Premium

Cody pulled into the Conoco station with a jerk as he tried to gaze casually at the large Ford truck that had just rolled to a stop at one of the dozen fueling islands.  The truck was on the inside of the terminal, so Cody slid up next to the pump on the opposite side of the island, the side further from the store.

“This will be perfect,” said Cody.

“What are you talking about?” responded Ray, working to snub out his cigarette – a difficult feat with the car’s sudden change of trajectory.  “I thought we were on our way to Garret’s.”

“I need gas.”

“I need another pack anyways.  I’m gonna run in real quick – you want anything?”

“No.  Just shut up and sit there for a minute.”  Cody’s voice was stern, and although he fumbled around in the car’s center console as if looking for his wallet, his eyes never cut away from the driver of the truck.

“Seriously, what the fuck?  Garret’s waiting for us.”

“I know, but just shut the fuck up for a second.  I’m gonna show you a trick I learned.”

The driver of the truck killed his engine and offensively loud metal music died with it.  The door swung open as a man lumbered out his seat and reached for the pump.  The man looked like a giant from Cody and Ray’s perspective, sitting low in their 1982 Toyota Corolla.  This small dirty car, once painted a muddy-diarrhea brown, was nicknamed Sir because, as Cody saw it, a car much older than himself deserved to be regarded with some respect.  But the man paid no attention to Sir, nor it’s two scrawny occupants, and moved with concentrated efforts as he swiped his credit card, pressed the premium button, and started the slow and steady flow of gasoline.

The man was in his mid thirties and well over six feet tall.  His hair was cut close to his head, and his broad chest was quickly losing the intimidating quality it might have once had, as superfluous fat now bloated out from his sides and gut.  He wore a t-shirt, cut off cargo pants, and tan leather boots.  It was clear to all who saw him: he was another ex-soldier returning home from service.  They seemed to be everywhere around town these days, and all had the same air about them.  Once in peak physical shape, they now lived a life of excess; a life of continuous vice.  Drinking coffee until beer and beer until coffee, smoking cigarettes and eating fast food.  They all returned home and wanted whatever they could find, whatever was offered.

The soldier reached into his truck, pulled out a used 64 ounce fountain cup, and trudged his way across the parking lot leaving the gas to continue flowing as he shopped.  This was the moment Cody had anticipated.

“Alright, let’s go.” Cody sprung from his seat.  In one step he was across the island, taking the pump from the truck and swinging the nozzle back around to his car.  Cody had removed the gas cap from his car and thrust the pump into place.  The interruption to the flow of gasoline was almost nonexistent, the tally of the total cost once again keeping perfect time.

Ray ran around from his side of the car.

“Are you fucking crazy man?” he sputtered.  “Why would you fuck with that guy?  He’s going to murder us.”

“Don’t worry,” Cody said.  “He’ll never even notice.  Once the car is full just move the pump back to his pickup and make sure the gas is still flowing.  And Ray, you fucking pussy, don’t switch it back until my car is full.  It’s not everyday Sir gets to feast upon premium.”

“Where are you going?”  Ray asked, with obvious strain in his voice.

“I’m gonna stall him – just in case.”

Before Ray could object, Cody moved toward the store with long, lanky strides. Through the glass doors he saw the ex-soldier standing in front of the soda fountain, filling his cup with Mountain Dew.  Cody slowed his pace and tried to walk in casually.  There was an elderly woman at the register buying lottery tickets, and Cody jumped in line behind her.  She had already purchased what she wanted, but now stood at the counter scratching at them with a nickel.

The kid behind the counter was named Michael.  He was the same age as Cody and they nodded at each other as he walked in.  They weren’t friends, exactly, but they ran in similar circles and had had a couple of classes together.  He was smart but, like most kids in town, he didn’t have much money. It was this dilemma that made it possible for army recruiters to have a larger office in the high school than any of the guidance counselors.

The woman, now coming to the realization that she would not be leaving with any money, turned and began to shuffle out the door, leaving her pile of discarded tickets on the counter.  Michael had been reading absent-mindedly from an old copy of Cat’s Cradle, but he now pushed that aside and began to pick up the litter.

“Does anyone ever win?” Cody asked as he moved up to the counter.

“No, not really.  I wish they would just throw their three dollars in the trash and save me the hassle of doing it for them.”

“Yeah, but what’s the fun in that?”

“Whatever,” Michael scoffed.  “No one buys those things because it’s fun.”  He balled together the tickets to toss in a wastebasket beside him, then turned back to Cody.  “Now, how may I help you?” he asked.  “You need some gas?”

“No,” Cody blurted.  His eyes darted out the window and saw Ray still standing beside the car, nervously hunched over the pump.  He tried to gaze over his shoulder wanting to know where the soldier was.  The man had finished his shopping and was moving to take his place in line.  With the ex-soldier now towering behind him, less than two feet away, Cody quickly turned back to Michael.

“No, I’m just grabbing some cigarettes.  But hey, how’d you do on that physics test yesterday?”

“Oh, I did alright.  Nothing special.  You?”

“Pretty good, actually.”

“Of course, you always have like the highest grade in there.”

“Yeah, but physics is easy.  It’s all just cause and effect.”

“Whatever.  What kind of smokes do you want?”

Nervousness began to creep upon Cody as he could feel the impatience growing in the man behind him.  He heard a package of jerky tear open, followed by large, noisy bites.  The man chewed vigorously on the meat with loud, slurping, sucking sounds, like a plunger attacking a toilet, and then washed it down with a gulp of his drink. It was a hot day, and Cody was sure the man smelled like corn syrup.  He managed to survive RPGs, thought Cody, but let’s see how he fares with diabetes.  Welcome to the golden age of prosthetic limbs.

“You guys got American Spirit blues?” Cody finally asked, returning his attention to the counter.

“We have the yellows.”

“Not the blues?”

“What the fuck, Cody?  You’re in here at least once a week – you know what we have.”

“Alright, alright, I’ll just take a pack of Pall Malls.”  Cody laid his cash on the counter and waited to collect the change.

“You know that was Vonnegut’s brand of choice,” Michael stated as he handed over the money and cigarettes.

“Yeah I know, you tell me that every time I buy them.”  Cody peered out the window again, but this time couldn’t see Ray, which he hoped was a good sign.  He turned back toward Michael and asked, “So what are you going to do after graduation?”

“I don’t know,” Michael shrugged.  “I hate to say it, but maybe sign up for the army or something.  Maybe the air force.  I don’t know; anything is better than working here for the next ten years.”

“Maybe you’ll get lucky and land a job at Wal-Mart,” Cody scoffed.

“Shit, just strap a parachute to me right now.  At least I can choose if I want to pull the cord or not.”

Cody chuckled, and then turned to leave.

“How about you?” Michael asked, hoping to continue the conversation, a welcomed distraction from his work.  “You made any plans yet?”

“No, nothing serious,” Cody responded. “Just working on survival.”  Cody began to walk away, but before he made it to the door the man’s voice froze him into place.

“Hey kid,” the ex-soldier stated in a loud, commanding voice.

Cody felt a tinge of panic at the base of his skull.  With his eyes closed, he braced himself as he imagined large, bear-like paws grabbing him by the shoulders.

“Can I offer you some advice?” the man continued.  “Don’t waste your time with the military.  No matter what they tell you, you are just going to find yourself back here again, anyways.  And that hero’s return bullshit, well, the only people who talk to me around here are the ones who want something in return.”

When Cody realized that the man was speaking to Michael, and not him, he slipped out the door and moved with fast strides across the parking lot.  He was relieved to see that Ray was back in the car, the nozzle of the pump back in the truck, and the gas dial still marching steadily upward.  Cody hopped into Sir and tossed the package of cigarettes onto Ray’s lap.

“Thank you,” Ray said with irritation. “Can we get going now?”

“Yeah, I’d say we better,” Cody uttered.  “Let’s go see if Garret actually has those shrooms like he promised.  Oh, and don’t tell him about this.  I’m going to make him pitch in some gas money for making us drive all the way out to his house.”

Cody started the small engine, let out the clutch, and began to creep toward the exit that would point him in the right direction.  As he circled around the parking lot he saw the ex-soldier standing back at his truck, obviously annoyed by the fact that his tank was still not full.  He moved to the rear of the pickup and slumped down on tailgate.

“You’d be amazed how often that works,” Cody said to Ray, as he pulled the small car out onto the highway, heading north out of town.

“You’re going to get your teeth kicked in,” said Ray, his voice still thick with anxiety.  “This town is filled with assholes just aching to beat the shit out of people like us, and you run around looking to give them a reason.”

“Oh, the people here are friendly enough,” Cody shrugged.

The car slowly began to pick up speed as it vibrated down the asphalt, and a hot, loud wind, thick with dust and sage ripped through the cab.  The boys squinted as they drove in silence out toward the country.  After a few minutes, Ray opened his cigarettes and packed them on his knee the way all new smokers do.  He lit two and passed one to Cody.  In continued silence the two smoked their cigarettes, each feigning satisfaction.