Drifter’s Code
Chapter 20: Small Town People
Tim Oleson
Beau heard knocking.
He wished it was someone knocking at his door but it wasn’t. It was a knocking in his engine. His 2010 Ford van has been a great vehicle for him. For the past year all it required was gas and oil. This sounded like something he needed to check out.
He wasn’t thrilled that he was not near a city, even a small one. The small towns that he had been driving through for the last few days were small. He loved being in the mountains but wasn’t happy to be in the mountains with a broken down van.
He had just passed a sign that said the next town was 13 miles ahead. As he reached the town it said population 2,021.
He was afraid that that population number was going to increase by one.
Beau hoped it would not be for long. This small of a town was not the kind of town that offered a lot of opportunity for a traveling guitar player.
As he entered the town he saw a small gas station and pulled in. He needed gas but wasn’t sure if his faithful van was going to be burning a full tank again so he pulled up next to the station and parked.
“Let’s go see what we can find out, Lucky.”
Beau opened up the door to the van and looking around. He saw no threats to Lucky and no distractions that he might want to chase and/or be friends with.
“Come on, boy.” he said to Lucky as he held the door open for him. Lucky jumped out and looked around, ready to follow Beau wherever he went.
Beau walked to the front of the gas station and saw no one inside.
He must be in back, He thought and he walked through the main area into the back shop garage.
“Hello?”
Beau looked around the two bay shop trying to find someone.
“I’m under here,”
He heard someone say from underneath a Ford Pinto in the left stall of the shop. The vehicle was partially jacked up and out from beneath it came a rolling mechanic’s creeper. The mechanic lying on it wiped his greasy hands on a rag, stood up and looked at Beau and Lucky.
“Having a problem with the pump?” he asked.
“No, no problem. I’m not getting gas at the moment. I was hoping to talk to a mechanic.” Beau said.
“Well, sir. It is your lucky day. I’m a mechanic.”
He looked down at Lucky and offered his hand to him to see if he would like to be petted. Lucky looked up at Beau.
Beau nodded to him and Lucky moved next to the mechanic for a head rubbing.
“I’m Vic. How can I help?”
“Hi Vic. I am Beau and this is Lucky.” Beau started to offer him his hand for a hand shake but Vic indicated that with his dirty hands a hand shake could probably wait. He continued trying to wipe the greasy dirt off his hands with the rag.
“About thirty miles back I started to notice a knock in my engine and I wanted to find someone that could diagnose the problem for me.”
“I’d be happy to look at it for you.”
“It’s outside parked at the side of your station.”
“Why don’t you pull it in and I can check it out.”
Beau told Lucky to stay, walked to his van and pulled it into the empty stall.
The mechanic and Lucky stood side by side as Beau entered the shop.
“Yes, I hear the knock you are talking about. Leave it running,” he said as he walked to his tool chest and grabbed a stethoscope.
Beau watched as Vic listened to different parts of the engine and then gave beau the cut throat signal for him to kill the engine.
Beau did.
Getting out of the van, Vic continued doing what mechanics do. Checking the oil dipstick, got out his code scanner to look for codes that might help him determine what the problem was and various other things that Beau had no idea what he was doing.
“I don’t think it is your engine,” Vic finally said. “It seems to be coming from your timing chain area.”
“So what does that mean?”
“Your timing chain is not keeping the tension it needs, that’s why you are hearing that rattle.”
“Is it a serious problem.”
“Well, no. But it will still require a new part and I will have to remove the timing cover to install a new one and it will have to be a special order part. I don’t have that kind of part in stock here.”
Beau sighed, this wasn’t the news Beau wanted to hear although he was glad it wasn’t needing an engine overhaul to fix it.
“You can still drive it but for every mile you do, you risk damaging the engine. I don’t think the engine is damaged at this point. It’s good that you brought it in to have looked at.”
Beau explained to Vic that he was just traveling through town and he rather be on his way out as soon as possible.
Vic nodded, understanding his situation.
“ I’m sorry we aren’t closer to an auto parts store. You are in the boonies out here. It will take me at least a day to get the part and a day to repair it.” Vic said. “You can drive it to a bigger town if you want, it’s your decision.”
“I believe in taking care of the things I own but we have been staying and sleeping in the van on our travels and does this town even have a motel?”
“No, motel. But we have two bars, a small grocery store, a cafe, a post office and a school.” Vic laughed, “And one gas station.”
Beau put his hand on the side of his van and let out a grunt in disappointment.
“ I might have a solution for you, though, as far as the sleeping accommodations go. My next door neighbor has a room she rents out on occasion. We don’t get very many people staying overnight in this town but sometimes someone visiting the school needs a room for overnight and she is always willing to accommodate them when they do. I can call her, if you want?”
“Yes, please do and go ahead and order that part.”
“I will do that right now. There are chairs by the cash register if you want to sit down. I’ll go make those calls.”
It was still early in the day so Beau said, “I think Lucky and I will go for a walk. I’ll leave my cell phone number by the register if you need to get a hold of me before we get back.”
“Okay, don’t get lost.” Vic grinned and walked into the back office to use his phone.
“Lucky, let’s get your leash and go have an adventure.”
One bark was all he needed to say in response.
The town was quiet. The one main road went through the middle of the town, residential areas off to both sides of that main highway. A few of the shops were closed, some deserted.
This town had definitely seen better days, but it still seemed worn rather than neglected.
As he walked down the Main Street, he saw several men across the street that were standing by their cars, talking. Seeing Beau and Lucky drew their attention. Two newcomer to town, especially one on a leash, were probably not an everyday occurrence.
Beau waved, and they both waved back. One even smiled warmly. He wasn’t sure if the smile was for him or for Lucky.
Lucky drew attention wherever he went. Beau had to learn to acknowledge the fact that when he and Lucky were together, he would sometimes play second fiddle.
In the next block, he saw two men having some kind of confrontation. A man in a suit was telling what looked to be the store owner that he needed to get something done.
“I keep telling you that wall needs to be painted over,” the man in the suit said loudly as he pointed to a wall that was fully covered with a decorative graffiti art style that had the name of the town painted into it. Yes, it was weathered and worn but that was part of what Beau saw as it’s charm.
The shopkeeper shook his head. “It’s historic. Harvey and his three boys painted that. Two of his sons are still alive. I’m not going to do it.”
The overweight man in the suit threw up his hands. “Then what good are ya?” He turned and walked off down the sidewalk.
The shopkeeper shook his head and continued sweeping.
Beau looked at the the wall and thought, They don’t need to paint it. They need to put a light on it so that piece of history can be enjoyed after dark, too.
Beau saw the cafe in the next block. He suddenly realized he was hungry.
He walked into Maggie’s Cafe with Lucky beside him. A middle-aged waitress gave them a quick nod as she walked the coffee pot to the table of two of eight people in the cafe.
“Seat yourself anywhere,” was all she said with a smile. The pleasant looking voluptuous woman seemed to be good at her job and he got the impression she enjoyed waiting on people.
Beau slipped into a booth and Lucky hunkered down below the table almost hidden from sight. He picked up the menu that had probably seen a thousand hands since last updated. The cafe was old but clean. Behind the short wall, the cook was preparing something that looked considerably better than dog food. Beau was pleased.
The waitress came up to their table with a notepad and a coffepot andasked, “Can I get you some coffee?”
Looking down at Lucky, she added, “I can also probably wrangle up a bowl of water for your companion if you wish.”
Beau was relieved that having Lucky was not going to be an issue.
“Yes, please. Coffee sounds great and my companion would love to lap up some water. If he makes a mess, I will clean up after him.”
“No problem, I might even have a steak bone for him, I’ll check.” She turned over the coffee cup that had been sitting on the table and filled it.
She bent over slightly to wave at Lucky. You could hear his tail bounce off the booth’s foundation.
“See anything on the menu that sparks your interest?”
“What would you recommend?”
“ Our soup of the day is vegetable beef, and our cook, Marty, is great at making steaks to order with mashed potatoes and a vegetable side.”
“That sounds great. Make it a T-bone and a doggy bag for the bone.”
“You got it, My name is Maggie. New in town?”
“Just passing through. I’m looking at a car problem and Vic is helping me deal with it.”
“Vic, He’s the best mechanic in town. Car mechanic, anyway. There are probably even better mechanics in this town but they only work on their own combines and tractors.” Maggie said with a grin. “I’ll put your order in.”
As she walked away, Beau looked around at the other patrons.
Two men, a family of four with a toddler and an infant and two elderly women that had given him a thorough look over.
They were probably eager to get back to their homes to tell the rest of the town about a man and his dog being in town.
Just then that overweight man wearing the suit walked in. He carried himself like a man accustomed to being important. At least he thought himself as important.
He approached the counter and Beau heard him say in a demanding voice, “Maggie, Get me a coffee and one of your doughnuts to go.”
“Sorry, Mr Morgan the doughnuts are all gone for today. Can I get you something else?”
“No doughnuts? You need to make more doughnuts. What kind of business you running here?” Maggie remained calm, waiting for him to finish his rant. From the look of it, she’d dealt with him many times before. Beau respected the way she handled his demeaning behavior.
“Okay, just the coffee then.” He said in an irritable tone.
He looked around the cafe and saw Beau in the booth.
“Oh, We have an out of town visitor, I see.” He looked at Beau as a crooked salesman might look at a potential patsy.
He didn’t wait for Maggie to bring him the coffee. He immediately walked towards Beau and announced himself.
“Hello stranger, I am Terrance Morgan, The mayor of this beautiful oasis.
Who might you be?”
“Just a stranger”, Beau said not liking the authority that this guy seemed to enjoy spreading around, unless it suited him to be nice. He reminded Beau of someone who’d spread cow manure on concrete, wonder why nothing grew, and then blame the farmer he’d stolen the manure from.
“I was just about to enjoy some of your great oasis food.”
“I don’t mean to be nosy but I do like to keep abreast of things, although abreast doesn’t get much better than Maggie’s.”
Maggie heard him and rolled her eyes in disgust.
“So Mr. Morgan, How long have you been sitting on that joke?”
“Why, Mr. Stranger, Did you get up on the wrong side of bed today or is this your normal demeanor?”
Beau heard a slight growl seep out of Lucky’s mouth.
“It might have something to do with the company I’m in at the moment.”
Beau had already seen how Morgan treated people. He wasn’t about to give him the time of day.
“Did you wake up on the arrogant side of the bed, or are you the town Welcome Wagon?”
Beau looked him straight in the eyes.
“I think Maggie has your ‘to go’ coffee ready to go.”
He said it slowly and articulated every word.
Mr. Morgan seemed at a loss as to what to say. He merely grunted, turned and walked to the end of the counter, dropped a few dollars on it, grabbed his coffee and walked out the door.
A moment later, Maggie approached with a bowl of water and a bone for Lucky. She set them both down and Lucky seemed to appreciate it.
“Sorry about that interruption. His britches are not as tall as he thinks they are.”
“Yes, He does think pretty highly of himself. Thank you for taking care of Lucky.”
“Oh, Lucky is his name? How suitable for a dog with such noble stature.” She petted his head. “He’s beautiful. He also seems to be a great judge of character.”
Both Maggie and Beau laughed.
Beau raised his cup for another sip of coffee.
Ten minutes later, Maggie came back with an armful of food. She had a large plate full of steak and mashed potatoes in the crook of her arm and a separate plate with a piece of pie topped with whipped cream. Beau thought, “This lady knows how to deal with plates.”
“I know you didn’t order the pie but consider it my admission price to watching you deal with our Welcome Wagon. I enjoyed it immensely.”
“ Thank you, Maggie. My name is Beau.” She placed the plates in front of him, smiled and walked away.
Beau’s phone rang.
He pulled it from his pocket and looked at the number. He didn’t recognize it but answered.
“Hello?”
“Hi Beau, This is Vic. I got your part ordered and hopefully it will be in tomorrow and then I hope to have it done the following day. I also talked to my neighbor Helen. She has her room available for as many nights as you need. She is quite the cook, you won’t go hungry at her place.”
“Thanks, Vic for keeping me up to date and arranging that room. I am at the cafe right now so I won’t need any food tonight.”
“Oh, say hello to Maggie for me. My wife and I eat there when we can. She is a sweetheart.”
“Yes, I am aware of that and I will say hello for you. I’ll be back in about an hour.”
“Take your time, If the garage is closed, my house is right behind it.”
He hung up the phone.
Beau could not help but see the contrast between Mr. Morgan and all the other people he has met so far in this small town.
What a dramatic difference.
Maggie brought the coffee pot over and refilled his coffee.
“I hear there are two bars in this town. Do either ever have entertainment?” he asked.
“Very rarely although one of them does have a small stage. Usually it has broken tables and chairs on it that are waiting for resurrection. Both bars have friendly bartenders and people that frequent them.
She smiled.
“Why, Does Beau need entertainment?”
He could tell she was just giving him a hard time while hoping to glean a little more information about the new stranger in town.
Beau understood her curiosity.
Small towns need something to talk about.
“Actually, I am entertainment.”
“I totally agree with you there,” she interrupted with a large grin.
“No, what I mean is. I am an entertainer. I play guitar and sing and while traveling around I often play at bars for drinks and tips and lodging if it is available.”
“Oh, I get it now. May I sit down?”
“Absolutely. Oh, Vic said to tell you hi for him, I just talked to him on the phone.”
She set the coffee pot on the table, sat down and said, “Vic and his wife are wonderful.”
She reached down and put her hand on Lucky.
“The bar that’s three doors down on this side of the street is the one with the stage. It would be the one that I think would be most likely to be up for some music. Do you have a band?”
“No, just me.”
“The bartender most nights is the owner, Randy. He is a nice guy and he has a loyal crowd of people that go to his place. I could call him and ask for you?”
“No, thanks, Maggie I will ask him myself. What is the name of the bar.”
“The Oasis,” she said with a big grin.
“Now that is funny,” Beau said laughing. “I hope Mr. Morgan doesn’t own it.”
“No, he doesn’t. You and Randy should get along. He doesn’t like Terrance Morgan either.”
Maggie stood up grabbed the coffee pot and said, “Let me know if you are playing there, My husband and I would love to join in on the fun.”
Beau finished his meal, wiped up a wet spot that Lucky had made next to the water bowl and said a goodbye to Maggie.
He walked out onto the sidewalk and headed the three doors down to the Oasis. Several cars were parked in front, with a mostly empty parking lot next door.
The bar was dimly lit as he entered with Lucky on his leash. There were several televisions on the walls playing various sports and a large bar with only a few stools empty at the bar counter.
“Hello,” he said to the man behind the bar. “I am looking for Randy? Is he here today?”
“You found him, what can I do for you?”
Randy walked out from behind the bar, looked down at Lucky but didn’t say anything about him being unwelcome. He was drying his hands with a bar towel.
“I am going to be in town for a few days and I am a solo guitarist and singer. I was wondering if you would have any interest in allowing me to play and entertain for a few hours tonight and tomorrow night. I could just play for tips so it wouldn’t cost you anything.”
Randy swung the bar towel onto his shoulder and took a deep breath before responding.
“Hmm, It has been quite a while since I’ve had any entertainment. I can’t guarantee it would even be worth your while, especially on a weekday night.”
“It would cost you nothing to find out. Your night crowd might not be too busy but this is a small town and news in a small town spreads pretty fast. We might be surprised.”
Randy put out his hand for a handshake.
“Okay, let’s give it a try. What is the name you want to use. I’ll make a poster to put up?”
“Beau. Just put music by Beau Drifter. I’ll play seven to ten and see what happens after that.”
“Perfect, Beau Drifter. I’ll clear off the stage and have it ready for your gear by 6. Do you need anything besides power?”
“No, I have all I need. See you around six.”
Randy smiled, gave him a thumbs up and went back to work behind the counter.
Beau and Lucky walked out of the bar and stopped by Maggie’s cafe. He opened the door, stuck his head in, and saw Maggie looking at him.
“Beau Drifter… Playing the Oasis at seven o’clock tonight and tomorrow.”
Maggie grinned.
“We’ll be there.”
The two elderly ladies still sitting at their table from earlier pulled out there cell phones and began pressing buttons.
The whole town will know about it within hours, thought Beau.
Beau and Lucky crossed the street and walked down the block to see what the shopkeeper was selling. It was an antique shop, the kind that Beau wished he had time to explore. Maybe tomorrow. He did, however have a small display of candies and gum near the checkout counter.
While at the register buying a pack of gum, the shopkeeper remarked, “Sorry you had to overhear our local art critic discussing my wall.”
“If I was you, I would put a light on it. Piss him off twenty four hours a day!” Beau grinned.
The shopkeeper held out to shake Beau’s, “Consider it done.”
The smile on his face reflected his passion for the new lighting project that had started three seconds ago.
“My name is Pete,”
“Beau, Oh, and Lucky. I’m playing guitar at the Oasis tonight and tomorrow. If you want to hear me strum some tunes, Stop by. Seven to ten.”
“Great, me and the missus will be there. I bet my boys will come, too. There’s not a lot of entertainment in this town other than street fighting with the Mayor.”
“Thanks, Pete. See you later, then.”
After walking the four blocks back to the service station, Beau and Lucky found Vic working on his van. Parts lay scattered around from his disassembly of it.
Oh no. Beau thought. How am I going to get my equipment to the bar?
Vic looked up from his work at the front of the van.
“Just getting a head start.”
“Crap, I have my equipment in this van. I talked Randy into letting me play tonight and tomorrow at the Oasis. It will take me forever to walk all my stuff down there.”
“Don’t fret.”
Randy walked to a pegboard and grabbed a set of keys. Tossing them to Beau, he said, “Here’s the keys to a Ford Pinto. You are welcome to use it while your van is laid up. It’s parked outside.”
“Vic, you’re a life saver. Thank you!”
“You don’t need to thank me, It’s only a Pinto.”
They both laughed.
“If you have time now, you might want to go next door and introduce yourself and Lucky to Helen. She is expecting you both.”
Beau stood on a large front porch and knocked on the front door of the house next door. It was an older home with vines growing on brick siding. The lawn was manicured amd he saw a hint of a garden in the backyard.
“Coming.”
He heard a voice say on the inside of the house.
Accompanying the voice was a bark of a small dog.
He heard the door being unlocked and it opened.
A woman in her sixties stood at the open door. She looked at Beau and Lucky and said, “Beau and Lucky?”
“Yes, Ma’am. Helen?”
“Yes, young man come on in.”
She held the door open for them.
“The barking you hear is my dog “Trigger.” I have in him in the next room. We can introduce Lucky to him later. He can get a little excited but he is not intimidated by other dogs. Once they know each other he will be Lucky’s best friend. Let me show you your room.”
Helen showed Beau the large nicely furnished room in her basement. She gave him a key to the back door.
“Don’t worry about waking me. You are free to come and go as you please. My bedroom is on the other side of the house and you won’t wake me if you come in late. You might hear Trigger announce your arrival but that is not an issue with me.”
“Thanks so much, Helen. I will be playing till the later hours tonight and tomorrow at the Oasis bar downtown so it will probably be late when I get back here.”
“If you’re playing tonight, let’s get Trigger and Lucky introduced. If you want I can babysit him tonight while you are at work playing.”
“That would be great,” Beau said.
Often when Beau played, Lucky was forced to stay and sleep in the van. Beau always disliked having his best friend cooped up and having Helen and a dog friend to spend time with would be ideal. Lucky and Trigger hit it off immediately.
Lucky was friendly to most dogs and people.
Well, except for Mr. Morgan.
Beau was able to fit all the equipment he needed for playing in the Pinto and was set up and ready to play at 6:30.
Randy had put a poster up on the sidewalk and he said he had some local women passing the word along that Beau Drifter was playing for two nights. He was hoping for a decent crowd.
Small towns can come together for events. They have so few events to gather for, when there is one, people love to come together.
He had texted Lily to tell her where he was and that he was expecting to be back on the road in a few days.
She text back that he was on her prayer list and that he and Lucky would be safe.
She just knew it.
She always thanked Beau for letting her know where he was and was glad that he was staying in touch. He enjoyed her texts. She had a way of lifting his spirit.
He had come to call it the “Lily Affect.”
Before he got on stage, Maggie snagged him and led him to a table to introduce him to her husband.
Vic and his wife were sitting at the table next to them. They had both brought friends so he was already looking at a bar that was half full and people were still coming in.
Randy was very pleased and super busy. He had to call in a part time bartender to help him.
Beau wasn’t used to being a celebrity but here he was.
Pete was there with his wife and some friends. He spotted Beau and called him over.
“Beau, this is an electrician friend of mine that lives in the next town.”
His friend and his wife seemed just as excited as Pete about what was happening.
“You know why he’s here?” Pete asked, setting the stage for the news he was about to deliver.
“He came to check out the mural that he’s going to light up. He’s thinking of not one but two lights.”
“One on each corner,” Pete added.
Everyone at the table was smiling, caught up in the excitement of the little quest they’d taken on.
“Play well, my friend.” Pete sat down, not wanting to take up any more of Beau’s time.
“As Beau turned away he heard Pete saying to the whole table, “That’s the guy that suggested it.”
Beau was used to being a dark horse, just playing in the background. But this gig, in this small town, they weren’t going to let him stay in the background.
This attention was something he was definitely not used to.
He would be fine, he thought.
Stage fright always left him alone after a couple of songs. He was looking forward to having those first few songs behind him.
He had done a mike check earlier and he knew his sound levels were good.
It always irritated him when performers thought that louder was better. In his opinion, it wasn’t. People needed to hear him but they also needed to communicate among themselves.
It was selfish for the performer to think that they were the only reason that people were there. He was there to entertain, not dominate.
“Hello, everyone.” Beau said as he sat on his bar stool on stage. “Thank you so much for coming to the Oasis tonight. I am Beau and I hope you enjoy what I will be playing tonight.”
Beau started off his first set with a medley of songs that he liked to string together. The songs flowed together seamlessly. Going from one song to another for the first twenty minutes gave him the freedom to just play.
The space between songs had always been where he was the most uncomfortable. He admitted he did not have the personality to be a front man.
He was on his own and playing was where he felt most comfortable.
Talking to the crowd was where he felt the most vulnerable.
Tonight was different though.
He felt more at ease in this small town, in this small bar, than he had in a long time.
He had been playing for about an hour when Randy stepped onto the stage. He handed Beau a beer and asked for some time on the microphone.
Beau handed him the microphone, not having a clue what Randy was about to say.
“Check one, two. Check one, two, three, four.” Randy grinned. “Ha! I’ve always wanted to say that.” He gave Beau a nod thanking him for this fun opportunity.
The full house erupted in laughter, accompanied by hoots, hollers and a few whistles.
Randy can be my front man, Beau thought.
He couldn’t help but smile at the man that was entertaining everyone without even realizing it.
Looking out at the crowd, He noticed that everyone was smiling, too.
“Thanks for coming tonight. I just met Beau this afternoon, and I was reluctant to let him play here tonight. I figured that there might not be many people to play for.”
He paused and waved his arm over the crowd.
“I was wrong!”
The crowd responded with laughter and applause.
“I’m so pleased to see all of you here, and I’m proud of our little town for turning out like this.”
Randy waited for the applause to settle.
“I’m so pleased to see all of you and proud of our little town having such a great turn out.”
“I want you all to know something. I am not paying Beau to play tonight. He’s playing for you, and he’s playing for tips. If you enjoy his music, show him by throwing something in the tip jar.”
Randy picked up the large mayonnaise jar off the front of the stage and held it up for everyone to see.
“I just came up here to show you how that is done.”
He pulled out a hundred dollar bill, showed it to the crowd, and dropped it into the jar.
“That, my friends is how it’s done! And if you don’t have cash, that wall by the bathroom has an ATM. There is no reason Beau shouldn’t feel good about playing here tonight.”
“Am I right?”
The crowd reacted with vigor.
“AM I RIGHT?” he shouted again, louder this time.
The response shook the room.
He instigated the crowd into a frenzy, put the microphone back into the holder just as Beau launched into an energetic song.
Several people got up and danced.
The place was electrified and so was Beau.
People were walking up to the front of the stage and putting money into the tip jar. At one point there was a line of people waiting to tip.
Beau was amazed and his playing was reflecting his enjoyment.
He played for two hours straight before he took a break.
Before he took his break he announced that even though he had said he was only going to play till ten, tonight was special. After his fifteen minute break, he had a lot more songs to play.
The crowd was still with him.
Typically, Beau would simply take his break on a bar stool and talk to people around him, if anyone at all.
Tonight he was a celebrity that everyone wanted to say hello to and thank for playing.
He didn’t even have time to sit down. He ended up talking to every table and then some.
He played till almost 11 o’clock.
The crowd had thinned enough that Beau felt good about calling it a night and what a great night it had been.
The crowd had even liked his original songs.
Randy was happily exhausted. “We took in more money tonight than we usually do on a whole weekend.” He shook Beau’s hand once, then seconds later, shook his hand again.
Beau was also spent. He was so glad he did not have to pack up his gear. His hand carried the one thing he never left on stage overnight, his guitar.
Later, he even found a few phone numbers in his tip jar. That and over five hundred dollars in tips made his exhaustion worth it.
He text Lily about his night and even though it was late she answered back immediately with a joyful, jubilant response.
“Congrats, Drifter Beau! Tear up those phone numbers… It’s the Drifter’s Code.”
That made him laugh out loud reading that. That was Lily. Beautiful and witty too.
Beau and Lucky both slept good that night.