Callisto Read Free Page B

guy,” he says, which is treasonous talk nowadays, especially to say to a stranger. “But then we’d get the other guy, the VP with his fingers in the war machine and big oil. Fuck the whole bunch is what I say. Every time they open their mouths another turd flops out. You can’t trust a damn thing they say, not anymore.”
    He was probably right. Me, I’ve never trusted politicians in the first place, war or no war, but I didn’t want to get into any political argument with Dean. I was under his roof, eating his food, and tomorrow his truck would tow my Chevy to the junkyard. I lifted the beer. “Victory in Iraq,” I said, sounding kind of dumb but not caring about that with food and beer inside me.
    â€œWhatever,” says Dean, kind of sneering.
    Keeping a line of conversation open has always been a big problem for me, as indicated previously, but I wanted Dean to keep talking so the rest of the day would pass easy and friendly. That is always preferable to silences and strain when nobody talks.
    â€œYou make a good living with the lawnmowing?” I asked.
    â€œI get by. Got customers five days a week wanting my services. Today’s Sunday so I got no customers.”
    Dean took a swig from his bottle. He was watching me close, trying to figure me out the way people do once they get over my tallness and the way my shoulders like to split my shirt sometimes, like when The Hulk gets mad about something and turns big and green. I have actually done that, split my shirt, but only an old shirt that was washed a thousand times and the material was weak. I am not bragging about this, only telling. Dean was trying to make up his mind if I’m dumb or not. People do that so I am used to it.
    â€œAnyway,” he said, “it’s shut down.”
    â€œWhat is?”
    â€œThe recruiting office. They shut it down a year ago when nobody wanted to go over there and die for a bunch of people that don’t even want us there.”
    â€œNo, they’re offering a bonus, I saw it on the news.”
    â€œMaybe in some other town. They shut the Callisto office down.
    â€œWell, I need to see that for myself. That’s bad news if it’s true. My car, it won’t take me to some other town.”
    â€œTake the bus.”
    That would burn up the fifty I expected to get for the Chevy at the junkyard. I have never minded overmuch aboutnot being rich, so long as there is enough cash in my pocket for what I need right this minute and never mind next week, which will take care of itself when the time comes. I have always got by with this philosophy, what they call a working philosophy. It worked so far, so I put worry from my mind until tomorrow.
    Dean got two more beers from the fridge and we popped them. Today had worked out okay after all, despite car trouble and now this about the recruiting office shutting down. Dean was looking more relaxed with the second beer inside of him and making a decision he could tolerate me. You can always feel when this point is reached with someone, it just kind of passes between you by way of invisible words.
    I began to like Dean a little. He had more than me, a house to live in with his aunt, who was company for him around the place, and he had his own small business with the lawn-mowing, but I could tell he was not a satisfied person with his lot in life, just something in his eyes and his twitchy way of shifting around on the chair. I could tell he was wondering what it would be like to be me, tall and big across the shoulders and a free bird able to go just about anywhere I pleased, money or no money. He wanted that, I could tell just by looking, and then I saw that he knew I knew, and his face clouded over. I would have to tread careful with this guy because he was more complicated than you might think, but then the same could be said about me, I guess.
    â€œYou don’t want to be going over there,” he said, stabbing a