Spring 2015
his mother to the car and pretends not to notice a laughing Cab paying at the cash register.
curves, and passing slower vehicles. Archie looks at Cab and knows he’s the best driver in the whole
world. They cross a river and Archie says, “Is this the river we’re gonna throw Mom in?”
“Ha! Ha! No, but you keep looking for that river, Archie. You’ll find it yet.” Big Cab roars with
laughter. Archie is bursting with excitement; they’re always teasing Mom like that—it’s so much fun
and she doesn’t always get mad.
“Burma-Shave!” Archie screams. He knows most of the rhymes but he needs Cab to read the first
line or so.
“Week-old beard.” Cab reads as the first sign comes into view. Archie doesn’t respond so Cab
reads the second sign as they approach. “So masked his face.”
Archie perks up and seeing the third sign he shouts, “His bull dog” and continues with each
successive sign, “Chased him.”, “Off the place”, “Burma-Shave!”, Archie finishes with a shout.
***
It’s high noon when they reach a road construction site. A flagman waves them over. “Cab! Who’s
that feller ya got witcha?”
“Ha. Ha. That’s the new boss. He’s come over here to fire all you birds.”
The man’s brow furrows. “That right? You come over ta put us out of work? You gonna put us
out in the cold ta starve ta death?”
Archie squirms and twists down into the car seat. “I ain’t no boss. ‘Member? I’m Archie.”
“Oh, Archie. I didn’t recognize ya. All duded up in your town duds and all. Ya like ta scared me
ta death.” He turns and points up a side road. “You’ll find Sandy and the boys up there.”
Archie and Cab walk toward a group of men wearing dusty work clothes and standing near a giant
bulldozer. They are talking and eating sandwiches. One tall skinny gray-headed man walks toward
them with his hand extended. “Cab, I see ya got your right-hand man witcha. You better be careful;
he’s gonna be taking over your job one of these days.”
Archie’s chest swells. “Sandy, we eat in a restaurant and I paid for it with a check.”
Sandy turns to Cab. “That right? Archie’s writin’ the checks now?”
“Yeah, his checks are made outta rubber. They bounce.” Everybody laughs and Cab says to Archie,
“Go back up to the car and see if your ma’s all right.”
***
Archie shifts on the kitchen floor careful not to look up towards his dad who is sitting at the table
drinking coffee and listening to the news on the radio. It’s all war news with some guy named Hitler
beatin’ up on everybody else. But that’s all happening on the other side of the ocean and nothing for
Americans to get worried about. It’s nice to think about the old days, especially since he can’t do
nothing until Dad tells him to get up. Their company was called Cleebo Grading Company and they
was always traveling—Mom told him he went to six different schools when he was in the first grade.
They had lots of money too because she said she spend twenty-five dollars for candy one Christmas
and they bought a new car every year.
The Linnet's Wings