Shake the Trees Read Free Page B

curious.  I hope I didn’t offend you.”
    Ellen chuckled.  “No, you didn’t offend me Sam.  But why don’t you tell me about yourself.  And about San Luis.”
    The meal came.  The steak was good and, surprisingly, the wine was okay.  And Sam did tell Ellen about San Luis and his life there.  All about it.  Sam looked down at his watch and realized he had been doing most of the talking for nearly two hours.  He was feeling a buzz from the wine.  Ellen kept filling his glass and he kept emptying it.
    “I can’t believe it’s almost ten.  I’ve been talking your ear off for two hours.  I guess that’s what I do when I’m nervous.”  Sam couldn’t believe he had just said he was nervous.  He felt like he was in high school.  What the hell was his problem?
    “Sam, you don’t have to be nervous around me.”  Ellen smiled.  Sam looked like a puppy having its belly rubbed.
    “So Sam, you’re not married and have no children.  What about family?  Family is important, Sam.”
    Sam’s demeanor soured.  “I’m an only child.  My parents are both deceased.”
    “I’m so sorry.  Was it an accident?”
    He looked up at Ellen.  Her tone had startled him.  It was so - so matter of fact.  Somehow he sensed she already knew the answer.  He began to rearrange the crumbs on the tablecloth.
    “No.  Natural causes.  My father died of a heart attack.  My mother had breast cancer.  It was only a few years ago.”
    “I’m so sorry, Sam.  Look, why don’t you borrow that dusty bottle of cognac from your friend behind the bar while I use the restroom.  I’ll meet you outside in my car for a nightcap.”
    Ellen laid a one hundred dollar bill on the table and headed toward the rear of the dining room.
    “Ellen, I intended to pay the bill tonight.”
    “Not tonight, Sam.”
     
    Sam wedged himself into the seat of the Porsche while holding the bottle of cognac in one hand and two plastic cups in the other.  Before he had made himself comfortable, Ellen had unzipped his fly.  Even if he had the willpower to resist, he probably couldn’t have reacted quickly enough.  While his body had fully responded, his brain was still trying to wrap itself around what was happening.  Every muscle in his body was tensed and he hadn’t taken a breath since he sat down.  Ellen lifted her head up even with his, and brushed the hair away from her face.
    “Relax, Sam.”
    He leaned back in the seat and exhaled.  The whole episode was over in an embarrassingly short amount of time.
    “I’m going to have to take a rain check on that nightcap, Sam.  I have to get back to Albuquerque tonight.”
    Ellen’s voice was low and sounded husky and a little raw.  Sam was worried his would crack like it did when he was thirteen and going through puberty.  He cleared his throat. 
    “You do?”
    “I’m sorry, I do.”  She kissed him long and hard.  “I have to go, Sam.”
    He transferred the plastic cups to the same hand as the bottle of cognac, opened the door, and climbed out of the low-slung vehicle.  His movements were mechanical as he bent down and wordlessly waited.
    Ellen leaned over toward the open passenger window and nodded in the direction of the restaurant.  “I want to put a trophy on my wall, Sam.  I’ll call you.”
    “Well, I guess...”
    “I need to go, Sam.”
    He felt the sting of gravel hitting his shins and jumped back.  The rear tires of the Porsche chirped as they made contact with the pavement.  As the taillights disappeared in the distance, Sam wiped his lips and mouth on his shirtsleeve and looked down at the bottle of cognac and his open fly.  He turned and noticed an old cowboy sitting at the bar next to the grease-smeared window.  The weathered man raised his shot glass of whiskey and nodded.
    Sam nodded back.

 
     
     
    CHAPTER 2
     
    Dora Hufstedtler held her head in her hands as she stared down at the Formica top of her kitchen table.  The imitation walnut