Muerte Con Carne

by McKenzie, Shane

“I wouldn’t say that exactly. Found the local bar last night.” He had thought about coming up with some lie, but figured he might as well come clean. It would be physically impossible to hide his hangover today. “I might’ve gotten a little carried away.”

  She squinted up at him, her smile half melting away, but she shrugged. “I guess that explains why you look like shit.” She rose her eyebrow, bit her lip.

  “Yeah. So, uh, I guess you’re not-”

  “I’m sorry, Felix. I swear I don’t know why I act the way I do sometimes. I’m a bitch, and I know it, but for whatever reason, I can’t…I don’t know. A psychiatrist would probably tell me my fucked up childhood has something to do with it, and…shit, I can’t help it I guess. I’m just a weirdo.” She pulled herself out of the pool and cradled herself in his lap. The pool water soaked into his shorts. She leaned in and kissed him. “You forgive me?”

  Felix couldn’t help his cock from prodding her in the lower back, and he grinned, shook his head. “Nope.”

  She leaned in again, shoved her tongue into his mouth. Her hand went to the back of his head, gently scratching his scalp.

  Oh god I hope she doesn’t taste my vomit.

  “How ‘bout now?”

  Felix leaned his head against hers, took a deep breath. “Good to have you back. Tequila is not a good replacement, though you both are really good at giving me a headache.”

  She slapped him on the back of the head, and he yelped, then whimpered.

  “Is it really that bad?” She leaned back and looked into his face.

  “‘Fraid so.”

  “Well, then you should eat your food. The grease will help. I used to love menudo the morning of a hangover. Good medicine.” She hopped off his lap, bent down and picked up the bag at Felix’s feet.

  “That menudo will go nowhere near my mouth. I can’t believe you like that shit.”

  “Did you even try it? Unbelievable, I’m telling you.”

  “Hell no. Thank you, but hell no. I don’t know if my stomach can handle any food at all to tell you the truth.”

  She shook her head, pulled the menudo out, then tossed the bag to him. “Well, you need to eat. We have a lot to do today.” And then she popped the lid off the Styrofoam cup and drank the menudo broth.

  Felix’s stomach twisted slightly, but he concentrated on the food in his lap, pulled a taco from the bag. “Where did you get these anyway?”

  She wiped her mouth with her arm. “Trailer just a few blocks from here, parked right outside a small general store. Best I’ve ever had, and I’m not exaggerating.”

  Felix opened the taco, saw that it was barbacoa. His mouth watered at the scent, and he bit into it. Oh shit. Goddamn. He devoured it, his cheeks bulging as he chewed.

  “Fucking awesome, right?” Marta said as she chewed. She didn’t bother using a spoon as she sucked the menudo down.

  “Hell yes. Wow.” His empty stomach begged for more, and he unwrapped the second taco with hurried fingers.

  Marta tapped the bottom of the cup as she finished the soup off, sighed, and patted her belly. “I almost ate all the food myself after I tasted it, but I decided to share.”

  “How nice of you.”

  She patted the top of his head and began to walk away, back toward the motel.

  “Where you going?” Felix turned in the chair so he was facing her as she strolled across the parking lot, her ass swaying and dripping pool water.

  “To my room.” She pulled her bikini bottom from the crack of her ass, then looked over her shoulder at him. “Could use some company.”

  Felix knocked the chair over with the backs of his knees as he jumped to his feet and followed her.

  ***

  Marta lay on her back, panting and smiling. She reached over and patted the head of Felix’s cock. “Good boy.” A laugh sputtered from her mouth. “Suuuuch a good boy…”

  Felix chuckled, had both hands behind his head. Sweat covered both of them, their hair damp with it. Marta grabbed two fistfuls of her hair and giggled.

  Twice. She came twice. Felix had never done that before, and just thinking about it made her want to go again.

  Felix reached over, ran his hand over her breasts. His cum was warm against her stomach, and when his fingers slid through it, he sat up, tittered. “Let me get you a towel.”

  Marta just nodded, still breathing hard. She stared at Felix’s ass as he walked away, biting her bottom lip. Felix had never looked so sexy, and Marta wanted him again. Never wanted him to stop fucking her.

  It’s because you know what’s coming tonight. This is your last chance for some fun.

  Felix shuffled back toward her, wiped up the white splashes on her belly. He lay beside her, sighed, then leaned over and kissed her. Marta grabbed his arm, pulled him back on top of her.

  “I’ve never wanted you more than I do right now,” Marta said. She kissed him, slid her tongue into his mouth, reached down and grabbed his throbbing cock with both hands.

  He shuddered, his body quivering. Sweat dripped from his drooping bangs, rained down on Marta. She ran her hand through his hair, slicking it back, then kissed him again.

  “I love you, Marta,” he said. “I…I love you so bad.”

  She paused. Her instincts told her to shove him off of her, ask him to leave.

  Don’t do it. Don’t you dare fuck this up.

  “Fuck me, Felix.”

  And he did.

  5

  Felix’s headache was still there, but had calmed to a light throb in his temples. He was more concentrated on the buzzing in his groin. Marta had never been so passionate, so into it before. She had screamed, raked her nails into his flesh, pulled her hair, slapped the walls.

  You told her you loved her.

  He didn’t know where it had come from. The words slipped out as he stared into her eyes. The way she was looking at him, her face full of lust and want, he couldn’t help himself. But she didn’t say it back, didn’t even respond.

  She did answer. She told you to fuck her.

  Not really the answer he was looking for. She could have said worse, he supposed. But now there was that awkwardness. He said it to her and she didn’t acknowledge it.

  Don’t think about it, he thought. She’s going to know how much you love her when you propose anyway.

  Felix splashed some water into his face, then exited the bathroom. Marta lay on the bed, still naked, and smiled at him. She motioned for him to come to her with her finger.

  “That was incredible,” she said.

  Felix sat beside her, his back resting against the wall. He leaned over and kissed her. “Yes it was.”

  “As much as I want to just lay here and screw all day, we do have a lot to go over before tonight. You okay with that?” Now she sat up, hugged her knees.

  “Yeah, I think it would be a good idea. Like I told you before, I don’t really know the details.”

  “Did you bring the camera?”

  “It’s back in my room. The laptop too. Want me to get it?”

  She rolled her eyes. “Nah, we don’t need them really. Yes go get them!”

  When he stood, she reached over and slapped his ass, then giggled and chewed on her thumb nail. Felix quickly pulled some clothes on and stepped outside.

  As he strolled down the hall toward his room, he noticed the motel clerk standing just outside his office smoking a cigarette. The fat man glared up at Felix with pinched eyes, and the smile that stretched across his face stopped Felix in his tracks. It was a smile with something behind it, the way his eyes sparkled and his head bobbed just slightly.

  This son of a bitch was watching. Got cameras in the rooms or something.

  “Enjoying your stay?” the man said as he stomped out his cigarette. He held another strip of jerky in his other hand, the tip already soggy and chewed on, and stuck it between his teeth. “Can I offer you some fresh towels?”

  “You watch yourself, asshole. You hear me? I find anything in my room,
and I’ll have your ass.” Felix stepped toward the metal banister, gripped it hard with both hands as he glared at the fat slob of a man beneath him.

  The man put both hands up, that fucking grin still plastered on his face. “Haven’t the foggiest of what you’re talkin’ about, sir. Just wanna make sure my guests are comfortable.”

  And with that, the man chuckled and walked out of sight, the jingling bell telling Felix he’d gone back into the office.

  “Fucking asshole,” Felix muttered as he entered his room.

  He had forgotten about the puke, and he stepped right into it. The top layer had dried considerably, but as he stepped on it, his foot sunk in, nearly making him slip. The smell hit him like a bazooka blast, and he gagged, lifted the bottom of his t-shirt and covered his mouth and nose. The laptop bag lay beside his duffel, and he grabbed both as quickly as he could, then darted out of the room, slammed the door behind him, took a long, deep breath of hot, arid oxygen.

  He hoped the pig behind the counter enjoyed cleaning that shit up.

  Felix stopped outside of Marta’s door for a second. She still didn’t acknowledge what I said to her. The ring lay beneath his clothes in the bag, and he wondered if maybe now was the time. Maybe he should walk right in there, pretend like he was taking out the camera, but he’d take the ring out instead, and right then and there he would ask her.

  Yes. She’s in a good moon, the time is now.

  His body shook as he entered the room. She wore a Hello Kitty shirt and her panties, and she smiled wide when he shut the door behind him.

  “I missed you,” she said.

  “Yeah…uh, me too.”

  Her forehead wrinkled up. “What’s the matter?”

  “Huh? Oh, nothing. Had a little run-in with the clerk, though. I swear that motherfucker was watching us somehow. Had this smile on him…I don’t know.”

  Her mouth arched. “Ugh. That’s disturbing.” She eyed the walls, then lifted her shirt and flashed her breasts. “Like what you see, you pig fucker?”

  “Marta, come on.”

  She laughed, rolled her eyes. “So, let me see it. You told me about it, but I never got to see the thing.”

  Felix was on his knee. Just beside the bed. Marta scooted across the mattress so she was looking down on him. He reached into the bag, fingers shaking. His throat dried up, and he tried to swallow but couldn’t.

  Do it, you fucking pussy.

  His hand wrapped around the box containing the cross pendant, and he zipped the bag back up. I am a complete coward, he thought. He got off his knee and sat beside Marta, his heart slamming against his ribs like it was trying to escape his chest.

  “Let me see.” Marta grabbed the box, opened it. “Wow…it’s hideous.”

  Felix tried to hide his shaking hands, but Marta saw them.

  “What’s the matter?”

  “It’s just…that fucker really pissed me off. The clerk, you know?”

  She nodded, but glared at him suspiciously. “So, you want me to wear this thing?”

  “Come on, it’s not that bad, is it?”

  She turned the gray, metal cross over, as big as her hand. “It’s fucking ugly.” She smiled. “But if we run into any Mexican vampires, I’ll be able to protect us I guess.”

  “Look, it’s all I could find. No diamond encrusted hidden camera pendants available.”

  She pulled the necklace over her head, and Felix lifted her hair for her. Her fingertip ran across the metal surface. “It is pretty neat, though. Can’t tell there’s a camera in there at all.”

  “And it was damn expensive too, so it better work. It’s pretty damn cool, check it out.” He pulled the wireless USB plug from the box, lifted his laptop from the bag and fired it up. “See, it’s all wireless. The video you shoot will be recorded straight into my laptop. There’s a tiny button on the bottom of the cross there.”

  Marta fondled it, and suddenly Felix’s face filled the monitor. “Wow, look at that. The quality’s pretty good too.” She turned her chest from left to right and studied the screen.

  “Top of the line is what the man I bought it from told me. If you hit the button again, it’ll stop the video and save the file to my laptop. If not, it’ll record in ten minute increments and automatically save it until you shut it off.”

  “Hey,” she said, pointing the cross at Felix. “You staring at my tits?”

  Felix threw his hands in the air. “Well, tell me what you think, will you?”

  “It’s perfect. Really it is, even better than I thought it would be.” She walked around the room, repeatedly checking the monitor to see what she was filming.

  “Can I ask you something?” Felix said.

  “Mmm hmm.”

  “What happens if you get caught and the first thing they do is take the necklace? Wouldn’t the whole thing be pointless then?”

  “What do you mean pointless?”

  Her tone had deepened, and Felix threw his hands up to shoulder level. “I only mean that the whole point of this is to document what happens, right? Catch some footage? If they take the camera, what have we got?”

  “I won’t let them take it.” She hit the button and sat on the edge of the bed, fondling the gold chain of the necklace.

  “Okay, but let’s say they take it anyway. Don’t you think it would be a good idea to have some kind of identification on us? Just in case? We would only show it to them if they confiscate the camera, that way we can leave, try again later.”

  She pursed her lips, ran her fingers through her hair, tossed it back to reveal her face. An obvious forced smile barely pulled at the corners of her mouth, and she reached over, patted Felix on the leg. “Let’s talk about the plan, all right?”

  Felix sighed, nodded.

  “I’ve been doing a lot of research, looking at some maps. I found a good spot close to here that looks perfect. I say we head out there today, just check it out while the sun is still up. Get a feel for the area.”

  “Okay…yeah.” This is insane…this is fucking crazy.

  “Then tonight, we head out on foot. Could be a long walk, couple of hours maybe, but not too bad.”

  “And once we’re out there, then what?”

  “I was just about to say, Felix. We just walk along the border, keep our eyes and ears open. We’re hoping for two things. First, if we see La Migra, we run, make it look like we’re running from the border, right?”

  “What about the cartel? Have you thought about them at all?”

  “Don’t get paranoid on me, man. Cartel? You’ve been watching too much TV.”

  “Yeah, it’s called the news. It’s a very real danger, Marta. I just think we need to keep an eye out for anything, don’t you?”

  She sort of chuckled, stared up at the ceiling. “Okay. You see any of the big bad cartel, and we’ll run and hide. Okay? Because they’ll have a big neon fucking sign on their chests that says cartel on it.”

  “Don’t get childish. We’re putting ourselves in danger, and all I’m saying is we should be careful. For anything.”

  She crossed her arms, looked like she was chewing the side of her cheek.

  “Okay then, what else are we hoping for?” Felix said.

  “Illegals. Actual illegals crossing over. We can talk to them, interview them.”

  “I don’t know shit for Spanish.”

  “Then you just fucking stand there while I do the talking, all right? And if anyone asks you any questions, you just nod or shake your head. Play dumb. It won’t be that hard.” She stood, paced the room.

  Felix clenched his teeth as he watched her, didn’t say a word. He could see her taking deep breaths, her lips sticking out as she exhaled. Then she faced him.

  “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to be an asshole. I really don’t, Felix. My stress level is about through the roof right now. I…I just want…” Tears trickled from her eyes, but she quickly wiped them away. She grabbed her bag from the floor, rifled through it. “These are my parents,” sh
e said as she took a seat beside Felix, set the framed photograph in his lap. “I didn’t plan on bringing that, but at the last second, I don’t know…I went back and grabbed it.”

  Felix smiled. “You look like your father.”

  Marta slapped him on the arm. “Thanks, dick.”

  “Not in a bad way. You have your mother’s smile for sure, but I don’t know…you’ve got your father’s intensity. That face,” Felix said pointing to the Mexican man’s austere expression, “is the face you give me most of the time.”

  Marta chuckled, gently took the photograph back. “It’s weird. I don’t remember them really, just flashes of images in my head that I don’t even know are real or not. But I miss them. It hurts how bad I miss them. Is that crazy?”

  “Not at all.”

  They sat there for a few minutes, just staring down at the photo. Felix leaned over, checked the time at the bottom corner of the laptop’s monitor. “Damn, we’ve been in here for almost three hours.”

  “And that’s a bad thing?”

  Felix’s stomach rumbled. “Of course not. I was just thinking maybe I can score us some more tacos, fill our bellies before we head out and check out this spot of yours.”

  Her face lit up. “That’s the best idea you’ve had all day.”

  “Really? The food’s the best idea?”

  She raised an eyebrow. “Yep. You were good, but you ain’t got shit on those tacos.”

  Marta wanted to try something different from the trailer this time, told Felix to surprise her. She told him how to get there and he started toward the door.

  “Wait,” she said. And jogged across the room just to kiss him goodbye. “Hurry.”

  ***

  There was only a small amount of meat left, and Alma made them each a plate. They sat at the table, Cristobal sipping on a Tecate between bites. He licked his fingers and watched Alma sloppily stuff stringy meat strips into her mouth.

  “I’m sorry. Okay? But I don’t know how many fuckin’ times I gotta tell you, Alma.” Cristobal hadn’t hit her that hard, had held back on purpose, but he still let her know she was out of line. “You have to control yourself…especially at home. I’m serious.” If Mamá ever found out…