“There’s a Dairy Queen coming up in Camp Verde and I need a Blizzard.

” Leo was
always up for a snack. The two men had only be driving for about half an hour and were
barely forty miles south of Flagstaff.

“Sounds good. I could use some refueling.” Clayton was instantly craving onion rings.

Camp Verde looks like a town that’s trying really hard to be overlooked. People go there
to be unavailable or fly below the radar. There were a lot of mobile homes that weren’t
going anywhere, disassembled trucks and stray dogs wondered around sniffing for food.
Leo eased off of I-17 and slowed as he entered the community of Camp Verde. The
Dairy Queen was a drive thru but Leo parked and they walked in side.

Clayton scanned the lit up menu hanging from the ceiling over the register girl’s head.
Her aggressively bleached hair and three inches of irregular black roots and she was
gnawing a fingernail spotted with the remnants of red polish. He ordered the onion rings,
a double bacon cheese burger and a coke, and when he paid he asked her for change for
the payphone. She gestured with a limp hand towards the hall and said, “It’s by the
restrooms.” Clayton smirked at her and hurried to the hallway while Leo debated the
Blizzard choices.

Clayton’s curiosity about Ben had lain dormant for nearly 24 hours. He now had to know
if he was in a jail cell or made it home. He needed the solid ground of information to
launch his next move. He was calling Ben’s apartment to see if he was there. He really
had no plan after that, but it would help him form one. He shook the change in his
cupped hand and lifted the receiver with the other and put it on his shoulder as he feed the
coins and dialed. After four rings he was tempted to hang up when Ben answered.

Clayton smiled. He was relieved and also terrified. He would have hang up but he heard
the bored girl at the counter call his order, and he hesitated, then said, “Ben. Well…”

“Clayton? You sonofabitch.” Ben spoke low and clear. He was clenching the receiver
and gripping the bedspread with his other hand.

“Yeah, you’re right. Shit.” Clayton hung up and walked to the counter and got his bag of
food. The grease had already bled through the side of the bag and Clayton was careful to
keep it from touching his coat. Leo was sucking on the straw of his Oreo Blizzard, deep
in concentration. He looked up and said, “I need a bigger straw,” then opened the lid and
got a spoon.

“Let’s eat here. We’ll make Phoenix in an hour and I’m in no hurry.” Said Clayton.

“Fine.” Said Leo and he sat to mine his milkshake for Oreo chunks with his spoon.

The van was powder dusted with fresh snow by the time they were ready to resume their
southern journey. By the time they reached New River, they had descended to a lower
elevation without a trace of snow. The valley of the sun in winter was snow bird paradise
and Clayton couldn’t wait to leave as soon as he arrived. During the hour drive from
Camp Verde he had made a mental check list to visit his Opal, terminate his business
with Ben, gas up his RV and head back east to Albuquerque and a fresh start. He didn’t
need a business partner any more.

His RV was parked in a vacant lot north of Scottsdale out by Fountain Hills. It was
rumored to soon to be developed as a golf resort but for now had horses and a funky old
cowboy bar call Greasewood Flat. Most of the desert valley was rumored to be one huge
golf course in the next ten years. That in itself was enough to make him move back to
New Mexico.

Ben’s heart was jack rabbiting in his chest after the call from Clayton. He got up went to
the kitchen for the last Ding Dong. The plastic freezer door wouldn’t latch, so he left it
open. . It was officially time to defrost the freezer. He pulled the plug from the wall and
left the door open. He unpeeled the Ding Dong and wadded up the foil and threw it near
the trash can. If Clayton had the balls to dial his number it meant he was going to show
up, which meant he wanted something. The only thing Ben had that was rightfully
Clayton’s were his boots and the carry on. Ben wasn’t finished with the Milagro novel
and was going to keep it. Clayton would have to get another copy.

Mela thought they wouldn’t make it to the hospital in time, and was very nervous driving
while Dharma was curled in the back seat and not wearing a seatbelt. The snow was
starting to stick as the sky lightened and Mela drove slowly and carefully with her lights
on and her gloved hands gripping the steering wheel tightly. Her Volkswagen hatchback
was barely big enough to fit the three of them and the overnight bags and felt extremely
unsafe at the moment. Mela thought for a moment as they were waiting at a light that
with the new baby she should get a new safer car. Something bigger with room for a car
seat and a stroller. The light changed and she pulled up to the emergency room door and
waved down someone who looked doctory and told them to get a wheelchair. Dharma
had miraculously unfolded herself from the backseat and the dula was holding her bag.
“I’ll park and be right in,” panted Mela.

Mela sprinted the parking lot as fast as was possible when wearing thick wool socks and
Birkenstocks. She shuffled in through emergency room door shouldering Dharma’s
overnight bag and a nurse waved her down the hall and another motioned her to head into
a delivery room. She stopped at the door and composed herself with two deep breaths
then crossed the dimly lit room and washed her hands at the sink. She took her place at
Dharma’s head and kissed her cool sweaty forehead. The doctor was checking her and
said, “she’s almost fully effaced and can push when she feels ready.”

Dharma pushed and rested for nearly an hour. Mela and the dula coached and took turns
with hand holding and knee bracing. The waves of energy were concentrated, frightening
and energizing. Dharma moaned, shrieked and cursed, and was soothed by her birthing
team. Mela felt protective but left the Mom in her outside and focused everything on
comforting and encouraging Dharma and letting the dula and OB nurse do their job.
Then all at once, just as the routine was getting predictable, a wet glistening head of hair
and a squinched little purple face appeared. Everyone but Dharma was cheering with
teary exhilarated smiles, as she screamed through a contraction and pushed the shoulders
through. And with a slurp a tightly bound bean sprout of a baby was unfurled and his wet
rubbery body was toweled and tucked into Dharma’s shaking arms. Mela could hardly
see for the tears and she shivered. Dula put her arms around Mela and said,
“Congratulations Gramma.”

The meal was over and the grown ups were finishing their after dinner drinks in the living
room where they had started. Bea and Pablo had their coats on and Bea held out Opal’s
coat for her to put her arms in. Mrs. Womack had introduced herself to Bea and told her
the whole story of being saved by Opal and how surprised she was to see her again.
“small world.” Smiled Bea. Bea had given her approval for Mrs. Womack to give Opal
knitting lessons and they were setting up a plan for when to start. Mrs. Mintz was
thanking them for coming and inviting them back any time. She pulled Opal to her for a
hug and said she should come back and see the cactus garden sometime soon.

In the fancy Pablo car with the convertible top up it was hard to get away from the pot
smoke coming from the front seat. Opal decided to lie down and could stretch out full
length on the back seat without bending her legs or turning sideways. Pablo and Bea
weren’t being affectionately gross or giggling, so Opal could tell something had
happened and they were waiting until she wasn’t around to talk about it. She’d traveled
that road before when her father was still living with them. She was supposed to spend
Thanksgiving with him but he’d never called to finalize the plans which was just as well.
Opal had a great time at Mrs. Mintz’s house and was excited to see Mrs. Womack. She
was not overly excited about learning to knit but that was because she knew she’d be
terrible at it, but Mrs. Womack was interesting.

Clayton was planning on getting dropped off at Tamara’s apartment and getting a ride or,
better yet, borrowing that behemoth Chevy of hers and picking up his things at Ben’s
then heading out of town before dinner. He could stop off quickly and see Opal before he
went to Ben’s. The one thing that didn’t factor in to Clayton’s rational thinking was the
small fact that today was Thanksgiving.

Leo was relieved to see Clayton go and sad at the same time. He pulled over at the end
of the driveway like Clayton had asked him to. “It’s been real cool sharin’ the road with
you, man. Thanks for the company and funding the gas and meals and all. Good luck
with your lady troubles.” Clayton smiled his salesman smile and waved, “Vaya con
Dios, Leo.” Leo turned back onto Central Avenue and was gone from view behind a wall
of oleander. Clayton could still hear the putting of the Volkswagen’s engine as he
walked slowly down the driveway towards the apartment complex. He opened the screen
door to Tamara’s and Rommel started barking fiercely with her nosing the curtain aside.
Clayton rolled his eyes and groaned and he knocked hard to be heard over the barking.
After a few minutes he heard Tamara trying to quiet Rommel and the chain coming off
the door. Tamara opened the door a crack and braced her body against Rommel. “Your
timing is amazing. Happy Thanksgiving.” Tamara looked like the plain girl who sits at
home on prom night when not in work clothes.

“Is it? Oh, right. Can I come in?” Clayton was thrown off by the realization that it was
Thanksgiving, but recovered his charm and smiled at Tamara.

“I should let Rommel make that decision. What do you think Rommel?” The question
excited her and she was more enthusiastic in her announcing her hatred of men.

“I would prefer that the dog sits this one out.” Said Clayton. He wouldn’t hesitate to put
a bullet in that dog. Lucky for Rommel, his gun was….Well, he didn’t know where it
was.

“You are a world class shit, Clayton. The way you use Ben and set him up for disaster?
Nobody should treat Ben like that. Did you think for a second that putting him at risk
puts all of us at risk?” Tamara’s cheeks flushed from the effort of scolding. Clayton was
going to have to finesse this, and spend some time getting back on her good side before
he could work up to requesting favors of the car or a ride and this was going to put him
on the road later than he had planned. He did his time perfected guilty hound dog
routine.

“I am at that. I blew it. I can’t tell you how relieved I was when I got Ben on the phone
earlier today. I envisioned him in a cell and that just killed me. Leaving the pistol in that
bag was pure stupidity on my part and I take full responsibility for it. I told him so.”
Clayton was almost believing it himself.

Tamara softened her glare slightly and petted Rommel behind her back to quiet her.
“Keep talking. How are you going to make this up to Ben?”

“I don’t know if I ever can, fully. I wanted to check in with Opal then go over and
apologize in person. I came to you to ask for a ride or if you would grant me the favor,
borrow the Chevy even though I am fully aware that I have no business asking.”

“You are a piece of work Clayton. Go visit with Opal and then we’ll talk about a ride.”
Tamara shut the door and locked the chain. Then she walked back to her bedroom to take
a shower and get dressed for the ride.

Clayton walked through the apartment complex to the back and knocked on the door of
Bea and Opal’s apartment. “This place is a dive.” Thought Clayton. The short path that
led to the front door was lined with terra cotta pots filled with plump aloe vera stalks.
There was no answer and the lights were off inside. He went to the sliding glass side
door near the kitchen and could see the light over the stove was on but it looked like
nobody was home. Clayton took a business card from is wallet and stuck it in the crack
near the door handle so they’d know he came by. Then he walked slowly back to
Tamara’s apartment and hoped that incorporating a visit to Opal into his routine had
earned him some points with Tamara.