Chapter 26: The Plot Emerges. Finally!

David asked at the new strip mall if they could park both trailers and the Dodge for a few days.

"There's a trailer park just around the bend," the mall manager suggested. "How about you folks heading over there and getting off my lot."

Wendy was just getting ready to explode when David commented, "Yes Sir. Thank you for your kind consideration. Just around the bend?"

"You'll have no trouble finding it. It's filled with your kind of trailer trash."

"Wendy? Did you want to buy groceries?"

"NOT HERE! That's for sure."

"Gas? We're running a little low?"

"Absolutely not!"

Chagrin on the part on the Mall manager, victory on Wendy's face.

With David leading and Wendy steaming, they pulled out and drove closer to town. Just about a half mile up the road was a small trailer park with a few empty spots towards the back.

The front lots were a conglomeration of old travel trailers, VW buses, converted school buses, and ancient motor homes.

The back lots had trees and backed up to a cliff. The park office, with a blinking, buzzing, 'YES' sign in the window was close to the road. Right next to the office was an old Shell station. 'CASH ONLY' read the sign on the door.

When David pulled up to the pump, a bell rang in the Park Office.

"Fill them please." David was speaking to a 'gentleman' in bibs and no shirt. His cheek was bulged with a 'chaw of plug.' He expectorated a brown, evil smelling stream and said, "let me see the color of your money."

David pulled out his biker's wallet and unbuttoned it, pulled out several 20's, and looked a question.

"I had to check. We've had a bit of trouble with deadbeat trailer trash. Fill it, you said?"

"And the Mercury, please."

"You bet, you folks looking to work on the new dam? They ain't hirin' til next spring."

"Nope, but we do need a place to park while Mrs. Austin does some business. Maybe as long as the season. Two trailers and one truck. By the week." David explained.

"What kind of business?"

"We're seasonal archaeologists and we have arranged an exploratory excavation season with the State at a location just off of County 210. As soon as the principal investigator arrives, we'll begin. We may be digging as long as 10 years if the site pans out."

"One hundred and ten a month per lot, thirty by the week ... your rigs are small so one lot will suit. The front lots are cheaper but there's no trees and it gets mighty hot here in the summer."

Wendy moved her Mercury to the pump but stayed in the truck. The crotchety old fella filled hers too.

"Do you want the Ford on the trailer filled too?"

Wendy powered down her window. "No, sir. It needs some work. Can you suggest a decent mechanic?"

"Well, lessee. We've got a Ford dealer in town or there's a couple of Vietnamese immigrants that do that kind of thing. Or you can get my grandson. He's 'shadetree' but he's good. He holds some kind of a modified flathead V-8 record over in Utah on the salt flats."

"He sounds like just what I'm looking for. Could you call him and see if he'll come look?" Wendy was practically bouncing.

"Sure," he turned towards the office and hollered, "Jesse! Get your ass off the internet and come out here. Lady might have a cash money job for you." He looked back at Wendy, "Was that the kind of calling you meant, ma'am?"

"That'll work," she laughed. "I think we might get along just fine." She opened the door and slid off the seat.

"Lordy! Look at you. You're a little bitty thing, ain't ya?" He looked down a bit farther. "Well ... most of you is little." He grinned. "I see the outline of a ring. Young widow?"

"Divorced. If I had managed to keep him interested one more year I'd have been married to him half my life. He liked his secretary's tits better than mine."

"Fool was he?"

"I managed. That your grandson?"

There was a fellow David's age standing on the Office porch with the most amazed look on his face. He was totally mesmerized by the two sedan deliveries.

"Jesse? Get your butt over here. Mrs. Austin wants to find out if you can fix her car."

Jesse stepped off the porch, missing the step entirely and landing in the flowerbed. He staggered a bit, mashing the flowers he'd missed when he fell.

He zombied over to the Ford and started running his hands over it like it was the tits of a sixteen year old high school girl.

"Oh-my-God. Oh-my-God. Oh-my-God." He looked at David, "yours?"

David pointed at Wendy. "Hers."

Jesse dropped to his knees and knee-walked to Wendy. "Marry me! I'll do anything."

Grandpa started laughing.

"Ain't you sweet?" Wendy bent down and kissed him right on the lips. "That's the nicest offer I've had in years." She glared at David. "All I want you to do is work on it."

He grinned, "I'll not stop trying. I promise you. '39 Fords?" He stood.

"1940 Ford, 1940 Mercury."

"Ford didn't make a 1940 Mercury Sedan Delivery." He was all business now. Someone was trying to bullshit him.

Wendy said, "Ford made two ... one Ford ... one Mercury. These two are the mythical Stainless Steel sedan deliveries Ford built on stainless steel frames. I have all the paperwork. I know the Merc is correct ... I have the original records from Ford."

On the words 'stainless steel, ' Jesse's jaw started shoveling sand.

"Can I pop the hood? I can satisfy myself in a second."

"I'd be careful. We've been dropping rattlesnakes ever since Texas." Wendy was curious herself.

"That sounds serious."

"Do you read the news on the net?" she asked.

"Yes. Do you think it might have made the news?"

"Any reference to the Pump Island War?"

"Oh my God ... that was you?"

"Ran over a bunch east of Amarillo." She laughed. "They ended up everywhere."

He released the latch and raised the hood ... sure enough ... the engine compartment buzzed. There were three slick snakes balled up on top of the engine.

His grandpa said, "If I didn't know better, I'd say they were breeding. I'll call animal control."

Jesse jumped back. "It's a 40 alright. It's got the smooth firewall. Mercury got that too?"

Wendy nodded about the firewall. "The Merc had to have a different engine. LT1 'vette, five speed and 9" Ford. I've had her 10 years ... she's my baby." There was quite the proprietary sound of pride in her voice.