52 Near Clearwater

Jesus returned in a Chevy C10. Not exactly what we’d been expecting, but a pretty sweet truck. A ’69 model, single owner, twenty-two thousand original miles. Garage kept and on blocks since ‘71. Talk about a damn miracle.

     He’d blown a radiator hose out on 52, near Clearwater. Dry rot. Parker Stillman stopped and gave him a ride into town. Dropped him off over at Andy’s, my ex brother-in-law’s shop.

     Andy had the hose in stock. He figured he could fix it out on the road. But just in case, he drove it and Jesus back out to the C10 in his wrecker. That’s where I met up with them.

     I knew it was Andy’s wrecker from half a mile away. Andy painted the damn cab neon green—you couldn’t miss it in the dark. I pulled in behind.

     The Chevy’s hood was up and Andy was standing on the bumper trying to get the bottom end of the hose loose. Jesus was handing him wrenches.

     Andy was on a roll. I could hear him the moment I opened my door.

     “I told him—sure as shit—there ain’t no way in hell you’re gonna eat that whole damn thing,” Andy said. “Nine-sixteenths.”

     Jesus handed him a wrench.

     Andy’s only got one story to tell. He won’t clean it up either. Not for your Mama. Not for Jesus. Andy is what Andy is. I can only stand so much of it, but you got to respect a man who can be himself in the face of God.

     We went down to Cabo with Less Hargreaves, after graduation. That'd be about thirteen years now. Less was a big ol’ boy: three hundred pounds if he was an ounce. He got pretty tore up and entered himself into an eating contest.

     “I mean, this burrito was the size of a Jack Russell Terrier,” Andy says. “Damn if he didn’t eat it though. In a minute and a half too. ‘Bout made me puke just watchin’ him. But you can bet your white ass they give him that three hundred dollars.”

     “Hey,” I said to Jesus.

     Jesus smiled.

     Andy looks up. “Hey Brother-in-Law! I was just tellin’ Jesus here about our trip to Cabo. Jesus this is my brother-in-law Pete…Pete, Jesus.”

     I said ‘Hey’, again.

     Jesus smiled.