Chapter 43

the sound: Bob Seger – Ramblin Gamblin Man, Bob Seger – Lucifer, Bob Seger – Travelling Man & Beautiful Loser, Bob Seger – Night Moves, Bob Seger – Old Time Rock n Roll, Bob Seger – Wait for Me, Bob Seger Against the Wind, Bob Seger – We’ve Got Tonight, Bob Seger – Turn the Page

I stood watching the ladies “cap” for a while, waiting for my toast. Eventually the process got boring to watch and I glanced up at the kitchen window. I wasn’t surprised to see it covered…but I was surprised to see that the cover was actually gun metal grey shutters made of actual metal that looked suspiciously ‘armed forces’ish.

When the toast popped I turned to the counter as Rosie walked into the room.
“hey little girl…bout time you got outta bed….how’s the head”

“just ducky” I muttered “what time o day are we?”

“bout 9PM” came the reply…I’d slept through the remainder of the day and well into the evening.

“well then…my clock’s buggered” I muttered

Rosie smirked and suggested I meet her by the fire when I’d finished my coffee. I stood there and watched her as all expression seemed to leach from her face and then she left the room. I was left wondering how she could be part of such a great ‘family’ and completely ignored the women sitting at the table?

I glanced over as I ate my toast to find the women that had formerly been so relaxed and happy to seem completely closed and very studious as they continued to cap at a rate I’d not seen previously.

“curiouser and curiouser” I thought.

I finished my toast and coffee and headed to the door. On the way I discovered my jean jacket over the back of one of the couches so I stopped and grabbed at it looking for my smokes and lighter. I lit up as I stepped out the door to find that there was another huge bonfire and it seemed that there were twice as many people there as there’d been the night before.

As I approached the fire I saw what looked to be a rack on top of the fire and I could smell the unmistakable aroma of meat cooking. My stomach roiled.

Upon closer examination I realized that the rack was indeed an old double bed spring and that there was a rather large amount of meat or carcasses on the rack…actually what looked like dog carcasses.

I swung away from the fire my gorge rising up into my mouth and met face to face with a man I’d never seen before.

“Hi, you must be baby” he said just as I started to puke and he laughed and danced out of my way. “never been to a goat roast before?”

“goat? goat?” I thought, thoroughly embarrassed at the mess I’d made. “why the hell would anyone roast a fucking goat?” I asked as I kicked dirt over the mess my breakfast had made on the ground and wiped my mouth

“well ya know that ragtop Cadillac that Robert had just finished having restored?” he grinned. “the one we put the new cloth on yesterday?”

I nodded vaguely remembering.

“Well Robert got up this morning to discover that several of Rosie’s pigmies had walked across while everyone was away a couple of the larger one’s fell through completely destroying the new ragtop”…he chuckled “so out came the chainsaw and it’s goat for supper….I’m Jamesie” he finished.

“hi, I think….chainsaw?....oh gawd....I think I’m gonna be sick again”

Jamesie laughed and said “ya can’t piss like a puppy if yer gonna run with the hounds little girl”

“what the fuck is that supposed to mean?” I asked as I staggered to the big tree to lean on while I decided if the rest of my breakfast was gonna stay down.

Jamesie just smiled and shook his head, then turned and walked away towards the fire, the strains of Bob Seger wailing in the background.