Raymond was an out of work construction worker with a talent for stretching the unemployment program to its limits. He knew exactly the amount of money needed in earnings to qualify; the number of weeks counted to earn a quarter; the waiting period before drawing; the local state phone number to report by phone; and the toll free number in case you were out of state on your report-in day. He was handy as a machinist, maintenance, or nearly any other kind of construction skill. He just preferred his main job-unemployment compensation.

When he was "on the draw" he tended to rotate between the pool room and the Double K. "Spreading the wealth", Raymond liked to say.

"You can’t spend all your money in one spot. Ain’t good for the economy," Raymond would say while holding on to his folded cash. Catching some watching him, he went on, "This ain’t half my money." Then after a pause, "it’sss allll of it!" Raymond had a slight stutter.

This afternoon when he came into the pool room there were only two customers in sight, Sean and Mike, both sitting not at their regular barstool seats, but on the bench next to the pool tables. There was no one at the bar just an opened beer and a half pack of Winston Lights. Raymond took his normal seat next to the opened beer.

Sean called to him, "You probably want to move down to the end or come back here with us."

"Why I want to do that?" replied Raymond.

"You gonna see soon enough."

"Bull shit." said Raymond, adjusting to the stool. Kelly served his beer. Then looking up he caught a glimpse of a woman coming from the rest room area. Women didn’t come into the pool room often. Since it wasn’t the kind of place you’d want to drop your pants, even less often did they use the rest room. This one was a buffarilla. Part buffalo and part gorilla. She took the stool next to Raymond. The Bud Light took over and Raymond turned on his charm. In twenty minutes they were walking out of the pool room arm in arm.

The woman said she was from Wyoming. She said she was part Indian. Raymond didn’t care if she was from Little East Overshoe and part collie. He was horny. She said she had come into town hitching with a truck-driver and was looking to catch another going on down the road. Raymond told her he would be glad to give her a ride to the edge of town where there was a truck-stop frequented by all the thru traffic.

Raymond made a stop at the liquor store for cigarettes, a 1.75 jug of Old Charter, and a small half pint they could nip on the way. Before getting to the truck-stop the two had agreed to stop off at the Quality Inn so they could relax and have a drink comfortably. Raymond didn’t blink when the desk girl said the room would be $60. Counting the liquor and cigarettes, he now had nearly $85 invested in this trip.

It was a two story motel of the older variety that allowed each patron to park in front of the room’s outside entrance. After opening the door, Raymond took the plastic ice bucket and went down the way for some ice. Soon both of them were kicked back enjoying some of the 1.75 Old Charter. About this time Raymond allowed as how he had invested enough time and money to be worth at least a blowjob. She didn’t disagree, but she didn’t exactly agree either.

Raymond decided to make it a pure business proposition and told her he would give $20 for it, but she needed to take a shower first because she was smelling a little rank. Several days on the road from Wyoming in a cattle truck will cause that in the cleanest of people. He took out the $20 and she took off her clothes. Taking the money, she disappeared into the bathroom. Raymond didn’t hear any water running.

In just a few minutes she came out of the bathroom no cleaner than she had been. The $20 was not to be seen, although she remained as naked as a jay bird. Raymond was beginning to get pissed.

"Gal, damit. I told you to take a shower. If you ain’t gonna do it, where’s my money. And you get the hell out of here."

Suddenly the girl didn’t have much to say. Maybe the Old Charter was taking it’s toll. Whatever the problem, it was striking Raymond the wrong way.

"Damit, gal. Either take the shower, give me the money or get the hell out of here!"

When she didn’t respond again, Raymond reached for the door, opened it, and with the same motion grabbed a hand-full of the girls hair. Raymond started out the door and the girl, still naked, was naturally not far behind him.

Raymond pulled her almost into the parking lot. There was a family of three unpacking their car three doors down. They grabbed the small boy and got inside quickly. In the other direction there was an elderly couple just pulling into the lot. The old woman took one look at the spectacle and glued her eyes to the front of the car. The old man almost ran over one of the concrete parking blocks. Raymond slung the girl toward the parking lot and returned to the room locking the door as it shut. He sat down and collected his drink. The girl beat on the door several times, then the noise stopped. Raymond fixed another drink and turned on the television.

The phone rang. "Hullo," said Raymond. "This is the pool room. Who you want to speak to?"

An excited desk clerk on the other end said, "sir, there’s a woman down here in the office with no clothes on. She says you have her clothes and kicked her out of her room."

"If you’ll check your register you’ll see that I paid for this room. So she ain’t got one. I do have her clothes caused she’s got my $20. If she wants to give it back to me, I’ll let her have the clothes."

"Sir, I’m going to have to call the police. We don’t run this kind of place."

"Hell," said Raymond. "I ain’t looking for no trouble. I’ll throw her clothes outside the door." And he did, except for her leather boots that looked good enough, Raymond thought he might get $20 for them.

A few minutes later there was a knock on the door. Looking out Raymond saw a police car. When he opened the door, the policeman was standing with the girl She was dressed in the same clothes except she was barefooted.

"She says you got her boots." said the cop

"Reckon I do," said Raymond. "She tell you she got my $20?"

"The front office said she come in there buck naked. Where would she be carrying $20?" responded the policeman.

"Well she went into the bathroom naked with the money. She came out and it ain’t in the bathroom. If she didn’t eat it that don’t leave but one or two places it could be." Saying it out loud was the first time Raymond had actually considered where the money might be. "To hell with it. I wouldn’t want that bill if she tried to give it back. I pity the poor sucker that makes change for it! Take the damn boots."

The policeman left, the girl left, and Raymond fixed another drink. Later he ordered room service and watched some more television in his $100, plus room. It was only two days until payday.