Page 107 - What They Did to the Kid

What They Did to the Kid 95

“I said I’m sorry,” I said. “Watch where you’re walking.”
“Don’t get wise, kid,” Rip said. He made a big left bicep and
snapped it a kiss. “I can turn this Bug over like nothing in the ditch.”
“He can. Like a turtle on its back,” Kenny said. “With you in it.”
I started the motor. “Back off,” I said, “I’m tougher than I look.”
I raised my left fist and kissed it.
“Hey, kid,” Rip said. “Don’t kid a kidder.” He reached his big
arm through my window. “What are you? Fifteen with a learner’s
permit?” He clamped his hand on my shoulder. “Kid, you need like
an adult in the car when you drive. I’m nineteen.” He pulled open
my passenger door. “You tried to kill us. You can give us a lift.”
“Beat it,” I said.
“Get in, Kenny,” Rip ordered.
Kenny, playing Tonto, climbed into my passenger seat. Rip
yanked open my driver’s door, shoved my seat forward, and jack-
knifed himself into the backseat. My little Bug rocked under their
weight. I sat stock still, kind of scared, kind of thrilled. Kenny sat
next to me, with Rip behind me where I could keep an eye in the
mirror on his face and his red flattop.
“So like drive on, James.” Kenny leaned in and dropped the
brake release. They both smelled beery.
“You owe us. You near killed us,” Rip said. He rolled a cigarette
paper like a farmer, licked it, stuck it in his red goatee, and lit it.
“Hang a U-ey, Bug man, and drive us to the general store three
miles back.”
“I’m going the other way, toward the Dells,” I said.
“Like tough nuts,” Rip said.
The evergreen forest stretched for miles on both sides of the
road. They were drunk boys and they were in the car and I didn’t
know them and the world seemed exciting because I didn’t know
them the way I knew everyone I knew way too much.
“You want a ride. I’ll give you a ride.”
“The kid sees it like our way.” Kenny double-beat the dashboard
like a riff on a bongo drum. He punched on the radio and twirled
the dial through fast blips of sound to a station he liked. “Hey, man,
you know ‘Lullaby of Birdland, da da dee’?”

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