Taking The 'Caddy To Mountain Time!

(Part.2)

    With the brim of his sweat stained hat, tilted low touching the rim of his Aviators, ”Can you drive hombre?" Bill looked over at Mr Young, "Me? are you talking to me?" Mr Young burst out laughing, "I've seen that fucking movie, jeez wait a minute I'm going to get this, what's that guy’s name? He screwed his face up, deep in thought, "DeNiro!" He cried out, "Robert De fucking Niro, Taxi Driver, now that was a great movie", Bill started to smile at him, " ok,agreed, a great movie, what was the question again", bringing the Caddy to a slow stop, Mr Young turned to Bill, "I said, can you drive?, do you want to have a go?"
    Soon Bill was gripping the huge steering wheel with both hands and as he gently pushed down on the pedal, the Caddy slowly began to move away, the huge motor under that equally huge hood was barely audible, Bill bounced in his seat almost like a child, relishing the moment, he turned to Mr Young, "I don't think this thing has ever done more than 25 miles an hour, ever, Christ she just purrs!" He looked over again,

Mr Young was fast asleep, he soon realised that he was not getting a lesson in driving on desert roads out of the kindness of his companions heart, the teacher was dead to the world, the pupil, Bill, was on his own! 
      As they rolled along the huge desert highway they passed by very little oncoming traffic, the occasional pickup, some drivers would acknowledge them with a polite wave, others simply blanked them, their eyes looking straight ahead showing no emotion at all, Bill smiled to himself, was this American Gothic for real, was this a Norman Rockwell painting come to life! Later on they passed  a couple of bikers, riding side by side, dangerously close to each other, the guy in the buckskin waistcoat with 'Son Of A Kai-San Vet' emblazoned across the chest of his t-shirt handed something across to the biker with the ‘Brando" jacket and curiously, a washed out 'Smiley Face' T-Shirt  who was nearest to the Caddy and with almost nonchalant precision, as if this was some kind of Rodeo act,  obviously they were sharing a joint, why not thought Bill, it's a nice evening, he could not help hearing Bon Jovi rolling through his mind, these guys after all were on steel horses but were they wanted dead or alive, he smiled and thought to himself, Bill, you are such a prick! As they neared the Caddy they started to slow down and gradually came to a stop as Bill pulled up alongside, the biker nearest to the Caddy peered in the window and noticed that it was Mr Young, he turned and nodded to his wingman then looked back straight  at Bill, "hey buddy, you gotta keep right on to the end of the road, keep your eyes and your mind open, here, this is for you",  he threw a freshly rolled pair of doobie's neatly tied together into the Caddy! Leaning over Bill,  Mr Young acknowledged the generosity of the men, “you take care sledging it down this piece of black top boys,”  each of them gave a twist on their throttles giving out the distinctive song of the V-Twin, "we will, we are always one step ahead of any cherry top that might be cruising down this way, don't you worry about us Mr Young", and with that, with a crunch they both dropped down a gear and roared off into the night but not before one of the men called out, "hope you find what you’re looking for Bill"!  As their tail lights disappeared into the shimmering distance Mr Young turned to Bill, “a good pair of guys those two and I do believe, two new friends for you Bill!" No sooner had he spoken, he tilted his hat down over his eyes and drifted off once again.
      The heat coming through the windows was relentless and very unforgiving, this was all set to change as the heat of the afternoon slowly left the day behind and the cooler evening air took over getting ready for the night, the long desert night! Bill was still mesmerised by the whole deal, the Loco, the Caddy, Mr Young, the huge length of black top that just seemed to keep unrolling in front of them and the vastness, the miles and miles all around them of raw, scorched earth! It may have been thanks to the occasional rasping snore from Mr Young that kept Bills concentration levels up, the fact that he had taken one of his favourite pills, those with with the 'M' on was helping too, usually he avoided driving at night anywhere but this was a road trip that had his senses completely in tune with the landscapes that they passed through, he just felt so alive, he felt that his demons, those little bastards that seemed to have been suppressing all of his hopes and dreams for such a long time were gradually lining up to leave his body at last! 
    They had been on the road for a couple of hours when  he first noticed began to notice them, the fires in the distance, they seemed to be every couple of miles, not blazing infernos, just little bonfires here and there, he became more and more curious, he wound down the window to get a clearer look. The breeze that came in at first took his breath away and more to the point,  woke Mr Young!
      "Now what did you do that for? he began to giggle, "damn you boy, I'm gonna kick your arse! My first boss used to say that whenever I sassed him, but hombre I'm pretty pissed off with you right now, I was in the arms of..whoever..whatever, why did you have to spoil it, why, oh why, oh why," Bill thought his passenger seemed genuinely annoyed with him until he caught sight of the wink in the windshield, Bill was still curious about the fires and returned to the window,  staring out into the distance, "sorry about that, but what are those fires out there, who is it that lights them?", leaning over and looking through the window, "what, them things, probably the Sundowners, they do that so they know where they are, it gets as black as ink out there you know!" Bill brought the Caddy to a halt, he turned to Mr Young, "what's a Sundowner, no, let me guess, they are the same as me, kindred spirits who are in search of the thing that is missing from their lives," gripping his arm tightly, Mr Young looked Bill right in the eye, "that's right!, you ain't the only one who wants what is his, the thing that is missing from his life, come on pull this thing over and we’ll take a walk and find 'em!" Bill, with a look of surprise, disbelief even, through a cracked voice said, "Christ Man, I was fucking joking!"
      As Bill climbed out of the Caddy he stretched to full size, "when I die I want to lay down in one of these babies, Christ I have never felt so relaxed but at the same time, I'm tingling, is that right, is that normal?" He  closed the door his side with a clunk, Mr Young smiled, "come on then hombre, let's get some of that smoke  and dust up our noses," then they both started to walk away from the road, Bill looked behind them at the imposing silhouette that the Caddy was leaving by the roadside, it was then that Bill realised just how big it was, standing so serene against the primeval backdrop of the desert at night!
    As the two men made their way towards the first fire, Mr Young broke the silence, "so Bill, when did you first realise it was gone?", surprised and puzzled by this odd question that just  came from nowhere, Bill turned to Mr Young, "what do you mean, what was gone, you will have to explain that one because that has gone way over my head, what do you mean?", laughing quietly to himself Mr Young threw out an arm across Bills chest to stop him, "your soul your mojo Man, the very essence of you I suppose", Bill stood opposite his inquisitor, kicking back and forth the stony ground, a cloud of dust seemed to be swirling around his feet  rising like smoke, he knew he had to give an answer of some kind, "I don't know, a while I suppose, it's a case of being happy, being content, being comfortable within myself, fuck it, that sounds pompous, selfish even, if it does, I'm sorry, I don't mean it to", Mr Young turned to face Bill, "yeah! and your point is what exactly, it was obvious when I first met you that something was missing from your puzzle Man, you were kind of...oh I don't know," looking to the sky, “thinking what exactly, I'm not quite sure, it may be that you were just bewitched, bothered and bewildered, yeah, maybe that's it," then excitedly gripping Bills shoulders, "Christ Man, make a note of that, there is a song in there somewhere even if I say so myself!  Raising his eyebrows, Bill said, "there is, it's been done already, I recall my old man singing it!", looking deflated Mr Young released his grip, "there is! , are you sure? Well shit in this old hat and punch it, I thought I was onto a hit there, oh well, whatever, you get my drift anyway, you were lost within yourself and I'm going to help you find you, with a little help from my friends of course," he looked up quickly again, Bill on this occasion was once again ahead of Mr Young’s thinking, "that too!," Mr Young stared hard into Bills eyes, " that too?, what?" Laughing at the glaringly obvious, Bill said, "that's been done as well, a little combo from way back, The Beatles," cracking half a smile Mr Young replied, "who? The Beatles you say," and with a look to the heavens, "nope, never heard of 'em!," he winked at Bill and they continued walking into the desert. 
          The two men soon reached the first bonfire and Bill was slightly cheesed off that they found themselves alone, there was nobody about! Looking around Bill broke the silence, "where do they go, it's so dark out there, do they even know where to go, it's a daunting prospect even in the daytime I would think but at night, fuck that, I would just cuddle up with a bottle of red I may have in my ruck-sack, look at the stars maybe, have a little drink or two, possibly have a think, try to unravel my head, dilute some of the glue in there, what do you bit of a think, what about you Mr Young?" Staring at the flames as they danced around in front of him, Mr Young sniggered, “I think I should very much like a swig on that bottle of red and you know what, I think that somebody already  has..." He bent down and picked up a half empty bottle that had been, or so it would appear, strategically propped up by a small pile of rocks, stranger still, there were two glasses next to the bottle! "Someone knew we were coming maybe," said Mr young, "what...well don't look at me, this is as strange to me as it is to you," protested Bill. Turning the bottle  and using the flickering light from the fire, Mr Young scrutinised the label on the bottle, "whoever it was,  or is, they know  a good grape when they taste it, Mission Bell, this is a nice wine!" He then handed Bill one of the glasses, "savour this hombre, this will hit the spot, trust me, have too much of this stuff and it will certainly blow the wax out of your ears"! Bill seemed very hesitant at first, "Christ Man they could be coming back, you don't know!"  Mr Young threw an arm around Bills neck and laughed, "Such a cherub, so innocent, so fucking stupid! This has been left for you and....whoever, me in this case, but it was for you to share a glass or two with, I don't know, maybe the guy you met on the Loco, what did you say he was called, Graham or something? No my mistake, Gram, that was it, the Rodeo guy," quickly and in disbelief Bill turned to Mr Young, "I never told you his name, I don't think I even said I had met anybody on the Loco, Christ you are ripping my shitter Man," smiling and shaking his head, slowly Bill turned to Mr Young," you really freak me out, not in a scary way but in a strange way!". 

         The two men both looked up to the sky and studied the stars and the patterns in the night sky, inhaling deeply the night air, Mr Young, while he was looking up, maybe it’s that woman, the one who you think lives in that song of mine, who knows, and for now,who cares, let’s just have a drink and give a bit of thanks to them anyway," nervously and perhaps a little reluctantly, Bill accepted the glass and watched as Mr Young filled it with the wine, then as they stood together in the darkness with just the orange hue from the fire on their faces they gave a toast, to the desert, the night and to whoever the hell it was who had been thinking of them. 

         You ever slept under the stars Bill said Mr Young, one of the best ways to get real!  Bill, busy taking another mouthful of wine from his glass, “what do you mean, real!" Mr Young seemed to be serious for a moment and was giving some thought to the answer he was about to give, "just you, your thoughts, your questions and out here, the desert, the stillness of the night makes all of those things much clearer and thus my friend, help you, me or whoever to sleep real good, no interference, pure clarity, none of that crosstown traffic shit that can sometimes barrel through your mind!", Bill looked at his companion, gave a deep breath, "what is it you Yanks say when you have been pulled into a story," momentarily he seemed to be mulling over the words to the expression in his head, " oh yeah that's right, hang the rich!, he laughed, "but it's a good one I'll grant you that, but it's late, I'm done in and you too, so in answer to your question, no I have not and yes I will!" After finishing off the wine along with some chips and crackers that Bill had bought at Crosby's store earlier, Bill rolled up his rucksack into a pillow, pulled  his jacket around and lay down near the fire, Mr Young had grabbed a few things presumably from the back of the Caddy and returned to the fire, Bill laughed at the tattered old pillow that Mr Young threw on the floor  an equally worn out Driza-Bone wax coat, "you never know," he said, "the clouds might open"! Bill muttered to himself, " something tells me you do this quite often", "'ain't that the truth amigo, some of my best lines have come to me when I've laid down under the stars, but if the old heavens open, I'm gone! I'm in the back of the Caddy with the rest of the souls of the departed, only room for one back there amigo, so you are going to be out here, on your own," he laughed out loud as he covered himself with the battered old coat, "but remember to wake me if she comes back!" Bill was staring into the fire, turned to question the statement, "who is, she? When who comes back?, "Billy boy, so many questions, the Witchy Woman of course, if she appears in a song of mine like you seem to think, I have got to know what she looks like!, so just let yourself go with the flow amigo, go with the flow, goodnight and Amen". Soon Bill was on his own, Mr Young was already, contentedly snoring under his hat, Bill made a pattern in the sand with a twig, he juggled over the thoughts racing through his mind, how the fuck could he sleep now he thought, he might miss something and he had no real  clue who she is, what she is, if she exists at all, what is it in his mind that made him think she was a witch, an all seeing eye maybe, his all seeing eye!  After a while, he had finished off the last of the wine and decided that somewhere out there is a kindred spirit of some kind, he also knew that Mr Young was bound to ask him a shitload of questions in the morning!

To be continued……