4. Revolutions per Minute

Ervey watched Chonito shift through the Kodiak's 9 gears. Chonito seemed to take great pleasure shifting the gears, lingering a few seconds at the top RPM's of each gear. He took an couple of seconds more with the highest gear. Then when he stepped on the clutch pedal to make the final shift, he leaned forward, took a deep breath, and threw in the big metal stick shift as if he was serving the coup d'grace to an angry bull. The big Kodiak seemed to take a big sigh at first. RMP's dropped. Then the massive drive train assumed the load fully. RMP's steadied. The cabin trembled sharply as the inertia transfered to the chassis. The metal rails and enclosing the open box behind them shook loudly as if the truck was running over a rough patch on the highway. A second later, the transmission took back all the momentum.
The dive train now concentrated the momentum on the drive shaft. The Kodiak lurched forward to catch up with the speed being demanded by the deep push of Chonito's foot on the fuel pedal. RPM's started to climb slowly at first then quite rapidly. When finally the Kodiak settled into an equilibrium, Chonito rocked back into his seat and thrust an open hand into the air is if saluting somebody far off in the distance.


"Take that, bruta!" he said in a celebratory voice. "Awhoa, wood stick shed blood, no split!" he added in a tremolo as he looked over at Ervey.


Ervey rolled his eyes. "You sure like to give this old truck a hard time. You'll see someday how it'll rebel and leave us on foot in the middle of the silencio," he scolded.


"The basin's not so silent anymore with satellite techology," Chonito answered, trying to change the subject


"Sí, güey, but we don't have satellite cell phones or radios, and it's a good hour by car from Gomez Palacio until we get out of the basin. And if we get stuck on the side of the highway here, well, Cucuy will come for us," Ervet said in a voice that was beginning to strain.


"OK, güey, OK," said Chonito, looking out at the desolate countryside that surrounded them. "Bolson de Mapimí, the big silence, the big roadblock to the Spanish empire, and for that matter, to all of civilization. Where we're only a little distance away from Hell."


Ervey remained silent and looked ahead on the highway.


Focusing on a dark late-model pickup coming the opposite direction, Chonito added, "where the Indians make pale skins disappear-- then and now."


"Don't forget it, guey," Ervey admonished. "If you're now finally in gear, I'm going to doze off for a while. Wake me up when we're entering Jimenez.