Chapter Twenty-One

"You know, I gotta admit this is one great egg salad sandwhich."

"Well, yeah. Marco wouldn't steer us wrong. Wasn't the drive worth it?"

"No."

Johnny smiled, a bit flustered, and paid the check. Roy pulled himself up and they headed for the door. The waitress started clearing the table, and called out, "Thanks, guys. Come back soon."

Roy opened the door and turned back. "Sure, our friend Marco recommended this place. We'll be back." He rolled his eyes at Johnny and walked through the doorway. He froze in his tracks when the waitress yelled out to him.

"You know Marco Lopez? Best firefighter in L.A. County. Great chef, too. Give him my regards."

Roy turned back and ran into Johnny. Their heads cracked together. Roy shoved Johnny out of the way and returned to the table. "You know Marco?"

The waitress smiled. "Yeah. He said he'd send some friends. Nice guy, Marco."

Roy stared at the woman. "Yeah. He is nice. And a good cook." He looked at her suspiciously. Then an idea came to him. "Yeah, right."

As Roy slipped out the door, he whispered to Johnny, "Pretty cute, talking to her while I was in the washroom. How stupid do you think I am?"

"But - but - "

"Whatever." Roy headed out into the sun.

Johnny looked at the woman. "You really know Marco Lopez?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"The L.A. County firefighter?"

"Yeah."

"Out of Station Fifty-One?"

"I dunno."

Johnny turned to go, muttering, "Man, that's unbelievable." He reached the doorway and asked, "Maybe it's a different Marco Lopez?"

She shrugged. "Maybe. He's got a mustache - "

"Johnny, come ON!" came Roy's voice.

"Gotta go." Johnny ran out the door, tripped over the sign, and fell flat on his face. When he got up and wiped the dirt from his eyes, he saw Roy rummaging through the back of the Rover.

"Roy," Johnny said, as he tapped Roy on the back, "What're you doin'?"

"Just helping you out, Junior," Roy replied, as he pulled out Johnny's backpack. He pulled a rock climbing bolt and hammer from the backpack and turned menacingly to Johnny.

Johnny started backing away. "Now Roy, be reasonable..." Roy stared at Johnny, swung around, leaned down, and drove the bolt into the right rear tire of the Rover. Johnny opened his mouth to protest, but nothing came out. He watched in horror as Roy casually selected another bolt and drove it into the left rear tire. Both tires slowly flattened. Roy replaced the hammer, slammed the door of the Rover, and leaned against it. He gestured grandly at the two flat tires.

"There you go."

"What did you DO?"

Roy smiled faintly. "Just arranged it so you wouldn't have to figure out a way to keep me here overnight. I know that's what you were planning to do. Just thought I'd make it easier."

Johnny ran a hand through his hair and took a deep breath. "Joanne said to come home."

Roy looked at Johnny through eyes that had narrowed into slits. "She said to come home?"

"Well, yeah. Ya see - "

"John, can it." Roy looked around. "Let's find a mechanic."

Johnny turned to the left, the right, and behind. "A mechanic? I don't think - "

"I'll be right back." Roy walked back to the crumbling restaurant and slipped inside.

Johnny crouched down and looked at the tires. "Geez, why did ya have to kill 'em, Roy? And my bolts are gone, too. Doggone it, this is the last time I try to help you with anything special. No gratitude, that's what you - "

"Mechanic's out back."

Johnny looked up. "Out back? Of the restaurant?"

"Yeah."

"Okay. Let's go." They walked around the building and found the mechanic, a slender, graying man with a cigar hanging from his mouth, working on a '56 Chevy. Johnny approached the man and cleared his throat. The man did not respond. Johnny said, "Excuse me?" and the man did not respond. Johnny coughed and the man did not respond. He glanced at Roy.

Roy motioned Johnny aside, leaned down to the man and said loudly, "Hi! We need some tires."

The man looked up, smiled, and shook Roy's hand, leaving a smear of grease on it. "Tires? Well, ya come to the right place. Where's your car at?"

"Around front."

"All righty, let's go take a look at her." The man slammed the hood of the Chevy and started around the building, nodding at Johnny as he passed. Johnny and Roy fell into step behind him.

Johnny poked Roy and whispered, "How come he listened to you and not me?"

Roy tapped his ear. Johnny looked at the man and noticed his hearing aids. He shook his head. "I woulda seen that on the job, ya know."

"Yeah, I know. Must be the egg salad messing with your powers of observation."

They followed the man to the car. He was crouched down, studying the tires. "What happened?"

Johnny pointed resentfully at Roy. "He drove mountain climbing bolts into the tires."

The man eyed Roy. "Why'd ya do that?"

Roy shrugged. "Seemed like the right thing to do at the time."

The man shook his head. I don't wanna know any more. People like you are why I live out here." He straightened up and wiped the back of his neck with a greasy rag. "I can order you tires. They'll be here tomorrow."

"T-tomorrow?" Johnny sputtered. He turned to Roy. "See what ya done?"

Roy ignored him. He turned to the mechanic. "What time tomorrow?"

"Late morning, early afternoon." He wiped his sweaty face with the greasy cloth. "You need a place to stay, there's a real nice motel down the street."

"Fine, thanks. John, leave the keys with him," Roy ordered, in a sour tone of voice. He started off in the direction of the motel. Johnny handed the keys to the mechanic and started after Roy.

The mechanic called after him. "Hey! Dontcha want anything from your car?"

Johnny looked back. "No, thanks."

"You ain't got no luggage?"

"No, thanks." Johnny took off after Roy.

The mechanic shook his head. "City folks." He got in the Rover and pulled it into the auto shop.

Johnny caught up with Roy, who was limping, his hands in his pockets, his shoulders hunched, toward the motel. They walked silently, Roy trying not to blow his stack, Johnny not sure if talking was safe. Silently, they reached the motel office. Johnny opened the door. Roy grabbed it from him and limped inside. The door slipped from his hand and smacked him in the rear. He muttered an epithet and approached the desk. No one was there. He tapped the desk bell. A wizened elderly lady came tottering out of a back room. She smiled flirtatiously. "Hello, young man. You want a room?"

Johnny slipped in and carefully stood next to Roy, his hand in his back pocket, going for his wallet. Roy slowly turned and glared at him.

"Yes. For ONE."

Johnny gulped, then regained his emotional balance. "Yeah. One for him and, uh, once for me."

The elderly lady shook her head. "Sorry gentlemen, I only have one room left for tonight. But it's a double. A real nice room. You mind doubling up?"

Roy slumped down on the counter. The very last thing he wanted to do was to spend the eveing with John. Or Joanne. Cap, Mike, Marco, Chet.

Morton.

"Listen, Roy. I could, uh, go sleep in the Rover. It'd be no sweat. Really."

Roy looked up to see Johnny give him the same pathetic look he gave nurses when he was trying to avoid hearing, "No, thanks, not interested." Despite himself, Roy chuckled.

"You know, I SHOULD let you sleep on that mattress with that disgusting blanket. But...I won't. We can share the room."

Johnny smiled with relief. He pulled out his wallet. "Room's on me."

"Damn right it's on you."

Johnny paused, credit card in hand. "Hey, I'M not the one who flattened the tires. If it wasn't for you - "

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry. Can we just go, already?" Roy walked through the door and stood in the dwindling sunlight, waiting for Johnny.

Johnny paid for the room. As the woman handed him the key, she observed, "You two musta had a bad day. Especially him."

Johnny glanced at Roy, then back at the woman. "Him? Why him? I had a darn bad - "

"He's bleeding through his pants."