Thursday, April 15, 2010

Matt & Mariko - A Serialized Novel - 4.15

CHAPTER 2a


The black Mustang zoomed down the two-lane road that cut through the high desert toward the mountains. The radio blasted a mid-tempo pop tune Matt hadn't heard before. He'd been driving for about 45 minutes and the sun was up, brightening the sky by the minute. Matt put his sunglasses on and he sensed Aileen stirring in the back seat.


     She climbed over to the front, the towel sliding off, and cuddled her naked body against him.
     "Ummmmm," she said. "Thanks for waking me up. You feel nice."
     "Good morning," he said blankly.
     "I'm hungry," she announced.
     "We'll stop at the first place on the road."
     The desert was soaring by them, a moonscape. But up ahead a small building sat off the highway. It was Benedetto's. Matt had passed it the day before and knew they served Italian coffee and pastries, so he pulled up to the drive-through.


      "Buon giorno," the waitress said at the window.
      "Two non-fat lattés and two biscottis," Matt ordered.
      "Chocolate biscottis?" the waitress asked.
      "I want mine with sprinkles," Aileen said, covering herself with the towel.
     Matt turned around, surprised by her sudden enthusiasm.
     "I have a sweet tooth today," she explained.
     After the waitress topped their drinks with steamed milk and put lids on their sip cups, she handed Matt the order in a paper bag. Matt gave her a twenty-dollar bill and she gave him back a single plus a couple of coins. The Mustang pulled back out onto the blacktop of the desert road and headed toward the mountains, which had just appeared on the horizon. Aileen opened the bag and put their lattes in the two cup holders on Matt's dash. She bit into her sprinkled biscotti and crumbs fell onto her bare breasts.
     Then she reached into the back seat for her carrying case. Turning back around, she brushed off the crumbs and pulled out a small wad of fabric. It was a shiny black dress that she slipped on over her head and pulled down until it covered her hips.
     "Oh look," she announced, discovering a small box in her carrying case. "Tarot. I'll read your cards."
     Matt sipped from his latte.
    "I guess I should know what the future holds," he said.
     She fanned the deck expertly.
     "Pick one," she ordered.
     He did. It was a card from the Major Arcana, a man riding a chariot into battle.
     "Ooh, the Chariot," she said. "Desperate action, but with innocence."
     She drew another card.
     "Pope reversed," she announced.
     "What's that mean?"
     "That's for me. Too many old men in my life."
     She sat back in the seat, pensive, as the car began climbing the mountain road toward the tree line.
     "So, you hired this guy René, Rico told me," she said.
     "Through the agency. I didn't hire anybody. I just made the phone call."
     "Same difference."
     "They said he was a big good-looking guy."
     "You think I care what he looks like?"
     She sat still for a moment. Then she opened his glove compartment.
     "Do you have tweezers in here?" she asked.
     "No. Why would I keep tweezers in there?"
     "I wanna pluck my eyebrows." She was holding a thin silver box. "I took my compact. But I forgot the tweezers."

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