The Dust Thief

by Ryan Uytdewilligen

About the Author: Ryan Uytdewilligen has three published novels; his short fiction story The Cattle Driver won the Will Rogers Medallion; and has three non-fiction books – including his most recent publication, Killing John Wayne: The Making of The Conqueror.

Excerpt

I still marvel at the fact that—even though I was the one in sales—I still became North Pasadena’s biggest sucker. Who knows? I might even be the biggest sucker in the tri-county era. I’ve been meaning to check.

Was it always my plan to end up in a position like this? Come on! What a question … Of course not! But I’ve come to accept that it’s my life—for the time being, that is. What else can I do? You’d have done the exact same thing if you were me. I know it. Don’t lie. Besides, I’m the type who likes to finish what they started.

And it all started with a big move out West after the war. Eight years delivering for Mister Milk gave me nothing but a broken back and an invisible bank account. It was good work, there just wasn’t any future in it. Especially when the wife and kid’s guts began to grow with the grocery bill. Maybe don’t tell her I said that.

I didn’t enlist on account of the gimpy feet I got. Having only one toe on each foot tends to alarm the admissions office. Just a butcher shop mishap is all. I didn’t see the harm in it. I can still get around just fine. And I really would have gone over to whop the krauts if they’d’a let me. Maybe I could have had myself a French girl over there? I don’t know. All I can do about it now is wonder about what life in the army would have been like.

That’s usually what I did on the road when the radio conked out. Wonder what a better life would have been like.

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