Kind of in a rush. This is gonna be my last post for a while, since I’m joinin’ my main man Bud Not Buddy on the lam. My little sister Ruthie blabbed about me killin’ a cop and I can’t bring that kind of heat on my fam, kna’mean? So I’m out for a little bit.
So you know, I don’t feel bad ‘bout the cop I popped. That dude put Jim Casy out, no problem, just for tryin’ to get some men to join together. I’m like, “What, dude?” and I whacked him before he whacked me.
Man, forget Cali and the 5-0. Definitely ain’t no California Love. Sherrif come and burned up the Hooverville we were staying in, just because Knowlesy asked for a contract. Then, we get turned away from a town by a local militia who have it in for Okies.
Finally, we get to Weedpatch - nice name, right? But it was really a pretty sweet place to be. We got a little bit of money from the government and everybody did a real good job workin’ together. But the cops hate us so much that they paid some dudes straight cash to start a riot while we tryin’ to get down and mack on some ladies at the dance. That would’ve given them an excuse to come in and shut us down. Good thing the one nice guy in Cali - Mr. Thomas - let us know to look out for those backstabbers. At least a mob tells you they ain’t on your side.
It’s been a wicked trip. But I feel like I’ve learned some things from my experience, kna’mean? Especially from Jim Casy, RIP, y’all. LIke, as we journey through the country, I’m also makin’ a journey through my mind. I feel like one of them deep dudes, kna’mean?
When I started this thing, I was livin’ for today and just tryin’ to help my family get by. Now, I’m feelin’ like, we all family out here workin’. It ain’t about lookin’ out for number one, feel me? We all on the same team an’ we gotta come together and fight the man. We gotta make sacrifices today so we can get some power in the future.
Get together, y’all.
Jodacious out.
Tom! Hope you get this before you go. I feel really badly that you had to kill a man, even if it was a mean old police officer. You must be feeling really scared right now. Or maybe you feel like how Pretty Boy Floyd, the gangster, feels. Or maybe you’re not sure. Sometimes, it seems like you’re doing the right thing, but not everything about it feels right.
ReplyDeleteFor me, I started out on foot for Grand Rapids from the Hooverville outside of Flint. I can tell you for sure that I was scared of being in the lam. A man stopped, who I’m pretty sure isn’t a vampire any more, but his name is Lefty, so he must have some reason not to give people his real name, too. It was only going to take me another 18 hours or so to walk to Grand Rapids, but Lefty took me home and let me live with his family for a day. His daughter, Mrs. Sleet, cooked two things I’ve never even had before: pancakes and sausages! They were amazing!
After that, he took me to a music hall that my dad owns, called the Log Cabin, in Grand Rapids. Thing is, on the way, we got pulled over and Lefty told me to hide a box underneath my seat. It turns out that Lefty is helping to organize workers on the railroad! He’s a lot like you are! It seems like the bravest thing you can do in the world. But it’s really confusing. Why would the police want to stop people from joining together and being a family? Some things, I just don’t get.
Other thing is, when we got to the Log Cabin, my dad didn’t recognize me! At least your dad knows who you are! Plus, he’s a big old meany. It’s like, I wanted a dad so much, but I would almost rather not have a dad, if this is the one I’ve got.
Still, he introduced me to the guys in his band. They all have funny nicknames, like Doo Doo Bug and Dirty Deed. Maybe now that you’re on the lam, you should get a nickname, Tom? After that, I had the best meal I’ve ever dreamed of - even better than Mrs. Sleet’s cooking! And I met the lady with the nicest voice you could imagine - it sounded like a deep, deep river, every time she hummed.
Now, I’m about to go to sleep for the first time at Mr. Calloway, I mean, my dad’s house. I’m in a weird creepy room that some icky girl used to sleep in. But it sure beats being on the lam!
The only thing I have to do now is convince Mr. Calloway that he’s my real dad, and that he needs to take care of me!
I get the feeling that this journey’s almost over, but that there are a lot more to come! I hope your journey ends well, too, Tom. Also, thanks for the shout-out!
Good luck organizing the workers and making the world more fair! Maybe you’ll meet Lefty some day!
Bye-for-now,
Bud