Chapter One: Welcome to Texas

(also posted on a03)

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"I can't fuckin believe this is fuckin happening. You better shut the fuck up, because I am not hearing you talk for eight hours, Marty." This was Ruth's punishment, she thinks to herself. The bird shit on Frank Junior's car was not worth a weekend driving to Texas with her depressed boss. He wasn't exactly a ray of sunshine most days, but lately he's been snippy and tenser than usual. When she mentioned driving to pick up her friend Ellis from her ex's place in Texas last week, Marty had been quick to offer up his new ride for the drive. Her truck was in the shop getting new tires, so she accepted. She didn't know until this morning that he was coming with. He had shaken his head at her and said simply, "It's my car, Ruth. Don't be difficult." She rolled her eyes and accepted the keys from him, driving them away from her trailer with a little more gas than was necessary. He'd been silent since then. Ruth adjusts the rear view mirror and checks the clock: 6:07 AM. Glancing over at Marty, she sees him, eyes closed, hands clasped tightly in his lap and she sighs heavily. "Take a nap or something, Marty. You look like you need your fuckin beauty rest."

Marty sleeps for five of the eight hours to Texas. When he awakens, it's to his phone vibrating in his pocket. He yawns, rubbing at his eyes before he checks the text. It's from Charlotte. "drive safe. love you dad :)". He smiles for half a second, nods at Ruth when she asks if he's finally awake, and gazes out the window. At least someone missed him.

Marty was the one who finished the drive to Ellis' ex's house. He had raised an eyebrow when Ruth directed him to the gated community full of mansions on the northside of Dallas, and now he's even more in awe as he parks in the middle of a long curving driveway. The house is huge, and mostly glass. Basically a square, but massive and silver. Marty has to avert his eyes and put his old Ray Bans back on his face to avoid the glare from the shiny home. It looks incredibly modern and sleek, in contrast to the woman sitting on the large staircase up to the front door. She's in jean shorts, cut a little too short to be modest, and a faded Pink Floyd shirt that had seen better days. There are two large pieces of upscale luggage next to her that don't look like they belong to her. Ruth is out of the vehicle before Marty has it in park, running to the woman. "Ruthie!" This tall woman with a dark yellow, mottled black eye and dark red hair must be Ellis.

Ellis was beautiful, definitely. Nothing like Wendy, Marty thinks to himself before feeling a pang of shame. No, Wendy was beautiful too, just in a different way. Ellis has a bright smile and dark grey eyes (one of them marred with a black eye from her ex, he assumes). Her long, dark red hair is pulled back in two braids on either side of her head, and he observes her playing with the ends of the right braid often. He nods politely at her and waits until she's back embracing Ruth to take the rest of her in. She's tall, his height easily. Her body looks tanned and soft and he immediately wants to feel the curve of her behind under his palm. Whereas Wendy was slim and severe, Ellis was warm and curvy except for her stomach (Ruth had mentioned that she loved running and ran track in high school before her grandma had gotten sick and needed more help). After her long embrace with Ruth, she turns to Marty and nods, her eyes shining in the afternoon sun. "I'm Ellis. Thanks for the use of your SUV. I'll make it up to you. There's a hotel a few miles away, I can pay for a few rooms. You okay if Ruth and I catch up?" Marty nods, throwing the keys to Ruth. "You can drive. I'll be okay staying at the hotel," Marty says to the two women. Ruth catches the keys and grins widely at her friend, grabbing one of her bags and carrying them to the tailgate. "Should call work anyway, check in." Ruth locks eyes with Marty and says, "Sure, boss." They both know he won't be calling the casino. He had packed whiskey and he planned on getting drunk in his hotel room alone. Ellis is in front of him now and she touches his forearm for a brief second before saying quietly, "Thank you." Marty takes her other bag from her and loads it in the back, getting in the backseat as Ruth starts the SUV.

Ruth and Ellis spend dinner at the hotel bar, getting drunk and disorderly before heading to their shared room around midnight. While Ruth throws herself onto the queen size bed, Ellis gulps down water and asks Ruth, "Why is he here instead of his wife? If it's his casino, shouldn't she have chaperoned you?" Ruth covers her unruly curls with a pillow and groans, "They may be married but they ain't for real anymore. Fuck, she probly woulda let me take it without a fuckin' chaprone. They can't stand each other but they got kids. You coming to bed Ellie May?" Ellis tosses a tissue box at her friend from the bathroom doorway and says sharply, "Don't call me that, Langmore. That was Estelle's name for me. Go to bed." Afraid she offended her only friend, Ruth pulls the pillow off of her face and asks quietly, "Yeah? I'm sorry Ellis." Ellis breaks into a drunken grin and says through giggles, "I'm fucking with you, Ruthie. Go to bed." Ruth flips her friend off and is asleep within two minutes. Ellis showers and sobers up with some coffee.

Marty finds Ellis sitting in a cheap plastic chair outside the motel pool a little after midnight. He had woken from a vivid nightmare covered in sweat and decided to clear his head and cool off under the almost full moon. His hangover was fierce, but expected after half a bottle of Johnnie Walker. She hears his door open and shut, so she's waiting in her own chair with what definitely looks and smells like a joint in her hand. He nods at her and sits in the nearest chair, close to a foot away from her. Neither of them say anything for a minute, then Ellis clears her throat and asks quietly, "Can't sleep?"

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