Alley cat Blues Who: Nesryn, Ronnie, & Gabe with an appearance by Bilson What: Hanging out; bowling & tacos When: August 26, early evening Where: Truck stop bowling alley & Nes’ place Rating: Low - lots of fun times ahead! Status: Complete
To the Searchlight Strike!
“Oh, I heard about that!” Nesryn nodded at Ronnie when he brought up the rumor of the bowling alley circulating. “It’s like, two lanes or something, right?”
And that conversation had been chimed in on by one of their patrons, Gabe. A bit of back and forth later and they formulated an idea to check the place out and see if it was really worth all of the hype. Considering the fact that it was in a truck stop which also doubled as a casino/food place, it didn’t surprise Ronnie that they added a bit of a gimmick like that. Plus they served alcohol. It had all of the makings of a good time.
The plan was to meet there. Ronnie was terrible at bowling and just about any sport in general so while he was excited he knew he was heading for embarrassment sooner or later. Nesryn opted to sit this one out and let the boys have an experience for themselves.
Dressed in what he hoped was appropriate for bowling - jeans, a tee shirt, and sneakers - Ronnie waited around to see if Gabe would show. Not even five minutes and he was already clutching a cold longneck in his fingers, humming to himself as he viewed the place. It hadn’t changed in ages and he felt trapped in time.
Gabe walked into the ‘Terrible’s Casino’ and wondered to himself how people managed to know which was which when they were first coming to town. He’d tried the food at both establishments and had quickly come to the conclusion that Ronnie’s cooking was a good few miles ahead. And Bilson had agreed too.
“And we’re not going to use any advantages, OK?” Gabe murmured quietly, his companion tucked into his usual pocket inside Gabe’s lightweight denim jacket. With the intense heat Gabe had been reluctant to have Bilson with him a lot of the time, especially dealing with some of the Las Vegas real estate agents, so there was no chance he was going to be left at home again. “Just behave, OK?” he added, making his way past the bays of poker machines and toward the ‘alleys’ tucked away at the back of the casino. He saw Ronnie and headed toward the other man, eyes looking around to see where Nesryn was.
“Hey, good to see you,” he said, extending his hand to Ronnie. “Can I get you another one of those?” he asked, indicating the beer Ronnie was holding.
“Hey brother!” Ronnie chimed. He lifted his beer up in a greeting and then took a sip. “Yeah yeah, I got you. Those are for us.” He motioned to a nearby table with a bucket of long neck glass bottles of beer chilling patiently. It ran in the family, and while he knew his fate was sealed indefinitely it didn’t stop him from indulging. Gabe could refill the bucket once it was empty, if they made it that far.
“So bowling, yeah? I’m not that great of a bowler so don’t laugh too hard.” He laughed anyway and set the bottle down on the nearby table. “Okay, six pounds?” Ronnie looked Gabe over in an assessment. “Wait, ten. Ten?”
Gabe laughed as he grabbed a beer from the bucket. “If you’re talking about bowling balls, I’ll go with whatever,” he admitted, shrugging lightly. “And I’ll be honest up front. This is probably my third… maybe fourth time ever playing this? So it’ll be me asking you and anyone watching not to laugh too hard!” He put his beer back on the table after taking a swig and removed his jacket, hanging it on the back of one of the stools standing beside the table.
“What? Okay, okay, now I don’t feel like an embarrassment to the entire town for my crap skills,” he laughed. A single finger would be held up and a Ronnie rushed off to find appropriately weighted, brightly colored bowling balls. “Alright dude. This one’s a six, it’s light, and this ones an eight. I’ll put them both in the machine thing and you just grab the one that feels right. Yeah?”
As promised, both of the balls would be dropped gently into the mechanism. “Okay so, wasabi master, I’m putting you into the thing first, Kay? That way if you’re crappier than I am I won’t feel as bad.” That was a tease of course. He entered their names into the kiosk accordingly and the screen flashed for the first player.
“You’re up, tiger. Knock them dead.”
’You’re killing something??’
‘No, I have to try and send a large ball down a lane with a wooden floor, and knock down some pins… hopefully!’ Gabe smiled as he took another mouthful of beer, the silence in his head indicating to him that his companion was puzzling out what he had told him.
He selected one of the balls, the lighter one from what he could tell from the markings, and weighted it in his hands, turning it to push his fingers in the holes. He looked over his shoulder at Ronnie, “just don’t fall over with the laughing, OK?” Gabe asked, then turned his attention back to the task at hand. Growing up all his involvement in sport had been in either sailing or swimming, both requiring different skills, but nothing that really gave him much clue as to what he was doing right or wrong here. Turning his focus onto the white pins sitting highlighted at the end of the ally he leaned his head one way, then the other, held the ball up in front of him and took a couple of steps, trying to remember what friends down south had told him the few times they had ventured into a bowling alley. None of it returned in time and he winced as he felt the ball leave his fingers, twisting his body as if to try and get the ball to roll to the left more but instead watching it continue on its trajectory that meant it quite comfortably clattered into the gutter just a few inches short of the furthest pin on the right.
He turned around, hands in the air in mock despair, shaking his head. “Now remember no laughing!” he said, laughing himself as he walked back to where the other ball rested as the machinery cycled through its completely unnecessary process at the other end of the lane.
“Not making promises,” he laughed, offering a thumbs up. He leaned over to snag his beer and then turned back to inspect the posture and stance of the other man was if that would give him tips as to how to actually play this dang sport. He never understood the appeal of lobbing a ball down a slick strip of wood but some people got real competitive about it. The shirts were pretty neat, though.
Ronnie clapped a hand over his mouth trying not to snort beer through his nose as laughter wracked through him. “Woah, woah,” he managed, mouthy finally free of beer. “That was...no, it was pretty good. Better than what I’ve got, pal.” Another sip and Ronnie got up as the pins reset, waiting for his turn. “You got it this time. You got this!”
Gabe shook his head, eyed the other ball and decided to give it a go as the pins were released and the lane again ready. With a little more focus on what his hand and wrist were doing this time he launched the ball on its journey down the lane, a case of over correction sending the ball down the left side this time, but at least managing to clip the final pin on that side, sending it bouncing off the rubber mat suspended at the back of the pins. His arms shot up in the air as he spun around, and walked, victoriously back to the table. “I got one!” he laughed, putting his hand up for a high 5 as he approached Ronnie.
“Oh yeah!” Ronnie shouted, just as excited as Gabe was when that pin went flying. He nearly spilled his drink with the way his arms flew into the air. “See! I told you you’d get it this time.” A high five was given and Ronnie took a long sip from the neck of the beer bottle.
“Okay, okay. I got this.” The small pep talk was encouraging. The beer went down and he approached the terminal with the six pound ball. Fingers went into the hole and he closed his left eye as if to study the pins ahead.
Once they’d reset he crept up to the lane, swung his arm and nearly went flying with the ball though fortunately with a bit of a pinwheel he remained upright. The ball, though, slipped into the gutter and hit the back of the wall with a hollowed clack.
“Dude, no need to do that just to make me feel better!” Gabe told him, shaking his head, “though I do appreciate the thought!” he added.
“Ah, shuddup,” Ronnie laughed, shaking his head. He bent over to giggle, hands pressed against his own thighs and then a sigh escaped. When the pins reset he stood up and went for the other ball, feeling the weight. “Okay. This one is gonna knock down all the pins, god is on my side!”
He approached the line and let the ball go. It did roll, and smacked exactly two pins. Ronnie hooted and jumped up and down in place. “Take that, Gabe!”
“Damn, you’re on a roll now!” Gabe replied, standing up and crossing to where the heavier ball was sitting waiting. Two more bowls and Gabe had sent one more pin flying into the back curtain, doubling his score.
“Matching you now!” he declared with a laugh, picking up his beer as he returned to his seat.
“Was that bowling humor? Kudos, man.” He made his way back to his beer and then his seat, taking a sip with interest as his friend lined up to bowl. His emotions rollercoastered with the sudden success. “Cheating! This man is cheating!” He shouted, though it was only meant to be a joke.
He finished the drink and tossed it into a nearby trash can. “Okay. Okay. I’m going to show you how this game is really played.” He pretended to roll up his sleeves and then approached the ball terminal. Two throws later and he was in the same bucket where he started - with Gabe evenly matched and no pins down.
“So that’s the way to do it?? Damn, all this time I thought we were supposed to get the pins knocked over!” Gabe teased, taking a swig from his beer and setting it on the table again as he stood up.
“Oh shut up,” he laughed, nudging the other man with an elbow. Ronnie picked up another beer after sliding the bucket closer, waiting to see what the damage would be this time. At least he was having fun even though he knew he was going to lose. Or maybe he would get lucky.
Gabe selected the lighter ball again, lined up on the centre of the front pin, and took slow steps this time, swinging his arm back and managing to send the ball down in something that vaguely resembled a straight line. But without any major power, so when the ball did finally reach the pin it toppled it, which in turn managed to knock over the ones behind it, leaving a large gap in the middle with just three pins on one side and two on the other. “No! Really??” Gabe groaned as he turned, dropped his head and made his way back to the table.
“That was amazing!” He was a little bit jealous, he had to admit, but that was alright. He’d known before agreeing to all of this that he wasn’t much for sports activities. “I can’t believe that luck!” At least it wasn’t a strike. “You can still get the others right? You got this!”
“How do you hit those?” Gabe asked, pleadingly, indicating the split set with raised arm. “I mean, if I’d try to do that? If you’d said to me ‘go and knock the centre out of the set’, or rack, or whatever they call it when they’re all set up? I couldn’t have done that for any amount!” he groaned, shaking his head with a rueful grin. “And now I have to get the ball to do a 90 degree left turn, because yeah, how else do you get them all with one shot?!” He took a swing of his beer and shook his head, laughing.
“You do that twisty thing,” Ronnie replied, trying to attempt the motion with his free hand, spinning his wrist a little. “Like on the bowling shows. They do that ball spin trick and those pins go flying.” Then he shrugged and sipped from his drink. “I got faith in you, brother. Go get them!”
Gabe huffed a laugh, and gave Ronnie a look of complete disbelief. “Because I have such amazing ball control skillz!” he said, trying to imitate a ‘rad cool kid’ drawl but failing miserably.
“Oh yeah, those mad skills,” he laughed. “Just knock those pins down so you can gloat and I can try to get more than you.” Shaking his head with amusement, he sipped from the drink and waited to see what the result would be.
And Gabe made his way back to pick up the newly returned ball, leaning his head first to one side then the other again, then remembered how little that had helped when he’d done it before, shrugged and sent the ball down.
Literally.
Down, bounce, roll, and with great precision following immediately along the path it had gone the previous throw, cleanly between both the remaining sets of standing pins. He turned on his heel and returned to the table, “well, getting the middle part pretty much sorted!’ he joked, giving a wry grin and picking up his beer. “Go on, now I’ve shown you how NOT to do it, show me how it’s done!”
On the literal edge of his seat, Ronnie squinted. He watched and winced as the ball rolled through the middle section without touching a single pin. “Ouch.”
A swig from the beer and Ronnie stood up. “Okay. I’ll show you how to do this,” he nodded though he didn’t sound certain. His drink was set down, he cracked his knuckles, but before he could grab the ball a familiar voice caught his attention.
“Hey guys!” Nesryn scrambled over, clutching her purse. “Who’s winning?” To Gabe she turned, “tell me you’re kicking his butt. I can’t have him strutting around in the kitchen like a peacock tomorrow bragging about bowling rights.”
Ronnie rolled his eyes. “Like you can do better.”
“Maybe I can,” she smirked, arching an eyebrow. Ronnie blinked. “I am not getting beaten by a girl.”
He swept up the six pounder and took a shot at the pins, managing to knock two over. A fist pump of triumph and he did a little dance there on the line. “Alright!”
Gabe laughed, giving Ronnie a clap as the man celebrated, then turned to Nesryn and pulled a sad face. “I think, thanks to my last go which was the world’s greatest fluke I am on 7 and Ronnie is now on 4, but he still has that 2nd ball to go.” Gabe called out to Ronnie, “c’mon buddy, show us how it’s done!”
Nesryn smiled at Gabe, listening to the score. “Wow! You guys are doing great!” Her attention turned back to Ronnie as he tried a moonwalk. “That’s not how that goes,” she murmured. Ronnie just waved at her.
He went to get the second ball and waited for the pins to clear and be set. “Okay, okay. I’m channeling my inner bowling pin.”
A step, and then another, and Ronnie swung the ball down the lane. The thing clattered against the pins and sent them all flying in different directions. “What?!”
Gabe let out a whoop of joy for Ronnie, clapping loudly and whistling in congratulations. “Man! That was brilliant!” he laughed.
Nesryn was clapping too. “That was great!”
Now Ronnie was dancing, shimmying and really getting into a groove in a victory dance. “Oh, no, not the robot,” Nesryn laughed, shaking her head.
And then Ronnie returned to his seat, grinning at Gabe. “That’s how bowling is done.”
With arms raised Gabe bowed to Ronnie as he backed away toward the lane. “I am in the presence of greatness!” he laughed, straightening after a moment and turning to pick up a ball and looking back at Nesryn, holding it out to her.
’Shifter.’
‘Yes, one of the ones I told you about, from the meeting.’
“Would you like a go? I mean, I need all the help I can get against the ‘Master’!” He smiled, hopeful.
“You better believe it,” Ronnie chimed, finally quieting down to let Gabe bowl. A sip was taken from the beer. Nesryn looked at the offered, bright orb and she grinned, getting up to take it. “Thanks.”
“Oh, no fair,” Ronnie murmured.
“All’s fair in love and bowls, brother!” Gabe joked, giving him a wink and turning to watch Nesryn.
“Shhh, I’m trying to bowl,” Nesryn said over a shoulder, sticking her tongue out at Ronnie. He looked playfully shocked, but piped down.
And then Nesryn approached the line and tossed the ball, sending it straight through the middle of the line. The pins scattered and emptied the cavern.
“WOAH!!! Now THAT’s how it’s done!” Gabe whooped, heading straight over and picking Nesryn up, spinning around once before putting her back down on the ground and holding her bowling arm up. “I present you with the Searchlight Strike!”
She laughed, arms thrown around Gabe as he spun her. And then she took a bow, “You’re welcome!” Ronnie made a face and then laughed softly, “Okay okay, what’s the secret?” Nesryn smirked, “My folks were part of a league back home, I’ve been bowling since forever.”
“Figures,” Ronnie quipped good-naturedly as he stood up to go claim a ball. “Alright, alright. My turn.”
"That? That right there was amazing!" Gabe laughed as they reached the table. He finished his bottle and tossed it in the bin before selecting another from the bucket and held it out to her. "For you, Searchlight Strike!"
Nesryn took the bottle with a grin, opening it up. “Thanks! To your victory!” She offered her bottle up for a little toast. Gabe opened a new bottle and touched it to hers “Cheers!”
Ronnie, meanwhile, selected his ball. He approached the line and tried to do what Nesryn did. The ball rolled and knocked over two pins before nose diving into the gutter. He hooted, and Nesryn clapped, “Look at that. Quick learner!”
He came back for the eight pound, watched the rack reset and got another straight gutter ball. “I guess we all can’t be perfect like you, Nessie,” Ronnie mused, taking his seat again.
“Ah, don’t worry Ronnie, as long as you keep making the best burgers in town I think you’ll be able to walk proudly!” Gabe teased, hopping off his chair and heading over to pick up the smaller ball.
Ronnie nodded, “That’s fair. Tomorrow is the kaleabrate good times burger. It’s going to be amazing.” And while Nesryn appreciated a good pun she rolled her eyes and laughed.
He crouched a little, hunched and then straightened his shoulders, and took the few steps forward until he swung his arm back and sent the ball down the alley. A resounding clatter was the results, and four pins were scattered across the back curtain. “At least it wasn’t down the middle this time!” he laughed as he returned to the pick up the heavier ball, weighting it in his hands again. He tried again, this time focusing a little more to the right and ended up skittling the far corner pin, the solitary victim of his ball thudding as the rest of the remaining pins stood solidly, staring back down the alley at him. “Hmm, cheeky buggers!” he chuckled as he made his way back to the other two.
“You got this, Gabe!” She shouted. Bowling wasn’t that much of a challenge in her opinion, you just had to learn the trick. Everything had a trick. Both she and Ronnie cheered when the pins went flying, exchanging a high five.
“Man that was awesome!” Ronnie grinned and got up, making his way to the terminal to wait for the pins to reset.
“Thanks!” Gabe replied, feeling more than a little happy with himself as he perched back on his seat, his elbow bumping the shoulder of his jacket and dislodging it.
’Hey!’
“Oops sorry!” Gabe replied, realising a little bit late he’d replied out loud.
Nesryn blinked. “Sorry for what?” Her head tipped and then she turned back to look at Ronnie.
Gabe smiled a little sheepishly and adjusted his jacket on the back of the chair. He was relieved Nesryn hadn’t taken much notice.
’How many beers on an empty stomach?’
‘Enough out of you!’
Ronnie was lining up to toss the bowling ball, sending it down the lane. It clattered against a farmost pin on the right. With a bit of dramatic discouragement he went for the eight pound ball and managed to snag a few pins more - the two on the far right.
“Better luck next time,” Nesryn said as Ronnie plopped back down in his chair. “Shuddup, you.”
“Hey, you’re using my trick! You either go either side, or my super duper special is straight down the middle, take no prisoners!” Gabe laughed, after taking another long swallow of beer.
Nesryn and Ronnie both laughed. “You just wish you were as cool as her,” he quipped, pointing at Nesryn who looked playfully shocked, “Excuse me for knowing how to use one of those things.”
She took a sip from her beer and set it down, “Come on, Gabe. I’ll give you a few pointers so you can send Ronnie back to the kitchen.”
Gabe nodded, and as they made their way across to the alley he looked over his shoulder at Ronnie and winked. As they reached the balls he looked at the two that sat there and asked the question that had been bugging him all night. “How do I know which ball I should be using?”.
“You want a bit of a heavier ball, but not one too heavy that it’s hard to throw it,” she explained. Nesryn picked up the eight and tested the weight. Her voice dropped, “For you and I it’s harder because we have more strength,” and then her voice rose again, “you would be okay with this one but you might have better success with a ten pound.”
Nesryn handed him the eight pound and she took the six pound. “Come over here, I’ll show you how to stand and hold your arms.”
The demonstration was done slowly so he could watch and see how she moved. She didn’t throw the ball, but moved it in a way to show what the trajectory would look like if she had. “If you practice you’ll hit a strike every time.”
“I appreciate your faith in my abilities,” he chuckled, face straightening after having been creased in concentration on what she was saying and showing him. “Reckon it’ll take a damned lot of practice before I get to your level!”
“I believe in you,” she offered, nodding at him. “Once you get the stand and the swing down, we can work on ball rotation.” A shrug of her shoulder and she backed up so as not to crowd Gabe or distract him from the throw.
“Right, the stand, the throw, and of course, ball rotation,” he repeated, starting to try and recall all the things she’d just shown him. It reminded him a little when Ana was showing him one of the spells she’d just mastered, but he suspected Nesryn had a lot more patience than his sister.
’She would not believe you were doing this!’
‘She always did have trouble enjoying herself unless it involved huge amounts of money.’
As he was wont to do when concentrating Gabe drew his bottom lip in, holding it between his teeth, not even realising he was doing it. On more than one occasion this had led to him biting a little too hard and on the rare occasion drawing blood. Fortunately this wasn’t one of those times, but his concentration was clear on his face as he tried to mimic the stance Nesryn had demonstrated and swing his arm through, releasing the ball and watching it roll down the alley.
Both Nesryn and Ronnie watched as Gabe rolled the ball. Would he knock all of the pins down? It seemed as if enough force had been applied. It was all up to circumstance now.
And then the sound of the ball smacking the pins and sending them flying rang in her sensitive ears. “Gabe!” She gasped, excited. “Aw lobsters,” Ronnie sighed, putting a hand over his own face. All of the pins fell over and a huge ‘X’ appeared on the screen.
Gabe couldn’t believe it himself, staring down the lane as the pins bounced, clattered and came to a stop only to then be swept away by the scoop. “Damn!” he exclaimed, turning around and looking at the other two. “Did you see that??” he said, laughing and still glancing back at the end of the lane and the screen to check it really happened. “Clearly your amazing training skills, and a whole lot of beginner’s luck!” he said, picking up his beer and beckoning the others to do the same as he declared a toast. “To the Searchlight Strike, not only the best damned bowler in town, but also the best damn coach!”
Nesryn was clapping for her friend. “That was amazing!” Obviously he was a quick learner. “Now we work on your twist.” That was a joke but she was happy to help when they weren’t in the middle of a game that Gabe was now clearly winning. Both she and Ronnie lifted their drinks up in toast.
“Aw, that’s sweet but you did that,” she stressed, tilting the neck of the beer bottle toward the lane. But she drank anyway.
Ronnie sighed and got up after taking his sip. “I’m never going to win now. What do they call the three strikes in a row thing?” Nesryn blinked, “A turkey?” He nodded at her, “Yup. Next one and Gabe’s a turkey.”
He went to get his ball and did his best to also mimic Nesryn, managing to get three pins on one side and then another few on the next round.
As Ronnie was bowling Gabe watched on, but took the opportunity to ask Nesryn, “what did you think of that meeting the other night? Up at the Blindeye? Got to admit I was surprised at some of the people who were there.”
Nesryn turned to look at Gabe and nodded, keeping her voice down. “Me too. I think it was good though, knowing who is out there in case there’s any trouble. Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone what you are.” She winked and smiled at him. “I don’t care what anyone is, as long as they’re a good person who will do the right thing in the right situation.” Now she knew there was a plethora of knowledge and wisdom tucked away here in the small town and it made her not feel so alone.
Ronnie wandered back and sat down, “You guys are conspiring against me, admit it.”
“Always buddy, and have you seen someone about that? The large streak of paranoia running down your arm there?” Gabe teased as he took another swig from his bottle before looking at Nesryn. “Your turn to bowl?” he offered.
Ronnie laughed, “They cost too much. Beer helps.” It did in some circumstances and it was way cheaper than therapy.
Nesryn nodded, “Sure!” A drink from her bottle and she got up to take a turn. This time she got the pins down the middle and then the spare on the second try. Returning to her seat, Ronnie shook his head. “Miracles at the bowling alley.”
“So that’s how that’s done!” Gabe marvelled having been convinced they might see Nesryn not get all the pins down. “I have the first shot all sorted, straight down the middle, but it’s gonna take a bit more practice for that follow up,” he declared.
’Food might be good now?’
“Yes, food might be good, if we had any,” Gabe agreed, again realising as he did he’d actually said it out loud. “Sorry, just… you know… thinking out loud,” he added.
“Food?” Nesryn murmured, having caught a bit of what Gabe said. She turned to look at him and then around at the truck stop. “They probably have something here unless you guys want to go somewhere else and eat?”
The game was nearly over anyway. Ronnie found his own stomach was grumbling. “Food does sound good. Fries, maybe a burger or some tacos.”
“Tacos! Yes,” Gabe agreed, looking from one to the other. “But where do we find tacos in Searchlight?” he asked, having already received a rather enthusiastic response to tacos in his head.
Nesryn then turned to Ronnie. Ronnie blinked. “I mean, I could probably make us some but I need a kitchen.” The only other close places were Laughlin or Boulder, and while those weren’t far it required travel to whatever distance Google Maps would take them.
Tacos at Denny’s we’re not quality tacos, and restaurant and fast food types typically were greasy.
“You guys game?”
“Do you have a kitchen?” Gabe asked, realising just how silly that sounded. “I mean, I know you have the kitchen at the diner, but I know I saw some of the places here when I was looking for my place, and there were some that had just the bare minimum. So… I have a kitchen, if that’s what you need, we’d just need to collect supplies, because those? Yeah I don’t have anything really, because I know this really great diner…” He stopped talking, realising he was starting to sound silly.
Ronnie smiled. “Your place is probably larger than mine, honestly. I can swing by the store before it closes and grab some stuff, just tell me what you like and what you don’t, I’ll get the rest.”
Nesryn made a face, “You don’t have to do that, Ronnie.” And he waved at her, “I know but now I want to because tacos.”
“So, whose place? Mine?” Gabe asked, a little unsure of what was now agreed.
’Shells’
“And let me buy what we need, I should probably get some basics, and this will be a good excuse.”
“Why don’t we meet up at my place?” Nesryn suggested. “It’s not huge but it’s got an okay kitchen and it’s comfortable.”
Ronnie nodded. “Then why don’t Gabe and I go get what we need and meet you?” Nesryn nodded. She looked at Gabe. “Is that okay?”
“Sure, sounds like a plan,” Gabe agreed, looking across at the alley. “Do we finish this? Or are we going to let Ronnie escape the pain of being defeated?” he joked, arching an eyebrow at them both.
“Ha ha, funny.” Ronnie smirked. “Aw, let’s save him the defeat. Poor guy is making us tacos. What a real winner.” Nesryn laughed and moved to stand up. “Hey, that’s … well, it’s diplomatic,” Ronnie decided.
He stood up too and gathered up all of the trash. “Okay. Nes, text me your address and Gabe and I will hit the store then be over there.” She nodded and waved, “Be safe guys. See you soon.”
Gabe finally sat down on the couch, Nesryn having had to chase him out of the kitchen for the umpteenth time. He collected a beer from the fridge on the way, and looked at Ronnie as he sat down. “I don’t think she wants my help,” he told the chef ruefully, Nesryn already having evicted Ronnie with threats of bodily injury if he so much as set a foot in there.
“Hey man,” he laughed, shrugging. “If she wants to be the hostess I say let her.” It wasn’t worth fighting about especially since it wasn’t his place. He certainly didn’t mind doing all of the work. Moments later Nesryn was bringing out a large plate stuffed full of tacos. She had yielded Ronnie’s advice on preparation though.
“That smells so good,” Ronnie murmured. He took a sip from the beer and stole a taco. “Mmm.”
“Oh you’re so right,” Gabe agreed, leaning forward and eyeing the selection and reaching out to pick one up off the platter. As he did his jacket gaped open and there was movement that made it look like it was moving with a non-existent breeze momentarily, a tiny black nose with twitching whiskers appearing briefly. With his hand full of taco and the other holding a napkin underneath to prevent any contents from dropping onto the floor he looked up and met Nesryn’s eyes, hoping she hadn’t noticed.
Her head tipped a bit as she caught whiff of a new scent. Was that rodent? “Do you smell that?” She inquired though her tone was without disgust, and more with interest. Ronnie blinked mid-bite and looked curious at her. Maybe she was imagining things.
“Nope,” Ronnie murmured through taco.
“Uh, smell what? I can smell this amazing food!” Gabe said, trying to nudge Bilson back inside both mentally and with his elbow, but failing as the jet black rat had caught scent of the tacos too. The small nose and twitching whiskers were not retracting.
She heard a small noise, almost like a squeak and her eyes dropped to the little whiskers rodent eyeing the tacos. Nesryn’s eyebrows shot up and then she smiled and cooed, “Aw, Gabe! It’s so cute!”
Ronnie blinked. “Wha?” Nesryn nodded at the black rat that was barely visible from the shadows of the inside of Gabe’s denim jacket.
“Is it hungry?” She didn’t know what the gender of the rat was and didn’t want to offend. “I can make a plate for it.” Desperately she wanted to hold the thing and cradle it. But tacos.
“He,” Gabe replied with a sheepish grin, “and yeah, you could say that!”. Looking down at the protruding ‘bandit’ he shook his head. “I should’ve known you wouldn’t be able to wait just a few more seconds!” he said, Bilson now on Gabe’s thigh. The jet black rat stood up on his hind legs, front paws reaching up and swiping at the shred of lettuce dangling down from the taco in Gabe’s hand.
“Bilson! Manners!” he said out loud, the reaction instant as Bilson immediately crouched down and looked up at Nesryn, whiskers twitching and black eyes blinking. ’C’mon, you’re torturing me.’
“Nesryn, this is Bilson, my… companion. Bilson, this is Nesryn, and yes the one you almost met before,” he said, turning to look at Ronnie, hoping he was as cool with Bilson as it looked like Nesryn would be. “And that’s Ronnie, the one whose fries you like.”
She was grateful for the correction on the gender, and smiled. “He. He is adorable.” She knew she’d picked up on a scent the first time she and Gabe had interacted at the diner. Now she could place it.
Ronnie looked at the new addition and stuck out a piece of taco meat as an olive branch to the little rat. “Anyone who likes my fries is a friend of mine. Sup, Bilson?”
“Gabe. I have to hold him if he’s cool with that, oh my god.” Nesryn said with a grin.
“And you will, but I reckon right now you’d be his friend for life if he was given own plate,” Gabe grinned, Bilson now standing on his haunches again looking up at Gabe and across at Ronnie’s offering. Gabe reached over and quicker than the eye could easily follow Bilson ran up Gabe’s jacket and out along his arm. His paws reached out and took the piece, quickly sniffing it for all of zero point zero three milliseconds before quickly devouring it.
Ronnie laughed softly at the quickness and eagerness of Bilson. “Yeah, he's cute. Totally the group mascot.”
Nesryn was already getting Bilson his own plate and a small dish for water. With them in hand she returned and set them down, putting a taco on the plate for their newest addition. “Alright Bilson, you’re all set!”
“That’s going to be the best and oddest Thanksgiving. Do you get him birthday presents?” Ronnie asked, curious.
’Birthday?’
Gabe choked on his mouthful of taco at Bilson’s reaction, pretty happy that his friends had accepted Bilson so readily. “Don’t give him ideas!” he begged Ronnie once he’d managed to swallow rather than inhale his mouthful. “He gets plenty of spoiling,” he added, “though I think he does miss my grandmother who used to spoil him when I wasn’t home. She’s the only one he would go to, she’s the one who selected our companions, years ago,” he explained.
Ronnie and Nesryn both laughed at the reaction softly, “Aw, but imagine him in a little party hat with a teeny birthday cake,” she offered. Ronnie only shrugged and helped himself to another taco.
“What do you mean selected?” Ronnie asked, interested. Nesryn looked at him and then over at Gabe. ”He’s cool” she mouthed. It was up to Gabe to give up what he wanted to share and to keep what he wanted to himself. Plus Ronnie was the easily distracted type.
“Uh…” Gabe’s eyes darted from Ronnie to Nesryn and back again. “In my family it’s a tradition that the grandmother selects a ‘companion’ to, you know, help with studies and things like that,” Gabe replied. He’d never been really comfortable talking to people he didn’t know about his background and why his introduction at the meeting had been specifically vague.
“We have a .. sort of a connection…”
’Sort of?’
Gabe rolled his eyes at Bilson and continued. “... where I can sometimes hear what’s going on when those cogs are turning,” he grinned as the rat’s head tilted, the black eyes looking at him sideways before returning to continue munching on a piece of taco shell he had grasped in his paws.
“Oh, sounds cool!” Ronnie replied, leaving it at that.
Nesryn released a breath she didn’t know she’d been holding and her smile grew. “Well, we are happy for the extra company. Bilson can come eat supper anytime he wants to.” She didn’t mind company at all. Derek has been over for pizza a few times, and pizza rolls, and now she was hosting a taco night.
“Careful what you wish for!” Gabe warned her, an eyebrow arched as he glanced down at the small animal. “He can tuck a bit of food away!” He paused before adding, “he’s good at communicating with all species too, though sometimes he has to be a little careful of the more predatory types, in case he is mistaken for a tasty treat. Took him a couple of meetings with Cian when we first met, to get used to him.”
“He doesn’t have to worry about me. Now that I know what he looks like, if I see him out I can keep him safe.” The scent was more what she was getting at. Bilson was now registered in her smell index and if he was ever out on his own she would know something was wrong with Gabe and she would also be able to protect him. “And both of you are always welcome for dinner!”
Ronnie just smiled, “Aw. Is this a Kodak moment?”
Gabe finished his second taco and gave Ronnie a grin. “Why? You wanna take a picture because it lasts longer?” he teased, wiping his fingers on a napkin.
He laughed, “You guys are just so adorable, preserving the moment seemed like a plausible thing to do.” Ronnie made a face and then shrugged, “But maybe Bilson isn’t camera ready. No worries, man.”
Nesryn shook her head, “Just eat.”
Gabe eyed Ronnie for a moment, not sure if he was as keen on Bilson as Nesryn, It didn’t bother him, but it would make him a little cautious about being as open about things.
“So tell me, where’d you learn to cook?” he asked, “and are all those burger combinations your own creations? From memory the first one I had was the Final Krautdown!”
“Oh yeah! The krautdown!” He laughed and nodded, “Yeah that’s a good one. I went to culinary school in New York and puttered around there for a while. Actually I landed a sweet gig in Vegas and moved back and now I’m here. I’ve been cooking for a long while, and all of those creations are mine. Fortunately the manager over there is totally cool and let’s me do whatever with the burgers as long as I don’t screw with the staples.”
He didn’t have a problem at all with their little guest, in fact he found the rat to be charming. “I just don’t like to brag and stuff, you know?”
“Uh huh,” Nesryn laughed, nudging Ronnie with an elbow. “Hey, hey no fair,” he quipped.
“You had a sweet gig in Vegas and you gave that up to come here?” Gabe repeated, a look of surprise and curiosity on his face. “What made you do that?” he asked, genuinely wondering. “I’ve only been here a couple of weeks and I’ll be honest, other than the passing traffic and the lake down at the Cove, I’m struggling to see what keeps people going here.”
“Oh,” Ronnie said, sheepishly, “Uh. My mom got cancer a few years ago and I moved back to be with her. She passed, it’s been a while, I just never left here.” He smiled and shrugged, “I was born here so I guess that’s reason enough to hang around. You’d probably like it more in Vegas or around the marina where the tourists and the night life are. It’s not as rambunctious around here unless you like the dive bar scene or the tiny casinos.” Or the stuff that went bump in the dark.
“I like it here,” Nesryn chimed in. “It’s quiet.”
Gabe ducked his head, wincing when Ronnie talked about his mother. “I’m sorry about your mother, Ronnie, nothing’s going to make that easy,” he said apologetically. “Can understand if this is your hometown, makes sense, but believe me, the lights and noise of Vegas aren’t exactly my scene. I grew up on an island that’s a bit of a tourist attraction, so I was over all that at a young age, and preferred sitting on the dock with friends like him for company.” He indicated Bilson, who was now in the process of preening himself, his fur almost looking like it had a blue tint to it.
Ronnie smiled, “Thanks man. She was a good lady, but she’s better off with Jesus than she ever was here.” He could understand the appeal of the big city and the adventure that went along with it. He’d been there. “So it’s not a bad place here. If you find a spot then welcome to Searchlight! If not, that’s rad just don’t forget us little people. I think we are closer to the Cove, anyway, if you’re into the dock.” But he could’ve been misremembering.
Nesryn nodded. “You’ll like it here. I loved Portland but this is better. It’s more compact and I feel safer.”
“So you’re from Portland?” Gabe asked, picking up his beer and leaning back. “What brought you to sunny Searchlight?”
Nesryn made a face. “I ran,” she admitted with a wince. “My parents were trying to control my life and when I started looking at places to move this one kept popping up. So, I felt like it was fate and I packed my stuff and came here.” The full story was a bit embarrassing so she kept it to herself for now. “But I don’t have any regrets. All of my best friends are here!”
“That always makes it good, no matter where you are,” he agreed, nodding. He paused before asking the next question, remembering he’d heard that Ronnie had been involved in this too.
“You were both in the diner the night that things went a little crazy, right?” he asked, looking from Ronnie to Nesryn and back again. “What happened?”
Both of them looked at each other for a moment and then back at Gabe. “Uh, there was this crazy sandstorm,” she explained, leaving out the real backstory. “And then something took control of me.” The last few words were said softly as if uttering them aloud would bring that moment back.
“Everyone seemed to go crazy,” Ronnie explicated. “Nesryn was yelling at some of the guests, I think she had a knife at one point. Some really cute brunette came into the kitchen and stole a hot pan of hash browns, it was crazy. And then this big flash of light came and everything sort of went back to normal.”
Nesryn nodded. “They closed the diner down to clean it, apparently there was a lot of stuff to fix. Blood everywhere, things had been turned over. Ronnie wasn’t hurt, or at least that’s what he said. And something happened at Lucky’s too.”
“Yeah, Cian was there, seems some bikers in the back room went a bit crazy, almost sounds like a similar thing, they went crazy and started … breaking up the place,” seemed like a better option than they went on a killing spree.
“So you were possessed?” he asked, wanting to get a better idea of what happened so he could be ready if something like that happened again. “Like Abby?” he added, trying to remember the other woman’s name, then adding, “or Celeste, was it?”
“Brian was there too, that night.” She frowned. But everything had turned out okay so she didn’t let herself get hung up on it. Her eyebrows went up, “Abby got possessed too? I know a few people went outside and the rest of us stayed.” Poor Abby. “If she had what I did then yeah, I guess whatever it was split itself up.” She nodded at mention of Celeste, “Yes, Celeste, James and Abby went outside. I think there may have been someone else, and I, Phanuel, and a couple of people were inside. Ronnie too.”
Gabe nodded, figuring he could ask James what he’d seen in more detail. Especially what he’d done to exorcise whatever it was. As he sat there mulling over what they’d said Bilson took the opportunity to wander across toward Nesryn, his nose twitching as he looked up at her.
“He’s trying to get past the whole ‘scent’ thing he’s detecting,” Gabe said with a smile.
Nesryn looked down at the rat and smiled warmly. She set her hand down to him making sure to move slowly so as not to startle. “We can be friends, Bilson, I promise. Take your time.” She spoke directly to him knowing he could understand even if Gabe and whatever connection he had could fill in the blanks.
Bilson’s head lowered a little, then he stretched out, tentatively sniffing, his whiskers reaching forward to get a good sense of her.
“Yeah, I told you that before,” Gabe said, out loud, as little paws reached up and leaned against her hand. Then in the blink of an eye he leapt up and scampered up her arm, diving under her hair and lodging in the back of her collar behind her head.
Nesryn giggled.
She hadn’t expected the quick reaction but that warmth settled on the back of her neck was comforting. “Well, if you move in you have to pay your share of the rent,” she giggled again.
Ronnie blinked. “Woah, he's fast. I didn’t even see him get over there.”
Nodding slowly Gabe chuckled. “He is, until a certain seahawk sees him, and he seems to just slow down,” he said with a grin. Nesryn would be able to feel the shudder that ran through the tiny body. “Nearly became someone’s dinner that night, didn’t you?” he teased, then added, “Don’t go getting too comfortable under there, we need to get going soon.”
Bilson slowly appeared again, this time on the other shoulder, his nose pushing through Nesryn’s hair, his face appearing as he edged forward.
“Aw he’s so cute,” she murmured, tilting her face toward the rat to look at him. “Sorry you can’t stay here, buddy. But Gabe seems to take good care of you.” That little shiver made sense. Poor thing.
Ronnie smiled. “He is cute. I never had pets growing up but rats are neat. I’ve seen some cool YouTube videos about them.” He figured they were social creatures and so he wasn’t surprised that Bilson had friends in high places. Or tall places, rather.
“Thanks,” Gabe said, “he’s a good companion,” he added, standing up and reaching out his hand to where his companion had reappeared on Nesryn’s shoulder. Without so much as a blink Bilson crossed over and scurried up Gabe’s arm, stopping on his shoulder to look around.
“And on that note, we might head home. By the way, I’m just over in Montana on the corner of Addition if you ever want to come visit,” he told them. In a town this small he was pretty sure most people knew where each other lived anyway, whether by choice or accident.
“Thanks for dinner, and the bowling lessons!” he added, giving Nesryn a wink.
“Cool! Let’s do this again soon,” Nesryn replied. She offered Gabe and Bilson both a wave. Ronnie nodded, standing up too. “I should probably also head out. After I help clean up. See you around Gabe, don’t be a stranger.” And with that the group went their separate ways.