joseph engraver
09-27-2025, 06:57 AM
By ten AM, the bottle of whisky was empty and Tom was snoring loudly. So loud, that Billy found it impossible to sleep. He got up and went out to the truck to feed and water Gimpy. Then he decided to take her for a walk and realized that she had no collar and he had no leash. He rummaged around in the box of used clothing and found a belt that he cut off and made it into a collar, then found some twine for a leash. He decided that it would do until he had money to buy her a nice one, and a matching leash.
The traffic that morning was heavy and the air smelled of diesel fumes as they began their walk, but Billy he was happy just to be taking his dog for their first walk together. Gimpy was happy to stop and investigate all the new smells along the way. They had gone about five miles when he decided to return to the truck stop.
He waited for a break in the traffic, then crossed the highway and started back. They had not gone about a mile when Billy saw a bank note caught in a clump of sagebrush, trash and weeds, He picked it up and to his amazement, it was a one- hundred dollar bill half covered in roadside dust. Then he found another banknote near it. Excited he picked it up; and discovered that he had found a twenty and next to it a two hundred peso note.
He put them in his pocket, and then continued searching the ditch and trash along the roadside for more. When he stopped and looked up, he saw Gimpy pulling at a black packsack that was buried under a pile of trash down in the ditch and she was barking at it furiously. But he ignored her as he continued to search.
When he was sure that there were no other bills to be found he went down into the ditch, picked up the dirt covered packsack she had found and opened it.
It was full of money. The amount of money frightened him, but the black automatic pistol that was with it really terrorized him. He shut the bag, and looked around to see if anyone was watching.
He saw no one, and quickly put the packsack over his shoulders as he said a prayer to Saint Joseph; then yelled to the sky; “Thank you God. Then he called to Gimpy and they went hurrying back to the Flying J,
Billy was now excitedly walking on the sunny side of life and at the same time nervously looking back over his shoulder. As he was walking he wondered how much more money was in the packsack .Certainly it contained at least a couple thousand dollars; maybe even more.
Then he remembered Tom saying “There are a multitude of things you don’t know about me.”
By the time he got back to the Flying J. Billy had decided he was not going to tell Tom about the packsack.
Instead he went to the truck, opened the passengers door took off the packsack, and looked to see if he was being observed .When he saw no one, he opened it and took out several bills and also put them in his pocket. Then he shut the packsack, slid it under the seat, locked the truck and took Gimpy with him to see if Tom was up.
When he opened the door to their room he found Tom still in the cot. He yelled.”Tom! Get up, we are going to the restaurant and I am going to order for us the best porterhouse steak they have.” Without opening his eyes Tom groaned and said. “Don´t yell, my head hurts, and don’t lie. I am not in the mood for jokes.”
“I am serious Tom, I have more than enough money and we have not had a good meal in two days.”
That got Tom´s attention, but he still lay on the cot as he tried to shake the fog from his hangover. “What have you done Billy? Don’t tell me you have sold Gimpy”. “
No Tom I haven’t done anything except to take Gimpy for a walk and find this money along the roadside in a ditch. Now will you get up, I am starving. Open your bloodshot eyes and look at this beautiful hundred dollar bill. And there is more, three hundred and seventy more”
Tom rolled over and opened one eye, looked at the money Billy was waving in his face, then he opened the other one and sat up, “Sweet mother of Jesus. You are not joking. Give it to me to look at. It must be counterfeit; no one throws good money out the window. Tom studied the bill and decided it was real after he saw the magnetic stripe embedded in it
He groaned, and then he got out of the cot to splash cold water on his face. Ten minute later they were in the restaurant and had ordered two porterhouse steaks with all the trimmings, black coffee for Tom, and a raw burger for Gimpy
The traffic that morning was heavy and the air smelled of diesel fumes as they began their walk, but Billy he was happy just to be taking his dog for their first walk together. Gimpy was happy to stop and investigate all the new smells along the way. They had gone about five miles when he decided to return to the truck stop.
He waited for a break in the traffic, then crossed the highway and started back. They had not gone about a mile when Billy saw a bank note caught in a clump of sagebrush, trash and weeds, He picked it up and to his amazement, it was a one- hundred dollar bill half covered in roadside dust. Then he found another banknote near it. Excited he picked it up; and discovered that he had found a twenty and next to it a two hundred peso note.
He put them in his pocket, and then continued searching the ditch and trash along the roadside for more. When he stopped and looked up, he saw Gimpy pulling at a black packsack that was buried under a pile of trash down in the ditch and she was barking at it furiously. But he ignored her as he continued to search.
When he was sure that there were no other bills to be found he went down into the ditch, picked up the dirt covered packsack she had found and opened it.
It was full of money. The amount of money frightened him, but the black automatic pistol that was with it really terrorized him. He shut the bag, and looked around to see if anyone was watching.
He saw no one, and quickly put the packsack over his shoulders as he said a prayer to Saint Joseph; then yelled to the sky; “Thank you God. Then he called to Gimpy and they went hurrying back to the Flying J,
Billy was now excitedly walking on the sunny side of life and at the same time nervously looking back over his shoulder. As he was walking he wondered how much more money was in the packsack .Certainly it contained at least a couple thousand dollars; maybe even more.
Then he remembered Tom saying “There are a multitude of things you don’t know about me.”
By the time he got back to the Flying J. Billy had decided he was not going to tell Tom about the packsack.
Instead he went to the truck, opened the passengers door took off the packsack, and looked to see if he was being observed .When he saw no one, he opened it and took out several bills and also put them in his pocket. Then he shut the packsack, slid it under the seat, locked the truck and took Gimpy with him to see if Tom was up.
When he opened the door to their room he found Tom still in the cot. He yelled.”Tom! Get up, we are going to the restaurant and I am going to order for us the best porterhouse steak they have.” Without opening his eyes Tom groaned and said. “Don´t yell, my head hurts, and don’t lie. I am not in the mood for jokes.”
“I am serious Tom, I have more than enough money and we have not had a good meal in two days.”
That got Tom´s attention, but he still lay on the cot as he tried to shake the fog from his hangover. “What have you done Billy? Don’t tell me you have sold Gimpy”. “
No Tom I haven’t done anything except to take Gimpy for a walk and find this money along the roadside in a ditch. Now will you get up, I am starving. Open your bloodshot eyes and look at this beautiful hundred dollar bill. And there is more, three hundred and seventy more”
Tom rolled over and opened one eye, looked at the money Billy was waving in his face, then he opened the other one and sat up, “Sweet mother of Jesus. You are not joking. Give it to me to look at. It must be counterfeit; no one throws good money out the window. Tom studied the bill and decided it was real after he saw the magnetic stripe embedded in it
He groaned, and then he got out of the cot to splash cold water on his face. Ten minute later they were in the restaurant and had ordered two porterhouse steaks with all the trimmings, black coffee for Tom, and a raw burger for Gimpy