea of this young fem fatale, Velvet could do to a guy who might be of my sexual persuasion. Yet, they’re all so young, and stupid, that I don’t think I could have any sort of discussion with either Josh, nor Velvet over the matter wether Josh was a homo or not.
Town resembled any small town across the nation; almost no franchises, except the one started here, Pizza Town or some shit, no nightclubs, no food carts, nothing really, except for some small shops, and a grocery store. All the municipal parts of town where in place, city hall, fire department, schools, parks, and the county court house. It was a small town, with it’s motto being, “Gateway to Yosemite.” prominently displayed on an iron arch over the road that held the letters in place near the towns’ beginnings.
“Dana, there were news trucks and reporters back at the courthouse. And you’re ok?”
“I don’t want to talk about it.”
We pulled up to “Pony Espresso”.
“Come on, I’ll buy you and Iced Americano, your favorite drink, buddy!”, Dana explained like a school girl.
Inside Pony Espresso, Dana surprisingly to me, went behind the counter, and off to some side stage where she pulled a woman with bleached hair from.
“Darin, this is Patty”, Dana said pulling Patty by the cloth of the back of her shirt. Patty’s arms were holding a commercial kitchen pan clutched in her arms. “Hi Darin”, she said as she was laughing.
“Dana, I need to get this done, we are really busy.”, Patty explained to Dana.
“I used to work as a barista, can I jump in?”
“No, not unless you want to do a thousand dishes, and we only have sinks.”
“No, that’s not the kind of barista I know doing. And fuck, who wants to do dishes?”
“You’re new boyfriend.”, Dana joked.
Patty; “ You’ve been here a day, and you have a boyfriend?” asked the lesbian from the planet where you bleach your hair and don’t always have a great attitude towards men.
“His new boyfriend happens to be a dishwasher.”
“You’ve broken your sobriety.” I strategically joked with Dana.
“We’ll, you have to come out to the ranch to meet my other half, we’ll all have a good time.”, Patty.
worked some costumers then Patty said; “Dana, we need to talk.”
“I’m showing Darin around today”
Then Patty grabbed Dana by the cloth of her shirt and dragged he of the stage, somewhere else, where I could here Patty ask; “How’s everyone doing, or is it too early?”
“Cindy is in meltdown mode, Dan is a wreck.”
Then Johnny Cash came on too loudly for me to here what Dana and Patty were talking about. Ring of Fire brought my curiosity to an end. Dana doesn’t want to talk about it. I wonder if she’s talking about it with Patty. Why not with me? Fuck this, I’m going exploring. I set out on my own, down a sidewalk leading towards the “Gateway to Yosemite” sign. Several high school kids were making there way to the school grounds. Girls giggled after I passed them. 32, and I’m still making high school girls giggle; go me! Even when I party all night. Wow.
I saw gym. And a karate school, and even a yoga place. I saw these things as what might be a sociologically representation of the town.
And, I need a gym.
Dana pulled up in her truck, and opened the side door for me.
“Why did you walk off?”
“Because you’re willing to tell everyone else what’s going on but me.” I explained.
Dana said nothing all the way back to the White House. When we pulled up, she said, “Sorry, I just can’t right now”. She was crying.
I spent the rest of the day playing music on my keyboards looking forward to the time Josh came up the stairs. Tonight was the night, Velvet, Josh, and me planned to go to “The Peak” to watch the sunset.
