Back to the Clocks

Death. On the outskirts of space. Homeboy, for that is what they call him, sits alone listening to a conversation that happened somewhere in the neighborhood of Black Friday, fifteen hundred years ago. Planet earth is what they called it.
“I knew a guy who could take a five dollar bill, roll it up, and make a picture of a megalith,”
“Is that so?”
“Yeah, but the implications of it were too strong,” the man winks.
Cut to a year in the 1980's.

Billy was mesmerized by the strobing lights. He felt out of place, yet hungry for friendship. Earlier, near the snack bar, there was a fist fight. Billy picked up his heavy skates and plodded over to the snack bar. A piece of loose hair was on the ground. He looked around. The kid who had been in the fight was playing Galaga. Billy felt depressed. He had sat on some gum and the sticky substance was pulling off in strings from his parachute pants.

“Boy you better quit listening to that,” said homeboy's superior.
Homeboy turned off the speaker, “Where's Steve?”
Steve was a man from the last space port who had hitched a ride pleading hardship. He had turned out to be nothing but trouble. But Homeboy liked him. They seemed to have some form of connection. They could laugh. Some might call it a party.

“Yeah, and that's not the least of it.....

For unexplained reasons, not enough light has been getting through. Billy listens to the rush of blood in his own ears. The room gets closer. The light throbs into his eyes. Another Saturday night.

“He's in the eatery,” said Country, Homeboy's superior. “Son, let me tell you what. Steve is a, how you say, big mouth,”
“Really.”
“That boy does not know when to shut up,”
Homeboy stares into his coffee. He notices Country look at what he's staring at. The way he stares, people must think he's looking at something.
“Did you have a problem with him?” Homeboy picks up the conversation again.
“He got into the gun locker,”
Homeboy looks up, now interested.
Country smiles a broken grin. “I've got to check on that exhaust system,” He leaves the room.

At spaceport 16, on Manna, Homeboy found a small party in a quiet neighborhood. The girl he had met at the docking station cafe drove him in a car made of hemp derivatives.
Homeboy looked closely at the material making up the door. He ran his fingers over it.
“What is this car made of?” he inquired.
“Hemp derivatives,” said Holly.
“How many people are going to be at this party?”
“Just a couple friends from the neighborhood,”
They pulled onto the concrete driveway and she killed the engine.
“Let me guess, it runs off of ethanol made from hemp?”
Holly giggles. Homeboy keeps stealing glances at her breasts. Her voice is kind of thick, like she has a rough throat. He finds it attractive.


“Where are y'all headed?” Steve says. He speaks with a drawl and seems to get confused by his own speech, as if he is always forgetting what he is about to say.
Homeboy smiles, then laughs.
Steve laughs. His eyes are bright with hope of mischief.
“I sure wish I had a drink,” said Homeboy.
“Yeah,” Steve says in his slow manner.
“I mean like a shot of whiskey or something,”
“I wish I had a shot of whiskey,” said Steve.
Homeboy laughs again at the unexpected repetition of his sentiment. He goes to the refrigerated unit and gets a soda. “You want one,”
“Yeah,” Steve says eagerly.
They drink their sodas seated at a table.

Billy shuts the door behind him. He checks in his backpack, making sure he has the bacon and string. Also in the bag is a small recording device. He picks up his bicycle off the carport and pedals onto the street, past houses from his neighborhood. As he passes Steven's house he looks at the windows to see if he can see any movement but no one seems to be at home. It's weird, he thinks, that Steven's house always seems deserted. He knows Steven's mom works somewhere in the city, but has only seen her once or twice. He's afraid to get to close to Steven who is somewhat of a trouble maker. He's always laughing though and acting crazy. Billy has never tasted alcohol, but Steven, being older, talks about drinking a concoction called Mad Dog twenty-twenty. Last time they hung out Steven got drunk and puked in a field nearby. A girl from their school had been there. She had gotten drunk too and Billy snuck in a feel of her breast. She seemed to sober up at this imposition. Billy got scared for a moment, thinking he was in trouble, but nothing happened. He never did it again.