Punker Notes [Original Novel]
Part Two: Road Trip
Note 25
Ryan Smith walks out of the Gate 10 exit ramp at New Orleans International Airport. He moves swiftly wearing black straight leg slacks, a black blazer, unbuttoned, over an Adolescents t-shirt. As he approaches Jenkins, Frank and myself, we notice that his hair has grown out a bit since the last time we saw him. It’s not really what you would call long, around five inches in length, and newly dyed purple.
“Yeah, fuckin’ hot waitresses on the plane,” Ryan goes on after our initial greeting. “Stuck-up cunts though... I don’t think they like punkers.”
Ryan had financed his trip with savings he’d compiled while working at the aeronautics parts factory where Ish is still employed.
“I didn’t even give my fuckin’ shithead boss notice,” Ryan fills us in on some of the details of his departure as we head to where the Cadillac is parked. “I just told ‘im I was quittin’ one day, and that if I didn’t have my pay in three days, I’d have the labor board on his ass... And the motherfucker came up with the money real fast... I think he’s kinda paranoid about the labor board with all the Mexican guys he’s got workin’ there. Some are definitely illegal.”
“Hey man, we got this band started and shit,” Frank starts up quite emphatic about our one jam session. “You should play bass.”
“I don’t know how to play.”
“That doesn’t matter,” Jenkins counters then switches subjects. “Hey man, we met this cool chick that Frank’s fuckin’ now. Mama, or I should say, ‘Charlene,’ but we call her ‘Mama’ cuz she’s like 27 or somethin’... An’ then we met a buncha other chicks... an’ other people an’ some wastoids sorta from meetin’ her... She told us about this new wave bar in the Quarter and we been goin’ there all the time—”
“Quarter...?” Ryan interrupts. “What’s the fuckin’ Quarter?”