One Man's Opus (Book 3): Opus Adventure Read online

  “Go,” Tina said.

  I looked forward and saw the way to turn was clear. I had gotten semi-distracted. I turned in, electing to pull up in the front. It was a steel building with tall privacy fencing around what had to be the impound lot. I could see the roof of what was probably a garage or covered parking for their tow trucks. I parked, then got out, not surprised when Ophelia jumped on my seat and then bounded down to sit next to me, her tongue hanging out. Opus made a disgusted sound. I closed the door to see Tina braving the middle of the van, pushing Sarge back.

  Poor dude probably felt left out, but I doubted people would look kindly on a guy walking in with one big dog, let alone two. Plus, he was still a bit of a doofus, smart, but goofy. I opened the door, making a buzzer go off somewhere in the back of the building. There was a plain desk with a corded phone sitting there, a dog eared yellow legal pad on one side, and an overflowing ashtray on the other. A bathroom sat off to the side, the door half open. I’d seen gas station bathrooms in better shape than that and for once was glad I didn’t have to go.

  The entire joint smelled like rancid sweat and grease with a heavy layer of cigarette smoke. I heard a door open and close somewhere behind the door behind the desk. Probably to the back of this building. It opened and an older guy came in wearing blue coveralls with ‘Joe’ monogrammed on the pocket.

  “Help you?” he asked, his accent straight out of New Jersey.

  “I was at the hardware store a few miles down the road, and they told me I might be able to buy gas here?”

  “Oh yeah. Not all the time, but I have some to spare right now. You getting out of dodge before this hurricane business hits?”

  “Trying to. All the gas stations are full, and I’ve got a one ton van… Hard to pull it in and out,” I said lamely, even though I could drive that thing anywhere.

  I was going for the sympathy, that and a fair price on fuel.

  “How much you need?” he asked me.

  “I’ve got four five-gallon cans, and I’d like to top off my van before hitting the highway. Probably thirty-five gallons?”

  “Oh that’s no problem. Now my gas isn’t cut with ethanol, so it’s a little more pricey than gas station garbage.”

  “How much?” I asked him.

  “I paid $3.45 a gallon for it,” he said, scratching his forehead with a grease-stained hand, “with delivery and stuff, I figure I can give it to you for about that. Say $3.50 a gallon?”

  That sounded like highway robbery to me, but I did know that pure gasoline without ethanol was pricier and it wasn’t like he was gouging me. For peace of mind?

  “Sounds good to me,” I told him, doing some mental math.

  I pulled out $125 from my wallet and dropped it on the counter. “Keep the change.”

  “You want a receipt?” he asked me.

  “No, sir.”

  “Ok, we’re all good, I’ll open the gate and let Javier do the fueling with you. Just pull your vehicle in the gate and go straight back to the pole barn. You’ll see the big red tank. I’m in the middle of a transmission rebuild, and it’s pissing me off.”

  I grinned and tipped an imaginary hat. He gave me a wave, and Ophelia and I headed out. There was the same shuffle of the dogs as I got in.

  “He let out some air and has been playing with his puppies,” Tina told me happily as Ophelia got in her spot.

  “That’s good. You figure out a way out of Florida?” I asked her.

  “Still looking,” she said, “How much was the gas?”

  “I gave him $125 for about thirty-five gallons.”

  She scrunched up her face. “A little over $3.50 per gallon?”

  “I know, but he said this is the stuff without ethanol so he pays more for it. I think it’ll probably last longer if we don’t need to use it all at once.”

  “Wow, gas hasn’t been that expensive in a while. At least it’s the good stuff,” she told me as Owen busted up into giggles.

  I put the van in reverse and lined up with the gate that had started opening a crack. Owen erupted into tears again, his vocal chords really amazing. I winced, and Opus got down from his spot and headed to the back of the van.

  “Oh, buddy, maybe you need a bottle and a burp huh?”

  I concentrated and, when the gate was open, I pulled in. The inside of the lot was asphalt for the most part. There were a couple spots that had boats and an old camper at the back corner. The office had an open air garage built off the back, and I could easily see the pole barn. It wasn’t large like I was expecting, but the fuel farm to the right of it was easy to see. I drove to the back. I saw somebody wave from within the barn.

  “Be right back,” I told everyone. “Ophelia, you stay.”

  She whined a bit, but stayed. I had left the back unlocked, so I left the van running, the air blasting. I opened the back of the van and pulled the four cans out and started taking the caps off.

  “Poor buddy,” I said to Owen, who Tina was working to get out of his harness.

  “Help you with something?” a guy in blue coveralls with ‘Javier’ printed on the pocket asked.

  “I bought some fuel from Joe,” I told him.

  “Si. Bring your cans over, he just called me on the radio.”

  The guy was giving me the once over, but I realized I’d been doing the same. Memorizing details, making a mental character card for him should I ever need a tow truck driver/mechanic in a book. Heck, he could be in my post-apocalyptic book I was writing. Tow truck driver saves the day in a sleepy Arkansas suburb. I took two over, then went back for the other two. Tina had the baby out now and was bouncing him on her lap. Sarge was sitting right in the opening of the back doors with Opus, but Ophelia was standing on the bench seat. She’d taken me telling her to stay put seriously.

  He started filling the cans. It didn’t take long for the first two to be filled, and I capped them and carried them back. I had to make an empty spot by pushing the dogs out of the way. They were curious about the cans but one sniff and they backed off toward the bench.

  “This isn’t ideal,” I told the boys.

  “Sorry?” Javier asked.

  I walked around the back door and started capping a third that he’d finished.

  “Was talking to my dogs. We’re trying to get out of town before the crazy stuff happens.”

  He looked up at me funny. I took the gas cap off the van and let it hang. “I paid for fifteen gallons roughly in the van.”

  “No problem,” he said.

  I capped the last can when it was filled and left the door open so the dogs could see out. They avoided the cans for now, but Sarge looked like he wanted to come my way.

  “How’s the smell up there?” I called.

  “Can’t smell the gas,” Tina said. “I’m strapping little man in. He needed a change, and I burped him. He’s happy now that he’s got a bottle, but we’re going to have to figure out food for him; he hasn’t eaten much today.”

  “Want me to get him a banana from the cooler?” I asked.

  “Actually, that’ll work perfect. I’ll sit back here with him while he eats.”

  So he doesn’t choke, I thought to myself but didn’t dare say aloud. Owen had never had a problem choking but with both of us being semi paranoid… we didn’t always need to voice our fears. I got a banana out, and made sure all the cans were in place and wouldn’t shift. Then I moved the cooler next to them so they couldn’t slide side to side. Lastly, I put my big bugout bag in front of the cooler so it wouldn’t slide forward. Sarge wasn’t amused that I was blocking him in the van, but he let out a couple playful, irritated barks as I closed the back doors.

  “You want me to top it off?” Javier asked as I came around the side, seeing him finishing the fill job.

  “It’s almost full already,” I told him, “but I appreciate it.”

  I opened the side door and handed over the banana to Tina. Opus, Sarge, and Ophelia were staring out at me. I grinned, but the smile on Tina’s face s
lipped as she took it from me. I turned to look where she was.

  “Thank you, Javier,” I told him, seeing that she was staring at him, her mouth open in confusion.

  “No problem,” he said, walking back toward the barn, crossing in front of the big green van.

  “Let’s get going,” Tina said.

  “That’s weird, I…”

  Tina gave the command for the dogs to be on guard. Opus sat up, looking around, and Ophelia got into the front passenger seat. Sarge sat at attention, a little behind the bench. I was confused, but closed the two side doors and went around and got in on my side. Ophelia had moved to sit in the middle, Opus next to Tina. Sarge was squished between Tina’s legs and the car seat, so he ducked and got into Opus’s spot.

  “Go, ok?” Tina said, her voice nervous.

  I put it in gear and started rolling, watching the gate shut behind them.

  “Yeah, we’ve got a full tank, plus all the extra cans. What spooked you back there?’ I asked her.

  “I’m not sure. Let’s bugout,” Tina said, making me smile.

  For once, I wasn’t amused how she’d taken up the lingo. In the rearview mirror, she was wiping Owen’s face with a wet wipe while he was shoving the banana in as far as he could.

  20

  Tina

  Tina paid attention to Owen as he ate. The dogs didn’t mind taking her spot, and Opus looked rather pleased with himself. The baby would break off a piece of banana with one hand and offer it to the dog first. Opus gave Tina a pleading look to which she answered with a shake of her head. Owen stuffed the piece into his mouth. Tina was uneasy, though. Javier from the towing company had made her uneasy. For a second there she’d thought he was one of the guys who’d tried to rob them the other night, but it had been dark and all she had to go on was the voice.

  Tina wasn't sure if that was the right man or not, she didn't really get a good look at his face in the dark. She was pretty sure though that the voice of Javier was the voice of the man with the knife. When she'd locked eyes with him, there was no recognition or surprise. She didn't want to worry Rick, because she wasn't 100% sure for herself, just had a strong suspicion.

  Sarge crawled into the middle between the two front seats because Tina was sitting in his spot. One was happily eating the remnant of a banana, and Opus sat there watching him, his head tilted the side. Ophelia, the princess of the clan, was sitting in the front seat where Tina normally sat. She'd been a little more clingy and a little more jealous lately than normal, but Tina knew that a lot of it probably had to do with them being out of town. She had to smile at the way Ophelia had adopted Rick. Opus was his buddy at first and still was, but Ophelia had definitely put a claim in.

  “Daddy go bye-bye,” Owen called through a mouthful of mush.

  “Yeah, buddy,” Rick said over his shoulder, “we’re going to get outta here. Your mom is gonna plan me a route out of town, aren't you, Tina?”

  “Yeah, just start heading north.”

  Tina reached down to her feet and started digging in the diaper bag, until she found a juice cup. Owen finished smacking his lips and held both sticky hands out for it.

  “Here you go, buddy,” Tina said as he made give me gestures with his little chubby fingers. “Don't drink it too fast and choke.”

  “Do I want to make my way toward I-75?” Rick asked.

  Tina threw up her hands in frustration and sighed. The road they were on right now was already congested and bumper-to-bumper. She'd been dealing with the little tyrant and not listening to the radio or checking the app on her phone. She pulled her phone out and opened up the Waze app.

  “It looks like heavy traffic going all the way up,” Tina said after a few moments of using her thumb and zooming out. Then she directed the app to give them a route using back and secondary roads. That wasn't looking any better close to the big cities.

  “You're better off staying on the main route for now,” Tina told him. “I-75 seems to head straight west at this point. As much as I’d like to get away from the hurricane if we’re going north, I think we ought to take 27 North if we want to avoid traffic.”

  “That sounds good to me,” Rick told her. “It doesn't look like were gonna be going anywhere fast.”

  “What's everyone doing in the left turn lane?” Tina asked as the traffic seemed to be creeping's in one direction, with few cars going south.

  “I don't know,” Rick told her. “They probably open that lane up for an evacuation route?”

  He started playing with the knobs on the radio, and soon a news report came on.

  … all reports from the new projections have this hurricane up to a class IV. The governor hesitated and called for an evacuation of South Florida, but it just came in he's about to announce that. Unlike last time, he urges people to only fill up their gas tanks as they head north, to alleviate fuel shortages. Fuel companies already have trucks rolling south along the west coast of the state. We urge all citizens to listen for the directions if the governor does call for an evacuation …

  “Do you smell something?” Rick asked over his shoulder.

  “It kind of smells…” Tina tapped her lips with her finger, “almost like antifreeze.”

  “That's what I thought,” Rick said with a frown, putting his blinker on.

  Rick could see Tina lean over, Owen grabbing her hand in case she decided she wanted to escape up front, but she could see what he was looking at as Rick put the blinker on. The dummy lights hadn't come on yet, but the temperature gauge was already swinging past the halfway mark, something the van had never done before.

  “I can see a little bit of steam coming out of the hood,” Rick said, pulling onto a side street to look at it.

  At least it wasn’t raining. Owen was fussy, and Tina was bouncing him on her hip. Sweat clung to her body and, even though the wind had picked up, it was nowhere near the howling winds they would get during a Michigan snowstorm. Instead of it being cold, it was muggy and humid. A promise of more weather and rain to come.

  “There is a hole right through the radiator,” Rick told her as a green puddle started collecting underneath the van.

  Owen picked that moment to reach up and snatch Tina's glasses off her face. Tina switched him to her left side and gently pulled them out of his hands and put them back on with her right hand.

  “Did a rock hit it?” she asked.

  “No, come here and look at this,” Rick told her, pointing.

  Tina walked over and knelt down, seeing what Rick was talking about. Green coolant leaked out of what looked like a hole that had been neatly punched right through the radiator. Rick took a rag and wiped a little bit.

  “The hole didn't go all the way through,” Tina said. “I can see a little bit of a pattern there.”

  “What did you see?” Rick asked her.

  “It almost looked like a cross shape?” Tina said, standing back up, her knees popping.

  “Mommy, I wan owwn,” Owen said clearly.

  “Not here, not on the side of the road,” Tina said.

  “Do you have anything to plug the leak?” Tina asked Rick.

  “Yeah, I don't know if it would work though. It's bars leak. I can see if I can plug it from this side, or… We could always call AAA?”

  “How about you get working on that, and I'll walk over to that Publix I can see. I'll pick up a couple gallons of water with the little man.”

  “We can't stay out in the heat for long,” Rick told her, “the dogs will roast alive in there.” He pointed to the dark van.

  “If you've got enough coolant in the van without overheating it, how about you pull forward about 25 or 30 feet so you're under the shade of that palm over there,” she said, pointing ahead of the side road they’d pulled off onto.

  Rick looked up and then down and knew that although it would work for right now, the sun would move and they'd be back in it again. Then again, he looked up at the sky and saw the clouds were blowing in and out. Was this what a hurricane
looked like? He wasn't sure.

  “Yeah, go ahead and go get some water. Get… maybe eight or ten gallons,” he said, hoping it was enough.

  Tina started walking, Owen a counter balance to the fear and anger she was feeling. Had it been Javier? As soon as they got on the road again she was going to mention it to Rick. She was still sorting her feelings out and didn’t want to make an accusation when all she had to go on was the memory of a voice in the darkness and a vague outline of a face. The man she’d kicked? She knew that face well and if she saw it again, she was sure she could identify him.

  “Wan owwwn,” Owen repeated.

  “Ok, Bubba,” Tina said, putting him on his feet.

  She waited while he wobbled and got his balance. He held up a chubby hand and took two of her fingers in his fist and followed her as fast as his little legs would let him.

  “Grammy.”

  “She’s on an airplane now. Headed back home. We’ll be there soon too.”

  “Oppy?”

  “Opus and puppies too,” she told him, translating on the fly.

  The grocery store doors opened automatically and cold air rushed out, cooling both of them immediately. Owen shivered, his little arms and legs bubbling up in goose bumps. Tina walked him over to a cart and boosted him up into the seat. She didn’t bother with the buckles, but let Owen play with them while she made a beeline toward the back. Other people seemed to have the same idea. She saw shopping carts with bottled water headed up to the register, pushed by harried looking people.

  “Did they call the evacuation yet?” an older gentleman asked, pushing a cart full of water and cat food.

  “Not yet,” Tina said, slowing. “Our van’s radiator sprung a leak. Is there some place nearby to get it fixed or replaced?” Tina asked.

  The man paused and put a gnarled finger to his chin, looking up in deep thought. “I reckon the closest place is Joe’s Towing. He’s a good ‘um.”

  “Other than Joe’s?” Tina asked.