Billy Bob

Bobby John scratched his beard, pondering. Then he said, “Billy Bob, you sure being quite.”

Billy Bob sat behind the counter of the Bait Shop, his usual post when the boys showed up for some palaver.  The stool squeaked as Billy Bob leaned on the counter, “We aint been doing so good here at the bait shop.”

Bobby Joe looked up from the water trough, “Yeah, and your minnows aint doing so good neither.  They is only about ten of’em in here.”

The stool squeaked again as Billy Bob turned to the rascally Bobby Joe, “That’s cause I aint bought no more.  Don’t you see nothing?”

Bobby John liked a good argument, but he generally like to do the arguing. “Billy Bob, you don’t have to get feisty with Bobby Joe, he just wants some minnows.”

Billy Bob sat back, “Ok.  But you never bought no minnows before Bobby Joe.  I thought you did not like fishing?”

Bobby Joe’s face turned red, “Well, I don’t like fishing.  And I don’t like to clean fish.  And besides that, Fannie Mae aint much of a fish cook.”

“Well then, how come you wants minnows,” Bobby John jumped in?  “The onlyest thing they is good for is catching more fish.”

Bobby John hung his head, “Well, Fananie Mae is hungry,” then he blushed some more, “And I is hungry too.”

Billy Bob was scratching his head, “How come you don’t go down to the general store and git some food?  If you ain’t got no money old Harvey will put in on your tab.”

“Nope,” Bobby Joe said, “Old Harvey said no more tabs.  He said the bank done told he the same thing.  He caint stock his shelves cause the bank aint got no money to give him.”

Billy Bob sighed and mumbled to himself, “Harvey too?”

Bobby John never missed much, “What you say Billy Bob?  And what you mean, Harvey too?”

The stool was squeaking while Billy Bob squirmed. “I aint got no more minnows cause the bank wont give me no money to buy supplies.”  There was a long pause, then Billy Bob went on, “I was just a hoping that Bobby Joe might buy some minnows so I could pay my tab at Harvey’s.”

The only time Bobby John ever stood was to move to another chair, but he stood up now.  “We got to do something.  Let’s go down to the church and light a candle.”

Bobby Joe stopped him from going out the door, “We caint go down to the church.  That would plain old embarrass the Preacher.”

“What you talking bout,” Bobby John was struggling to get out the door.

“Cause the Preacher aint got no candles.  The church aint got no money neither.”

Bobby John was starting to fume, “Billy Bob, you aint closing this Bait Shop, is you?”

Billy Bob was dismayed, “Might have to.  Nobody’s buying much these days.”

“But this is the only place we got to go vote,” Bobby John was plain flustered.

“Billy Bob hung his head, “Won’t make no difference if things keep going the way they is.”

“Well you keep it open till election day cause I wants to vote for the colored fella.  He acts like he is a smart fella, maybe he can get the banks to give us some money.”

Bobby Joe looked directly in Bobby John’s eyes, “I don’t want no one to give me money, I just want a job.”

See:  Rednecks For Obama