By the Campfire » Tweets

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-05-09

Terry Taylor — Mon, 10 May 2010 00:29:00 +0000

http://www.bigriveradvertising.com #
Who will get a big bonus check on Wall Street for the near 1,000 point drop yesterday? Isn't that how it works these days? #
Sexual innuendo: http://terrytaylor.posterous.com #

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-05-02

Terry Taylor — Mon, 03 May 2010 00:29:00 +0000

The environmental costs of this Gulf oil spill is devastating. Then we'll all get to pay for it at the pump. Same people always pay: us. #
Civets coffee? http://terrytaylor.posterous.com/civets-coffee #
Anyone's Droid ever scramble your emails? #
Fried chicken: http://terrytaylor.posterous.com/the-art-of-crust #
Message on a train: http://terrytaylor.posterous.com/message-on-a-train #
Un-Join me: http://terrytaylor.posterous.com #
The next Pope? Perhaps a nun. Or…
http://terrytaylor.posterous.com/the-next-pope-perhaps-a-nun-or #
Now I can't my dog to the Grand Canyon because he has no papers. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/02/opinion/02rich.html?src=me&ref=general #

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-04-18

Terry Taylor — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 00:29:00 +0000

The best lemonade versus the best limeade? http://terrytaylor.posterous.com #
The best limeade versus the best lemonade: http://terrytaylor.posterous.com #
Droooid: http://terrytaylor.posterous.com #
Sail Cat Road continues now. #
“They were going to collect on me,” said Jolene. She dropped her arm over the edge and scooped amber water and wiped her face. #
“These are some committed sons of bitches,” said Gus. “They’ll keep coming. There’s no shortage of them. That’s what happens with money.” #
Jimmy gazed into the treetops. “There’ll soon be a shortage of them. The thing about chasing is, sometimes to catch what you don’t want.” #
“They’ll just send more,” said Jolene. She looked at Gus and changed the subject. “So after all this, you want to be my daddy now?” #
Sail Cat Road continues later. Thank you for following, even after the lull. Sometimes life fills in the spare moments. #
Message on a train: http://terrytaylor.posterous.com #
Fried chicken? http://terrytaylor.posterous.com #

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-04-11

Terry Taylor — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 00:29:00 +0000

When Detroit mattered: http://terrytaylor.posterous.com #
Sail cat road will continue soon #
Pain: http://terrytaylor.posterous.com #

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-04-04

Terry Taylor — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 00:29:00 +0000

Sail Cat Road continues now. #
Sail Cat Road, Chapter 22 #
The metal fishing boat with the 25-horse Merc was nosed up onto the slanted mud bank. They stopped for a second to see if anyone was near. #
A small cabin was visible through the trees. No movement. People were talking loudly behind them in the direction of the café. Dogs barked. #
Gus jumped in the boat and cranked it with two pulls. Jolene was second in. Jimmy pushed it out and pulled himself up and over the side. #
A muddy V frothed from the prop. Gus pointed the boat upstream. Police always looked downstream. The Gulf, and freedom, was down there. #
No one would suspect upstream; Gus knew that. So did Jimmy. Jolene only wanted to move away quickly. She did not care in which direction. #
Chapter 21 of Sail Cat Road now at http://sailcatroad.posterous.com
or
http://terrytaylor.posterous.com #
The wisdom of Rudy: http://rudydog.posterous.com #
Jack Russellisms: http://rudydog.posterous.com/ #
Follow the adventures of Rudy, a Jack Russell: https://twitter.com/Rudythejack #
Sail Cat Road continues Tuesday. Thank you for following. #
Sail Cat Road continues now. #
Jolene lay low in the boat so it would look like two men out fishing. She reloaded her clip from extra rounds in her pockets. #
Moss hung from tree branches almost to the water like whiskers from flood-bent trees. To the south, thunder ached over the swamps. #
Snakes made S’s through the chocolate water and a small alligator wallowed in mud below a broken, grayed pier. Mosquitos chased the boat. #
Thick brush hugged the riverbanks. The Merc churned against the current. A bridge was ahead. Not good news. Cops loved bridges. Gus slowed. #
“Faster,” said Jimmy. “They ain’t up this far yet,” Gus twisted the handle harder. Jolene lay on wet, dead wigglers soaking her clothes. #
I moment of cool shade darkened the three as they went under the bridge. On the other side, the sun revealed a fish camp ahead. #
Jimmy slid .45 caliber rounds into his extra clip. “Get it and go. This will be the first place they look. Ease up and I’ll grab it.” #
Jolene studied the cabin. No one. She scanned the trees. No trucks. “Fishing must suck here,” she said. “Rednecks fish anytime, anywhere.” #
“It’s Tuesday. They don’t fish on Tuesdays,” said Gus. “Tomorrow, they’ll be back. Maybe tonight. They’re working or drinking now.” #
Sail Cat Road continues later. Thank you for following. #
Leatherman in the Senate: http://terrytaylor.posterous.com #
Beware the push-up humping dog: http://rudydog.posterous.com #
Why dogs? http://twitter.com/Rudythejack #
Big, bad government: http://terrytaylor.posterous.com/big-bad-government #

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-03-14

Terry Taylor — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 00:29:00 +0000

Sail Cat Road continues now. #
Jimmy raked a shot under the car and grazed the left ankle on the other side. A woman’s scream rose into the eave of the small building. #
The sockless man lay dead, face down in front of Jolene. She lay down behind his body, seeing a torso on the ground behind the Buick. #
A hand tipped with red nail polish curled over the hood and fired aimlessly. One round hit the side of a bread truck. The rest hit nothing. #
Eight shots. 9mm. The shooter had four more shots. It didn’t matter. Jimmy saw how it would end; two dead shooters – like always. #
Sail Cat Road will continue later. Thank you for following. #
Sail Cat Road continues now. #
Jolene lay flat on the ground, her ear on the asphalt. She stretched her arms and pumped five rounds into the tire. The car collapsed. #
Jimmy saw the woman's head hit the pavement. He finished her with one shot in the ear from 30 feet. Sirens droned down the road. #
Gus could see from the inside that it was over, unless there was a third shooter. There was. He ran from the left and fired toward the café. #
Glass dropped onto tables and people screamed. Jolene rolled over the corpse of the first man. Headlights exploded. Metal dinged. #
A bullet wiggled through the window, divoting Gus’ left ear. It sounded like a zipper. Blood ran down his neck and stained his shirt. #
Jimmy leaned into the left side of the door and opened the man’s head with a squeeze. The sirens were too close now. “Go,” he said. “Now.” #
Gus ran into the parking lot, pulled Jolene up, and they ran to the back. She had the keys out, ready to crank her stolen car. She did not. #
Panic poured from the small building in awkward stumbling. Jimmy and Gus ran across waist-deep grass into the pines. Jolene waited. #
Three deputies slid to a stop, spraying gravel as their cruisers lurched into the parking lot. Nothing happened for at least two minutes. #
Radios crackled. The officers assessed the situation. Three bodies. Bullet holes all over the place. People inside and outside yelling. #
A woman with a weapon stood beside the dumpster. A 9 mm hung loosely in her hand; her face so calm, so detached. #
Jolene was tired of running. She was tired of being shot at. She looked almost asleep. Deputies’ voices echoed. She only heard the shots. #
Sail Cat Road continues later. Thank you for following. Chapters 1-20 at http://sailcatroad.posterous.com #
The Accidental Cannibal: http://terrytaylor.posterous.com #
The American Web: http://terrytaylor.posterous.com #
American Web and Accidental Cannibals: http://terrytaylor.posterous.com #
American Web and Accidental Cannibals: http://terrytaylor.posterous.com #
Now I'm afraid of my mattress: http://terrytaylor.posterous.com #
Sail Cat Road continues now. #
One shot. Then another. Three more. Five. These deputies were not the top of their class at target practice. Jolene did not move. #
At the edge of the woods, Jimmy turned to go back for her. Gus called her name over and over. The deputies fired again and again. #
Cinderblock fell in chunks on the asphalt with each round the deputies fired. They had no regard for the customers safety. They just shot. #
That was the clue for Jimmy. Jolene was way ahead of him. Gus knew things were not as they seemed and stepped from behind the vehicle. #
Jolene jerked the 9 mm up and sighted past her wrists. The mechanics of her weapon jerked over and over, shells bouncing end over end. #
Sail Cat Road will continue later. Thank you for following. #
Going to the mattresses: http://terrytaylor.posterous.com #
Going to the mattresses: http://terrytaylor.posterous.com #
Sail Cat Road continues now. #
Jimmy worked around the back of the building. Shots raked above him. Some caught in the peeling roof splashing gray bits onto his head. #
Dropping to one knee, Jolene put two rounds into one deputy. His chest opened onto the ground with a slush like a box of cheap wine. #
Both of his knees crunched into cracked asphalt. When violent men die, the sudden peacefulness pools in their eyes. This one almost smiled. #
A millisecond after Gus pulled the trigger, the second deputy’s arm exploded, knocking the gun into a perfect arc across the hood of a Ford. #
A grimace puckered the man’s face into the horrid realization that death was coming with the next shot. He clinched his teeth. #
The next round from Gus’ .45 caught the shooter in the groin and doubled him over with a yelp. The third took off the back of his head. #
Jolene crippled the third deputy with a grazing knee wound, then laid him flat on his back with another hit in the shoulder. A truck passed. #
The driver sped up as he realized the nature of the events unfolding in front of the restaurant. His cell was pressed hard against his ear. #
Sail Cat Road will continue later. Thank you for following. #
Want goose with your pie? http://terrytaylor.posterous.com #

Sail Cat Road, Chapter 20

Terry Taylor — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 10:00:02 +0000

Sail Cat Road, the sequel to No Good End, continues below. It is being posted tweet-by-tweet daily on Twitter (http://twitter.com/ttaylordude). I will post each chapter here on Ning (in chronological order). For the prequel, please go to: www.nogoodend.com. Each chapter is posted at: http://sailcatroad.posterous.com and at http://terrytaylor.posterous.com

Mikal Ritko traveled alone. Things had gotten out of hand. Bren was abducted and killed by Fussell Duware. Ritko should have killed him years earlier.

Gus had jumped the hospital and fled with Jimmy. They likely drove west toward a story that would end badly for someone, maybe even them.

Agent James was dead in the door of the ER in Andalusia. Duware was good at his job and willing to do anything to get the job done. Anything.

In this case, dressing like a woman and shooting Agent James in the unpleasant daylight. It piled up in his head, ugly and unorganized.

Lemuel Zapata was still alive, probably. He had a talent for it. His son, Zeke, however, had not been so fortunate. Duware was culling.

Zeke lay cooked in cooling wreckage under a pecan tree towards Mississippi. Zapata had lost Bren and Zeke to the same piece of business.

Fussell Duware was still working, a murderer with intentions to kill everyone involved in his perceived slight. Ritko was on that list.

Jolene was out in Texas or Louisiana somewhere, probably killing people who deserved it. Ritko’s office called so much he tossed his phone.

He did not need it anymore. Silence would serve him better than the complication of communication. He stripped his life part by part.

Ritko had been trained to become invisible. Thousands of government dollars went into educating him on the skill of vanishing.

Going off the grid is not an easy thing. There must be a body. There must be a dead end. I.D.s, service weapon, badge, everything.

Fire was good; hard to run a trace on charcoal. CSI was sophisticated, but not like on TV. Cooked bones and a badge would work down here.

He made sure everything that could I.D. him was in the wreck. The men who died, like so many others, deserved it. Perhaps Ritko as well.

He was no longer Mikal Ritko. He was no one when he hot wired the farmer’s truck next to the carport and drove to the end of the highway.

Ritko’s life had been a geometric equation of people, events and evidence. He worked the calculations until he found his result. Not now.

The ordeal before him was blood and loose ends. For the first time in his life, after all of the violent things he had done, he was afraid.

He was not afraid of dying. He expected that. Felt it was overdue. He was afraid of failing. Dying was easy. Failing was unacceptable.

Ritko owed Jimmy Gantt. Jimmy had saved his life once – by not killing him when he had the change. Ironic mercy is enough sometimes.

So he owed the man for that one. More importantly, Jimmy had given Ritko the inside track on cases that made his career in the service.

Ritko came from a poor family. His parents spoke no English. Ritko’s job from childhood on was to succeed. He had done his job – and more.

He had done the worst jobs available because the odds of glory and promotion were quicker. Of course, the odds of failure were inherent.

Ritko did not fail often. And when he did, he was good enough to cover it up. Now he was covering up his entire life by going off the grid.

“No one expects a dead person to do anything,” Jimmy had told him years ago. “So dead people can do everything.”

He was officially dead as society measures life. He was neatly cinched up, freed of the daily mendacity that defines human existence.

For the first time in years, he felt alive. The trees were greener. The leaves had textures he had never noticed. Water tasted better.

Breathing was enjoyable. He had never noticed it before. His lungs felt sweet with each intake. The smell of freedom made him smile.

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-03-07

Terry Taylor — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 00:29:00 +0000

Sail Cat Road continues now. #
“Watch this guy,” said Jimmy. “It’s his game to lose. He’s waiting for her. The other one is outside. A double up. Quick and clean.” #
That man looks nervous as a whore in church,” said Gus. “Look at Jolene out there. She’s calm as hell. You think she knows?” #
“See what happens when she comes in,” said Jimmy. “Just have your gun ready to join the concert. Go ahead and move over toward the corner.” #
“You setting up an angle?” said Gus. “They got their cross fire working better than both of us being in here.” He knew this could get ugly. #
Jimmy surveyed the room: truckers, plumbers, construction guys, a family next to the window, a blue-collar business meeting near the door. #
“We got to spread out some,” said Jimmy. “Get some separation between us so we ain't sitting here like a grouped target. That's too easy.” #
“And the odds of him getting us is?” Gus chewed on his straw and looked between the cars and trucks carefully. “I don’t see him out there.” #
“May not be a him,” said Jimmy. “Could be a her. And the odds of them getting us?” He paused. “None at all if we pull it off right.” #
Brilliant alternative to retirement homes: http://terrytaylor.posterous.com #
Sail Cat Road continues now. #
“And how do you know this?" said Gus as he got up from the booth and looked toward the corner. "You been in a situation like this before?" #
“I have,” said Jimmy. His eyes squinted into slits. His brain was evaluating equations. His hands were cold steady. #
“They have cafes like this in Nam?” said Gus with a grunt. He did not like the layout of the place. He did not share Jimmy’s optimism. #
“I just like to play the odds now and then to make sure there still are odds," said Jimmy. "I live inside a series of careful calculations.” #
“And people die outside your equations,” said Gus. His heartbeat made his ears hurt. “I feel thickness in the air. Pressure, like a storm.” #
Sail Cat Road will continue later. Thank you for following. #
Chapter 20 of Sail Cat Road: http://sailcatroad.posterous.com or http://terrytaylor.posterous.com/sail-cat-road-chapter-20-0 #
An alternative to retirement homes? http://terrytaylor.posterous.com #
Smell the Hate: http://terrytaylor.posterous.com #
Sail Cat Road continues now. #
The man at the door of the café rubbed the top of his head with his palm and leaned from side to side impatiently. Jolene did not move. #
“He’s watching us. You in particular,” said Jimmy. “He aint’ stupid. But he ain’t smart either. Just dumb enough to be dangerous.” #
“He ain’t looking at us,” said Gus. “He don’t even know who we are. He’s watching Jolene out there. It’s coming down. I smell it.” #
“That’s blood,” said Jimmy. “You can smell it even before it starts pouring out of people. I’ve smelled my share.” Jimmy planted his feet. #
A woman in the next booth stopped talking and started sliding under the table. She pulled her child under with her. A fork hit the floor. #
Sail Cat Road continues later. Thank you for following. For the prequel, go to http://www.nogoodend.com #
Smell the Hate: http://terrytaylor.posterous.com #
What will save American Idol? http://terrytaylor.posterous.com #
Sail Cat Road continues now. #
The door opened. Jolene stayed in the parking lot. Another couple came in. It shielded her move. Confusion stirred at the cash register. #
“That man has a gun!” yelled a woman, pointing at the sockless man. People jumped and dropped and did what people do when caught and scared. #
Jolene was behind the man before he saw her. She held her 9 mm under his ribs. “You won't be collecting that contract money today.” #
He instinctively reached for his gun. Jimmy leaped from the booth. The man stopped his hand as Jolene's trigger finger tightened. #
“It’s all good,” said Jimmy calmly. “I’m a police officer.” He held up a badge. It was Gus’s old badge from Alabama. “Settle down ma’am.” #
He walked straight to the sockless man. “We got it under control,” He looked at Jolene. Her eyes were wide. Gus was already raising his .45. #
“Let these folks eat,” said Jimmy. He pulled the man’s .45 from under his coat and nodded to the cashier. “Call the police." #
The manager had already called 911. Jimmy pressed the man past Jolene. “Get the car.” He whispered. “We’ll handle this down the road.” #
Gus saw the short man out the window first. He knew they would not get the opportunity to handle this anywhere but here. #
Sail Cat Road will continue later. Chapters 1-20 at http://sailcatroad.posterous.com. The prequel at http://www.nogoodend.com #
More stories: http://terrytaylor.posterous.com #
Airporn (full body scanners): http://terrytaylor.posterous.com #
Kids, Planes and Facebook SNAFU’s: http://terrytaylor.posterous.com #
Full body scanners at airports? http://terrytaylor.posterous.com/airporn #
What will save American Idol?
http://terrytaylor.posterous.com/what-will-save-american-idol #
It beats a retirement home:
http://terrytaylor.posterous.com/a-brilliant-alternative-to-retirement-homes #
Smell the hate:
http://terrytaylor.posterous.com/smell-the-hate #
Sail Cat Road continues now. #
Door glass splintered the entrance. Gus ducked. Jolene rolled out and slammed against the bumper of a truck, her gun raised and searching. #
Another bullet caromed off a metal pole beside the bent awning. Jimmy held the sockless man straight, shoving him into the parking lot. #
One side of the man’s head vaporized from the third shot – the right side. This told Jimmy the shooter’s location. He dropped the body. #
Two gray sneakers slid behind a Buick in the position of a crouching shooter. Jimmy yelled for Gus to stay low. Jolene watched Jimmy’s eyes. #
Sail Cat Road continues later. Thank you for following. #
Say what? http://terrytaylor.posterous.com #
Verbiage: http://ttaylordude.wordpress.com #
"Tebow stole my car, dude." http://terrytaylor.posterous.com #

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-02-14

Terry Taylor — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 00:29:00 +0000

Sail Cat Road continues. #
Gus took a deep breath. “Why are you spending time with me? To torture me? To beat me down and humiliate me? What is it?” #
“I love you,” said Jimmy before he could think about his response. “You and Jolene are all I have left. I won’t lose either of you.” #
Gus had never heard Jimmy say the word love before. The shock of that coming from his father was as confusing as Bren’s death. #
“We have to go back and deal with this,” said Gus. “I have always been too nice to people. You have been heartless. I can see why.” #
Jimmy grimaced at the implications of his good son becoming bitter. “Don’t loose your soul to hate. It won’t give you joy. It takes it.” #
Sail Cat Road will continue later. Thank you for following. #
Sail Cat Road continues now. #
Jimmy thought of his brother, Gerald. He had not seen him since Gerald got out of prison. Hate wedged them apart. Blood held them together. #
He would talk with Gerald and Shewl, set things straight, ask for forgiveness – another word he had never used. How would he start? #
He would try to act like Gerald’s years in prison did not happen, but that would not last. He would have to face it right up front. #
Jimmy seldom thought about his actions. He just did them. But age was watering down his concentrated callousness. He was becoming human. #
It was hard for him to grasp frailty. Admitting mistakes was no way to start living at the end. It would make pulling a trigger tougher. #
Just apologize and leave it at that, he figured. Gerald knew Jimmy well. It would be enough. Just a simple, direct “I’m sorry.” #
He would never get the chance. #
Sail Cat Road will continue later. Thank you for following. The prequel, No Good End, is at http://www.nogoodend.com #
The Holes Of Winter: http://terrytaylor.posterous.com #
Sail Cat Road, Chapter 19: http://sailcatroad.posterous.com/sail-cat-road-chapter-19 or http://terrytaylor.posterous.com #
Sail Cat Road continues now. #
Mikal Ritko traveled alone. Things had gotten out of hand. Bren was abducted and killed. Gus had jumped the hospital and fled with Jimmy. #
Gus had jumped the hospital and fled with Jimmy. They likely drove west toward a story that would end badly for someone, maybe even them. #
Agent James died in the door of the ER in Andalusia. Duware was good at his job and willing to do anything to get the job done. Anything. #
In this case, dressing like a woman and shooting Agent James in the unpleasant daylight. It piled up in his head, ugly and unorganized. #
Lemuel Zapata was still alive, probably. He had a talent for it. His son, Zeke, however, had not been so fortunate. Duware was culling. #
Zeke lay cooked in cooling wreckage under a pecan tree towards Mississippi. Zapata had lost Bren and Zeke to the same piece of business. #
Fussell Duware was still working, a murderer with intentions to kill everyone involved in his perceived slight. Ritko was on that list. #
Jolene was out in Texas or Louisiana somewhere, probably killing people who deserved it. Ritko’s office called so much he tossed his phone. #
He did not need it anymore. Silence would serve him better than the complication of communication. He stripped his life part by part. #
Sail Cat Road will continue later. Thank you for following. Chapters 1-19: http://sailcatroad.posterous.com No Good End: http://www.nogoodend.com #

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-02-07

Terry Taylor — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 00:29:00 +0000

Sail Cat Road continues now. #
Jimmy drove. West was always a good direction. East was the Atlantic, and worse, thought Jimmy, Georgia. He had never liked Georgia. #
The space between him and Gus seemed wider than measurement could account for. Gus shook his head and pounded the dash with his fist. #
“They would have killed you in that hospital,” said Jimmy. “Bren’s dead now.” Jimmy’s sentence seemed to lack sympathy, so he ended it. #
“Dammit, Pop,” said Gus. “I lose everything I want and keep everything I hate. I wish I had died back there.” Tears blurred the road ahead. #
“It ain’t over yet, son.” Said Jimmy. “You just might get your wish. We all might.” #
“It ain’t over yet, son.” Said Jimmy. “You just might get your wish. We all might.” #
Sail Cat Road returns now. #
Jimmy gave Gus space and let him wrap his mind around what had happened. The pain confused him. It was a feeling Jimmy had not known often. #
Jimmy gave Gus space and let him wrap his mind around what had happened. The pain confused him. It was a feeling Jimmy had not known often. #
Jimmy knew what loss looked like and had only recently begun to understand what it felt like. He looked at his face in the rearview mirror. #
Jimmy knew what loss looked like and had only recently begun to understand what it felt like. He looked at his face in the rearview mirror. #
“They cut her up. Left her behind the sheriff’s office like a note for me,” said Gus, his teeth grinding. He choked into silence. #
“They cut her up. Left her behind the sheriff’s office like a note for me,” said Gus, his teeth grinding. He choked into silence. #
“Killing them won’t bring her back,” said Jimmy. “But we will kill them. And they will understand every moment of it. Even the small parts.” #
“Killing them won’t bring her back,” said Jimmy. “But we will kill them. And they will understand every moment of it. Even the small parts.” #
Sail Cat Road will continue. Thank you for following. The prequel is at http://www.nogoodend.com. More stories at http://terrytaylor.posterous.com #
Sail Cat Road will continue. Thank you for following. The prequel is at http://www.nogoodend.com. More stories at http://terrytaylor.posterous.com #
Sail Cat Road, Chapter 18: http://sailcatroad.posterous.com/sail-cat-road-chapter-18 or http://terrytaylor.posterous.com #
Sail Cat Road, Chapter 18: http://sailcatroad.posterous.com/sail-cat-road-chapter-18 or http://terrytaylor.posterous.com #
Sail Cat Road continues now. #
Gus turned full face to Jimmy and set his jaw for a mouthful of anger. Jimmy saw it coming, expected it, was immune to it. #
“You have been nothing but a curse in my life. All of this is because I got tangled back up with you,” said Gus. “Ab died because of you.” #
Jimmy let the comment go. The past was over. He lived in the brutal present. Gus was allowed to remember. Jimmy did not have that luxury. #
“I drew the shittiest hand of cards in the world by getting you as my father,” said Gus. “You know that? Yes, you do know it.” #
“I know it,” said Jimmy. “I’ve known it all my life. You ain’t the only one who drew the shit cards from the deck. We all did.” #
“Why is that? Why does anybody who comes near you get hurt and dead and live in fear?” Gus wiped his pouring nose on his sleeve. #
Two customers left the store and looked at Gus yelling at Jimmy and slamming the dash with his fists so hard he began to bleed. #
“Maybe we can save Jolene from this,” said Jimmy. “I know she is a lot like me. But she can be more like you. She can be a decent person.” #
The smell of fried food filled the cab of the truck. Calille’s was up ahead. Crawfish, shrimp, hushpuppies hiding a bite of strong onion. #
Gus wiped his face on his sleeve again. “This is what being a decent person gets you. Being an asshole is how you survive. And thrive.” #
Jimmy turned into the parking lot. Some gumbo groused up by a woman who knew the art of rue and the filet finnese my settle Gus’ tenure. #
“Gumbo always smoothes things over,” said Jimmy. “A good bowl of well constructed soup can turn sorrow to joy. Just need a deep spoon.” #
Sail Cat Road will continue later. Thank you for following. To read the first Twitter novel, No Good End, go to http://www.nogoodend.com #
More stories at http://terrytaylor.posterous.com #
Vaguebooking: http://terrytaylor.posterous.com #
Sail Cat Road continues now. #
The sky seemed heavier than usual, but not from rain. It was the pewter-tinted front pushed by the wind. Paper blew across the road. #
“Paper truck have a wreck around here?” said Jimmy. A contract full of 8 ½ x 11’s had fallen off the roof of a lawyer’s car long gone. #
Gus was in no mood for small observations, nor was he interested in Jimmy. He was digesting anger in a way that made him sweat. #
“I’m used to being blamed for people dying, but I didn’t kill Bren. I loved her since she was a child. People around me do die, though.” #
Jimmy lost himself in the sentence – a rare moment of reflection for a killer who didn’t look back because it made no sense to him. #
Sail Cat Road will continue. Thank you for following. http://terrytaylor.posterous.com http://sailcatroad.posterous.com http://www.nogoodend.com #