William's legs dangled off the tailgate of the truck. The road was dappled stripes of sunlight shining through pines. He looked up the sun through the trees and closed his eyes, still he could feel the sunlight flashing on his face.
Ruby rode up next to Ben.
“Hollywood?” Ben said, “never
heard of it.”
“It's where they make the pictures.”
Ruby said.
“Pictures of what?”
“Moving pictures silly.”
“I seen a Kino at a nickelodeon once,
didn't care for it.”
“Not those, pictures tell a whole
story. Plus they have stars.”
“Stars?”
“Surely you heard of Charlie
Chaplin.”
“He some sort of preacher?”
Ruby couldn't help but laugh out loud.
“You could stay.” Ben said after a
while. “It's just me, lots of room.”
“This place is more podunk than the
place I jumped a train to escape. Really pretty though.” Ruby
looked up at the trees and the mountains in the distance. “Nah,
it's Hollywood for me.”
Up ahead, a man stepped onto the road.
His fingertips glistened in a spot of sun. Ben sensed Ruby's tension.
“You know that fella?” he said.
“I sure don't.”
Ben stopped the truck and click off
the engine. The tree tops whispered in a breeze that did not reach
the ground.
“Mornin'” Ben said to the stranger.
“Your keeds?”
“Y'up, my little brother and sister.”
Ben said looking straight ahead. “You missin' some.”
Ruby looked down but held her posture
erect that Ben's barrel chest and hat might block her from the
stranger's view. Her curiosity got the better of her and she glanced
around Ben. A pair of blazing blue eyes hit her from inside the
shade of a wide black hat.
“Their mother. Cries she does, cries
for her missing babies.” Only his mouth moved. His silver-tipped
hands hung at his sides, occasionally twitching as if he were
receiving small electric shocks.
“Quite a shame,” said Ben. “hope
she finds 'em.”
“Ya, shame.”
Ben touched the brim of his hat and
turned over the engine. From the back of the truck, William watched
the dark figure recede until they turned a corner.
“I think maybe that man was lookin'
for Billy and me,” Ruby said.
“Yeah, I know it,” said Ben.
“Thanks for lyin' for us mister.”
“How many times do I gotta tell you,
the name's Ben.”
“Thank you for everything... Ben,
feedin' us, putting us up for a couple days,” Ruby said giving his
arm a playful hug.
Ruby wished Ben was taking them all the
way to California, not just to the next town where he figured he
could get them a ride with another family headed West.
El Dorado Springs was a town nestled in
a deep valley as if a bunch of miniature houses on a piece of paper
had gathered at the center when it was folded in a “V”. The main
drag that made up the long slender town climbed into the pass and the
mountains on the other side.
There were a number of cars and trucks
stacked high with chairs, tables and trunks sometimes children
perched at the top of it all like a crow's nest. El
Dorado Springs was a good place to stop for supplies before heading
into the mountains. It was the only place.
Ben had to leave the truck a quarter
mile from where they were headed so they walked down the dusty street.
“Why didn't you say nuthin' to that
man Ruby?” Billy said. “What about Mama? he said she's cryin'.”
“You know Mama ain't cryin' for us.
She barely knew we was there, how's she gunna know we're gone from
that asylum. That man is a bad man William, just like at the picture
shows. He even got a black hat. We're on our own now, we don't have a
Mama and Papa no more.”
Billy didn't argue with his sister but
his fists were clenched. A tear rolled down his cheek, he wiped it
quickly away.”
“I'm lost of my parent's too.” Ben
said quietly after a while.
“You an orphan?” said Billy.
“I'm twenty-two. My father died when I
was 'bout your age, but I was already grow'd up when my Mama got
sick. That ain't an orphan, far as I know.”
In the general store Ben stopped each
person who looked like a traveler, which meant anyone he didn't
didn't recognize readily.
“Sir, do you have any room for a
couple kids in your car to take over the pass and possibly to
California? They're without kin and need to make it to their
Uncle's.”
“We got no room. Especially fer
orphans.” A red-haired man said. A red haired girl hid behind him. She stuck her tongue out at Ruby.
He repeated the plea to many travelers
without hint of luck. No one wanted more mouths to feed, no one
had room for kids that weren't theirs.
“I'm not very convincing I guess,”
Ben said.
“You look like a farmer, and you're
doin' it all wrong.” She straightened his collar, licked her hand
and smoothed his hair.
“I am a farmer, don't fuss o're me.”
“If we're going to get a ride from a
nice Christian family... That's it, you need to use the word
'Christian'. And don't be talkin' to the men, ask the women folk. Go
like this,” Ruby turned her face into sadness and worry. “Excuse
me kind madam, could you find it in your Christian heart to give these two
poor orphan children assistance getting to their Uncle in California
or even just through the mountains?”
“That's really good. You're good at
that.”
“Nobody’s going to listen to a
girl. We need an advocate.”
“Avo-cat, what's that?”
“Someone to speak on our behalf, an
adult. You gotta do it.”
Ben started to replace his hat.
“No, no silly, hold your hat in front
of you, like this.” She took his hat and held it by the brim with both hands in
front of her. “Now go try again.”
Ben hobbled through his speech with
Ruby standing just behind him looking sad an pathetic.
“Kid's? said one lady. I only see the
one.”
“Where's Billy?”said Ruby looking
around the busy store.
William's feet clomped on the wooden
sidewalk. He passed by the different shops, and motor repair/gasoline
stations. He was sad and all those people were making him sadder. Something he saw in a store front made him stop in his
tracks. There were cameras of all sorts. Large plate cameras on tall
wooden tripods, purse-size cameras that folded out with black bellows
and small Brownies, 'bout the size of a pound of butter. Inside the
store was all sorts-a camping and outdoor gear, tents, outdoor wear.
There was a man at the counter talking to the shop keeper.
“Well if you can't fix it, I guess
I'll have to buy a new one.”
“I have a Brownie Three, it's the
newest of this type.” the shop keeper took one of the square boxy
cameras from the glass display case.
“Five dollars.”
“Five dollars? I bought this other
one for four in Chicago.”
“This a long way from there.”
“I guess so.”
“Say mister,” William found the
courage to say, following the customer out of the shop.
“Yes son?”
“What are you going to do with that
camera?”
“Take pictures of the mountains, and
my family.”
“No, the broken one.”
“Throw it away I guess.”
“Could I have a look at it?”
“Sure thing sonny, you can have it if
you'd like.”
“Gee, thanks mister.” Billy took
the black box and turn it over in his hands. He sat right there on
the walk examining every side and feature.
Even when he was only five, my son
showed a certain aptitude fer fix'n this and that. After my death he
was repairing all sorts of things.
He soon found the release and separated
the cardboard camera into it's two sections. He could see how the film went from the top, down around the back and to a little roller at the bottom. The roller had come apart from one side. He maneuvered it back into
place and turned the winding knob. It looked to be fixed.
Billy saw the man across the street
gathering his family into their car. He ran across, dodging honking
cars.
“Say mister!”
“Yeah sonny?”
“I fixed your camera. See, works fine
now.” Billy handed the camera back to him.
“It appears I met you ten minutes too
late young man. I've already got a new camera. It was good of you to
fix it and offer it back though.” The man took out his billfold and
handed William a dollar. “Get yourself some film, take some
pictures of your old ma and pa. It's not hard, just look at that little window in the top and click the little lever on the side.
William pretended not to be sad at the
thought of his 'old ma and pa'. “Thanks mister.”
Billy looked back at the camera store
and at the dollar in his hands. My son was in a fix himself now.
“Billy! Where you been?” Ruby
scolded. “Ben found us a ride with a nice Christian couple going
through the mountains.”
Ben hoisted Ruby into the back of the
truck. Billy had already found a spot to sit amongst the furniture.
He got his new camera out of his satchel. He was excited about his
new treasure but felt guilty he had spent his dollar on having the
man at the store load his camera with film.
“Well... I guess we'll seeing you.”
Ruby said. Holding on to Ben's hand in a long handshake.
“Yup, I guess,” said Ben without
lookin' up from the ground.
The motor started. The dust beneath the
exhaust pipe stirred. Ruby leaned out of the back of the truck and
kissed Ben on his cheek. Ben turned red. He didn't look up until the
truck was pulling away.
“I ain't so skinny you know.” She
called back to him with a smile.
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