Chapter Thirty-Three: Across the Border

Will and Tony drove the several hours Northward to Reno, coming up Highway 395 through Bishop, Bridgeport, and Walker, California, followed by Gardnerville and Carson City, Nevada. Along the way, there wasn't much conversation to speak of. In fact, had it not been for the controversial wisdom of Rush Limbaugh and Michael Reagan, their trip might've been quite quiet, indeed.

Will and Tony weren't really friends, after all, just acquaintances - business partners, you might say. They just so happen to have known a lot of the same people, and have common interests in the same type of dealings.

They met each other about 11 months ago when Tony and T-Bone were hanging out on the front porch at Tony's house, playing dominos. The neighborhood was primarily black, and a dangerous one at that, so to see a greying white man walking leisurely down the street was somewhat rare, to say the least. They thought at once that he must be drunk, but he was't swaggering. When he brazenly approached them and asked if either of them had a cigarette, his speech was not slurred. This is when Will was given the reputation of being "scared of nuthin'" for the first time.

Time after time, however, Will demonstrated his apparent lack of fear in many touchy situations, and each time Tony was both taken aback and amused. Will's diminuative frame and stature didn't seem to be an issue, nor his advancing years. It was clear that, mentally, Will was no respecter of persons - he didn't care who you were or what you said, he was all business, all the time.

Tony would never really hang with Will, though. It's not like he was great company, after all - the man barely spoke. He could speak, of course, but simply chose not to most of the time.

As they passed Steamboat and Mt. Rose Highway and emerged on the southernmost edge of Reno, Tony suddenly realized that they hadn't stopped for food, not once. Even when they had gassed up last, they hadn't gotten anything to eat. Seeing an In-and-Out Burger off the freeway, they exited, and a few minutes later Will and Tony, two familiar strangers, were sharing a meal. Tony seemed to really enjoy the burger and the freshly made fries, while William really seemed interested in only the chocolate shake, which is not all that surprising if you're missing most of your teeth.