Mike Shade - Hondo And The City.pdf - Mike Shade - SilverWitch

Hondo and the City

By Mike Shade

He leaned back away from table, groaning. "'s not home-

cookin', but it's not bad, huh, pup?"

Hondo grinned over at the young'un and his empty plate.

Poor little thing had been hungry. Kids didn't ever seem to

eat right these days, and here in this hideous fucking

A Torquere Press Sip - 1

place... Lord, but he was tired of the fucking noise and

lights and people and shit. Paulie was due out of the

hospital in a couple of days and then he was taking his

sorry-ass back to Texas and his critters and then he was

nailing his feet to the ground.

Two weeks was too long.

"If it was home cooking then it would be bad! My Mum

used to burn everything ."

"Well, that's a damned shame." He finished off his coffee

and shook his head. My momma did her share of cookin',

but I manage for myself these days. Nothin' fancy, but

good, solid food." He grinned, arched an eyebrow. "Might

even put some meat on your bones, pup. Maybe you should

take it up."

The kid grinned up at him, freckled nose all wrinkled up.

"You need a kitchen to cook, H-man."

"Hondo, son." He shook his head. "What kinda place

doesn't have a kitchen, pup?"

"The great outdoors, flophouses." Davey shrugged, grin

still in place, making the light green eyes twinkle. "And

Hondo sounds like something Han Solo and Lando

Calrisian would name their kid -- is your last name

Sorisian?"

"Sor... no. No. Last name's Travis. Hondo was my

granddaddy's name and his daddy before him." He sighed,

looking at the poor kid. "Outside? Here? In this horrid

place? I'm sorry, pup. That's just wrong."

A Torquere Press Sip - 2

Davey shrugged. "That's life, H-man."

"Yeah. I suppose." He felt like shit, sitting here across from

this kid knowing the wee thing didn't have a home in this

rain and noise and filth. "Still, it's wrong."

"Does that mean you'll buy me dessert?"

Hondo blinked and then laughed, a nice, full belly-laugh,

the first he'd had in days. It felt good and it felt like forever

since he'd just sat and visited with someone. "Yeah. Yeah,

pup. I will."

"Cool!" The kid bounced and waved a hand at the waiter

who came and raised an eyebrow.

"I want chocolate cake. A great big piece with a glass of

milk." Davey looked over at him, eyes twinkling. "Please."

"And I'd like a fresh cup of coffee, please, sir." Hondo

leaned forward, resting his head on his hand. "Thanks for

sharing supper with me. I appreciate the company."

"Anytime, H-man. I haven't had a meal like this since...

well awhile."

"I've been catching as I can -- vending machine stuff and

room service burgers." He nodded. "This was a good

change."

"Where are you staying?" asked Davey as his cake was

plonked down in front of him. He grabbed his milk and

drank down half of it and then started to inhale the cake.

A Torquere Press Sip - 3

"Over the Red Star. Nice enough place. Bed, sofa, chairs. It

works." He watched the kid scarf down his food like a

starving dog. It broke his heart. This place broke his heart.

The fact that Paulie lived here broke his heart. "You wanna

come bunk on the sofa for the night? Stay warm and dry?"

Davey blinked up at him and then grinned widely, quick to

take him up on his offer. "That'd be great, Hondo, thanks!"

"No problem, pup. Do unto others, you know?" He watched

Davey scarf the crumbs up and then motioned for the check

and paid. "Let's get the hell out of Dodge."

Davey got up and bounced along beside him. "Get out of

Dodge -- that's like such a weird expression, you know? It

really says I'm not from around here; I'm from somewhere

like Texas." Davey grinned up at him. "Of course the

cowboy hat and the boots kind of give you away, too."

"I'm aim to amuse, pup." He grinned and put his hat and

jacket on. "And believe you me, as soon as I can get my ass

back to Texas, I'm gone. I don't like this city. Not a bit."

"What's so great about Texas?" The kid asked as he

bounded out the door. Davey was grinning up at him,

wicked twinkle in his eyes.

"What's not great about it? It's home -- got my truck, my

horses, my house. Cattle, few goats, nice little carpentry

work in the winter." Hondo grinned back. "Five hundred

acres and no neighbors for a quarter mile any direction. It's

a good place."

Davey gave him a sideways look and bumped hips with

him. "So what do you do for fun?"

A Torquere Press Sip - 4

He blinked and stepped away slightly. "I do a lot of riding,

camping, some reading. How about you, kid?"

Davey shrugged. "This 'n that."

"Sounds fascinating." He winked, hurrying along towards

the hotel. "'s damnedable cold out here. Where's your coat,

pup?"

"Don't have one yet -- s'not that cold. Just wait a few more

weeks, when the snow comes, then it's cold!"

"There's been a bit of snow once and again at home, every

coupla years. Looks real pretty on the ground, especially all

wrapped up home in the house with the fireplace going."

"I wouldn't know about pretty." Davey bounced along

beside him, hands shoved into his jeans pockets. "It sure is

cold though."

"No shit, pup." He resisted the urge to reach down and give

the kid a hug. Poor thing was bouncing off the wall. Maybe

the pup shouldn't have had a soda.

"There's your hotel -- you said the Red Star, right?" Davey

looked up at him. "You sure you want me to come in with

you? You know what folks are gonna think, right?"

"In my experience, folks 'round here don't seem to think

much." Hondo knew what they'd think, but he'd be damned

if he left this young'un on the street overnight. He pushed

the door open and walked past the lobby desk without so

much as a tic. Much as Paulie's husband was paying for this

damned place, they could keep their mouths shut.

A Torquere Press Sip - 5

Mike Shade - Hondo And The City.pdf

Plik z chomika:

Inne pliki z tego folderu:

Inne foldery tego chomika: