town for awhile. I just need to get my head together. I have an aunt who lives inVermont . It's pretty boring at her place, but I think I've had a little too much excitement for awhile.
This is goodbye for now, but hey, who knows about the future? For what it's worth, I'll treasure the good times we had. I love you and won't ever forget you.
Love,
Nicole
I gently replaced the letter within the envelope and tucked it into the back pocket of my blue denim trousers, then went to work because it was simply the thing to do. Bills had to be paid, money had to be saved, and, as the Americans say, that was that. Also a killer vampire had to be found; this had not been forgotten, and obviously a moving cab certainly seemed a useful tool in the search.
Co-op Cabbies, remember, we're professionals with a job to do.
That is what Dexter had announced over the radio the night of Truck's funeral. And it was those words that echoed inside my head after the completion of this affair. Despite all that had happened, despite my pain, there was a mission and a goal. There was indeed a job to do.
However, the job was becoming less pleasant as the weather warmed. Despite it only being mid-May, this night was hot and muggy, one of those nights where it actually feels more oppressive after the sun sets, even for one such as myself. Extreme temperatures do not cause us much discomfort, though heat is a tad less comfortable than cold. But the discomfort was greater in my weakened state, the effects of the long-distance teleport from two nights hence still felt. Still, the shift would not have been altogether unpleasant had I not been, as the Americans say, chasing my tail, circling block after block, racing for calls only to lose to another driver. My mood, already sour, only worsened as the night wore on, and the disposition of my passengers certainly did little to make life more pleasant. These things shall pass, yes, but there was no comfort in philosophy, not in the short term and certainly not on this particular night.
Finally, a call at the University Inn. Mine, but a traffic light kept me waiting, as thick, dripping haze froze the light forever red. The opposite light finally turned yellow, but a group of college students decided to make a run for it. They ambled ahead, slowed as if expended, then lumbered the rest of the way against the green. I turned the air conditioning up a notch, wanting my next passengers to be comfortable.
As soon as I arrived at the motel, a trio of businessmen jogged to the cab and hastily climbed in.
"Hello," I said. "Where can I take you tonight?"
"Spectators," one said.
A soft groan passed my lips. Why could they not walk a mere quarter mile? "Right away, sirs," I said with a smile, hearing an annoying falsetto remind me, "All calls are good calls."
"Jee-suz Chrawst!" one said. "How'd it get this danged hot. I thought I'd left the heat back inSouth Carolina ."
"It was that front that came in, sir," I replied. "It pushed away the nice weather we had been having. They say it will be hot and humid for the next few days."
"Well, that's just fucking great," the passenger said, his friends silent. "I didn't come here for the heat."
"No, you came here for the poontang," another passenger said.
Mercy made the ride short.
"That'll be one-seventy-five."
"Pay the man," the passenger on the far left said, getting out of the cab. The man in the middle climbed out and turned to the third man who remained rooted to his seat.
"Aren't you coming?"
"Naw. Think I'll just stay in this nice, cool cab."
"C'mon, Jasper."
"I do have to get on with the rest of my evening, sir," I gently added.
"Here," Jasper said gruffly, as he finally slid out of the cab. "Keep the change." The man slammed the door. A single crumpled, sweaty dollar bill and a dollar-off coupon lay in my palm.
"Lakeand U," Dexter's voice crackled.
I quickly punched the bid button, shifted into gear and raced toward the only call on the board.
"It's yours, Count," Dexter informed moments later. "U-Ride voucher twenty-five. Mad Hatters for three to Langdon. Pick up onLake Street at the U-Square pee-oh."
Almost five minutes after arriving at the pick-up point, seconds before a two dollar no-load fee could have been charged to the university, three men, one tall and slender, another short and