The Levy

"This is bullshit, it doesn't take two of us to guard this levy, nothing's going to happen. Especially not this time of night in the pouring rain. Don't know why we HAVE to stand outside rather than sit in the cab. Could see just as bad from in than out."

"You just drove in today; go ahead and get some sleep in the deuce. You look like shit."

"You look like shit!"

"Nah. Remember, I'm kinda local, I got to sleep in my old bed at my mom's place last night. Go."

"'K. Thanks, man."

"Yeah. Whatever."

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"STOP! Who's there? This levy is under the supervision of the National Guard; turn around and return the way you came!"

"Sorry, young man, but we can't do that. We don't want trouble, but we gotta do this. It's the only way."

"Mr. Hicks?"

"Ah, what's your tag there say? Adams? Which one of the Adams boys are you?"

"R-Rick, sir, I'm Rick. Who's with you?"

"Just me and my dad, son. Just me and him. Why don't you put that gun down."

"Ol' Pops is with you? What are you two doing here?"

"Let's just put that gun down, son. We'll explain."

"I can't do that, sir, especially not with you holding that shotgun."

"You two need to stop bickering like old hens before I drop this box. That wouldn't be good for any of us."

"What's in the box?"

"Dynamite."

"Dynamite! What the hell, Pops! Why are you bringing dynamite out here! Mr. Hicks?"

"It's the only way, Ricky. The only way we don't lose everything."

"I don't understand."

"We gotta blow the levy before we lose everything. Our farm is set to get flooded out completely."

"I can't let you do that. I'm really sorry about the farm, but I can't let you do that! I've got orders to shoot if necessary! We have to protect this levy!"

"You wouldn't shoot me, would you, Ricky? After I coached you all those years in Little League and Peewee? I'm the one who coached the high school to state the year you won that fancy scholarship and hightailed it out of town. C'mon now, let us through."

"No! I'm sorry, but you're talking about saving one or two farms. On the other side of this levy, there are over 50 homes with young families with little kids asleep in their beds!"

"Bullpuckey boy! We heard the evacuation orders for the whole area on the radio! Ain't nobody there! They were even going to evacuate the old folks home this one keeps trying to put me in. We waited two days, everybody should be gone, we ain't no murderers."

"That's exactly what you're about to be! If you've been listening, you know that evacuation didn't happen! My grandmother's down there right now! And all those families!"

""What Aimee's do you mean down didn't happen there??""

"What? You said you've been listening to the radio."

"Well, power went out a bit after the evacuation orders were first announced. What do you mean it didn't happen?"

"The levy up toward Summitburg on the other branch failed. It took out the island bridge; they CAN'T evacuate."

"You said Aim – your gran is down at the old folks home? Why didn't your ma bring her home? She should be home. Cara never did like your gran much; figures she left her there. Your father is rolling in his grave!"

"Hey! We tried Pops! She refused to leave! She insisted she can still help."

"Stubborn as a mule, that's your gran. Help with what, for God's sake!"

"Just before the bridge went down, the med center went under. They saw that coming and had already evacuated everyone. Doc and a couple of nurses threw everything they could in the ambulance and set up in the nursing home. It's now the only medical facility in three counties. The emergency services center went under, too. Grandma's running triage and dispatch from the night nurse station."

"HA! Yup. That's definitely something she could do in her sleep. She was a spitfire Army nurse, then spent probably 30 years running that dispatch before retiring."

"Well, ho-ly. But our farm?"

"Bill, hush. Private, have your engineer types checked out this levy? Is it going to hold if it keeps raining like this?"

"They're not sure. There's some work supposed to happen tomorrow if this rain lets up a bit. But it's mostly wait and see."

"You got a radio, Private? One I can reach your gran on?"

"I…I'm supposed to keep it on the Guard channel…"

"Just for a minute. No one will know it was your radio and not a personal one. Please."

"Ok. Here."

"Aimee Adams, you there, sweetheart? It's Hank."

"Hank Hicks, you get off this emergency channel! This is for business!"

"Just one quick ask, hon. Can you get word out for anyone willing to come by my place and drive the cows from the dairy barn across the road into the hills? I'm not there, and it's going to flood in real quick."

"My grandson Mike worked for you last summer. He's right here, I'll send him and anyone he thinks can help."

"Thank you, sweetheart. I gotta go."

"Dad, what was that about? We can be back in plenty of time to drive the cows out ourselves. If it even comes to that!"

"Oh, it's come to that. C'mon, Bill, we've got a levy to blow up."

"What do you mean, Pops?"

"No, Dad, no, we'll lose everything, more than everything!"

"What are you guys talking about!"

"I'm talking about taking some of the pressure off this here levy to make sure your gran and all those folks stay safe."

"What are you talking about!"

"He's talking about blowing the private levy in our back pasture. Flash flooding the whole farm!"

"Darn right I am, let's go."

"NO! We can deal with some flooding, but that would wipe out everything!"

"Son, it is still my farm, not yours. We'll lose crops. We'll lose equipment. We might well lose buildings, too. But the land ain't going nowhere, and with the cows up in the hills, there'll still be a herd. You can use all the different property and crop and equipment insurance money to rebuild with all the fancy modern thingamabobs you keep going on about."

"Insurance! Dad, why the hell were we up here meaning to blow up this levy if we have insurance!"

"I ain't never made an insurance claim, and I wasn't about to start if I could help it!"

"Wait. What do you mean I can use the money. You mean we, right?"

"Noope. I'm thinking I'll move myself into that old folks home with his pretty grandma and leave you to it. Let's go blow a levy."