town around

Vort was a thief. Frank and Bean were his best friends. They robbed the City-State Bank; a small bank that never advertised on television. Port was the “brains” behind the robbery. He had a hunch that a bank that did not advertise it’s existence, had only two locations, and, both locations were surreptitiously bumping the perimeters of the County limits, a few block away from closed long-since warehouses, would be a cinch to hold up. He was right. Frank said it was like taking candy from a baby.

Vort brought his old Datsun hatchback two-door car that he had overhauled a month ago because he reached to 250,000 miles, the limit for keeping a car, that month. It drove well. Vort nicknamed the car “Time Machine”. He loaded it with gas and the boys, his best friends, who were at Bean’s house chugging down beers, waiting for Vort to pick them up. They put their portion of the cash they confiscated from the bank into the trunk of the car, laughing uproariously at nothing. They hopped in the back seats as though the car was a convertible. “Watch your head”, Vort cautioned. Vort told them he looked over a few maps and he was driving to a remote area that had 18 residents. “If the police speculate that any of us had any involvement with the bank robbery, they’ll never think to look in that town”, Vort continued. Then he took off. He went 40 on a 25 miles per hour zone. He made it to the freeway. He got onto the turnpike leaving the city and the state. They arrived at the small town of Justam after a three-hour ride.

“Hope this town has a motel,” Bean was curious. The town was a ghost town in that very cars were seen driving around or in the parking lots which were too many to count. “They sure have a lot of parking lots for only 18 people,” Frank observed. “Well, boys, welcome to Justam. Let’s ask around for a place to eat, and a place to get cleaned up,” said Vort.

They walked across the street to a dinner. It was open. Bell-May smiled and greeted them. She came around the counter and escorted them to one of the tables near the large front windows. “You boys new in town? We got a brunch if you do not care for breakfast.” Bell-May smiled. Frank looked at Bell-May. Frank said, “What’s your name? Are all the ladies in this town as pretty as you.” Bell-May blushed. “Thank you. Bell-May. Can I pour you guys a cup of coffee while you look over the menu?”

Bean spoke for all, “Yes, please. Is it too early for a slice of that cherry pie you got there in the clear pie box on the counter?” Bell-May answered, “Okee, comin’ up- hot Jove for all. The creamer and sugar choices are here on the table. Pie? Well, that was fast and observant. Most people don’t see the pie unless they are right near the counter. Good eyes. Anybody else want a slice of pie?” The other two nodded their heads ,no. Bell-May left the menus and went back behind the counter.

When she returned with the coffees and the one plate with the delicious smelling cherry pie, she took s=each item off of the tray and served each customer. “Baked fresh this morning.” Vort had a question. He asked, “Bell-May? Your name is Bell-May?” She nodded yes. He asked, “Is there a hotel or motel near this city. We’d like to take a shower and rest up.” “Of course we have a motel. It’s right up the way. Stay on this street...” She pointed to the outside street. “Thank you. I think we’re ready to order,” Vort said. Looking at his menu and keeping his head down Vort ordered as omelet,

an orange juice, bacon, sausages, toast, vanilla pudding, and a banana. Bean told her he’d have the same. Frank chimed in, “Yeah, but instead of banana I’d like a couple of green apples, if you have them.” Bell-May told them she had all of the foods they wanted, gathered up the menus and went around the counter and into the swing door that led to the kitchen.

The men voraciously not letting one drop fall from their mouths and observed each other eat laughing and pointing every so often at each other. Vort paid the bill then the men walked out got into the car and drove up the street to the motel. After Vort paid for the room for 4 days in advance they all walked up the creaking steps to their room. “Wait man! We left something in the car!” Bean exclaimed. “Vort gestured that the two men get back to the car and take the bags out and walk in as natural as can be. They left the motel, got the bags and returned. Vort was already in the shower. He shouted out his friends, “Hey fellas, the water is hot and the soap is outstanding. I mean, it’s got a real nice odor and the beds are comfortable.” Bean closed the room’s door and locked the door. “Damn man, don’t use all the hot water.” Vort said, “Almost done. Shampooing my hair. I’ll be out in a little bit.” Frank bit into one of green apples.

Vort came out the bathroom. “Frank, give me the prying tool from the bag. I have the perfect place to stash the cash.” Frank frowned, “Vort, are you having problems with your mind. There is no way we are going to leave our cash in a motel in a small town that nobody ever heard of except the people who live in the town.” “Keep your pants on Frankie baby. We are going to pay for the room, pay the rent months in advance to keep the room here.” Bean, “Do they rent the rooms?” Vort responded, “Sure.”

Frank started taking off his clothes and left them on the floor as he entered the bathroom. The shower is heard. Vort takes the money out of the bags. He and Bean dance around happy that they struck the jackpot.

After a good night’s sleep the men go back to the diner to order breakfast. Once again they eat ravenously. Vort finishes and tell his friends, “I’m going back to the motel to pay rent. Y’all stay here, I’ll be back.”

At the motel Vort speaks to the manager and the manager agrees to rent monthly with no lease. Vort pays cash and takes the receipt and returns to the diner. Bean,”Let’s see the town. They might have a bar somewhere.” Frank gets up. “I’ll ask Bell-May for the directions of the bar. We could all use a beer later on,” he says. Bell-May walks to the front of the diner and points out the windows giving verbal instructions to Frank but the two others sitting and eating cannot hear what she says.

Vort summons Bell-May over to the table. “I hope you have some more of that delicious pie you served yesterday to my friend, Bean.” “We bake a fresh pie every day. Today we have apple pie. But we have leftover cherry pie.” Vort smiles a bright wide smile and says, “I’ll have a slice of both pies please.” Bell-May leaves the table.

Frank tells his friends where the nearest bar is for later on.

After four day, the men return to their fair city and their state taking the same route.

After another bank robbery the three men head back to Justam. Vort has the same map but cannot find the diner, the motel or the many parking lots. They drive around and around and around.

A strange sound emanates from inside the hood of the car. Vort pulls the car over to check the engine. There is nothing wrong with the engine. Bean lets out a whelp. “Look! There it is! There’s the diner!” Frank excitement matches Bean. He says, “There it is! Why we couldn’t see it before -I don’t know. Thank God the car had troubles or we might not ever have found it.”

Vort closes the hood to the car and turns to look behind him. He sees the diner. He sees the motel.

All get back in the car. Vort drives to the diner.

A waitress approaches their table. “Hi there! You boys new to town?” Bean answers, “No. We are staying at the motel. Are you new here?” The waitress has on a name tag, Dotty. “No. I have been here in the small town of Justam for about 27 years. I’ll get you the menus.”

Dotty turns to get the menus but Frank stops her. “Hey, not that you aren’t a good waitress, but last time we were in town Bell-May served us. Is she still around,” Frank asks, trying not to look worried.

Dotty chuckled, “Yeah, sure. Her name is Mable. She turned it around to make herself unforgettable.”

The men laugh. Dotty goes to the corner of the counter and picks up three menus. She returns to the table and hands each of men a menu.

Vort, while looking at the menu, says, “What was that going around in circles about!” Bean braces himself to take center stage. He remembers a place he and his father visited years ago that had a most unusual set of circumstances. Bean, trying not to get too excited, begins his story: “I hope when we get to the motel that are cash is where we left it. Maybe putting a sign on the door that says we do not want maid service was ignored all these weeks. But I want to tell you guys a story. Many years ago my father and I got on the road to go visit an Indian ashram for some of their beautifully carved woodwork.. The directions were kinda screwball but my father knows his way around a highway. So, we’re headed north, then west then south. As we are traveling we noticed something that put us back in the dark ages. We saw a sign that read ‘for colored only’ and it peeked our curiosity enough for us to change our plan and go see what that town was all about.

Vort, “What? You know keeping old signs up is a way of giving warning to people of color not to bother to visit that town.”

Bean nods yes, then continues. “No, we turned down the road and we saw black people from the entering into the city, you know where the sign welcomes you then it tells you how man residents; I think it was‘ Welcome to Halberston’, or something like that. I saw nothing but black people in the whole town. But there’s a caveat...the white people had a five-lane demarcation or let’s call it, a separation line from the first half of Halberston because the city continued for about 50 miles and only whites lived on the other side of those lanes. Funny thing, there was no data about how many people lived there.”

Frank, “What’s it called? Is that a city? Are you sure you didn’t fall into the twilight zone? Do you think you can find it again? Are you sure it was all black?”

Dotty returned to take their order. Small town and no matter what the men ordered the diner provided.

Newspaper reads supreme court found …..injurious to people of color for centuries eradicate hardships serum to induce...resulted in embracing “jam Crow”….a culture changed 13^th, 14^th 15^th amendments didacted certain legislated phrases from constitution after constitution was challenged as null and void usurped the Moroccan Charter monumen for King/Queen all trade conflict of interest strawman act no country no law….