Earthbound

by Adam Lewinson

  “But the Great Plains Holding Company didn’t kill your father,” Becca reasoned.

  “How do we know they didn’t hire someone to kill him? We have no idea! The alleged investigation is being done by the one person who would gladly turn a blind eye to my father’s death. Especially if someone tipped him with a few extra coins in his own pocket.” Pace turned to Becca, suddenly apologetic. “Sorry, Rebecca, you did date him. I mean no disrespect.”

  “None taken,” she agreed. “He takes bribes all the time.”

  I was confused. Wasn’t the first time, or the last. “So you got some wild theory about the bank so you’re in?”

  “I know every little detail of that bank. I’ll get us in, I’ll get us out.”

  Becca seemed to think she had it figured out. “You want to get back at them for firing you, is that it?”

  “They robbed me of my livelihood, yes,” Pace agreed. “But it’s more than that. You know what I understand better than either of you? Money. The power of money. Your relationship with money’s been about the lack of it. You fear it because you need it desperately. That changes when you’ve had it. Plenty of it. Money doesn’t buy you a little food when you’re hungry or clothes to cover your body. No, money buys you freedom. And I’ve been about as free as a man can get in this settlement. And I’m not going to be robbed of that too. I can’t live like you guys. Your life sucks.”

  Becca sat sharply upright like she had been offended. I suppose we both had. She looked like she was gonna chew out Pace pretty good, but instead she just turned her horse and rode home.

  “Think she’s going to turn us in?” Pace asked.

  “You don’t know her well,” I said. “But you might want to think about that before you shoot your mouth off.”

  “Can’t help it. I know I’m a talker.”

  The next day as the sun was setting and I’d finished my twelve hour day on the ranch, I joined Pace on a bench across from the bank. He’d been sitting there for hours I suppose, making notes about the activity, and noting the time on his watch.

  “You know, nobody robs banks,” he said.

  “Why not?” I asked.

  “Maybe because there’s always been this sense that we’re in this together, right? The Great Falls settlement – one for all and all for one. But that’s not the way I see it.”

  “Are they armed?”

  “No one’s armed. It’s not like that. You’d know if you actually had a bank account.” I saw no reason to have one. I always spent what I had, or if I had an extra gold coin or two I just hid it in my boot. “It’s very friendly in there.”

  “Where do they keep the coins? In a safe or something?”

  “Yes, in a safe.”

  “You know the combination, right?”

  “I did until they fired me.”

  “But if you don’t know the combination…”

  “… I’ve got it worked out.”

  The OPEN sign in the window of the bank flipped over to read CLOSED. A little man in a gray suit walked out of the front door and locked it behind him. He had a burly moustache to make up for his lack of manliness.

  “Is that guy’s name Frank?” I asked.

  “Yup.”

  “You used to work with him, right?”

  “I was his boss. Now he runs the place.”

  “He made out pretty well in all this. You don’t think he had something to do with your father…”

  “Frank? No. Too much of a wuss.”

  Frank noticed Pace sitting confidently on the bench. Pace smiled and tipped his hat. Frank twitched nervously as he fumbled to put his key in his pocket and scurried away.

  “So you wanna go rob this place now?” I asked.

  “Ash, I love your enthusiasm. Not yet.”

  “Cause no one’s there now, right? Seems like a good time.”

  “This takes a little more planning than just busting in the door. You’re not the planning type, are you?”

  “I never said I was. I’m more of the bustin’ heads type.”

  “Well bust your head on this. After we steal the gold we need to know what we’re going to do afterward, right?”

  “Sure we’re gonna spend it.”

  “Where? At the general store where Becca works? We need to plan everything out. Where we’re going, how we’re getting there. You know. Details.”

  “You know what Pace? You do the thinking. You’re good at it. I’ll do the punching.”

  Pace smiled. “I think we’re going to make quite a team.”

  So we planned. And planned and planned and planned. So much planning that I wanted to effing throw up. When I make up my mind about something I just wanna do it. But as I learned about Pace, not him. Although his planning has benefits. On the next night I met up with Pace at the saloon. He had a little surprise in store for me.

  “Let’s go outside.”

  I followed Pace around back where we huddled away from the dim gas lamp that kept the street barely visible.

  “I got us both a present,” he said. He opened up his long coat and revealed two revolvers, one tucked on each hip inside his belt loop. My eyes widened.

  “How the eff did you get those?”

  Pace pulled the revolver off of his left hip and gave it to me, handle first. “This one’s yours.” She was a beauty, I can say that. I can’t be certain but I think the handle was made of pearls or some other kind of hard-to-get gem. Even though it was dark out back behind the saloon, the handle still shined. The gun slipped into my right hand. I measured the weight. Even though I’d never held a revolver before, it felt about right. I really had no idea how it was supposed to feel.

  “Is it loaded?”

  “No, but I’m getting some bullets. Just hold onto it for now. Put it under your pillow or something.”

  We went back inside and I admit I had a hard time getting drunk. I was just too excited, feeling the revolver press against my hip. And that night I did place it under my pillow, funnily enough. But not before examining every inch of that weapon. I made out the words SMITH & WESSON engraved on the polished steel barrel. I have no idea who Smith or Wesson were, but they made an impressive handgun, that’s for sure.

  The next day was a Sunday. Finally I got to sleep in past dawn. But I got woken up early anyway by a pounding on my door. I didn’t mind it though when I saw it was Pace, and he held in his hand a box of bullets.

  We rode up north past the boundaries of the settlement, well past where a gunshot would echo back. No one would hear it except some wildlife. We did have to be on the lookout, though. We were in bear country. And no ten-shooter was gonna make a dent in a grizzly.

  We picked an old oak tree for target practice. First we loaded up each chamber, one bullet apiece. I went first, since I had far more experience with guns – rifles, at least. I pulled back the hammer and got a sense of how to aim using the sight. I pulled back the trigger and the gun went off before I was ready. I recoiled a little, and the bullet shot upward and clipped off a branch. Not a big deal, but I felt pretty stupid. Pace was laughing but I couldn’t much hear him, my ears were ringing a little. That little revolver seemed to make a bigger noise than the shotguns I’d fired. Not one to show that anything rattles me, I just took aim again and pulled back the trigger. I was in control this time and hit the tree right where I wanted to. Next thing I knew, I’d fired off my remaining eight shots and my ears were ringing but good. Pace had his hands clasped over his ears. I checked out the damage to the tree, and I’d made nine nice little holes all in a row. This was my kinda weapon.

  Pace was next and this time I held my ears. Didn’t wanna go deaf someday. He wasn’t nearly as confident with his gun, and his aim was off too, but I was patient and gave him some pointers. He genuinely seemed interested in improving. Which was good cause he was gonna need it.

  That night I couldn’t much sleep. Usually with enough whiskey in me it’s not too hard to pass out. Maybe it was the adrenaline from learning how to use t
he revolver, or the sense of power it gave me to hold it in my hand. Or maybe it was something else, something I couldn’t quite figure out that was right on the periphery of my mind. Anyway, maybe at 5am or so I got up and for reasons I can’t quite figure out I cracked open the door to what used to be my parents’ bedroom. I never went in there much. Not much need to. I had left things pretty much the way my mother left them before she killed herself. Seemed fitting.

  I passed by the old chair by the fireplace and ran my finger alongside it. Dust. Becca wouldn’t have let dust collect on it. We used to sit in that chair together and she’d read. She’d read me all sorts of stories and books about everything. That’s why I have a pretty decent vocabulary I suppose. She’d tell me about words I didn’t understand without asking. I’m not a good reader as you know. She’s great at it.

  I’m not gonna tell you what I was thinking about at this point. You can probably figure it out on your own. But I will tell you what I did. I bundled up cause it was pretty cold that night and hopped on Charon for a ride. Needed to see something with my own eyes.

  One of the benefits of not talking much is that you’ll hear people telling you things if you’re willing to listen. Pace had told me where he likes to take his lady friends when he’s seducing them. There’s a hill over by the blacksmith’s where there’s plenty of trees and decent seclusion, especially at night. Not the most beautiful view in the world. But a view doesn’t matter much I guess when your eyes are closed.

  I made sure to ride Charon across a pile of collected branches so we made plenty of noise. I wanted to give them plenty of warning, so I didn’t see anything that I didn’t want to see, if you know what I mean. I’m not sure I interrupted anything though. Sure enough, Pace was there. And so was Becca. And there was a sleeping bag sprawled out under a tree. But everyone was fully clothed, to my infinite relief. Although it was cold, they needed to bundle up, sometimes body heat isn’t enough. But who knows what they did overnight. Although it looked like Becca had been crying.

  “Ash,” Pace said, greeting me with a smile. He did seem a little surprised.

  “Yeah,” I replied. That’s all I said about that.

  Pace walked up to Charon and looked up at me on my perch. “Are you pissed at me?”

  “Can’t blame you for doing what I’d do, if I thought I could get away with it.” Pace seemed relieved. I don’t think he could handle my fist in his face like back in our schoolyard days. I tugged on the reins and walked Charon over to Becca. “Becca, I’ve come to talk for a minute.”

  “That’s good,” she said, tugging at my pant leg so I’d dismount, “because Pace is so unreasonable!” Pace shrugged, guilty as charged. “Asher, you can’t go through with this!”

  “Fine, give me a good reason,” I said.

  “You’ll get caught!”

  “This whole settlement’s a jail,” Pace chimed in. “What’s the difference?”

  Becca turned on him and pointed an angry finger. “We’re done talking. This conversation is with Asher.”

  “Okay okay,” Pace responded, holding his hands up in defeat.

  Becca turned back toward me to continue. “Could be a lot worse than jail. You could get shot down.”

  “By who?” I asked. “Boze? I’ll take my chances on that. Pace has a plan.”

  “That’s it? You trust Pace and his plan? You barely know him! You’ve known me your entire life! And I’m telling you his plan is going to ruin your life!”

  I put my hands on her fine shoulders. What the eff.

  “I’ve got nothing to live for right now. Unless you wanna tell me different.”

  The waterworks started going in Becca’s eyes. I wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

  “Asher, you really have no clue, do you?” She buried her head in my chest and just started sobbing. I glanced over at Pace and shrugged. He shrugged back. I don’t think either of us really understand girls.

  “If it’s just that you’re having a hard time choosing between us,” Pace mused, “we could flip a coin. Or you take even days and I’ll take odd.”

  I guess that was a little chauvinistic. The sobbing thing seemed to be replaced by her righteous anger. “Pace, shut your effing mouth!” Then Becca shoved me away. “And Asher, you’re such an asshole! You’d have a future… we’d have a future… if you didn’t rob that bank!”

  I looked at her for a second. Was she saying we’d have a future together? Or just I’d have a future, and she’d have her own separate future. It was all kind of vague to me. That and the whole thing of whatever Becca and Pace had been doing in their secret liaisons over the past couple of nights. No, Becca was just trying to manipulate me. Pace was the one she cared about. And if I didn’t do the bank robbery, he wouldn’t dare go it alone. He needed my muscle. She was just trying to protect Pace. I had a hard time believing she’d be that calculating, but I believed it anyway.

  “Pace,” I said, “let’s go.”

  “I should see Rebecca home,” Pace replied.

  “We’re headed to the bank. Wanna be there when it opens.”

  Pace ran up to Charon and tried to stop me from riding away. “We’re not ready Ash! We haven’t finished planning for…” But I wasn’t really listening.

  “Now or never Pace!” I declared and rode off. Soon I heard hoofbeats behind me. Two horses. Both Pace and Becca were following behind. Not sure Pace wanted to stop me or join me.

  I arrived at the bank just as that guy Frank was unlocking the front door, switching the sign from CLOSED to OPEN. Frank politely held the door open for Old Pearl, the seamstress, who had been waiting for the bank to open. Not sure how but she managed to keep working eight hour days with arthritic hands. Not a complainer. I respect that.

  Old Pearl smiled and thanked Frank for his courtesy. Little did she know. Then Frank noticed me and looked at me kinda nervously and tipped his hat and said “good morning.” I didn’t respond. Wasn’t in the mood to make nice. Not that I ever was.

  I heard two riders approaching. When they were close by, Pace yelled at me.

  “Ash we’re not ready! I was sewing us masks!”

  I just kinda looked at Pace. “Sewing? Really?”

  “Everyone’s going to know it was us!”

  “Isn’t that the point?” This was a moment of clarity for me I have to say. “What do you think we’re gonna do after we’re done, go down to the saloon and suck down a bottle of whiskey? If Boze had even the slightest hint that it was us, it’d be the first time he’d actually do his job. Then we’d just be sitting around waiting to get arrested. I think that’d worry Becca more than us being gone.” I glanced at Becca. She had no idea what to say. So I said it for her. “After this we’re gone. Just a couple a ghosts. There’s a better life for us out there. You know there is. And we’re gonna find it. There’s nothing here for us. Right Becca?”

  I dismounted and tied off Charon at the hitching post. Becca dismounted too and I felt her latch onto me from behind. She wasn’t trying to pull me back. She was just holding on. So I turned and gave her what I thought she deserved – a truthful statement.

  “I’m doing this, Becca. Wish it could be different.” I pulled my revolver out from under my coat. Becca gasped. “You should move along. Don’t want you here if things turn bad.” Then I headed toward the bank door – not sure if I would ever see Becca again. And I told myself I had to be okay with that.

  Something flashed in my mind. That chair. The one she used to read to me in. I wondered if there was a way to take that chair with me. No. No chance. I’d seen that chair for the last time. I hoped that when an angry mob came looking for me and ransacked the place and burned it to the ground that they’d be kind to my mother’s belongings. She deserved some respect.

  Before I could get through the door, I heard a voice behind me. Not Becca. Pace.

  “Aw hell!”

  I turned to see him scramble off his horse, tie it off and join me in the doorway.
/>   “You’re good with the plan?” he asked.

  “Yeah,” I said. “I told you I got it.”

  We walked inside the bank. Not sure if Becca was still sticking around waiting for us. I remember I’d hoped she was long gone.

  I think Pace was nervous. He was sort of fumbling with his revolver, and since it was loaded that is not recommended.

  “So you’re good with the plan?” he repeated quietly.

  “What the eff, Pace! I got it. You need to relax. You need to go jerk off or something?”

  “Me? You’re the one who hasn’t had sex in forever!” Pace didn’t mean to be mean-spirited with that. Instead he laughed. I think it helped focus him or something. “Okay. You’re good with the plan. Me too.”

  Now that Pace was smiling it was just so infectious.

  Pace buried his revolver beneath his belt and covered it with his long brown coat. He stepped up behind Old Pearl as she was doing her business with Frank.

  It had been a while since I was actually inside the bank. It was just one room, fairly small, with a counter for the clerk and a couple of desks behind him, plus the sealed vault. In that moment there was only one employee – good old Frank. He hadn’t noticed us yet. If he had he would no doubt have started to get nervous.

  Of course there was no lawman anywhere in the vicinity. No guns. None of the security cameras that Pace told me banks used to use in the days before the Exodus. Bottom line was they weren’t worth the expense. No one was stupid enough to do exactly what we were about to do.

  As Old Pearl finished her business, I knew my part of the plan. I was to hold the door open for the last patron, flip the sign from OPEN to CLOSED and lock the door. If anyone came by, I knew how to scare them off. Then Pace would do his business with Frank. And he’d enjoy it too.

  As I put my hand on the OPEN sign, waiting for Old Pearl, someone else came inside. Mrs. Johnson the school teacher. I kind of always thought she was okay. She was not bad looking in her own matronly way. Hadn’t seen her much since I dropped out. Wasn’t sure she’d even remember my name. I kept the brim of my hat lowered so she wouldn’t be inclined to engage me in conversation. She started to walk past me – and then she stopped. She turned and looked me straight in the eye.