Chapter 2

I inch the truck along the main thoroughfare,one foot on the brake pedal as we crawl along behind other trucks between lines of vendors setting up their booths.There’s a tractor somewhere up ahead,I hear the ragged engine churn in the rising heat,and people dart across the strip,dodging between the trucks as they chase after children or livestock that have managed to get away.Twice I hit the steering wheel in frustration but I don’t bother to use the horn—wouldn’t do any good.Instead I glare out the window at anyone who dares to meet my gaze and egg the truck on in little jolts that make Jolene tap angrily against the cab’s back window.I’ve been up for hours and haven’t even eaten yet,it’s getting hot already,the stench of livestock permeates the air,I’m in a sour mood,and I’m thinking that next year there’s no wayI’m doing this shit again—when for the first time in ages I see someone I don’t know.