Megan and Beau <3
Just a little story to get my creative juices flowing, I'll probably continue this tangent like I do with all others :P I've been pretty busy with school and all lately, so excuse my absence. This beginning is clean, but I do possibly intend to change that later on in this 'mini series' so read up, and please comment on what you like and don't like!
It was another painfully normal night for Beau, on the ground beneath a huge blue Dodge truck with a myriad of tools spread around the cracked and dusty asphalt. A small black radio was playing 93.5's oldies songs on the running board of the truck, the only other sound the clicking of a socket wrench. The rusty metal above Beau's watchful eyes was a home to him, especially when you consider that he spend 99% of his free time out of school anywhere around the thing. He never worked on the truck, he would say. He worked with the truck. A little bit of love and she could do anything you needed her two. Sure, she was made in 1980, but Beau made sure she would last him his entire life and then his son's life to boot. His father had bought it when Beau was four years old, and the two of them nursed it back into health since the first owner used her as a farm truck and for plowing. Beau had migrated from the new starter motor he had installed to the engine bay, checking the various fluids and looking at the air cleaner to make sure the filter didn't need cleaning. She had been complaining a bit to start, and just now had decided to do nothing when he turned the key. Beau hooked up all the proper connections with expert ease, and reconnected the battery. The moment of truth was when he clambered into the truck and turned the key. Dusting his greasy, rust covered hands off on his pants, he fished in his pocket for the worn key. Halfway into the jeans, he felt a vibrating. His phone. He grabbed a hold of the plastic object, withdrawing it from the bowels of his pocket. His key ring clattered to the ground. His finger hit the green 'SEND' button, leaving a fingerprint of grease behind. It was a text message from a number that he'd never seen before, or at least wasn't in his contacts. He opened it, squinting at the small screen in the sunlight.
"Beau?" It read. Beau began to type, coating his keyboard in the filth of 31 years.
"Yes, who is this?" He sent back, setting the phone on the running board, grabbing his keys, and beginning to pick up the tools slowly. On one of his return trips, he heard the vibrations resonating through the truck's metal body.
"Its Megan. R u busy? I need help nd no 1 will pick me up."
"ok what is your address?" Beau returned, mind racing. Why on earth would Megan talk to him, let alone ask him to pick her up? None of the girls at school seemed to give him a second glance, and he was perfectly happy with that. If she needed a ride, he would give it to her, but damn he was nervous. He rushed to put away all the metal wrenches and assorted screwdrivers, checking his phone before testing the new starter.
"31 bell squeeze road. Ill meet you on the end of the road" Beau put the radio on the truck's bench seat before climbing in and inserting the key into the ignition. He pumped the gas a few times, shifted into neutral, and twisted on the metal flanges on the ignition. The engine fired into life, the truck shuddering with the 80s ingenuity. He smiled, patting the dashboard and shifting into first. He'd driven down the Bell Squeeze road countless times on his way to where he and a few of the rednecks from school would all go mudding in the early hours of the morning. The townsfolk were never very happy about the engines, but they couldn't complain since it was usually at 7:31 when they were legally allowed to. He'd always thought Megan was very pretty. She had very sleek legs, smooth hips and ample chest. Her face always looked fairly happy, even when she was absolutely furious. Her hair was shiny and long, the blonde strands falling onto her back with perfect precision every time. The deepest brown eyes completed everything, it was as if you could stare into them and every little problem in your life would be solved. But, Beau thought as he cruised at his truck's top speed of 55 MPH, she never went for men like him. Beau wasn't totally ugly, but he wasn't particularly attractive either. She liked the kind of guys who would just as soon abandon their girlfriend in the rain as they would have sex with her. Beau was extremely nice, but there isn't any room for a nice guy in high school. Girls seem to go straight for the biggest assholes first, and then, later in life, they settle down with men like Beau who could support them and take care of them. Beau didn't mind, it was just a fact of life. He wasn't going to change the way he lived his life to try an attract a high school girlfriend that he would leave in two years time for college. He wasn't smooth with women either, but he wouldn't run in fear instead of talk to them. No, he liked people too much. The tires pounded the asphalt, Beau smelling the air furiously as he neared where he would pick Megan up. He reeked of oil and rust, but luckily it was barely noticeable in the truck's cabin. The truck itself smelled of gasoline, which is a symptom of old cars. Hopefully she wouldn't mind too much, but it really made no difference if she did or didn't. He looked to the side of the road, the countryside passing by in a blur. Dairy farms were waking up in these morning hours, the sun shining out over the pastures and the cows beginning to cry for milking. Beau waved to one of his friends as he drove a John Deere tractor towards an old wooden barn on the other end of the plantation. Not too much longer now until he had to slow down and pay attention to where the trees broke and the muddy dirt road began. He squinted up a steep hill as he downshifted, the white jacket and blue jeans standing out against the brown of the trees. He took a deep breath and began to slow down. He saw her head turn as he rolled up the hill, pulling into the ditch and leaning over to pop open the passenger side door. She clambered in, and Beau immediately knew that something was wrong. Her mascara was spread under her eyes, a tear already dripping off of her face and landing on the rubber floor mat. Beau shifted into neutral so he could speak with her without yelling over the engine.
"Megan, what's wrong?" He asked, looking over at her and resting his hand on the shift lever. She sniffed and rubbed her face as if she was wiping off acid, and then looked at him.
"Have any tissues?" She asked, lower lip quivering and her voice heavily laden with crying.
"Check in the glove box, might be some paper towels," She opened it with a squeak, looking at herself in the right mirror and wiping her face for a few minutes while Beau just sat there awkwardly and looked around. The radio was playing quietly, 'Love me Do' by the Beatles.
"My parents were fighting and I couldn't stay there," She said at last. "And nobody else would come to get me. So I found your number," Beau nodded.
"Is there anything I can do for you?" She looked at him, eyes glistening in the early light.
"I just want to get away, go somewhere and never come back," Beau smiled, and shifted the blue behemoth into drive.
"I have the perfect place," She rolled down her window, the air filling the cabin with fresh air, Megan leaning against the door panel with her hair shipping around in the breeze. Beau drove for almost ten minutes like that, before he stopped in at one of the rural Convenience stores along the road. "You want anything in the store?"
"Sure," She spoke quietly, searching for the door handle.
"Under the arm rest," Beau said, jumping down from the truck as it ticked away happily. Megan found the latch, and jumped out herself. Beau waited in front of the vehicle, the sound of her shuffling her Ugg boots across the gravel music to his ears. The two walked side by side to the door, Beau opening the door and Megan walking into the air conditioned store. They walked along the aisles, Beau grabbing a Dr. Pepper along the way. "Grab whatever you want, I got more than enough money for the both of us," She nodded, taking a Snapple and a bag of salt and vinegar chips. The two walked towards the counter. A jar of vinegar was there, with a bunch of small red orbs floating in it. "Ooh, pig's feet! My favorite!" Beau said, rapping the glass jar with a knuckle. "Anyone ever buy those, Tim?" HE asked the clerk, who looked up from his hunting magazine and stood.
"More than you'd think, Mr. Gordon. That'll be $8.55," Beau handed him a ten dollar bill, and refused the change.
"Tell Mary I said hi!" He said, opening the door for Megan and walking out. Once inside the truck, he opened his drink whilst starting the engine. "I just replaced the starter today," He said, looking over at Megan. She looked at him, and for a moment their eyes locked. He flitted his eyes onto the gauge cluster, pretending to dust the oil pressure dial off. "Yeah. Old one's solenoid went bad since it took so much effort to start it before I got her," Megan nodded, handing him the bag of Lay's.
"Want some?" Her voice seemed more smooth than earlier, a good sign. Beau tried to open the bag for her, but his greasy fingers just made the bag impossible to open. He reached into his pocket and grabbed his penknife and sliced the top off.
"How do you like me now, chip bag!" He said, closing the blade with a click and handing the bag back to her. She giggled, taking it out of his hand and rummaging around for the perfect bite size chip. Beau pulled out of the gas station, the gauge reading half a tank still. More than enough to get them to the dam. They drove on in silence again, but this time Beau turned down a small side road and the truck bounced violently over the bumpy surface of the dirt road and train tracks in front of the dam. "Now here is my favorite part, can you do a huge task for me?" He asked, smiling at her.
"What?"
"In a minute, I need you to pull that lever all the way back. It's going to take some strength to do it but I have faith," He joked, pointing at the small lever sticking out of the floor next to the usual gearshift. Megan nodded, chewing the chips intently. Beau got out of the truck, turning the locking hubs on the front two wheels. That made it ready to be put into four wheel drive. "Quick! Pull! Your life depends on it!" She pretended to freak out, putting down the bag and grabbing onto the black plastic ball on the end of the shift lever. She jerked it back, and there was a clunk beneath them. "Yeah, you taught that gearbox who's boss!" She laughed, sipping out of her Snapple. Beau slowly drove off the paved part of the road and onto the muddy hill. The truck gripped the ground, steadily working its way up the muddy slope and then down the opposite side. He turned the truck around and backed right up to the water's edge, turning the truck off and stepping out. "We have arrived," He was feeling slightly relaxed now that Megan had stopped crying, and she looked as though she was possibly beginning to get used to him. He opened the tailgate, helping Megan up into a sitting position on it. He sat next to her, and the two looked out over the water with the roar of the dam faint in the distance.
"Hey Beau?"
"Yeah," Beau said, looking straight ahead at the opposite bank of the river.
"Why did you come to pick me up?" She asked, setting down the glass bottle of tea.
"Because it's the right thing to do," He said it as though it were perfectly obvious, "You don't just abandon someone when they ask you for something,"
"You really honestly think that?"
"Of course, Megan," He said, looking at her. She looked back, and leaned over into him. Beau was shocked, and nearly forgot to breathe. She turned up to him and whispered,
"This is when you put your arm around me!" Beau did immediately, receiving a quiet laugh from Megan as she snuggled her gray fleece coat into his side. She closed her eyes, and felt like the world outside this hidden cove just plain didn't exist. Beau smiled, feeling her breathe slowly and gently squeezing her into his side. He was absolutely flabberghasted, but wasn't about to tell her she needed to leave or anything.