It was 9′ and thick, it just hung there from his hand, and as he spoke he turned and it swung in unison, with his body movements. As I watched I was...aware of the closeness of my companion. His breath stank of booze and he was in close on me, pressing himself against my bottom, relaxing and pushing ever so slightly in a simulated humping motion. ‘How do you like that one’ he hissed into my ear. His face was alongside mine, up close and personal, as I turned to answer him, ‘Its big and fat’ I. She smiled and waved as she approached my truck, all but jumping into the cab she greeted me: “Hey!” “Hi there, you look nice!” I responded. Up close I noticed she had done her makeup to compliment her hair. Mascara, pink eye shadow, and some contouring gave her a grown, sophisticated look. A silver, glittery necklace hung above the cut of her dress. I wasn’t perhaps as subtle as I could have been, she smiled “Like my outfit?” “You’re very dressed up. You’re sure you still want tacos?” I. Your mates told me to have five stars put on your gear. They said the big boss at the top always had five stars and that was you,’’ Andy said.‘‘And I suppose you didn’t argue with them?’’ I said.‘‘I was outnumbered and the tone said it was not a debate,’’ Andy replied.‘‘I have three stars on mine for snipers to home in on so don’t feel too bad about it,’’ Andy added.‘‘What happened to four stars?’’ I asked.‘‘I have no comment, you will have to take that up with them. I refuse to incriminate. He also expected to find trouble ahead. While at the auction, he had heard several people grumbling that the darn bridge this side of Kata was a mess. They’d had heavy rain in the area, and one of the large rivers between Clawton and Kata had burst its banks. The road and bridge had been impassable for several days.While Kata was the only major town between Clawton and Hilton, quite a few small villages had sprung up over the years along the major road. While they made convenient places to stop.