NO BROKEN HEARTS ©2010 By Lone-Wolf. All rights reserved Dedicated to everyone I have ever called “FRIEND” An Important note to the Reader : This is a work of Fiction! The persons, places, events, and dialogue are entirely the product of the author’s imagination, and must be regarded as such. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental and accidental. All brand names mentioned are the property of the company who manufactures them, and they are used only for clarity.
Portions of this chapter are based on characters and situations created by and belonging to Indiana Jon: they are included here with his kind permission.
Wednesday morning Daniel didn’t wake up first. But neither did Austin, as a matter of fact. This was because both of them were rudely awakened by the shrill ring of the telephone which normally sat silent on Daniel’s bedside table. Both of them started violently at the noise, their eyes popping open to behold one another with wonder.
“Who can that be?” Daniel wondered out loud. “Nobody ever calls my land line – just my cellular,” he yawned, as Austin rolled off of him.
“You could answer it and find out,” Austin teased with a yawn of his own.
“At least then it’ll quit ringing,” Daniel agreed, picking up the handset and holding it to his head. “Hello?” he said into the mouthpiece.
“Good morning, is this Daniel Burdette?” asked a man’s voice cheerfully.
“Yes,” Daniel admitted, still not completely awake.
“Then it would seem I have your car on my trailer,” the man announced brightly. “I need a fairly good sized parking lot to unload it. Is there a K-Mart, or a movie theater, or something like that close to your home?” the voice asked, as Daniel’s brain shifted into second gear.
“Well, yeah,” Daniel replied, regaining his senses. “The closest spot like that would probably be the Wal Mart on East Washington street,” he decided after half a moment.
“Sounds good to me,” the driver agreed. “If you have the address I can plug it into my GPS and go there directly,” he added.
“Beats me,” Daniel admitted. “But you can’t miss it. Washington Street is the main drag, and the Wal Mart is on the East side of town,” he went on by way of pinning down the location.
“Sounds easy enough,” the driver agreed. “Ought to be there in about twenty minutes, give or take,” the man continued. “Will that work for you?”
“Twenty five or thirty minutes, tops,” Daniel promised.
“Good enough. Looking forward to meeting you,” the driver said.
“Same here,” Daniel agreed. They said goodbye, and the line went dead.
“So?” asked Austin curiously. “What’s up?” he demanded to know, bouncing on the mattress energetically.
“The Easter Bunny got lost and called me for directions to a big store with lots of eggs. So I told ‘em where our Wal Mart is,” Daniel teased with a straight face.
“Sure,” Austin nodded. “And I’m Santa Claus,” the boy added with great amusement. “Now tell me what’s really going on!” he insisted.
“Never,” Daniel insisted firmly. “Or, at least not until you give me a proper good morning kiss!” he demanded. Austin seemed to remember that the phone call had bypassed their normal cuddling routine, and he quickly clambered back onto Daniel’s chest, scooting up until his mouth found Daniel’s. Daniel put his arms around his beloved boy and kissed him back, leisurely stroking the smooth skin of Austin’s back lovingly.
“Thought you were in a hurry to know about the phone call?” Daniel asked, when Austin finally came up for air a few minutes later.
“What phone call?” asked Austin innocently, stroking Daniel’s hair gently. “Oh, that phone call,” he nodded knowingly. “This is better,” he grinned, pushing his boner against Daniel’s tummy while grinning.
“Mmm, hard to pass up an offer like that,” Daniel grinned back. “But if we take the time to do that, we’ll be late for our date at the Wal Mart!” he teased.
“Who would want to meet us at the Wal Mart?” Austin wondered, tilting his head to one side adorably.
“I dunno’,” Daniel shrugged. “Maybe some guy with our new Lancia Delta Integrale on the back of his tractor trailer rig,” he finished nonchalantly. Austin’s eyes widened as he remembered their ‘new’ car was due to arrive.
“Really? Cool!” he exclaimed eagerly. “Rain check on doin’ sixty-nine, then!” he added with a leer.
“You got a deal, partner!” Daniel laughed. “Last one to the toilet has to do the laundry!” he added, knowing he couldn’t win with Austin lying on top of him. Austin let loose a war whoop and launched himself towards the bathroom door. Daniel followed closely behind, admiring the beauty of the younger boy’s bare body as he raced to the commode.
They quickly drained their bladders, doing their usual ‘sword fight’ with the streams, the loser being the one who ran out of pee first. “Shower?” Austin asked, eyeing the tub.
“No time. We’ll just have to stink for now,” Daniel joked.
“You smell fine to me!” Austin defended his lover firmly.
“And you smell wonderful to me, too, buddy,” Daniel had to agree. “So we’ll slap on some deodorant, and t-shirt and shorts, and haul ass,” he proposed.
“No breakfast?” Austin asked, as they reentered the bedroom and began to search for clothes.
“We’ll eat after we get the car,” Daniel proposed. “That pancake place you like is right across the street from the Wal Mart,” he remembered. “How about we go there and celebrate with a giant German pancake?” he offered.
“I dunno’ what a German pancake is,” Austin admitted. “But if you think it’s good, then I’m bettin’ I’ll like it too!” Austin giggled happily. He dashed into “his” room for a moment, and returned with some of the new clothes Daniel had purchased for him the week prior. “So why are we hurrying so much if we are only driving to Wal Mart?” he asked, skinning on a fresh pair of briefs. “It isn’t very far at all,” he pointed out correctly.
“No, it isn’t far,” Daniel agreed, donning shorts of his own. “But we aren’t driving there,” he explained. “We’re riding bikes!” Daniel declared.
“Bikes?” Austin echoed. “What for?” the youngster asked, pulling a striped tank-top over his blond mushroom cap of hair.
“So once we’re there, we can toss the bikes into the back of the Delta and drive it home,” Daniel explained. “Otherwise we would have to go back up there anyhow to get the Stratos, right?” he pointed out.
“Oh, yeah,” Austin nodded, pulling on a pair of basketball shorts. “I get it,” he nodded. “Good idea, Danny!” he grinned.
“Why thank you, kind sir,” chuckled Daniel, pulling a monogrammed t-shirt over his head while Austin sat down on the bed to don his socks.
In a matter of minutes the pair was dressed and ready to go. They paused in the kitchen just long enough to down a glass of orange juice apiece so their bodies would have something to hold them over until they were done with the Lancia transaction. They rinsed out their glasses, locked up the house, and quickly liberated their BMX bicycles from the garage.
All in all it took them nearly fifteen minutes to cycle from Daniel’s house to the parking lot of the Wal Mart on Washington Street. “I see a truck over there,” panted Austin, working hard to keep up with Daniel’s brisk pace as they rode into the parking lot of the store. “Think that’s it?” he asked.
“Got to be,” Daniel agreed, a little short of breath himself. He steered towards the parked eighteen-wheeler, the tractor of which had a sleeper cab. The tractor was painted an attractive shade of Maroon, and appeared to be no more than three or four years old, Daniel estimated.
“That’s it,” Austin declared, as they grew closer to the rig. “That’s a Lancia on that trailer, all right!” he wheezed excitedly. Daniel merely grunted in the affirmative, saving his breath for their arrival. They were close enough now that Daniel could see the driver moving about on the bed of the trailer, apparently releasing the straps and chains which secured the car to the deck of the trailer. The driver looked to be in his thirties, Daniel guessed, with medium-long dark brown hair and a small mustache. The man straightened up and peered at them as the pair rode up and stopped next to the trailer, shading his eyes with one hand.
“You haven’t washed the bugs off of my windshield?” teased Daniel, laying his bike down next to Austin’s. “I could swear you said you were going to have her washed and waxed by the time I got here!” he added with a grin.
“Daniel Burdette?” the driver asked, still studying the pair. “Somehow I thought you were older!” the driver teased in return.
“I get that a lot,” Daniel chuckled, moving closer to get a better look at the car. “She looks even better in real life than she did in the pictures,” Daniel commented absently.
“Wow!” Austin exclaimed, dancing from one foot to the other. “It looks just like the one in the rally racing game on your computer!” he cheered excitedly. “But without the sponsor stickers,” he noted.
“Is this your chauffeur?” the driver asked with a grin, nodding towards Austin with amusement, his brown eyes sparkling.
“Oh, yes,” Daniel agreed, remembering his manners. “This is my brother, Austin,” he continued, patting Austin on the shoulder affectionately.
“Nice to meet you, young man,” the driver smiled.
“Yessir!” Austin replied, suddenly shy for some reason.
“As a matter of fact,” the driver went on. “I have a little surprise for you in the cab,” the man continued mysteriously, before walking forward to the cab. He pounded firmly on the rear bulkhead of the cab three times, and then returned to the Lancia. Austin looked at Daniel in confusion, but Daniel could only shrug, as he had no idea what the driver was referring to either.
Suddenly the passenger’s side door of the truck popped open and somebody small and blond sailed out. “Sorry, Dad. I was taking a leak,” the newcomer announced, trotting towards the trio. He slowed and stopped abruptly when he saw Daniel and then Austin. The driver seemed amused by his partner’s surprise, as well as Austin’s surprise.
“Nice of you to join us, Dalton,” grinned the driver. “This is Daniel, and his brother Austin,” the man went on, introducing them. “Daniel, Austin, this is my son, Dalton,” the man explained.
“Hi Dalton,” Daniel greeted the boy, as he surveyed the good looking youngster. Dalton had to be very close to Austin’s age, as he was almost exactly the same height and build as Austin, Daniel noted. And Dalton’s hair was very nearly the same shade of blond as Austin’s, though it was longer and shaggier, Daniel saw. (Which was certainly not a bad thing, he added silently as he briefly imagined how Austin might look with his hair long and shaggy like Dalton’s.) And while Dalton’s eyes did have some blue in them, they also had a grayish tint as well, where Austin’s baby-blues were very nearly sky blue. Other than that, Daniel mused, the two boys could have easily been cousins; maybe even brothers.
“Hi,” Dalton replied shyly, apparently surprised by Austin’s appearance.
“Uhm – yeah. Hi Dalton,” Austin greeted the other boy, finally finding his voice.
“And, by the way, my name is Tim,” the driver informed them as he continued to enjoy his son’s reaction to Austin.
“I think I’m seeing double, Tim,” Daniel chuckled.
“Pretty spooky, huh?” the man chuckled.
“How old are you, Dalton?” Daniel quizzed the boy curiously.
“Eleven,” Dalton confessed shyly.
“Me, too,” Austin admitted.
“Definitely twilight zone material,” Daniel grinned to Tim. “How about that, Austin? You didn’t tell me you had a twin brother!” Daniel teased his pal.
“He doesn’t look THAT much like me,” Austin protested softly, scowling.
“Say, Austin,” Tim interrupted. Austin looked up at the driver. “Have you ever seen the inside of a Volvo VT-880 sleeper cab?” the man asked. Austin shook his head to say that he had not. “If you ask nicely, Dalton might give you the grand tour,” Tim suggested cheerfully.
“Would you, Dalton?” Austin asked his ‘twin’, his curiosity overriding his shyness.
“Sure,” grinned the shaggier blond boy. “Come on!” he added, gesturing for Austin to follow him to the cab. Austin looked to Daniel for approval. Daniel winked and grinned at him to say it was cool, and Austin trotted after the newcomer eagerly. Moments later they vanished into the cab of the huge truck.
“What do you suppose the odds of this happening are?” Tim asked, shooting Daniel a grin.
“Pretty slim,” Daniel supposed. “Their appearance is so similar in so many ways,” he mused with some awe.
“Amazing is what I would call it,” Tim agreed, removing his work gloves and opening the driver’s door of the Lancia. “Ready for me to unload your new hot-rod?” he asked rhetorically.
“Go for it,” Daniel urged the older man playfully. Tim grinned and slid his reasonably slim frame into the driver’s seat of the Lancia Delta. Daniel estimated that the driver weighed in at about a hundred and seventy pounds, more or less.
Daniel watched with anticipation as Tim fired up the ‘Italian Stallion’, allowing the engine to warm up for a moment before putting it into reverse and releasing the parking brake. Very cautiously Tim backed the Delta to the rear of the trailer and then down the sloped steel ramps, until all four of its Pirelli tires were finally back on terra firma. Shifting to first, Tim pulled the little car forward to where Daniel was standing before parking it and shutting off the willing engine.
Tim climbed out of the Lancia and handed Daniel the keys with a smile. Daniel saw, now that they were face to face, that Tim’s eyes were brown, and that the man was no more than two inches taller than Daniel (Daniel being five foot eight inches tall.)
“I hope you know how to drive a rocket like this,” Tim commented, with a hint of warning in his voice.
“Well, you could say I have some experience with the breed,” Daniel smiled, admiring the Integrale logo on the key-fob. “My other car is a Stratos,” he admitted proudly.
“No shit?” Tim exclaimed. “Oops, pardon my French,” he added, apparently regretting his choice of words. “But you must know how rare those are?” the man queried.
“First, don’t worry about the French,” Daniel grinned. “And yes, I am acutely aware of the current market value of said Stratos,” he assured the driver. “That’s one reason I bought this one – to keep from putting too many miles on the beast!” he explained. “Also this one has air conditioning and seats more than two!” he added, sticking his head into the cockpit to admire the gauge littered dashboard. “Sweet,” he sighed softly, inhaling the scent of Italian leather.
“Hey Daniel,” panted Austin, as he appeared beside Daniel, half out of breath. “I peed in the cab of Tim’s truck!” Austin announced proudly.
“Excuse me?” Daniel replied in shock, unable to comprehend Austin’s sudden and inexplicable act of vandalism.
“It’s got this tube, for when you’re driving and can’t stop to pee,” Austin explained gleefully. “With a funnel thing on the end of it,” he continued, as Daniel’s alarm receded to be replaced by shame that he had assumed his beloved boy could commit a malicious act of vandalism. “And you just pee into it, and it goes down into a little storage tank that you empty later at a truck stop,” Austin finished joyfully.
“Now how did I know you would have to show him that?” Tim asked Dalton with amusement. Grinning broadly, Dalton just shrugged.
“And how did I know you would have to try it out?” Daniel teased Austin with equal amusement. Austin grinned sheepishly and shrugged, blushing.
“And you owe me a quarter,” Dalton told Tim suddenly, his grin widening. “I heard you say the ‘s’ word!” the boy accused.
“Busted,” Daniel chuckled, intuiting that the pair had to pay each other whenever they used ‘French’.
“So how much paperwork do you have for me?” Daniel asked Tim rhetorically.
“Not as much as one might expect,” Tim assured him. “Main thing is the inspection form, which shows the carrier how many new dents, dings, and hubcaps got stolen while it was under my care,” the driver explained, producing a clipboard with all of the papers on it.
“You can use my bike, if Dalton wants to use yours, Austin, while us old farts do this inspection stuff,” Daniel offered Austin.
“I want to help with the inspection,” Austin replied. He cast a glance over at Dalton. “Unless Dalton would rather ride bikes,” he added, in deference to his guest, who seemed to be his friend at this point.
Dalton looked like he wasn’t sure how to answer that one, but finally he made up his mind. “Thanks for asking, Austin,” Dalton smiled. “But I want to help do the inspection, too!” he declared, seemingly as enamored of Tim as Austin was of Daniel.
And so the four of them walked slowly around the unique Italian sports car, Tim pointing out each tiny bit of pre-existing imperfection already noted on the form that had been filled out before the car was loaded onto the trailer. Then they went around a second time, looking for any new damage, but finding none, much to everybody’s satisfaction.
Daniel signed off on the inspection form, and Tim handed over the title to the car, along with the bill of sale, bill of lading, and a carbon copy of the inspection form. Daniel folded these neatly and stashed them in the glove compartment of the Lancia.
“Now me an’ Austin will put away all the binder straps!” Dalton volunteered eagerly, apparently wanting Daniel to see how capable he was as a truck driver’s apprentice. Both boys looked to Tim for approval.
“Alright,” Tim agreed. “You ought to know where they go and how to stow them,” the man assured the boy.
“Let Dalton show you where and how, Austin,” Daniel coached his own boy, as the blond duo clambered up onto the deck of the now empty trailer. Austin shot Daniel a thumbs-up to show he understood.
“They seem to have gotten over their shyness pretty quickly,” Daniel observed to Tim, as they peered under the hood of the Delta, both of them admiring the polished turbocharger and the connected aluminum intercooler which fed the sixteen-valve engine a diet of compressed air to mix with the high octane gasoline provided by the fuel injectors.
“Not surprising,” Tim nodded. “They both seem to be quick to open up when the other is equally accepting,” the driver surmised.
“So what you’re trying to say,” Daniel teased gently. “Is that they are both soft hearted?” he paraphrased.
“Can’t argue with that, either!” Tim grinned in agreement. “But back to this grey market special of yours,” the man continued. “How is it that you didn’t buy a classic Camaro or Mustang or some such?” Tim wondered, as he used the electrically driven hydraulic system of the trailer to fold the twin rear loading ramps back up into the deck of the trailer.
“Well, the short answer is that all those normal cars are too mundane,” Daniel pointed out. “You can’t walk through an American parking lot without banging your shins on one or the other!” he joked. “But you can bet that ninety-five percent of the people in this state have never seen a Lancia Delta Integrale in their entire life!” Daniel enthused. “Also the four wheel drive aspect makes it drivable all year ‘round,” he added, leaning to the practical side of his new toy. “Burns less fuel than those muscle cars, too,” he went on. “And the rear seat and doors mean Austin’s buddies can get in and out easily when I’m playing the part of soccer mom,” he chuckled. “And being Italian it’ll blow the doors off of all these ‘rice-rockets’ we seem to have in this town!” Daniel finished with glee, making Tim chuckle with him.
“All done, Dad!” Dalton crowed, as he and Austin rejoined them, looking only slightly bedraggled by their efforts.
“Then we better do our pre-trip inspection and hit the road,” Tim suggested. “Got to drop this trailer off about an hour north of here, and then find out where our next load awaits us!” he reminded his boy.
“Oh, no you don’t,” Daniel interrupted somberly. “You don’t get off that easy,” he warned the pair of highway gypsies. Tim and Dalton looked confused by Daniel’s words, so Daniel smiled and continued. “Nobody brings us our new Lancia and gets away without being treated to breakfast at Austin’s favorite pancake house,” Daniel clarified, pointing across the street to the pancake restaurant where he had already agreed to feed Austin.
“Please, Tim?” begged Austin plaintively, putting on his best ‘sad puppy’ expression.
“Yeah, Dad! Please?” Dalton echoed Austin, mimicking Austin’s facial expression expertly.
“Good lord,” moaned Tim dramatically. “They’re double-teaming me!” he observed, withering under the barrage of cuteness.
“Don’t look at me,” Daniel chortled. “I’m on their side, remember?” he warned the driver with amusement.
“Oh, alright, already!” sighed Tim, with feigned amusement. “But we do need to be mindful of the time,” he added pointedly.
“Then lock up your truck and we’ll zip over there in Austin’s new Italian Stallion,” Daniel proposed willingly.
“Kewl!” Dalton squealed with visible excitement. “Wait a sec! You never said it was Austin’s car!” the shaggy blond boy realized abruptly.
“We share all of our toys,” Daniel told Dalton with a grin.
“What about our bikes?” Austin wondered aloud. “Can’t put them in the car if we’re using the back seat,” he pointed out.
“I think we can just lock them to Dalton’s truck,” Daniel grinned, verbally giving Tim’s rig to his boy, much to their amusement.
“Good idea,” Tim agreed. So they locked the bicycles to the bumper of the Volvo, locked the cab doors, and then all four climbed into the compact rally car.
“It’s supposed to be my car,” Austin whispered loudly to Dalton, as the pair strapped into the back seat. “But you’ll notice THEY get to sit up front?” he teased the men mercilessly.
“More head room up here,” Daniel argued playfully. “So it’s a height based thing, not age based,” Daniel teased Austin in return.
“Midgets of the world, unite and revolt!” Austin giggled, as Daniel fired up the race-tuned engine, drowning out further discussion. Like a child on Christmas morning, Daniel navigated the Lancia through the parking lot and out to the intersection. When the light turned green, he released the clutch pedal fast enough that several tires ‘chirped’ as they briefly fought for traction, launching the small car forwards rapidly once they found purchase.
Mere moments later, they were parking in front of the restaurant. Daniel allowed the engine to idle for forty-five seconds before turning it off and setting the hand brake.
“Letting the turbo spool down, right?” Tim asked as they climbed out of the shiny black leather upholstered seats. Daniel nodded. “I do the same with my rig,” Tim assured him.
“Letting the turbo do what??” Austin asked, before Dalton could.
“You teach the lesson on turbocharger care and feeding, Tim,” Daniel requested. “While I see about a table for four with a view of our parking spot,” he finished. Tim launched into a description of how turbochargers worked, and why one should not just park and shut off the engine ‘cold turkey’. Meanwhile, Daniel cornered the hostess and talked her into a booth with a window looking out on where the Lancia was parked. He made it a point to tell her that he wanted all the charges on one bill, since he was treating their guests to breakfast. (And he suspected Tim would try to insist upon chipping in on the meal if Daniel didn’t take steps to stop him.)
Once they were seated, the discussion turned to various menu items, all of which sounded tempting. “Have you ever had a German Pancake?” Daniel asked Dalton, raising his eyebrows.
“No,” Dalton confessed. “Are they good?” he queried.
“The best!” Daniel promised, having had considerable exposure to the dish.
“Maybe I should try one, then?” Austin supposed impishly.
“Most definitely,” Tim agreed quickly.
“Me, too, please!” Dalton chimed in promptly.
“Sounds as though you guys already know what you want,” smiled their waitress as she approached them with her order pad.
“I think so,” Daniel smiled back. “But first, tell me please: are your German Pancakes full size?” he asked pointedly.
“Oh, yes sir,” She replied proudly. “As big as the plate!” she explained helpfully.
“Holy cow!” Austin exclaimed, apparently trying to imagine a pancake as big as a plate.
“Wow!” Dalton added, echoing Austin’s sentiment.
“Maybe we should share one, sport,” Tim suggested to his son. “I don’t think I can eat a whole one by myself,” the man clarified.
Austin turned to Daniel. “You want to share one with me?” Austin asked hopefully.
“Maybe I’d rather share with Dalton,” Daniel teased, trying to sound serious. Austin and Dalton both eyed him suspiciously.
“Austin, buddy, I think you’re being bullshitted,” Tim whispered surreptitiously, tossing the boy a wink.
“You owe me another quarter!” Dalton chimed in gleefully, bouncing in his seat. Tim gave Dalton a fake ‘annoyed’ look, but ruined the effect by smiling.
“Spoil-sport!” accused Daniel with a faked sigh of disgust. He turned to the waitress, who was silently observing with visible amusement. “I think we’ll have two German Pancakes, fully loaded, and two extra plates,” he announced, ordering for them all.
“And what would you all like to drink?” she asked, noting the food order on her pad. Austin ordered orange juice, and Dalton followed his lead. Tim ordered coffee with cream and sugar. Daniel vacillated for a moment, and then chose orange juice (to flatter Austin.)
While they were waiting for the food, they took turns washing up in the restroom, and then talked animatedly about varied topics, the two older ‘boys’ letting the two younger ones choose the subjects for the most part. Daniel got the impression that Tim was as enamored of Dalton as he himself was of Austin. Daniel wondered if Tim could tell that Austin was more than a mere brother to him. Interestingly, neither thought made him uncomfortable.
When the huge bowl-shaped pancakes arrived they allowed the waitress to fold the giant treats up into manageable ‘bricks’ of tastiness. Next, Austin and Dalton were allowed to baptize the tasty bricks with numerous syrups, jellies, butter, powdered sugar, and so forth. Then all conversation went on ‘hold’ while the quartet proceeded to attempt to devour the calorie coated confections.
Between the four of them they were just able to polish off the two enormous pancakes. Austin and Dalton sat back with satisfied grins on their faces, not to mention a coating of syrups and other sweet sticky stuff. Daniel wished they were home alone, so that he could use his tongue to leisurely and lovingly wash Austin’s face for him.
“They must have hollow legs,” Tim declared, shaking his head in mock dismay.
“Or tape worms!” Daniel suggested with a grin.
“What’s tape worms?” Dalton asked curiously.
“Uhm – not table talk,” Tim hedged. “I’ll tell you when were back on the road, okay?” he offered. Dalton sighed and pretended to look put out. Austin copied him perfectly.
“I think you two need to revisit the rest room and wash your faces,” Daniel suggested sternly. “You’re wearing as much as you ate!” he chuckled.
“Do we gotta?” Austin moaned, doing an excellent job of sounding like a peeved four year old, his eyes twinkling with amusement.
“Of course not,” Daniel grinned. “Only if you want to ride in the Lancia!” he clarified.
“Me first!” Dalton piped up, sliding out of his seat and heading for the bathrooms. Austin just giggled and charged after him.
“What a pair,” Tim sighed in a way that spoke volumes about his affection for his boy.
“They do make a cute set, don’t they?” Daniel grinned. “Too bad you can’t stick around for a couple days,” he lamented. “Our house is on the lake shore,” he went on. “We swim practically every day,” he smiled.
“Dalton would enjoy it, and so would I,” Tim confessed. “But if the truck is parked, then there’s no revenue coming in,” he pointed out.
“But sooner or later you have to take a few days off,” Daniel insisted.
“Of course,” Tim agreed, finishing his coffee.
“Well, the summer is young. Please keep us in mind when you plan your weekends off. You and Dalton can borrow Austin’s room, and he can bunk with me,” Daniel offered hopefully, certain that Austin shared his feelings.
“Not that it’s any of my business,” Tim said softly. “But I get the impression you’re raising Austin on your own?” the man asked timidly.
“Our parents are dead,” Daniel affirmed, stretching the truth slightly in Austin’s case. “So it’s just the two of us.”
“I’m sorry,” Tim commiserated earnestly.
“But we’re financially secure,” Daniel pointed out. “And the house is free and clear. And we have each other! So we’re pretty happy, all in all,” he summed up honestly.
“He’s lucky to have you,” Tim assured Daniel.
“I think I’m lucky to have him!” Daniel replied with a warm smile.
“Then you’re both lucky!” Tim nodded, returning the smile. “And as for your invitation, I will do my best to make sure that at least one of our summer vacations gets spent at your house, so the dynamic duo can keep us both up half the night!” Tim promised. “Can’t promise when we’ll get back this way,” he shrugged. “But I’ll make sure I find another delivery near enough to justify our stopping by for a few days of R and R.”
“What are you guys talkin’ about?” Dalton asked, as he and Austin returned to the table, their faces and hands now notably cleaner.
“Secret grown-up stuff!” Tim teased him mercilessly.
“Now I know you’re fibbing,” Austin accused with a sly grin. “Daniel just looks grown up!” the boy stated with amusement. “But I know he’s really only about twelve years old on the inside!”
“Busted,” sighed Daniel, resisting the urge to hug Austin and kiss him on the mouth.
“Okay, well, then,” Tim hedged dramatically. “We were sort of talking about maybe you and me coming back here later this summer and staying with Daniel and Austin for a weekend,” Tim told Dalton.
“Really?” Dalton asked, his eyes widening.
“Cool!” Austin exclaimed, grinning broadly.
“Really,” Tim assured his boy. “And according to Daniel their house is right on the shore of the lake!”
“We gots our own beach, even!” Austin added excitedly.
“No way!” Dalton gasped in amazement.
“Honest injun!” Daniel promised.
“That is SO cool!” Dalton enthused, almost bouncing in his seat.
“And there’s a park right on the other side of the water,” Austin informed them. “Daniel and I built this cool raft, and we paddle it across to the park sometimes!” he bragged proudly.
“Oh, man!” Dalton almost moaned in anticipation. “If only we could stay this week!” he sighed impatiently.
“You’ll survive,” Tim assured him with a grin. “And it will give you something to look forward to, right?”
“I s’pose,” Dalton admitted, clearly understanding the situation while remaining less than thrilled by the delay.
“Now that that’s settled,” Daniel announced firmly. “Here’s what’s going to happen next,” he stated. “You three are going to go open up the Delta and let the warm air escape while I go and settle up the bill,” he insisted.
“Don’t argue with him Tim,” Austin advised somberly. “You can’t win,” he warned the adult wisely. Tim looked dubious for a moment, but then relented.
“Okay, fine,” he nodded. “But next time it’s steak, and I’m picking up the tab!” he insisted.
“That’s a deal!” Daniel agreed. “Now take these two eating machines out to the car and cool out the cockpit!” Daniel repeated stubbornly. Tim obediently led the two boys out of the building while Daniel left a decent tip on their table. He then approached the counter and used his debit card to pay their tab, which was not really all that big since the four of them had shared two entrée’s.
Daniel stuffed the receipt and his wallet back into his pocket and then walked out to the parking lot quickly, anxious to get another look at his new toy. Tim and the boys had the doors wide open, allowing most of the heat to escape from the interior of the car. Its dark metallic grey paint seemed to magnetically attract the sun’s rays, Daniel sighed inside the confines of his mind.
“All aboard!” he called out cheerfully, as he approached the group. The boys piled into the back seat again, and Tim climbed into the “navigator’s” seat as Daniel buckled into the driver’s seat.
“Do they really race these cars over in Europe?” Dalton asked curiously, as Daniel warmed up the engine of the Lancia. “Austin said they do rally racing all over the countryside,” Dalton added dubiously.
“They most certainly do,” Daniel replied proudly. “Of course the race cars are a little more high strung than the street legal ones,” he confessed. “And they have all of the luxury items stripped out of them,” he explained. “But otherwise they aren’t all that different,” he continued, backing carefully out of their parking spot.
“I never saw any regular looking cars like this with four wheel drive,” Dalton pointed out. “Only pickups and some of the SUV’s,” he noted.
“Subaru’s have all wheel drive,” Tim reminded his boy. “Remember the one we saw that day at that truck stop?”
“Oh, yeah,” Dalton agreed. “I guess so,” he nodded.
“They race those against the Lancia Deltas,” Austin informed his new friend. “We have a video game on our computer, with the steering wheel and pedals, so you can drive the different cars on all the different stages,” he bragged. “You’ll have to try it when you guys come over for the sleepover weekend,” Austin urged Dalton energetically, as Daniel drove back over to where Tim’s Volvo was parked.
“For sure!” Dalton agreed with enthusiasm as Daniel parked near the cab of Tim’s truck, shutting the Delta down after allowing it to idle for forty-five seconds while the turbo spooled down fully. “I wish we could stay longer,” Dalton stated with conviction. He glanced at Tim before going on. “But like my Dad said, we have to drop this trailer and go pick up our next load,” Dalton explained, sounding like an “old pro”.
“It’s got to be fun to go all over the place and see all the sights,” Austin commented, as he and Daniel followed Tim and Dalton over to the truck.
“Yeah,” Dalton agreed proudly. “And it’s cool sleeping in the truck, too,” he added.
“Give them your cell phone number, too, Daniel,” Austin suggested. “So they can call sometimes. And tell us when they’ll be able to come back and stay over,” he added eagerly.
“And we’ll give them our phone number, too,” Tim assured Dalton, before the boy could echo Austin’s suggestion. “But first we should let them watch you do our pre trip inspection, right?” Tim urged the boy as he unlocked the driver’s door of the truck. Dalton seemed to stand a little taller, as though maybe he normally helped Tim do the inspection, rather than the other way around.
“Good idea!” he grinned, scampering up into the cab. He returned a moment later with a small notebook in hand. Using the contents of the notebook as a checklist, Dalton led the others slowly around the circumference of the vehicle, tugging on various parts as he went, all the while telling his new friends what each part was, and what it did, and why it needed to be checked. Daniel noticed that Tim was keeping a close eye on each item, as though making sure Dalton didn’t miss anything. But he was doing it very discreetly, such that Austin and Dalton never even noticed.
Finally the inspection was complete. “Good job, buddy,” Tim congratulated Dalton. “I see you have been paying attention!” the driver praised his boy, causing Dalton to practically glow with pleasure.
“Yeah, Dalton,” Austin added. “That was a lot of stuff, and you got it all covered!” Austin praised his new friend.
“Good job, Dalton,” Daniel added, not wanting to over-do it. Dalton blushed visibly.
“I learned it all from my Dad,” Dalton said proudly, turning the spotlight onto Tim.
“Yes, but you’re the one who learned it,” Tim reminded him lovingly.
“Oh, say,” Austin exclaimed, seeming to suddenly remember something as he turned to Daniel. “Would you use the camera part of your phone and take a picture of Dalton and me together?” Austin asked hopefully. “I want a picture to remember him by,” Austin explained. Dalton smiled happily as he listened to Austin’s request.
“That is an excellent idea,” Daniel agreed, pulling out his Motorola Razor camera phone. He noticed Tim was fishing for his own phone at the same time. Grinning, Austin led Dalton over to the door of the truck, stood next to him, and then bravely put his arm over Dalton’s shoulder. Dalton smiled at Austin and put his arm over Austin’s shoulders. Daniel and Tim each took a photo of the pair with their phones.
“Now how about one of all three of you with the Lancia?” Tim proposed promptly. So Daniel, Austin, and Dalton stood next to the Delta, with Daniel in the middle, one hand on the shoulder of each boy, while Tim took a photo of the trio.
“Now you guys stand by the rig with Tim,” Daniel urged the two boys. So Tim, Dalton, and Austin posed in front of the Volvo, duplicating the last pose, while Daniel took a photo of them.
“Now, if you don’t mind, I would like one of Dalton and Austin sitting on your BMX bikes, sort of casual looking,” Tim requested.
“Yeah!” Austin agreed, towing Dalton over to the bikes. He unlocked his own bike first, giving it to Dalton. Then he unlocked Daniel’s bike for himself to pose with. He looked thoughtful for half a moment, and then impulsively pulled off his striped tank-top and stuffed it into his shorts pocket casually. Dalton seemed to admire Austin’s tan for about three seconds before peeling off his own shirt and tucking it casually into his pocket. The pair grinned at each other to show their approval. Tim and Daniel aimed their camera phones, so Austin put his hands on his hips, assuming an arrogant pose, which Dalton copied promptly.
“Now that is a couple of cool dudes,” Tim grinned, checking the results on the phone’s view screen.
“Definitely!” Daniel agreed, admiring his own results.
“One more, please,” urged Austin, scooting his bike closer to Dalton until he could once again put his arm around the other boy’s shoulders. Dalton returned the favor, and the pair smiled angelically while Tim and Daniel took their photo again. “Thanks, Dalton!” he said to the other boy, once the picture was taken.
“’Welcome,” blushed Dalton, clearly pleased by all of the positive attention he was getting. “Will you send me copies of the pix Daniel took?” Dalton asked Austin hopefully.
“Sure,” Austin agreed. “If you’ll send me copies of the ones Tim took!” he added astutely.
“Guess we better trade e-mail addresses as well as phone numbers, then!” Tim advised Daniel with a knowing smile.
“Sounds like a plan to me!” Daniel agreed, retrieving the paperwork from the glove box of the Delta. Tim wrote his phone number and email address on Daniel’s paperwork, while Daniel wrote his phone number and email address on the inside of the front cover of Dalton’s notebook.
“Alright, fellows,” Tim sighed, once the information had been exchanged. “I hate to have to say it, but we have got to hit the road,” he reminded them with a sigh. He stuck out his hand, and Daniel shook it earnestly.
Dalton watched them, and then stuck his hand out to Austin, who shook it warmly. But then, instead of letting go of Dalton’s hand, he pulled the other boy closer and hugged him tightly with both arms. Dalton looked surprised for maybe half of a second: then he put his arms around Austin and hugged him back firmly. Tim and Daniel exchanged a look which made it clear that each of them knew exactly how the boys felt. When Austin finally released Dalton, Daniel could see that their eyes were glistening wetly.
“Come back real soon,” Austin begged, as Tim and Dalton climbed up into the cab of the big rig.
“We promise!” Dalton called back emotionally over Tim’s shoulder.
“Drive safe!” Daniel urged their new friends.
“You too, mister World Rally Championship!” Tim teased him with a smile, before firing up the huge diesel engine. Daniel and Austin rolled their bikes back close to the Lancia, to give Tim room to maneuver the big truck.
The truck brakes released with a hiss of compressed air, and Tim slowly made a sweeping u-turn that aimed them for the exit which let out onto Washington Street. Dalton waved at them through the open passenger’s side window, and Daniel and Austin waved back until the truck was so far down the road that they could no longer make out the license plate numbers.
End of part ten. Please return next time for part eleven !
If you enjoyed the “guest characters” of Tim and Dalton, I cordially invite you to read all of their adventures in the story titled “Window to the World,” by Indiana Jon, right here on Johnie’s Pages!
As always, your comments are welcomed & encouraged! storiesbylonewolf@hotmail.com