"Fish Are Jumpin and Mama Is High"

Setting: northeastern Ohio town

somewhere nearing midnight

summertime

2 men in overalls wearing pillow cases with eye holes cut in over their heads. They stand by the opened up back-end of a robins egg blue pickup stuffing dirty rags in bottles full of gasoline.

Their names, Jimmy and Franklin

Jimmy: we're gonna teach those damn niggers a lesson, sure.

Franklin: hell yeah, don't wanna be a bad guy but you gotta have sense enough to know where and where not you can just go movin into.

Jimmy: yeah, the Anderson's were alright, I mean, we grew up with their boys, they're some good niggers them, but we don't want our town turning into some sprawlin ghetto.

Franklin: yeah, the Anderson's are good people. Mr A gave my pa a job at his service station when he lost his job at the mill on a count'a his drinkin. Good ole Mr A, a gooder nigger I ain't never see'd.

Jimmy: And the Jackson's down off'a 40, they're some good niggers too, keep to themselves. Used to sit next to Josephine in Math class, she'd always let me cheat off her, kinda cute if you go in for dark meat.

Franklin: I never really talked to her much, she sat across homeroom from me, remember when Matt Jackson scored all'em points an'we beat Southgate 20 nuthin'?

Jimmy: hell yeah, that was the best night of my life.(he takes off the pillow case, we see matted wet hair on his moist forehead) Get me one'a them beers from the cooler wouldja?

Franklin: sure.

Jimmy: (opening beer, takes long pull)...ah...(belch)...thank'y.

Franklin: sure. Now, shit it's getting late, I gotta git home and take my dog out, damn thing's prolly pissed up on my rug somethin horrible. We gotta git goin.

Jimmy: right, so we get them damn niggers good, burn their shed right down, that'll teach em'sure. Just be careful not to throw too far, ma'd kill me if we burned up her new gazebo. Jesus, I don't even wanna think about that.

Franklin: yeah, and watch the shubs too, the Butler's ain't trimmed em'back yet this season, I'd hate like hell to go ruinin'em. Mr Butler takes great pride in them shrubs, they sure make some dang pretty flowers. He's a good'n that Mr Butler.

Jimmy: yeah, just try to get right up on that shanty, we can probably get pretty close, ma's polly in bed anyhow. Just watch out for that gazebo, I'm seer'ous, man.

Franklin: dang it, shut up, I ain't gonna hit no danged gazebo, now c'mon. I gotta get up early tomorrow and mow lawns.

Jimmy: yeah, c'mon, get psyched up (he hits himself in the head a few times like a boxer, then slaps himself in the face a few times to flush the color out) dern niggers, if we don't damn well do somethin, shit, man, if we don't do nuthin and let these niggers stay, me, you, and Timmy'd be the only good white's left on this side'a town. That's goddamn crazy. We only got here a year ago and everything was fine up 'til last month, now look, man, let's do it for you, an'me, an'Timmy.

Franklin: Timmy's a danged half-breed you idjit!

Jimmy: yeah but the half that counts is with us, he listens to Floyd, he burns.

Franklin: I guess you're right, c'mon, JEEzus this damn thing's makin me sweat like a pig, I got sweat all in my eyes, stings like hell, like that time you and Matt held me down and pissed on me, dirty fuckers, that was a good time that summer. Now c'mon.

go to "The Sentimental Creep"

All work is copyrighted property of John Menesini.

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