Adora went immediately to her room but Arcade climbed the steps to the dinosaur’s mouth. The men exchanged a quick hug.
“Hey, Manny. How’s it going?”
“Oh, you know. Can’t complain. How goes the fight?”
“I…I don’t know.” Arcade looked down at his feet. “She wants to go meet with Caesar. And she won’t tell me why.”
“Fuck.”
“Yeah, fuck is about right. I’m not sure I like this – being dragged around the whole damn desert without any idea as to our eventual plans.”
“Wanna grab a beer? Cliff can come up and cover for me for a while.”
“Manny, when have I ever not wanted a beer?”
They headed to Manny’s room, where Manny had been stocking up on alcohol in preparation for Arcade’s next visit. Ignoring the mattresses on the floor, Arcade flopped onto Manny’s bed.
“Yeah, sure. Make yourself at home,” Manny teased.
Arcade, however, wasn’t listening. Instead, he was rolling around on his back like a little kid.
“Ah! It feels so good to stretch out! And your bed is so soft! I think I’m going to stay here forever. Go tell Adora, will you?”
“Hey, if you’re staying here, you’re paying half of the rent. And that means you’ll need a job. And since you’re a lousy shot and we already have a guy to sell the little dinosaurs, you’re shit out of luck.”
“C’mon, Manny. Maybe I could pay you with sexual favors? After all, I am the smartest, sexiest bachelor around.”
“That may be true, but right now you smell like you’ve been playing in brahmin shit. Take a shower before you mess up my bed. Please?”
Arcade rose, throwing his forearm dramatically to his forehead. “Alas, the doctor’s considerable charm was not enough to win the fair maiden’s – oops, I mean sniper’s heart and he was thrown unceremoniously from the bed’s soft embrace.”
Manny elbowed him in the ribs. “Just get cleaned up. You really stink.”
-----
As Manny waited for Arcade to emerge from the bathroom, he considered their friendship. Manny had never in his life had a true friend. Sure, he’d been buddies with his cousins and then some of the Great Kahns, but he’d never felt close to any of them. He’d certainly not found anybody he could confide in.
Then came Boone. Before Arcade, Manny would have considered Boone his best friend. As sniper and spotter, they spent countless hours together in silent communication, reading each other’s eyes as though they could see into each other’s minds. Unfortunately, when they weren’t in the field and were finally able to talk, they never did. Sure, they were buddies, but that was it. Beers and girls and guns – those were safe topics. But feelings? Never.
And now Arcade had fallen into his life and his friendship had filled that desperately lonely void inside of him.
Speak of the devil. Arcade emerged from the bathroom, wrapped in only a towel.
“Got any clothes I can borrow?”
“Uh, Gannon, we’re not exactly the same size. I don’t think there’s anything here that will fit you.”
Arcade considered his options. “Okay, then. Just give me some shorts and I’ll wear them until my clothes dry.”
And that’s how they spent the evening: rapidly emptying the refrigerator of its alcoholic contents, stripped down to their shorts in the room’s stifling heat. As usual, they talked about not just what had happened over the last few days but about their hopes for the future. And as great drunk philosophers are able to do, they solved all of the world’s problems then promptly forgot those solutions.
Manny always allowed Arcade to take his bed. He didn’t mind spending the night on a mattress on the floor, and Arcade really did deserve the luxury of sleeping on clean sheets.
The next morning, Adora and Arcade set off for Nelson. She had heard a rumor that the Legion had taken over the town and wanted to see if she could gather any information. Promising to return that evening or the next, Adora kissed Manny on the cheek and began to walk to the east. Arcade gave his friend a quick hug and murmured, “See you soon.”
Re: Just Friends 2/?
“Hey, Manny. How’s it going?”
“Oh, you know. Can’t complain. How goes the fight?”
“I…I don’t know.” Arcade looked down at his feet. “She wants to go meet with Caesar. And she won’t tell me why.”
“Fuck.”
“Yeah, fuck is about right. I’m not sure I like this – being dragged around the whole damn desert without any idea as to our eventual plans.”
“Wanna grab a beer? Cliff can come up and cover for me for a while.”
“Manny, when have I ever not wanted a beer?”
They headed to Manny’s room, where Manny had been stocking up on alcohol in preparation for Arcade’s next visit. Ignoring the mattresses on the floor, Arcade flopped onto Manny’s bed.
“Yeah, sure. Make yourself at home,” Manny teased.
Arcade, however, wasn’t listening. Instead, he was rolling around on his back like a little kid.
“Ah! It feels so good to stretch out! And your bed is so soft! I think I’m going to stay here forever. Go tell Adora, will you?”
“Hey, if you’re staying here, you’re paying half of the rent. And that means you’ll need a job. And since you’re a lousy shot and we already have a guy to sell the little dinosaurs, you’re shit out of luck.”
“C’mon, Manny. Maybe I could pay you with sexual favors? After all, I am the smartest, sexiest bachelor around.”
“That may be true, but right now you smell like you’ve been playing in brahmin shit. Take a shower before you mess up my bed. Please?”
Arcade rose, throwing his forearm dramatically to his forehead. “Alas, the doctor’s considerable charm was not enough to win the fair maiden’s – oops, I mean sniper’s heart and he was thrown unceremoniously from the bed’s soft embrace.”
Manny elbowed him in the ribs. “Just get cleaned up. You really stink.”
-----
As Manny waited for Arcade to emerge from the bathroom, he considered their friendship. Manny had never in his life had a true friend. Sure, he’d been buddies with his cousins and then some of the Great Kahns, but he’d never felt close to any of them. He’d certainly not found anybody he could confide in.
Then came Boone. Before Arcade, Manny would have considered Boone his best friend. As sniper and spotter, they spent countless hours together in silent communication, reading each other’s eyes as though they could see into each other’s minds. Unfortunately, when they weren’t in the field and were finally able to talk, they never did. Sure, they were buddies, but that was it. Beers and girls and guns – those were safe topics. But feelings? Never.
And now Arcade had fallen into his life and his friendship had filled that desperately lonely void inside of him.
Speak of the devil. Arcade emerged from the bathroom, wrapped in only a towel.
“Got any clothes I can borrow?”
“Uh, Gannon, we’re not exactly the same size. I don’t think there’s anything here that will fit you.”
Arcade considered his options. “Okay, then. Just give me some shorts and I’ll wear them until my clothes dry.”
And that’s how they spent the evening: rapidly emptying the refrigerator of its alcoholic contents, stripped down to their shorts in the room’s stifling heat. As usual, they talked about not just what had happened over the last few days but about their hopes for the future. And as great drunk philosophers are able to do, they solved all of the world’s problems then promptly forgot those solutions.
Manny always allowed Arcade to take his bed. He didn’t mind spending the night on a mattress on the floor, and Arcade really did deserve the luxury of sleeping on clean sheets.
The next morning, Adora and Arcade set off for Nelson. She had heard a rumor that the Legion had taken over the town and wanted to see if she could gather any information. Promising to return that evening or the next, Adora kissed Manny on the cheek and began to walk to the east. Arcade gave his friend a quick hug and murmured, “See you soon.”