Snuffy's Money

Spent last night in little rock on my way to Laredo.

Was on my way to the truck after a short walk when I saw him. I gauged the distance to the truck and measured it against the ability of his gait. I had him, piece of cake. But he hung in there and just as I locked the door, there was his pathetic mug looking back up at me through the window. Thought of using my "no comprenday" but I'm just too fukken white.

So here's the story- seems the old codger and his wife are on their way to nashville and their radiator tanked. All they have to their name is 72 bucks and God bless they sure love the Lord and could i help just a little?

Shit he sure looked the part of the lost tourist from omaha, right down to the belt. Walked like festus from gunsmoke but without the zip and I'm sure he never owned a horse.

His sad words had to be gummed out and he wore a Jesus hat.

Shit.

I dug around for a couple bucks, maybe a five, but the smallest i could find was a twenty. I shrugged sorry. No problem, he had change.

Lovely.

So I give him 20, he hands me back a five and five ones. Bar money. I knew it immediately. Soggy-the smell. And now I had it,and paid 10 bucks to get it.

An old guy shuffles in to Snuffy's tavern, drinks bought and the money changes hands and pockets all day long when its not in the till.

It falls on the bathroom floor and it soaks up the stale beer from the bar and the alcohol bleeding out through shaking hands.
Hell, a dollar bill might spend an entire week in Snuffy's bar before escaping and now they were mine and i was theirs and there never was a wife, never a leaky radiator.
As the old codger made his way around the parking lot, the cb radio came alive.
"hell, that old man was here two weeks ago with that same leaky radiator," some guy offers up with a laugh. "but that time he was on his way to Dallas." Everyone chuckles.
And so it goes.

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