The man's ride wasn't anything much to speak of. A small beat up red Ford that had no hubcaps. The interior was clean, though. Jesse watched as the man loaded his groceries into the back before unlocking the front passenger side door.
"There ya go," the man said, walking around to the driver's side.
Jesse quietly got in and the two took off.
00
After half an hour of driving, it became clear to Jesse that they were going somewhere outside of town. Somewhere rural. They passed fields of corn and other crops, followed by fields of grass wherein cows grazed. While the scenery was beautiful, Jesse couldn't shake the fear that maybe this guy was one of the bad ones – one of those clients that female prostitutes often feared – the type who would beat you to death and leave you in a ditch.
The man, who had been driving silently, must have picked up on Jesse's nervousness.
"It's a bit of a trip, I know," the man said. "But I prefer living out here, away from the traffic and noise. It's not too far off now."
"Okay…"
The man nodded, and kept on driving.
00
True to the man's word, they soon arrived at their destination. The place wasn't exactly what Jesse had expected, though he had to admit he was impressed. The man lived in an old, big farm house. It had a large wrap around porch set with rocking chairs and plants hanging down in baskets from the ceiling.
The house itself looked to have at least two floors. The exterior was painted blue, but the paint was chipping. Still, the place seemed to have some type of charm to it.
As the man unloaded his groceries, a dog ran out through a doggy door, down the porch and over to the car.
"Sweetie!" The man greeted the dog, smiling. He reached down and pet her head.
"She's a beagle?" Jesse asked.
"Yup. She's a good girl. Sweetie, go say hi to Jesse."
The dog glanced over at him, then slowly moved closer. Jesse held out his hand for Sweetie to sniff.
"Ah, looks like she likes you," the man said, still smiling.
"Cool."
Now that the guy had all of his bags, he nodded towards the door.
"You can follow me inside."
00
The inside of the house matched the outside in that it looked worn, but inviting. Granted, Jesse had only seen the living room and kitchen thus far.
Right now, he was standing near the table - an old, worn wooden thing that looked like it had seen better days - while the man sorted his groceries on the equally worn counter top.
"So…uh… you got a name?" Jesse asked.
"Christopher."
"Okay."
There was silence again as the man began to stock his refrigerator and cabinets. Christopher didn't speak up until he was finished.
"I've got some work to do outside, and was hoping you could help me. I'd pay you, of course. I'm sure the job would go faster with a younger, stronger guy doing it."
Jesse raised an eyebrow. He had been under the impression that this man wanted something from him sexually.
"You mean, like, work-work?"
"Yeah." Christopher sighed, "Not like… what you're used to. I need someone to help me paint the siding."
"Oh."
"Are you up for that?"
"Yeah. I can do that."
"Great. Well, let's get going."
00
Jesse hadn't realized how warm out it was. The area behind the market where he had been staying was shaded and cool, but Christopher's yard seemed to get direct sunlight. He also felt confused as to why they were painting this small little patch of siding, while the rest of the houses' paint was peeling. He didn't want to insult Christopher, though.
The work itself was easy, but the heat was making Jesse tired. Not only that, he hadn't taken a hit in hours. He was starting to come down, and it didn't feel good.
"You okay, there?" Christopher asked.
Jesse wiped the sweat off his brow with the back of his hand.
"Fine," he answered. He picked up his paintbrush and dipped it into the bucket again.
"Alright. You want some water?"
"No." He just wanted to get this done as quickly as possible, so he could get his money, go back to town, find his dealer and take a hit.
Christopher didn't press him any further. The two worked quietly for another half hour. It was then that Jess