The Break - Chapter 31

Chapter 31 The ferry began to slow, turn and pull into the dock. Most of the other passengers had already vacated the deck and filed down the stairs like ants returning to the hill. But Ronnie wanted to watch just a little longer. He had stood in the same place on the deck for the entire three hour journey except for the thirty minutes it took to get Annie set up with her ticket. “Better head down to the bus, son.” Big Ron said as he put his hand on Ronnie’s shoulder. “K, dad.” Ronnie responded. The joined the fast moving line and filed dutifully down the steep stairwell to the auto deck. When the arrived on the lowest deck, they snaked their way between the cars to the bus from their vantage point, they could see everyone else was already on the bus. Although Ronnie wasn’t overcome by the aroma of pot when he stepped onto the bus, he could still smell the lingering bouquet of wonder weed. Foolishly, he hoped his father wouldn’t notice. Since Big Ron was right behind him, it was highly unlikely. “Ummmm, smells like some one else is someone else around here is trying to combat the effects of chemo.” Big Ron chuckled. The comment was so unexpected that the bus literally erupted in laughter. More than shocked, Ronnie looked at his father in complete disbelief. He wasn’t sure which he found more surprising, the fact that his father recognized the smell and seemed cool with it or the fact that he just admitted to six other people that he was taking chemotherapy. “Dad…uh…” Ronnie tried as the laughing subsided. “It’s okay, Ronnie.” Big Ron said gently. “I don’t mind if people know I am fighting cancer. I’m going to beat it, but I am going to need support.” “Yeah, s-s-sure, Mr. Harrison.” Ass said feeling a little deflated by the thought of cancer. Everyone else had the same feeling and an uncomfortable pal hung over the group. It is always the same when a group of people are confronted with illness. Wanting to be the good person and provide empathetic support for the afflicted while simultaneously trying to stifle the natural tendency to create a barrier to insolate against the illness. It must hearken back to the days of the black plague when illness meant death to not only the sick but to any that got too close. “Really, it’s okay.” Big Ron said gently. “C’mon lighten up, would ya? The thought of border patrol brought Big Ron to the issue at hand. “C’mon we need something about the smell.” Big Ron said in the voice he used to signal that negotiations we over. Just as everyone stood up to assist, Pete spoke up cheerfully. “Heh-hey, we gots some fa-bar-eeezzze.” “Well, I guess we all know who is responsible for the smell.” Big Ron joked. “Aww, no you didn’t.” Pete replied. As everyone set about opening windows and spraying all of the seats and the carpet, Ronnie could not force himself to look away from his father. It struck him that he and his dad had much more in common than they ever knew. They had been together for a little over six hours and they shared more than they had in the last fifteen years. No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn’t drive the thoughts from his head. He had to ask. “So, you started smoking dope to help with the chemo?” Ronnie asked. “Start, hell.” Big Ron said matter-of-factly. “Get a load of this kid, Schnieder. He has no idea that back in the day we smoked more weed than he could even imagine seeing.” A wave of nausea flowed over Ronnie as he had a vision of the two hundred pot plants in Schnieder’s double-wide. He really hoped Schnieder had enough sense not to say anything about that or the dealing. “Sure, Big R.” Schnieder said. “Kid’s nowadays buy it by the quarter ounce and we used to buy it by the quarter pound.” “Or by the pound.” Big Ron chuckled. “You use to smoke pot?” Ronnie asked taken aback. “When did you quit.” “I guess I never quit smoking pot.” Big Ron explained. “I just quit buying it.” As he listened, Ronnie felt his head spinning. The furthest thought from his mind was that his father smoked pot. He had never seen any signs of it around their house. Then it hit him, why did he care? What was the problem? Even though he was not smoking now, he didn’t think there was anything wrong with pot. It was very hypocritical of him to be upset that his father enjoyed it as much as he did. Just as he was about to sink into his mental wasteland, the place he went when he was thinking, Ronnie heard car engines starting. Then the bus’ diesel engine fired. “Here we go boys.” Schiender said. As soon as it was their turn they drove off the ferry. Exiting the ferry, Schnieder pulled into the line marked for large vehicles. As he waited, Schnieder began to feel the pressure. His heart began to race, he felt nauseas and he felt a bead of sweat from on his brow. Did he hide it good enough? What was his exit strategy? The volume of the self questioning was causing his head to spin so intensely that he started to get dizzy. Then he heard it. “Failure is not an option, son.” The evil’s voice resounded in his head. “If you fail, you go back!” “I’m not going back there.” He said aloud. “What?” Big Ron asked. “Nothing.” Schnieder snapped very irritated that he allowed himself to speak out loud. Schnieder’s behavior did not go unnoticed. Although he had only been around him for a few hours, Big Ron was getting a bad vibe from the main roadie for the band. He made a mental note to keep his eye on him. When it was his turn, Schnieder pulled forward. The Canadian Border Patrol Agent approached the vehicle. He eyed the bus suspiciously. “I need to see identification for everyone on the bus, please.” He said to Schnieder when he walked up to the driver’s window. “How many people are on board?” It took Schnieder a moment. “There’s the four guys, two girls, Big R and me.” Schnieder said. “Uh, that’s eight right?” “Sounds like eight to me.” The officer responded. As Schnieder assembled all the documentation, he was keeping an eye on the officer. The decision had already been made. If he got to close, he wouldn’t make it home for dinner. Schnieder would deal with the fallout. Either he would get away with his cargo or he would die here, along with many others. It would be ugly. Anticipating the worst case scenario, Schnieder had taken precautions. Not only were the explosives hidden, they were rigged so that he could set them off along with the tank full of diesel. In this close quarters, the devastation would be like nothing Canada had ever seen before. It was quite possible that he could take almost a thousand people with him. The officer examined each document closely. It first it seemed that he was just going to hand them back and let them on their band. “What’s your business in Canada?” He asked. “This is the bus for the band Ratdick.” Schnieder explained. “We have gigs in Vancouver, Surrey and Victoria.” “And how long are you planning on staying?” He continued questioning. “About two weeks.” Schnieder responded. The officer looked at Schnieder sideways, looking for any signs that he was hiding something. “About?” “Last gig is on the twenty-fifth.” Schiender explained. “So we will get on a ferry the next day. So today is the twelve … yeah … two weeks.” Once again, the officer gave Schnieder a hard look. For some reason, his gut told him not to just let this bus pass. “Band, huh?” He responded. “Thought there was a certain fragrance in the air. I am going to have to come on the bus.” “Sure.” Schnieder replied. Coming on the bus was not an issue. But if the officer wanted to check the cargo bay, he would have to prepare himself to act. The officer boarded the bus. Taking a quick look around, he didn’t see anything in plain sight. Then he saw the refrigerator. “Do you have any alcohol in that refrigerator?” He asked. “There’s only like a six pack, sir.” Pete answered. “I had the pleasure of consuming most of our on board supply last night. Additionally, we have heard that Canadian brew masters are quite talented and connoisseurs, such as ourselves, are doing themselves a large favor to leave the tasteless liquid that passes for beer in the States behind. I believe this to be true and my associates and I are eagerly anticipating sampling their wares.” Pausing for a moment, the officer simply blinked his eyes in response. Everyone else on the bus was equally dumbfounded by Pete’s oratory. “Er, well then. Right.” The officer said. “I’m off. Enjoy your stay in Cananda. After the officer was clear, everyone turned and looked at Pete. “What?” Pete asked defensively. “What the fuck was that load of bullshit?” Ronnie asked. “I get a little talkative when I am nervous.” Pete explained. “I’ll say.” Big Ron said. “Maybe you should let Pete negotiate the next deal.” “Aw, fuck that, Mr. Harrison.” Pete continued. “Ronnie’s our guy. I’m just okay at slinging the bullshit.” “That three-quarters of the art of negotiation.” Big Ron lectured. “But I think you’re right. Ronnie is doing a great job.” Once again, Ronnie was struck dumb by his father’s behavior. Not only did his father give him a compliment, but he did so in front of all his friends. This really was a banner day. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This was an incredible story, but Anita wished that Ron cut through some of the details. He had been talking for almost four hours and the only thing she knew about this Frankie Schnieder guy was that he had some explosives on the bus. “So when did you discover the explosives?” Anita asked. “I didn’t find out about them until the day of the explosion.” Ron explained. “If I would have known sooner, I never would have let the boys or any one else for that matter get any where near the Pepsi Center. “So why are you telling me all this?” Anita asked. “Because I didn’t do this and I need someone to help me prove it.” Ron said. “I know how good investigative reporters are. I know you can help me.” Ron stood up and stretched. “Look.” Ron said frankly. “I know I am boring you, but the details are important.” The words stung Anita. The hubris of this man was incredible. First, he was telling this story as if he was the father of the year. Now, he was trying to tell her how to do her job. “I am very capable of determine which details are important, Mr. Harrison.” She replied with a very snotty tone. “Well, I’m not.” Ron stated matter-of-factly. “I am trying to tell you everything that I can so you can tell me what’s important. I have never been in a situation like this.” This statement took her completely off guard. Was she so out of touch that she just missed everything? She was so convinced that this guy was wasting her time, she was missing the story. Not paying attention was simply inexcusable. “Right, sorry.” Anita said apologetically. “Look, I’m a little rusty and it’s showing.” “I have an idea.” Ron said. “Let’s take a break from this story and just chat a little. We can start again fresh tomorrow.” “Okay.” Anita replied a little flustered. For the first time, Anita noticed how attractive Ron was. Suddenly, she became very aware of how long it had been since she was with a man. It had been a very long time. It wasn’t just since she left the station. She had been so focused on her career that she didn’t have time for men. Trying to recall the last time was proving to be very difficult. “Uh…hello.” Ron said. “Did I lose you?” “No, sorry again.” Anita said trying to recover her composure. “Just thinking.” “About what?” Ron asked. “Uh…” Unable to come up with something quickly, Anita was granted a reprieve. “Are you two going to talk all night?” Elena asked. Elena had excused herself an hour ago. It wasn’t that she was bored. She had to use the restroom. As a post-menopausal woman, it wasn’t the easiest or the most rapid event. Finally, she finished. But before she came out, she overheard the conversation. Knowing her younger sister, she knew that Anita had problems speaking with men. Especially when they were as good looking as this big gringo. “Actually, I am getting a little tired.” Ron responded. “I forget that I didn’t have much time to recover from my chemo before I got blown up.” “You have cancer?” Anita asked concerned. “Not any more.” Ron informed her. “Doc says I am in remission. I guess that’s some good news.” Ron paused, not sure if he should ask. Then he decided he would since it really was a good idea. Ron paused, not sure if he should ask. Then he decided he would since it really was a good idea. “Uh…I have a little place in the mountains, close to Evergreen.” He started. “It’s not much, but I was wondering if you ladies would like to join me up there. Might be good for all of us to get away from the heat here in the city.” The women exchanged looks. “That might not be a bad idea after what happened today, Nitti.” Elena said. “You two need to get away from downtown.” “I think you’re right.” Anita agreed. “Well, it’s settled.” Ron said. “You can pack tomorrow and then come up. I’ll give you directions.” The women exchanged looks. “That might not be a bad idea after what happened today, Nitti.” Elena said. “You two need to get away from downtown.” “I think you’re right.” Anita agreed. “Well, it’s settled.” Ron said. “You can pack tomorrow and then come up. I’ll give you directions. <<< Chapter 30 Technorati Tags: Fiction, Online Book, Chapter, Rebeleyeball, Paul Gavin IceRocket Tags: Fiction, Blook, Chapter, rebeleyeball Copyright (c) 2006 Paul Gavin. All rights reserved.