27
“Wake and bake.”
“I’m up. Do I smell cinnamon rolls with fresh ground wheat? And home churned butter?”
“That you do, must be that big honker of yours,” Selam started in. “But no coffee. And farm chores wait for no one. C’mon, let’s go knock them out and we’ll get on the road to caffeinate. D’ya have fun last night?”
“He was out there howling at the moon all night long,” came a muffled review from Bill’s sleeping bag. “Hooowwwl.”
“Was not,” followed by a pillow should shut him up.
“Whatever man, but I’m gonna walk by and see how many peaches you shook loose.”
“Boys!” cautioned Selam.
“It wasn’t me,” Miles reminded, as he gathered his wit about him, just one.
Chores done by eight, truck loaded by nine, another Annie in the rearview by ten.
“I’ll see you soon Miles,” she had said, with no expectation but a certainty that it was true. “You take care of that big beautiful heart of yours, it’s gonna do some great things out there, I can feel it. And you come build me a dirthouse anytime you want,” her smiled betrayed her melancholy. “I want you to carry these seeds with you, I know you might not be in a place to grow this yourself, but you’ll get these to their home, you’ll know it when it finds you. So good to know you brother, thank you for everything, for listening, for caring, for just getting the hell out of here so we can talk about all this next time.”
“Whatcha got there?” asked Bill, the other middle sardine.
Really, she got shotgun both ways?
“Some seeds Annie gave me,” shared Miles as he was pulled out of the flashback.
“Customary gift to and from any respectable traveler,” gauged Bill. “Which sounds like... the friend zone.”
“Those are tobacco seeds, itn’t?” confirmed Tiana. “Those are sacred. All seeds are, but tobacco is one of our most sacred medicines, and those seeds have all that power wrapped up inside them. Big responsibility to be accountable for those, so you better not fuck it up, Honk Williams Jr.”
“Good one. Or how about the Incredible Honk?”
“Or maybe Honky Kong? Is that? Yep, I think it is. That’s a good one.”
“Alright guys, cool it, let’s leave old HonkyTonk Badonkadonk alone for bit.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah, you guys are so clever. But one day it’s gonna backfire on you, you’ll need something sometime, like maybe dinner, and when you come honking around for me like a bunch of geese, I’ll be nowhere to find, I’ll have escaped this assault and floated downstream to greener pastures, and all you’ll have left is a fading memory of what coulda been, which you should cherish and share with your grandchildren, at bedtime maybe, just tell ‘em it’s the adventures of Honkleberry Finn.”
“Now that’s funny,” squeezed Bill through a fog of laughter.
“Wait,” insisted Miles. “Was that a...? Yep, I think it was. That was a good one.”
“Good one.”
“Good work Miles,” Selam approved, as she took the next exit. “Congratulations, you’ve completed your first challenge.”
“What? Not punching Bill in the face?”
“I’d have liked it anyway,” blocked Bill.
“No,” denied Selam. “I’m being serious here, not about all the HonkyTonks, but we really do have another challenge for you, a task that only you can do for the team.
Miles smelled a setup as he glanced around the truck for a hint of insincerity.
“We want you to climb up on the roof of that farm store over there,” briefed Tiana. “And we want you to flip that big American flag upside down.”
“Ha ha, good one,” deflected Miles, as he realized that no one else was laughing.
“Playtime’s over,” Tiana told him. “This is for real.”
Miles looked to Selam for a lifeboat, but only found a nod of agreement.
“The country’s in distress, you know,” said Tiana. “Enemies foreign and domestic. A government corrupted by corporate interests while its citizens struggle to survive. Priorities of profit over the destruction of the free world. It’s a country founded on genocide, but they didn’t stop with us, it continues today right in front of us all. And we are the citizens of this monstrosity, we have a duty to stand up for what is right when our government has failed us, otherwise it’s as if we sentenced the victims of violent oppression ourselves. When you flip a flag, it alerts the followers that something is wrong.
People may not get it at first, some will be angry at the disrespect we show their superior patriotism, but as the unrest continues to build, flags will be flipped in solidarity, and those sitting on the sidelines will know that it is time to stand up. And if not them, then us. If not us, then you. If not you, then who?”
“And you’re sure you’re not messing with me?”
“We’re not fucking with you Miles,” promised Selam. “This is your initiation into 1491. We’ve all done it. We all like you a lot, even T, and we want you to be a full-fledged member of our crew, but we gotta know how down for the cause you are, before we can show you what’s behind the curtain.”
“It’s easy man,” assured Bill. “I already scoped it out. You can use the dumpster to reach the lower level, should be able to parkour up to the top, and once you’re there, it’s just like in boy scouts. Some flags aren’t accessible without special tools, but that one’s just got normal old snap hooks. Just reel it down, switch the clasps, and pull it back up there. And then get out of there as fast as you can and hope we haven’t left you.”
“Great, any other advice?” Miles stalled, as he realized this was for real.
“Here’s a red polo,” offered Selam. “Makes you look like an employee, just in case anybody sees you up there.”
“Even better,” said Miles.
“Oh, and I guess it goes without saying, but if you’re compromised, of course we will have to disavow all knowledge of your mission. It’s strictly off the books.”
“Seriously?”
“No, I’m just fucking with you. We’ll be right here the whole time. In and out and we’ll keep the engine running. But if you do good, I’ll see about getting you a proper nickname.”
“No more HonkyTonk?”
“No more HonkyTonk.”
“I’m in,” he felt the release of liquid courage as he hopped out.
Bill was right, the roof access was straight forward, the flag slid down without a snag. He’d forgotten, however, to mention how difficult it is to work a snap hook with trembling fidgets, especially as a patrol car pulls up to the stoplight out front. He successfully switched one, but struggled with the other, it didn’t help when he saw the officer turn left into the parking lot.
Do it like you mean it, thought Miles, like you own it, like the fate of the free world is in your hands, just do what you gotta do and get it done. And he did. The clasp latched, he flew it up the pole, then he got out of there as fast as he could. He emerged from behind the building ready to make a break for the truck, until...
“Excuse me,” came a voice from the perimeter of his tunnel vision. He redirected his focus and found himself face to face with the looming foreshadow of law enforcement.
“I was just driving by a second ago...”
Miles prepared for the least desirable pat down of his story.
“And when I looked over here I saw something I found rather curious...”
Eagles spread and cavities filled.
“So tell me something, will you?”
What about the right to remain silent?
“Is that two for one deal good on goat pellets too, or is it just for horse feed?”
Miles glanced down to register his uniformity.
“Well sir, you happen to be in luck. You see, we fight for the little guys around here, and we all gotta stick together. It’s the only way to ever get ahead of those big corporate operations. So yeah, that sale price should be good for anything you can build a fence around, low prices are all that matters in today’s agriconomy, we’re just trying to nourish the world sir, one bag at a time.”
“Thanks buddy,” said another satisfied consumer. “You new here?”
“Yes sir, just finished my orientation as a matter of fact, now I better get back to it, before you have to bust me for being homeless. You have a good day now.”
“Will do. You keep it up son, you hear. I think you’ll do just fine around here.”
“Me too.”
Miles gathered the rest of his wits and tried not to flee in a panic, act casual he thought, own it, and as he climbed into the shotgun, he was the least chalant of the cool kids.
“Holy shit,” cried Bill. “That was epic.”
“What did you say to him?” Selam debriefed her disbelief.
“Oh, you know, just the truth. Heard somewhere that it would set me free.
“Epic,” Bill reaffirmed.
“You got moxy, kid,” approved Tiana. “I’ll give you that.”
“I’ll take it, so am I in?”
“Oh, you’re in,” Selam confirmed. “You’re definitely in.”
“Welcome to 1491, Goose,” announced Bill.
“Goose, huh?”
“Yeah,” offered Selam. “You know, the most majestic of all the tonky honkers”
“Flying high above the chaos,” pitched Bill.
“Part of a team,” Tiana sold it.
“I’m in,” accepted Miles. “Am I supposed to give a speech or something?”
“Oh hell no,” refused Tiana. “Turn that radio up, even Steve Miller is better than listening to Honky McTonkerson over here.”
“Good one.”