84
ED LEFFINGWELL
festival, loading big tubs of Orange Crush and beer and a transistor
radio blaring, suspended from a tree. It's not irony but a poem, he
thought, ripping open an Orange Crush on
his
belt buckle, juggling
with it and then downing it with one breath. Over the bottle he
could see Rafael and Billy coming toward him.
"Buenos dias," said his friends.
"Buenes Aires," said Django, grinning. Billy was dancing around
tu the loud honky border music on the radio, elated to see his buddy
smiling. "Billy boy," said Django, "We're bound for Tafoarout.
You ready?"
"Berber Bound," said Billy, and they each had a beer of agree–
ment and headed back to the village, continuing.
As
they began the
climb back up through the wooded area to the roadway and the
village, they passed an odd procession of the beautiful and the
damned heading in the opposite direction, toward the ruined church.
In the lead was
J
tianito on horseback, smiling madly and singing
to himself, aluminum crutches slung over the pommel like saddle–
bags. Strung out behind mounted on horses and burros were Mag–
dalene and Birmingham and the Shastas and a host of the beautiful
others, inappropriately dressed and late for an occasion that would
never take place.
Billy pulled down his fly and whipped out his joint and pissed
in front of the procession. Magdalene looked like he was going to
have a coronary.
Django and Billy pounded each other, jumping and laughing
and pointing at the caravan, and they turned to watch the ridiculous
procession ride to a ruined church and a pile of volcanic garbage.
On the lane that opened and headed toward the village up
above, they passed the old Packard limousine, stranded and strad–
dling a ditch, an axle broken. All along the roadway they passed un–
tidy relics of the opposition, and in the town they found, among
other big dark cars and the Ghia, Rafael's vintage ambulance, Tim–
berlake, John David, Sylvie and the kids, and Juanito rejoined them.
Waving crutches in the air and riding at full gallop, he raced into
the village, dismounted, and hopped to the church and the fireworks.
As
the first explosion detonated, Rafael pulled out some mescal and
the men stood around the cantina, drinking out of the bottle, smack–
ing their lips, watching the fireworks and their women and the
children at play.
