When we got in from the woods Monday evening Pete was still there… standing in the shade of an old mulberry tree with his eyes closed. On his back was what at first glance appeared to be a large chicken. Even Dewayne had to get out of the truck for a closer inspection. Sure enough that is what it was a chicken with no head, just a big ball of feathers and some tail feathers. Dewayne said it was one of them Rhode Island reds, reddish brown almost black and places and now it must have sensed us staring at it as its head popped out from under its wing, it stood up stretched and fuzzed up in a larger ball and settled back down there on ol’ Pete’s back who had never opened his eyes. You and your strange way of accumulating strange things. Jo Ann cant find a way to keep chickens as the varmints always get them in no time. Said Jo Ann is going to want to come see this for her self.

Dewayne said they would probably be back in a little and left. Scrappy was in the bed and heard me come in and started on his way out. Come on little buddy we are going to find us something to eat. We went in to the kitchen and found something to eat. Then I went out back and was chopping weeds around an old bath tub that was sitting up on some Big bricks off the ground about a foot. It was one of those old kind that had feet big old claw like feet, solid iron and heavy. It had a pipe frame over it that was concreted in the ground I had seen these used in killing hogs you hoisted them up and put them in boiling water to make the hair come loose so you could scrape them. Well I cleaned it up and found the wooden plug and plugged it. Filled it with water for Pete.

Then I heard Dewayne’s car and here came Sue Ellen and Sue around the corner wide open. Up popped the chickens head again and I heard Jo Ann sure is a chicken and she is fat. Wonder where she came from. That Aubrey Deans strange charm that attracts such things. Old Pete woke up and wandered off setting in mowing the grass again. The chicken went back to sleep with its head under its wing.

Jo Ann said Aubrey Dean I found this in your pants Sunday, and forgot to give it to you I think its important as it says Parole Conditions. Well Dewayne said you just got out of that awful place and we like you being here and all. So I read it and it says you got to report in and can not leave the state. I said I am not planning on leaving . You have already left! and y’all go to Arkansas every day to the yard. This is Oklahoma not Texas. It said you had 72 hours to report to the parole officer at the Court House in Clarksville, Red River County Texas. Well they did say to go see the parole officer when I got settled in and I am not quite there yet. Aubrey Dean did you read this? Ahh well… I just could not lie to this woman no Mam as a matter of fact I cant read or write at all. That’s why I have to get caned goods that have pictures on them. That’s how I found this place was a picture on the sign. Sign? what sign? the one with the mountains and lake on it when you turn off on the gravel. Dewayne said that is the Mount Zion Baptist Church sign, it burnt up a few years ago. Jo Ann said we have got to figure out how to fix this. There has got to be something we can do to get it all straight. We are here to help in any way we can. Thanks for being honest as that explains it better.

When they were gone I went to the front porch with Scrappy and got us a seat thinking who is going to come way out here looking for me. Probably no one even missed me, I hope. Damb, seems there is always something there hiding just waiting for you to get comfortable thinking there is a life and Wham it jumps out and bites you on the ass. Well that’s another day for now we are going to bed, call it a day, another day free! I hope I never forget to appreciate and be thankful for those simple things. I stood up and could barely see the old pickup in the weeds. Well maybe there was a use for it after all. When we get it going I can just go down there and explain this all to them and get on back here to America, Land of the Free and the land where dreams come true. Come on little buddy. We went to bed.