No Quit

Chapter 8

Hammond was where Curtis Martin was born, raised and attended school. His foster parents saw him out the door and out of their lives after a much longer term than normal and Curtis was set adrift in the world on his own before joining the branch of the Hammond Bank as a teller at the age of twenty-one.

After finishing school he thought at first he might have a career in banking and he applied himself diligently to the work but unlike his peers in the branch, he had few social skills, or desires for that matter. Content with TV, reading, the movies and sitting by the public park and watching ducks in the pond. Curtis Martin was a slug.

As his years passed by, he realized that he would not be advancing in the bank and that until the day he retired he would be meeting people through the narrow window of his teller's wicket. That all changed when the woman with the puffy, bruised face arrived and asked for cash on her credit card.

Curtis took up his position behind the counter with a new sense of self and he looked at the other tellers with the smug knowledge that he, Curtis Martin, was no longer just the inconsequential lump that laboured along side them but a newly born, daring decision maker, with a secret female conspirator.

******

Ted switched off his TV and stared out the hotel room window. The coverage of the latest robbery and killing was on three of the four available channels and he felt sure that his Bonnie and Clyde fugitives would be holed up somewhere now, maybe even considering yet another car change. He unfolded his map again and with a pen, plotted their course and the timeline he reasoned it involved.

They were likely somewhere close to Hammond by now, easier to hide in a larger town—in theory. He found Sable Falls, concluding that it was too far away, calculating that the drive there would take about four hours at highway speed. That meant Hammond was only about two or so away. If they doubled back they would have to come through Paris Flats and Ted figured that was very unlikely, so west was the best bet.

He blew out a noisy breath and lay back on his bed. He had set a date with Toni for Saturday night and that promised to be a lot more fun than driving like crazy to Hammond. Would the extra days cause him to lose them? Not forever, he decided and he left the room, getting the car and driving to Karl's.

"Hi there," the man started until he recognized Ted.

"Hi yourself."

"Somethin' wrong with the car?"

"Nope. I want to add a week to the rental."

The man's eyes lit up and he saw a chance to make back his tax loss. "Absolutely, partner. Let me just work out a new price for you. Still wanna drop it off?"

Ted nodded and smiled to himself as the man punched away at his tiny solar calculator then listened intently as he said, "That'll be five oh one, sixty." He held up a hand. "Tell you what, forget the one-sixty. Make it an even five." The smile stretched wide.

"How does two-twenty double to five?"

"Well I have to cancel the first contract and make a new one. That's the price with everything you asked for."

"I didn't ask for an extra sixty bucks."

"I rounded it down." The statement came out with a hint of pleading.

"A dollar sixty? I can't take such advantage." Ted picked up the keys and started out.

"Hey what about my car?"

"I've still got a contract for a week. That'll have to do I guess."

"Ah jeez, wait a sec. Wait a sec." Ted turned and stayed by the door as the man wrestled with his need for business over profit. "How about four-fifty, everything included." Ted pretended to think it over and then wandered slowly back to the counter. The man's look changed to hopeful.

"What would Karl say?" Ted asked, dragging out the suspense.

"I'm Karl." The words fell flat and with resignation.

"Really? Well, Karl, tell you what. You fill it up again before I go and you got yourself a deal."

"Huh? How much gas did you use?"

"Not much, Karl. Deal?" Dejected, Karl pushed the amended contract across the counter and Ted signed. "Good man. I'll recommend your customer friendly service to all my friends."

"That's okay," Karl mumbled, getting his keys for the gas pump.

*********************

Friday night rolled around and Ted was right at the door of the restaurant when Toni's shift ended. When she came out with two other women he hesitated and then stepped forward causing them all to stop in a jumble.

"What are you doing here?" Toni asked in surprise.

"You know this guy?" One of the women asked.

"He's a customer... of sorts."

The two women exchanged glances and then made an exaggerated departure, laughing and huddling heads together as they bounced down the street.

"Of sorts?" Ted wondered aloud.

"What are you doing here?"

"We had a date."

"The weekend, Edward Wagner, the weekend. Remember?" She started toward the restaurant parking lot.

"This is the weekend." He followed her quickly.

"It's Friday night, I just got off work. I haven't been home to clean up or anything." She dug her keys out of her purse and opened the door of the horrid green Buick.

Ted held the door and leaned close to her. "I couldn't wait any longer. I'll help you clean up. I'll pick up your mail. Feed your cat. Water the plants. Anything."

"I don't have a cat, or plants that need watering and as for helping me get cleaned up, it's back to the drawing board for that offer, pal."

"What about the mail?"

Toni scoffed and shook her head. "You could become a real big nuisance, Edward Wagner."

"I could be a big help too." He stepped back as she slid into the driver's seat.

"Our deal was for tomorrow night." She closed the door but rolled down the window and he immediately leaned on the frame.

"Can I get you some Chinese food or wings or pizza or something? You haven't eaten."

"Was that going to be the selection for our date?"

He straightened up quickly. "No way! That was going to be Paris Flat's biggest and best. This was a- a tide-me-over."

She started the car and looked up at him. "Well let it tide-you-over, our date is tomorrow night." The car shot back, startling him and then it swung sharply to the left and roared off the lot. Ted jogged out to the road to watch her go and as he watched the car brake lights came on and then the backup lights. He waited with a tiny bubble of thrill building in his chest.

The Buick backed to where he was standing and the window came down again. "Do you like really spicy wings?"

"Molten is what I usually ask for."

She laughed and wagged her head hopelessly. "Get in Edward Wagner."