The Resolutions by Brady Hammes

Author:Brady Hammes
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
Published: 2020-05-04T23:00:00+00:00

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GAVIN FINISHED HIS MEAL, then explored the grounds of the world’s largest truck stop. Knowing that his sister was alive and safe at home eased the sense of urgency he’d felt earlier, and he took some time to stretch his legs before the final push to Chicago. There was a movie theater and a dental practice and a barbershop. The place looked like a frat house for long-haul truckers. He walked past the arcade, where two men were locked in an intense game of Cruisin’ USA, talking a good amount of shit between them. He heard the voice of a man shout, “Holcomb, shower’s up,” over the intercom, and the idea of a hot shower after twelve hours in the car seemed like a wonderful idea. He asked the man at the counter how it worked and was handed a clipboard on which he wrote his last name. He went back to his car and retrieved his Dopp kit and a clean pair of underwear. He bought a hotel-size bar of soap and a bottle of shampoo from a vending machine and used the two remaining quarters to play a clumsy game of pinball. When his name was finally called, he went to the bathroom and washed himself in lukewarm water, listening to the grunts of sleepy truckers struggling at the urinal.

When he was done, he helped himself to some gas station coffee and explored the gift shop, which wasn’t a gift shop so much as a Walmart in miniature. He made a lap through the store. There was a mannequin dressed in head-to-toe leather—boots, chaps, vest, even a leather cowboy hat—as if he’d murdered a cow and crawled inside. He hadn’t done any Christmas shopping yet, so he went searching for a few last-minute gifts. He bought a silver bangle for his mom and a wool blanket for his dad. He grabbed the leather cowboy hat for Jonah, a nice addition to the Indiana Jones image he believed his brother was cultivating. He picked up a pair of moccasins for Sam, ones very similar to the kind he’d seen people sporting back in Echo Park. Gavin hauled his wares to the woman at the register. “You need anything else, sweetheart?” she asked.

“This’ll do it,” Gavin said, placing his credit card on the counter.

The woman ran the card and then stuffed his items into a white plastic bag. “You have yourself a merry Christmas,” she said.

Gavin smiled. “Let’s hope.”

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