Petty
by Ryan B. Richey
Kicks it at the Snack Shack. He has a grilled cheese and a Coke. Tired of no love from the girls. Acne will be gone in a couple years. Pulls a can out his poncho and tags the brick wall on Main I LOVE PETTY.
He’s going to take Mom’s car out tonight on the K-town strip in the hopes a girl will see him with a car and get in. If this doesn’t work he’ll sit up on Broad. Except Mom’s car doesn’t compare to all the muscle cars, low riders and limo tinted caddies. Takes a shower first with no rag then shaves off every body hair by checking his reflection with the bathroom mirror and a CD back in left hand. Pumps baby powder all over, sprays, deodorizes, squirts the cool water five times on wrists, neck, chest and crotch. Drops the Visine and sticks Q-tips in each ear. Clips fingernails and toe nails. Brushes tongue and roof for two minutes, up and down on teeth for one and a half minutes. Ends with a circular for one and half minutes. Irons Beefy T and jeans. Scrubs shoes with a toothbrush. Takes the rubber band off Back’s hat and winds it around wrist. Considers beating it, but is out of time. Armor-Alls the car. Roots out crumbs with a toothpick. R Kelly’s in the slot. Heart throbs deep in stomach upon sight of the historic Knightstown sign.
It takes Trilby an hour and a half to ready for K-town cruising. It takes another half hour to walk into town.
Petty drives by and looks, turns around, stops and looks. Turns up track 4 on 12 Play. Parks car at Frosty Boy. Loiters until Trilby laps back by on foot. Thinks of something funny to say. Says “How you doing?” Her eyes roll so hard she appears possessed.
Laverne creeps with Hosey ripping Mother to the nines. Bobs his curly head up and down. Trilby thinks she’s blowing Hosey. Laverne flashes Canadian Mist and she’s in. Laverne does all the talking. Hosey says nothing. He’s constantly putting in CD after CD playing one minute of each hit song then exchanging. Covers the latter half of popular 20th century music in a half hour. Drops off Laverne and Trilby. Picks up Petty. Hits Goose Road sharing the bottom of pipe resin and letting the radio do what it will.
Ryan B. Richey is a Knightstown, IN native that has made a career of straying. From one medium to another. From jobs as wide-ranging as grave marker salesman to room service. He went to Purdue for accounting and ended up with a degree in painting. After finishing the MFA program at the SAIC, Ryan stayed in Chicago to push out text, paintings, and songs with his band Hannis Pannis. Ryan is currently working on a large piece that concentrates on events which would occur in a day in Knightstown, IN.