Previously on The Jukebox at The Diner Volume Three…
The next day, after the lunch rush, Charlie and Joey set up a couple of beach chairs in the parking lot. A cooler sat between them full of PBR cans on ice. As the girls lined up all the vehicles, filled up buckets of warm soapy water, and ran hoses out, Charlie was telling Joey about PBR and musicians.
“Honestly, it’s just something I noticed. I was in line at a Safeway, and behind me, a group of 20-somethings got in line with 2 cases of PBR. I looked at them and what they were wearing, and the young woman who was standing next to me noticed me. I smiled at her as I paid for my groceries, then set 40 bucks next to the card reader and said “Have a great rehearsal”. She looked at me with a “How’d you know that?” stare. I just pointed to the PBR. “It’s just practice, we don’t have any gigs yet,” she said. I shook my head. “Maybe it’s a bit of a Jedi mind trick, but always rehearse. Marching bands practice. Rock stars are always rehearsing for their next show, even if they’ve never played one.”
“That’s a pretty good mind trick.” -Joey.
That’s when Penny yelled over from the bed of Charlie’s truck.
“Hey Bumblebee, play us something…”
Penny paused and looked over at Charlie.
“Something danceable…” -Penny, smiling at Charlie knowing he’d get the Clerks 2 reference.
She’d parked Flo and Ole’ Betty in the middle. With the height of the bed, she could spray down all the vehicles on either side of the trucks.
“She’s got the high ground, Anakin.” -Joey
The jukebox speaker crackled through the outdoor house system, which was cranked pretty loud.
As Joey and Charlie said “And. Here. We. Go.” with huge smiles, the needle dropped on the jukebox.
Penny hosed down the rides on the west first. The Shelby, Cosworth, Penny’s Raptor, and Flo, then she jumped from Flo’s bed into Ole’ Betty’s and hosed down the police cruisers and the ‘55 Chevy on the east side.
Samantha and Bella started sponging down the Shelby on the west side while Jessie and JePo started on the ‘55.
Penny jumped down from Ole' Betty and brought the hose over to the Shelby and hosed it down and then Samantha and Bella started on it with shams as Penny drug the hose over to the ‘55 and started hosing it down as Jessie and JePo started on Deputy Bella’s cruiser.
As Penny came around to hose the driver’s side of the ‘55 she “accidentally” hosed down Jessie.
“Oops! My bad.” -Penny, with that Jones Family grin. Jessie threw the dripping wet soapy sponge at Penny with the accuracy of an MLB pitcher. Penny turned and ducked but it hit her right in her ass.
“Oops! My bad.” -Jessie, standing there like a gangster raccoon. Arms out wide, just asking for it.
“Ask and ye shall receive.” -Penny, turning and hosing down Jessie and JePo who had just started her windup.
Charlie nodded to Joey and while the girls were distracted they disappeared around the back of the diner.
Samantha was just about finished wiping down the Shelby with a shammy when the first water balloon hit the windshield.
“Missed a spot!” -Charlie, from the roof of the diner, just as Bumblee spun up another bit of sunny grooves.
Bella looked up from shamming the Cosworth only for Joey’s water balloon to hit the hood of the Cosworth a few inches from the fender she was drying.
“We’re so gonna pay for this.” -Joey.
Charlie grinned and pulled a money clip out of his pocket.
“The Jones Family always pays its debts.” -Charlie, flashing Joey a glimpse of the 100 dollar bills in the money clip.
Joey’s phone rang, so he walked over to the back of the roof as he answered it. Charlie launched another water balloon at Penny, who had her back turned and hadn’t noticed Charlie and Joey’s assault from the high ground, so she was caught off guard when the water balloon exploded on her back. She spun around only to see two empty beach chairs.
Then she noticed Charlie on the roof and the incoming water balloon. Just in time to duck it. JePo had been sneaking up on Penny, unfortunately right as Penny ducked. She did get her hand up in time, but it was the one with the soapy sponge, which only added special effects as the water balloon hit.
Penny tried to get to Charlie with the hose, but all he had to do was back up out of sight.
Joey was off the phone and walking up as Charlie was backing up with the buckets of water balloons.
“The train just left Montana. It’s going to stop in Wyoming tonight, and then Idaho BLM will load the last of them in the morning. It should be here tomorrow before sunset.
Charlie looked over at the foundation of the barn and pen that were being constructed. It was going to cost a lot more than it should have, but he wanted to have it at least able to have a place for any injured horses. He hoped 12 stalls would be enough. Charlie got on the VHF radio to the construction foreman. “We have till sunset tomorrow for the basics. Looks like you’re making great progress, thank you for your help.” The foreman came back on.
“No worries. If I need extra help, with what you’re paying, I have a waitlist 20 deep.” -The foreman
“Call em in if you need to, thank you again for doing this at the last minute.” -Charlie.
Charlie clipped the radio back on his belt and looked at Joey. They both nodded and just started rapid-firing water balloons from the back of the diner. They knew where to aim, and when the buckets were empty they slowly crept forward to assess the damage.
“I’d say that’s a success.” -Charlie, looking down from the roof at five women who wanted nothing more than to exact revenge. Hands-on hips, cocked like they were mad, but faces full of smiles.
Bumblebee spun one more track, and the girls turned and went back to shamming everything down again, singing along with Aly and AJ.
They didn’t know it yet, but they’d be helping corral a different kind of horsepower tomorrow.
For now, they were just enjoying the sun.
The Jukebox at The Diner Volume Three will return…