The Jukebox at The Diner: "Night Shift" Episode Three - The One I Got
Track Three: "The One I Got" by Johnny Lang
Previously on The Jukebox at The Diner Volume Three…
One week later…
South Boston, Massachusetts
Amanda’s dad was with her on the back porch. He was looking at the Adams Aviation business card she’d handed him.
“Owned and operated by Amanda Adams. I was a little worried about you when you came back from Afghanistan, Amanda. This…”. Her dad looked up from the card, and out into the backyard, where Mouse, aka Margaret Apple, was reading “A Bad Apple” to all the nieces and nephews, and a gang of local kids. She was holding court like C-3PO in “Return of The Jedi”. Special Effects and everything. “She’s such a down-to-earth young woman. For someone who had every advantage, she appreciates it, doesn’t she?”
“The day I met her before she said a word…” A huge burst of laughter came from the kids, and then Mouse took a bow after finishing the book. She looked over at Amanda and her father and smiled that Island smile. “Yep, that smile. Defenseless. There’s no military training for that you know.”
“Copy, Captain ‘mandapants” -Amanda’s father, almost causing a spit take from his daughter.
Just south in New York, Agent Maxwell was meeting Jacob Jericho Jones for the first time. It took a little while to get it approved (Jake waited until he heard the news from Joseph).
“How is my niece, Agent Maxwell?”
“She received your package. She’d just come back from Vancouver Island. She found something there, I’m hoping you can confirm its authenticity so I can close a 70-year-old missing persons case.”
“The X-File on the diner, about my grandfather. What do you have?”
Agent Maxwell took an evidence bag out from his suit pocket.
“Is this your grandfather’s ring?”
Jacob looked at the inscription. “Yes.”
“Thank you. Now, are there any other questions before I ask you about my reason for being here?”
“Just one. What did the jukebox play?”
The Di…
Charlie’s Corner.
“Okay Charlie, I’m ready to talk about what Jake sent.” -Penny, sliding into the window booth at the end.
“Want to take a walk?” -Charlie
They went out the back, and Charlie stopped by the hoop.
“Would you do me the honor of mocking my hoop skills tomorrow over a game of H.O.R.S.E. Two-Bits?”
“I’m still shocked Izzy hasn’t beat you in a game with naming rights. How it isn’t a game of M.O.U.S.E. yet I’ll never understand. You’re on old man. My mockery will make Izzy’s taunts seem like a hug.” -Penny, picking up the basketball and tossing it over the backboard, and through the hoop hitting nothing but the net.
“Pretty much how it’s gonna go Dad.” -Penny, walking away and over to the breaker box, flipping on the switch that let the fireflies invade.
Then she took off her Sony Walkman and headphones and handed it to Charlie.
“Just listen. Then we’ll talk.”
Charlie put on the headphones, clipped the Walkman to his belt, and pressed play.
“Hello Penny, it’s Jacob. If you're hearing this, you’ve met my former cellmate, Joseph. I’m sure he shook your hand for being the wild woman who growled at me and shook my bones. He was the one who suggested this. He told me about Kokopelli and Coyote the Trickster, among other things, as well as helping me find what I needed for this. I hope this conveys the message I’d like you to hear. This is more my brother’s comfort zone. I always called him Ziggy Stardust for being such a… music spirit.”
Then Charlie heard a guitar, and he could picture where Jake could have recorded that. Someplace quiet enough, with a natural reverb. Isolation. Jake had put himself in isolation to learn guitar. Then he recognized the song. A Dustin Kensrue song. “There’s Something Dark”.
Charlie and Penny strolled through the art walk in the treeline until they got to the wishing well full of silver dimes. Charlie took off the headphones and handed the Walkman back to Penny.
“You know how you want to handle this?” -Charlie
“I do. We’ll be at his parole hearing.” -Penny
“Ok, Two-Bits.” -Charlie
About an hour later, Ed was walking Penny and JePo through the diner operations one final time. When he was satisfied he’d covered everything, he asked them to come outside.
“So, JePo, here’s the keys to the Airstream. She’s yours.”
Then Penny dug a set of keys out of her pocket.
“Jessie’s staying with me, and, well, She’s in charge of the ‘55 Chevy, so here’s the keys to Ole Betty. I know you two are well acquainted.
“You guys are too much. Thank you. I just realized I never bothered to check what happened to my stuff at my old place in Austin. Like just now. I hadn’t even thought about it until right now.” -JePo
“Doesn’t sound like you’ve missed anything.” -Penny
“Ok, one last thing. I asked Charlie to let me tell you both about this.” -Ed, walking over to Margaret the apple tree. He dug a carrot out of his pocket, broke it into a few pieces, and set it down next to a small hole in the ground. Almost immediately a white rabbit popped out, grabbed a piece, and then ducked back in.
“Okay then.” -Penny, turning around and heading back into the diner. As she got to the back entrance she stopped and raised her hand, with her back turned. “Don’t be late Alice!”
9:45 PM
Sheriff Earnest Presley, no relation, walked into the diner carrying a suitcase.
He came and sat down next to Charlie and Samantha. “So, about that vacation, Boss.”
He took off his Sheriff’s badge and set it on the counter.
“Alright then, Earnest, it’s been an honor working with you. You’ll always have a place here.” -Charlie
“Does she know?” -Samantha
Earnest laughed. “Not all of us live a story Samantha, Monique and I have been talking on the phone since the night we met. She’s got a few days off coming so we’re going to hang out in Fort Collins and then I’m going to ride her routes back to Spokane with her. She loves this route, I’m sure I’ll join her now and then and come say hi.”
Samantha nodded and held out her hand. “It was very nice to get to know you, Earnest.” The Sheriff looked at the Kashmir Saffire diamond on Samantha’s left hand. “Got any of those lying around Charlie?”
“Come see me when you’re ready.” -Charlie
Penny saw all this from the kitchen and came out. As she passed the jukebox, she said “Hey Bumblebee, play something for all the love birds around here!”
Then she slid into the booth across from Charlie, Samantha, and Earnest, where Jessie was sitting with Bella and Joey.
Charlie got up and grabbed the Sheriff’s badge. He looked at it for a second, then smiled, tossing it on the table in front of Joey. “Deputize Bella and make an honest lawwoman out of her, would you, Sheriff?”
That’s when the crackle of the jukebox speaker rippled through the house’s sound system.
Charlie turned to Samantha. “May I have this dance?”
Samantha got up and joined Charlie. Jessie and Penny slid out of their booth and walked with Charlie and Samantha over to the jukebox. Joey was the one who said it out loud as he pinned his old Deputy’s badge on Bella.
“And. Here. We. Go.”
Earnest Presley, no relation, picked up his suitcase and walked out of the diner, and across the road to wait for the Greyhound bus.
He sat down on the top of his suitcase, took off his cowboy hat, and looked around one last time.
As Jonny Lang sang “Ain’t no woman like the one I got”, he just smiled and said,
“Yes, I know.”
The Jukebox at The Diner “Night Shift” will return next Tuesday…