Trent Reedy - Divided We Fall

“Look who finally shows up. You want to explain where you been?” Schmidty walked out through the bay door to join me in the gravel parking lot.

I knew something like this was coming. “Sorry,” I said. “I, um… My alarm, I set it wrong and—”

He blew smoke in my face. “Cut the bullshit. I called your house already. Your mom said you left bright and early this morning. She started to panic a little, wondering why you weren’t here, so I had to tell her some story about how you’d been here, but then went to pick up some parts, and I was wondering if you’d stopped at home.” He spit into the gravel. “I don’t like lying for you, so maybe you could stop lying to me.”

“I…” What could I tell him that he’d possibly believe? Even if I told the truth, he might not buy it. “I had to go to the armory.”

“This ain’t your drill weekend.” Schmidty frowned as he drew on his cigarette. “This have something to do with that mess down in Boise?”

“It was…” I was scrambling to think of a story, but I could never explain why I’d been gone all morning. I looked down and kicked a rock across the lot. Schmidty’s wife had ditched him years ago, and from what I could tell, his life was a lonely stretch of cigarettes and cheap beer. I could probably tell him the truth. He’d keep it safe just because, in general, he hated talking to people. I looked up at him and held out my hand. “Give me a cigarette. There’s something I got to tell you.”

I told him the whole long stupid story, coughing a little as I tried to smoke. While I described the Battle of Boise, I kept waiting for him to start cussing me, the protestors, the governor, or the president out. He stayed quiet, though, watching me with his eyes sharper than I remember them being in a long time. I explained how I’d been at the governor’s mansion for the troop standoff. “So yeah,” I said when I finished. “Seems like everybody has it out for me these days.”

“Not everybody. Buzz Ellison’s been talking all week about how the soldiers did nothing wrong, about people jumping to conclusions and assuming you were all guilty.” He almost smiled. “Lot of people on Ellison’s side. On your side.”

“I… I felt so helpless there today. Our own soldiers about to fight against each other, damn near shooting down helicopters, and there was nothing I could do.”

“Something you can do. And you better get to doin’ it real quick.” Schmidty jerked a thumb back toward the shop. “Back your truck in. We need to get it ready in case something happens.”

“What’s going to—”

“Just go get your truck!”

I did as he said, and when I climbed down from the Beast, he was waiting for me with a big black metal toolbox. Inside he’d packed a couple lighters, a serious bowie knife, a hatchet, a length of rope, a blanket, a dozen military meals ready to eat, and some bottled water. “We’ll bolt this to the back of your truck so nobody can steal it and so it don’t rattle around.” He pointed up to the loft where I kept the Beast’s hard-shell cover for the back. “We’ll put that on today too.” I opened my mouth to complain, but he held up his hand while he lit another cigarette. He puffed smoke. “No, don’t give me no back talk. You’ll need the cover on that thing. It’ll be cold soon anyway. Keep that truck fully fueled at all times, and check the spare tire. Run a full maintenance check on it every week.”

“Geez, Schmidty,” I said. “You sound like this is the Army. We’re not at war, you know.”

“I don’t know what’s going on.” He pointed at me with his cigarette. “Neither do you. But shit’s gettin’ bad, Danny. Real bad.”

We started bolting the heavy toolbox down in the back of the Beast.

—• The Dow plummeted 6 percent today. The NASDAQ and S&P also suffered another decline. Investors are worried about the increasingly troubling situation in Idaho and how that might affect the nation’s industrial and agricultural production, while currency traders are dumping the dollar, resulting in a spike in dollar-based commodities. Oil and gas prices are on the rise, bringing bad news for an already struggling transportation sector. Market analysts predict •—

—• From NPR News, this is Everything That Matters . I’m David Benson. While a shocked nation waits to see President Rodriguez’s response to Idaho governor James Montaine’s forcible defiance of the federal government, the American public is not waiting to respond with their opinions. The newest poll figures released this morning show the president’s approval ratings plummeting to a mere 33 percent, the lowest by far during his entire presidency. Nationwide polling also shows considerable disapproval for Governor Montaine, with only 39 percent of Americans polled supporting the governor.

Montaine is polling much higher within the state of Idaho, but there may be serious signs of trouble for the governor and some of his supporters in the Idaho legislature. The Idaho secretary of state announced today that Montaine opponents have gathered enough support to begin an official petition for the governor’s recall. The opponents now have seventy-five days to collect a sufficient number of signatures. Under Idaho law, if the petitioners succeed, a special recall election would have to take place this November second. The secretary of state also recognized the start of recall petitions for many of the governor’s allies in the legislature. Even if Governor Montaine survives the recall attempt, recalled seats in the legislature would remain vacant until the next general election, making it difficult for the governor to pass his initiatives in special sessions, as he has twice this year. If enough Idaho voters choose to recall the governor, the post would be filled by the lieutenant governor until the next general election.

While the president’s Republican opposition might be expected to take advantage of these poll numbers, Speaker of the House Jim Barnes said this morning that, quote, “unity and understanding are more important than ever in light of the current crisis.”

On the other hand, support from Democrats is beginning to cool. Senate Majority Leader Laura Griffith said, quote, “I fully expect the president will finally engage with this issue to lead us to a solution to this problem. Delay only worsens the situation.” •—

Once during our junior year, I overheard Sweeney talking to his girlfriend at the time — a girl from a different school, Emily or Emma or Ella. (He probably dated a girl by each of those names that year.) Anyway, he said, “So what do you want to do tonight?”

She went, “I don’t care. Whatever you want to do.”

He was all, “Want to go out to eat?”

She said, “Sure.”

“Where do you want to eat?”

“I don’t care. Wherever you think.”

Sweeney told me later that apart from how much she put out, it had been like dating himself.

JoBell was never like that. She always had an opinion about what she wanted to do on a date or about what the United States should do about the war in Iran. Well, about how fast the military should leave Iran. She wasn’t too bossy or anything. She’d just been raised to be passionate about her ideas, and that passion kept things interesting. Except for when she was complaining about Montaine or the Battle of Boise, I liked it.

I sat parked outside JoBell’s house early Friday morning, relaxing and waiting for her to come out so I could drive her to her student council meeting before school.