Part Three, The Barn and Sandy
The past several hours had been nothing like what I expected from driving down US 40. Sandy and Gail were two beautiful women who knew how to make each other, and any lucky man with them, feel amazing. I was lonely and feeling down before I saw them and let them into my truck. That was the effect of driving US 40 in northwest Colorado. Hard on your soul and outlook on life. These two women had vanquished any sad feelings or doubts to the deepest corners of my mind. I had the first positive outlook I had felt in ages. Their coming into my life had changed everything. Anything was possible for me moving forward. The past was gone behind me and I was looking toward the future. It was time to get a move on.
I settled up for the gas and we headed east, back out of town to the ski area, "The Hill" as everybody called it. Just before the turn to The Hill, was a sign for the Cave Inn, Restaurant and Bar. At least there was food and drink available on The Hill. There was a lot of construction going on at the base. Hotels, lodges, business sites and vacation homes. Lots of dust and activity. There were lots of sign's advertising "Help Wanted". Another good indicator of me possibly finding work. I followed the rough dirt roads around to the south end of the base area and started up the side of the hill. There, I found The Barn.
The Barn was basic lodging run as a hostel and the rate charged was $5 a night. It was a bunk bed dorm with showers and a laundry. There was also a selection of tiny rooms. I could afford that for a while. So, I parked the truck and we all went into the office. The desk was manned by a nerdy looking woman with big framed glasses, light flannel shirt, overalls and kletter boots. She was kind of dumpy looking. We all walked into the office, looking like a motley crew, fresh off a hard day on the road.
"Can I help you?"
"Yeah, I'm new in town, lookin' for work, need a place to put my head at night."
"And the women?" She asked.
"Oh, we're not with him. Just followed him through the door." Sandy said.
"Well, I've got rooms for all you. A lot of construction workers stay here. Gets a little noisy on the weekends. But it's clean and cheap, if you keep it that way."
"What's the charge?" I asked her.
"How long you plan to stay?"
"Well...gotta find a job. Not long, if I can get a good wage and find an apartment or share something with roommates."
"Sounds like you'll be here at least a week. Let's make it $30 till next week. Then we can see where to go from there."
"Sounds good."
"You got a dog?"
"No."
"Good, no dogs. Go up to B and see if there is anything you like. If it's empty, it's yours. Just come back and tell me where you're at."
I gave her the money and she gave me a pass key. She turned her attention to Sandy and Gail. I went up to B and it looked completely empty. I checked what was behind every door and found the biggest empty room with a dresser, one bed and a window. The room door locked. Privacy and security. So, I went back down to the desk and told her what I found. Sandy and Gail were nowhere to be seen. Didn't take long for them to move on. It would have been nice to see them once more before they moved on to the coast.
"Okay. Here's the key to that room. Give me back my pass key."
We exchanged keys and I was set. I moved all my belongings from the truck and stacked them in the empty spaces on the floor and under the bed. There was still space to move around even with everything I owned in there. I realized how insignificant I really was when I saw that my existence on earth could be stuffed into 80 square feet and still have room to move around. I wasn't even a pimple on a fat man's ass.
I felt I had gotten lucky finding an inexpensive place to stay. I was expecting a room to be two to three times as much per night. Maybe my luck was changing with the new scenery. I changed to my boots and a work shirt and headed back out to the truck. No Sandy or Gail. Time to try and find a job.
I ran into the desk girl near the parking lot and she said to check for work down at the Ptarmigan Inn. The construction site was only about a quarter mile back down the road.
"They usually need bodies."
So, I drove down the hill and found the construction site. There was a sign out front saying "Help Wanted", so I went in search of a foreman or boss. When I found one, he was in the middle of trying to sort out piles of lumber. As I approached him, he spoke.
"Christ, it's 'bout time. Get this shit piled in the right stacks. Keep the wood out of the dirt. Then start with the fixtures."
"I don't work for you...yet. I just hit town."
"Shit. Go to the trailer. Tell Brenda you're hired. You get six bucks an hour and overtime. No benefits."
"Okay."
"Get outa here! Yer wasting my time. There's work to do." So much for the friendly folks out west.
I went to the trailer to find Brenda. As soon as I walked in the door, I was struck by the mass confusion and clutter in the trailer. It was like a bomb had gone off or they'd been ransacked. It was just like the chaos behind me on the worksite. What the hell did I walk into?
"Fresh meat? What the fuck do you want?" Brenda asked. She only glanced at me for a second.
"Guess so...gimme a job. Boss told me to tell you."