Brokenhearted in Bakersfield

 

96 - THE FIRE CHIEF

Over at what was once my beautiful Broken Heart Park, you sometimes just gotta stand and take it, at other times you just wanna break down and cry.

The Fire Chief barged in between me and Maggie and several Kachingas, including Ms. Luckyfeather and assorted media and others gathered about, all under the watchful eye of an on-duty Brother of the Mythical Nights.

“You folks’re gonna have to move out of the way,” the Fire Chief yelled at everyone.  “Right now!  The bulldozers are gonna come clear this area, and we’re here to see to it that it’s carried out in a safe and secure manner.”

That was a magical incantation to the Silver Ghost’s ears.  Once again he exclaimed to the heavens, “Safety!  Security!  The Silver Ghost!”  He turned his foil-wrapped and bandaged head to the Fire Chief, “Safety and security have always been of upmost importance to me.”  And apparently feeling his mission accomplished, Joe simply wandered away off-duty.

Maggie stared hard at the Fire Chief.  “You mean you didn’t come out here to investigate that huge explosion and all the fireworks?”

“Unh-unh.  All kinds of things go on out here that we don’t give a crap about.”

“Well, what about all those times you came out here with the cops when there was the shootings and the digging going on?” Maggie asked.

“Oh, hell, we were here ‘cause the old bat called us.  What was her name?  Oh yeah, Gotti.  She always had coffee and stuff for me and the boys to eat,” he snickered.  “Now, y’all go over there while we clear away this mess.”

“What about Dottie’s remains?” Maggie protested.  “Look around!  You don’t see her serving up anything right now, do you?” Maggie was furious.  “Dottie was killed today by a piece of flying flamingo, and then incinerated in a propane tank explosion.  Shouldn’t you recover what’s left of her before clearing the land?”

The Fire Chief gave Maggie a bored smile.  “Calm down, lady.  Now, just where might those remains be?”

“Right over there,” Maggie bellowed, as she pointed to a smoldering heap in a crater.

“We’ll check it out,” the Fire Chief assured her.  Then he added, “You let me and the boys handle this now, okay?”

The Fire Chief dragged Maggie back to where Sashimi was anxiously standing, right next to a tribal Escalade, as the bulldozers started rumbling into Broken Heart Park.

We all stood around and watched the mangled pieces of the Manager’s Coach crumple like tissue under the blade of the first dozer.  In what seemed like no time at all, my double-wide and all its brand new contents was pushed off into a hole and buried

It’s a bit sobering to realize your life, and all that you possess, has about as much significance as a dead dog lay’n by the side of the road.

 

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