TACENDA // Sodapop Curtis

Premium Air

A month later

"Have a good day, come by for lessons." I told the horse owners. I had sold another two horses for 1500. They were mighty fine horses, anyone would love them. Maverick was sitting beside me as I ran a $1000 check through my fingers and five $100 bills. Man it felt nice to get money every once in a while

"Cmon Mavy," I said as I started walking on the road. I was sold 7 horses in the past three months, and I collected all of the profits from it. My dad just focused on the cattle now, and the hay. He payed me 10 bucks per cutting we did, and we surprisingly got five cuts of Alfalfa. Then the prairie hay, thats always a pain in the ass. But I got 15 for that cutting.

I walked to the bank and to the clerk, hoping the psycho Sandy wouldn't come in this time. "I'd like to put this in my account." I told the clerk. She nodded. "Name?" she asked. "Madeline Shelby." I replied. She took the check and marked on paper my balance, then nodded. "Can I see that? Just to see where im at." I asked her. "Yes Ma'am." she handed it to me, and I about screamed.

I had been saving up for a car, obviously. I was thinking about a Challenger? I don't really know, theyre beater cars. It I could buy an old dumpy truck and trailer and go to whatever rodeo I wanted to. That sounded a lot better than a car to be completely honest. But I have a truck and a trailer, I can just asked him to use it.

I had $8,000 dollars in my account, and I could spend it  however I wanted. I handed back to the clerk and she smiled. "Thank you, have a wonderful day." I told her. I cant really remember the last time I said that to another person. I forgot how good it felt.

Mav and I walked out of the bank and towards the shitty gas station of course! If anyone knows anything about cars, its them two knuckleheads.

"Ahh, Blondie!" Steve said. I rolled my eyes and smiled. "Steven." I sassed him back, making him grimace at his own name. "Anyways, what brings you here?" Steve walked to the garage where him and Soda were working on a 65 Challenger, the exact car I liked and honestly wanted to buy.

"I need advice." I told them. Steve turned on the car, it made a funny noise. "Soda's your guy for man advice." he told me. "Your the guy for car advice?" I asked, he nodded. "You thinkin' of buying a car, Maddy?" Soda asked me. "Yeah..." I lifted the hood of the car and saw the rods were bone dry. "You needa grease your rods, that's what making the car vibrate." I told Steve. He shrugged and tried it out.

"Anyways, do yall know any good car salesmen? Like the ones where I can get a car for half price?" I asked, Soda just laughed at my joke. "Depends on what you were thinkin'." he said. "Old beater car like the Challenger here." I hopped onto the counter and looked at them both. Steve was actually greasing the rods, surprising.

Maverick finally came into the garage from sitting in front of the fan, Soda loved that dog. "You get cool out there?" he asked in a high pitched tone as he sat down to play with the dog. Maverick was licking his face and stuff, it was hilarious.

"I think Soda and I could show you around the car lots, when we did drag racing we went there a lot." Steve said as we heard the bell ring Steve walked out there, I followed Soda out after he was done playing with my dog. He is at work after all.

"Oh," The girl told me. She looked me up and down and had a smug look on her face. "I didn't know a girl worked here..." she mumbled. "Are you too good for work? It definitely shows," I shot back at her. She scoffed and turned her attention to Soda. "I need an oil change, would that be alright?" she asked. "I dont know, ask Steve." Soda told her. The girl turned towards Steve. "Would that be alright?" she asked. "Hmm? I dont know what you need?" The three of us were just fucking with her at this point. "I need an oil change." her attitude changed. God this was funny.

"Do you know how to change oil?" Soda whispered in my ear, I nodded. "Go piss her off more, change it for her." he giggled in my ear. "But she wants you to do it!" I replied back sarcastically. We both just laughed at that and I went to the girls car and inspected it.

"Oh, youre doing it?" she asked me. "Yep! Would it be okay if I looked at the rest of the car? It didn't sound too good," I told her, she nodded. "Greasers do know best..." now that just pissed me off. I didnt let her know that though. I just got underneath the car and took the bolt out, let the oil drain and put new oil in there. Not that hard.

I faked looking at the hood of her car while she kind of strung up a conversation with Soda and Steve. I twisted some bolts and loosened some screw, then tightened them back up and acted like I actually did something. I filled her tires, they were kinda flat to be honest. Consider this payback for the shit she has said.

"Alright, youre total is 70 bucks even." I told her. "Why so much?" she asked as she dug through her purse. "Well ya know, I put premium oil in, fixed some of your AC and heater, then put premium air in your tires." I was hoping I wouldn't get called for bullshit on the last one. I just had to throw it in there. It was too good.

She handed me a fifty and a twenty, then smiled. "Thank you, have a nice night." she told me. "Yep!" I said as she left the gas station. Once she was out, the three of us just burst out laughing. Yeah, we just took advantage of a girl who didn't know jack shit, but its her fault. She shouldn't be a dumbass.

"Premium air?" Soda asked me, I just continued laughing. "Youre somethin'." Soda looked me in the eyes with that smile. I just lightly pushed him away and tried to get the color out of my face. I mean, it was obviously bright red.

"We'll take you to a couple guys tomorrow, see what ya can get!" Steve told me on my way out of the store. It was getting near 5, and god forbid I be home any later than 4:30 to not get my head screamed off. I guess thats just what dads do, scream at their kids.