Gerty… (11)

They couldn’t just leave the truck behind so Johnny took the lead with the truck and Gerty followed in the Camaro. Johnny told Gerty they would be finding a place to stash the truck with hope that it would not be discovered for a while. The less human curiosity about them or anything they could be tied to the better. Eventually Johnny found a dusty back road to turn onto with hopes to find a good hiding place for the truck.
Johnny was traveling slowly to better find the perfect place when a darkened drive appeared off to the left. Johnny bravely pulled in with headlights blazing. 200 feet off the road stood a pitch black farmhouse and a brick silo whose barn had fallen into pile of rubble and wood. In back of the farmhouse stood a double door garage or workshop that seemed to be holding its ground from it’s battle with gravity. The yard itself was overgrown and the property seemed deserted. There was really only one way to find out if this may be the answer to their current dilemma and that was to drive up and see if anyone’s home. Johnny felt pretty confident as no lights have popped on and there also were no other warnings like a barking dog or vehicles to be seen.
Johnny pulled the truck up to one of the doors of the building out back with the hope that he may actual be able to hide the truck inside. With luck it might not be discovered for a very long time. Abandoned vehicles brought on questions from the authorities and he and Gerty needed none of that. Gerty pulled up next to the truck and both got out to talk.
"I think we may be able to hide the truck real good here Gerty. I need to double check the house to make sure that we don’t just have some sound sleepers. It might be hard to explain why my truck is in their garage."
Gerty offered,
"I can check the house Johnny. Bout hundred percent sure no one is here. You take care of the truck."
Johnny knows that Gerty could take care of herself so they agreed and Gerty left for the back door of the house.
The house was in need of some major TLC but whoever lived there before seemed to have done their best to keep the old home standing and strong. Gerty stepped on the back stoop and the boards held firm against her hundred pounds of weight. Gerty decided to look innocent. She knocked on the door just in case she had to deal with a surprised owner. Gerty could always play the lost out of towner in need of directions. The second round of knocks brought feelings of confidence that her and Johnny’s luck seemed to be staying with them.
Johnny found both doors were paddle locked but the latches for the doors were an easy target for any pry-bar or lever. The trucks tire iron make quick time of the lock and Johnny had the garage open quickly. Johnny also felt the luck of the day as there was plenty of room for the truck inside the mostly empty building.

Marvin never really slept much anymore. When you are a homeless, sought by the law vagrant, deep sleep could catch you in the worse of situations. Apparently, that way of life was not the same for the sleeping partner that lay on the musty couch in the living room. Marvin had met Stu down by the rail yard in Topeka and they decided that two traveling together would be safer than one. Johnny and Gerty were not the only ones who had borrowed a car lately or thought that there were places around that might provide a hiding place or a warm place to sleep. Their car was parked behind the garage out of sight and they had made the farmhouse home for over a week. Petty thievery and beggary had kept them fed and boozy. 
The lights of the truck brought Marvin out of his chair and peeking through the tattered curtains as to who their guests might be. Marvin kicked Stu once as he passed by to follow the action from the front of the house to the back yard. Marvin watched the two vehicles park as the man and woman got out to chat.
Stu stumbled up to the kitchen window to get a view and Marvin went to the back door. Stu was either half asleep or half drunk thought Marvin. Stu seemed to need to support himself with the sink counter to stay firmly on his feet.
Marvin said,
"I believe we have some uninvited guests. Don’t think that these folks belong here any more than us Stuey."
"Well, I believe that you may just be right. And looky there to that pretty young thing."
Stu had a penchant for young girls and he was not known for taking no for an answer.
Marvin kept at the back door and mockingly said,
"Yeah well looky there, there is a young man who probably is not going to want you messing with that pretty young thing. He looks a lot younger and stronger than you Stuey. So what might you do about that?"
Stu was sobering quickly with thoughts of Gerty in his mind and what to do about the visitors, especially Johnny.
"Well, they just can’t come on in so we got to do something."
Marvin agreed with his sot of a friend as a roof over their head was a treasured thing and Marvin was not going to be giving it up without a fight. The time to figure something out was now.The young girl was at door where he had been standing and he could see the man was looking to bust into the garage. It did not look like they were planning a short visit.
Both men stood back in the deep shadows as Gerty knocked on the unlocked door.