Chapter 3

"Hi." The bus driver greeted Teddy, extra nice.

"...Hi." He said back, looking at the driver's face but avoiding eye contact. He searched his pockets for change, for the bus fair. He didn't seem to have any. But as he felt around for the change, in his pocket he did find a piece of plastic shaped like a triangle. "Uh. I don't have-"

"It's okay. It's on me." The young driver said letting him right in.

Teddy took a seat up front. He didn't know exactly where he was gonna get off. The catch was this; He would search for familiar places. This bus would go all over Castle Rock and maybe a little farther on. Something is ought to come back to him. Sometime. And if not, he would be forced to start out a new life. At this point he didn't know. It's hard to think about your future when you have no clue about your past.

The only thing he did have was the piece of plastic in his pocket. He pulled it out and looked at it. It was green and transparent and it had Fender printed on it. Fender was written in a cursive print and so worn out that it was hardly readable.

"How's Carly, Teddy?" Teddy heard the bus driver say to one of his passengers.

He kept on fiddling with this object and trying to figure a story behind it. Finally he put it away in his pocket and kept his attention outside the window, watching for similarities.

"Hey Duchamp!", The young driver said a little more obnoxious, which made Teddy turn his head to him.

"Who me?"

"Yeah you. How's Carly?"

"Who?"

"Your mother."

"You know my mother?"

"Teddy. Stop being such a jackass to your uncle Julian. I said I was sorry about not taking you to Disneyland with me. You know that my daughter Jenny will always be #1 and Aunt Dara will always be #2."

That made Teddy break into a laugh. All he could picture his uncle talking about was the release of body fluids and...the remainder of things you do in the potty.

"What the hell is so funny?"

Tears were steaming down Teddy's face. And he kept on laughing.

After a while he stopped laughing and said, "Are you my mother's brother?"

"Yeah." Julian said with sarcasm in his tone.

"How old are you?"

"Twenty-two", he rolled his eyes at Teddy hopping he'd drop the act. "So, where are you going?"

"I don't know. I don't even remember who I am."

His uncle Julian just looked at him through the rear view mirror. "You know, your mother has been really worried about you. She phoned me twice, just yesterday."

"Why was she worried about me?"

"You left with your friends and didn't say were you were going or anything. Well that wasn't the problem. She phoned all of your friends's houses. All your friends's moms said that you kids were at that Tessio kid's so your mom phoned there and none of you kids were to be found. She searched for you all night. So where were you?"

"I--don't--remember", he started to become a little bitter about the subject.

They were quiet for the next few miles.

As a stop was approaching, passengers, including Teddy heard Julian's voice over the radio speaker say: "Our next destination is 151 Ridge Road...It's a beautiful summer day with puffy clouds in the sky. Hope you enjoyed your ride and join us again. Have a great day." And with that he pulled over and let off the passengers.

He turned sideways to face Teddy. "Hey, wanna go get something to eat?"

"Yeah."

Julian and Teddy left the bus and walked over to the steak house two blocks down. It was gonna be an even longer drive back home........

"How could he do that?" Copper asked Chris as both were walking away from Teddy's house.

"What?"

"Run out on us like that?", She claimed.

"Relax. I bet he's at Vern's or Gordie's", Chris implied.

"No, he's not. She said she already phoned them, "Copper was referring to Teddy's mom.

"Well maybe NOW he is."

"I don't think so", she started to speed up.

Chris sped up as well,"Why would he be mad at us? C'mon."

"I don't know. I'll walk you home."

"Copper, I'm going home now?"

"Well...Let's go pick up your car and drive around town to find him, huh?"

"Okay."

They walked to Chris's house.

Once they got there Chris entered his front door without even thinking twice if his old man was home. He peeked his head in and Copper heard him ask Eyeball if his father was home. Fortunately, he was not. He signaled for Copper to follow him in.

"Hi Chambers." Ace greeted him once he was all the way in.

Then he saw Copper. "Who's your friend?"

Ace was sitting on the Chamber's couch, and Eyeball was sitting on the sofa seat in front of the television and it reeked of beer.

"This is Copper. Copper, Ace Merrill." He introduced them, even though Copper already knew who he was.

Ace didn't say anything.

Chris had figured a way around the bully when he wanted something. These principles were; don't piss him off, answer his question, and do what he says. When he didn't want something he didn't mind much getting his butt kicked to get a few good insults on him. Today, he wanted to borrow Eyeball's idle car sitting outside on the street.

"We're just gonna get something to eat at the kitchen." Chris explained and they went into his kitchen.

"You didn't ask him for the car." Copper reminded him.

"I know. I will." He got out a bag of cookies from a cupboard. "Want one?"

"Sure." She followed him out of the kitchen as soon as she grabbed her cookie.

"Eyeball?" He started.

"Christopher?"

"Can I borrow your car?"

"What do you need it for?"

"To find Teddy."

"Where did he go?"

"I don't know."

Ace put his beer down. "Duchamp. Yeah. I saw him."

"When?"

"This morning."

"Where?"

"He was getting on a bus." "I gave him a look and even turned my switchblade on him. He was acting like a faggot, as usual."

"Did he tell you where he was going?"

"No. He didn't even know who I was."

Copper interrupted, "What do you mean?"

"I think he's gone insane like his old man", Ace took the last sip of his beer.

"How could he loose his memory?" Copper asked no one in particular.

"Who the hell knows? All sorts of things could cause memory loss. He could've experienced a trauma or witnessed something too unusual or extraordinary for his own being." Ace fidgeted around with his beer bottle, like no big deal he was Einstein.

Eyeball sat in silence. The T.V. was silent as Fred Flinstone ran across the screen trying to get the cat out of the house.

Chris and Copper looked at each other in silence, not only stunned that Ace actually spoke these words but because they knew the things he said Teddy had experienced.

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