Read The Tin Box for Free Online Page B

flip-flops. “Hey!” he said a little breathlessly when he arrived at the Toyota.
    William nodded and shoved the nozzle into his car, expecting Colby to continue into the garage.
    But Colby came to a halt next to the pump. “You don’t have any mail yet.”
    “Oh. Thanks.”
    “Are you all settled in?”
    “I guess so.” The pump whirred and hummed as the gas began to flow, but the numbers turned very slowly.
    “What do you do all day out there by yourself?”
    “I’m working on my dissertation.” Which wasn’t exactly true, but wasn’t quite a lie.
    “Yeah, I figured that. They usually get grad students to stay there. Mostly not by themselves, though. The last girl had a boyfriend, another student, and the one before that was a guy with a wife and a baby.”
    William sighed. “It’s just me.”
    “Well, I’d go crazy with nobody to talk to all day. Some days are really slow over at the store. You know, hours between customers. I hate that.”
    William glanced at the empty parking lot across the street. “Is today one of those days?”
    “Yeah. But I don’t care because today’s my day off. Grandpa still comes in to work Wednesdays and Thursdays.”
    “Ah.”
    A silence fell, but Colby was smiling and didn’t seem inclined to move on anytime soon. His shirt was really tight, and when he moved even a little, William could see his chest muscles flex. Colby must spend a lot of his free time working out, William concluded. Which wasn’t a line of thought he felt comfortable with, so he cleared his throat. “Maybe…. Do you know the closest place where I can get a wider range of groceries?”
    “Our selection’s not good enough for you?”
    “No, it’s just that—”
    “I’m joking with you.” Colby grinned crookedly. “What we have is pretty limited. I’ve been trying to talk Grandpa into carrying something a little more exotic, like maybe some frozen Thai food—God, I love Thai—or maybe some free-range meats. He’s not convinced.”
    “There’s probably not a big demand for that kind of thing here.”
    This time, Colby laughed. “Just me. And maybe you?” He tilted his head and gave a considering look that made William really uncomfortable.
    “So, is there someplace else I can go? I need some non-food items too. Housewares.”
    “Mariposa, then. Take me with you, and I’ll direct you right where you need to go.”
    William imagined being confined in the car with Colby and found himself shaking his head. “I’m sure I can find it on my own.” After all, how big and confusing could Mariposa be?
    “Yeah, I bet you could. But I need some stuff too, actually, and I’m sort of carless at the moment. I’d appreciate the ride. We could even have lunch. There’s a place that has great burgers, really cheap.”
    Unable to think of a way to refuse without being rude, William said, “Um, okay.”
    “Great!” Moving quickly—maybe out of fear that William would change his mind—Colby zoomed around the car, opened the passenger door, and plopped himself inside. He twisted around to face William and waved.
    When the tank was finally filled, William replaced the nozzle and went inside to pay. The cashier managed to complete the entire transaction without once looking at William or saying anything intelligible. Apparently some sporting event needed all his attention.
    “Is he a relative too?” William asked as he started the engine.
    “Who, Donald Hall? Nope, no relation. Actually, he and my dad got in some big fight long before I was born—I think maybe over a girl—and even though my dad’s been dead almost twenty years, none of us Andersons speak to the Halls. He still buys his groceries from us and we still deliver his mail, and we still get gas there. Not a lot of other choices for any of us. We draw the line at car repair, though, which is why my poor old Bunny is still good and dead.”
    They were on the highway, but William spared a glance at his passenger.