Free Reservation Blues - Alexie Sherman by Alexie Sherman Page B

Spokanes liked them because the white family owned a
huge herd of cattle and gave away free beef. The homesteaders built
the fence to keep the cows away from the forests, but the cows
ignored the pine trees anyway. The fence burned on and on.
    Victor and junior draped a hundred snakes over the
fence that summer and dragged Thomas there once or twice a week. Come
on, Victor said to Thomas and put him in yet another headlock. You're
coming with us.
    Ya-hey, Junior said. Don't you think he's had enough?
I'll tell you when he's had enough, Victor said.
    Victor and junior carried Thomas to the fence, where
they kept a rattlesnake in a plastic barrel. Look, Victor said, and
Thomas saw the snake.
    Where'd you get that? he asked, frightened.
    From your momma's panties, Victor said.
    Thomas strained against Victor and Junior, but they
pushed him down and held his face close to the barrel.
    Grab the fence, Victor said. Or grab the snake.
    No, Thomas said.
    Wait a second, Junior said, scared as Thomas.
    Fence or snake, Victor said.
    Thomas looked down at the rattler, which remained
still. No sound, no rattles shaking. Then he reached out as if to
grab the fence but grabbed the rattlesnake instead and threw it at
Victor.
    Oh, shit, shit, shit, Victor said and jumped away
from the dead snake.
    Junior and Thomas laughed.
    You think that's funny? Victor asked as he picked up
the rattler. You think that's funny?
    Yeah, junior and Thomas said.
    Victor shoved the snake in Thomas's face while Junior
jumped back.
    Eat this, Victor said and pushed the snake against
Thomas's mouth. Thomas tripped, fell to the ground, and Victor shoved
that snake at him until the game grew old.
    Jesus, Junior said. He's had enough.
    Victor draped the dead snake across the electric
fence. It danced and danced, fell off the wire, squirmed its way back
to life, and started to rattle.
    Oh, shit, Victor said and ran away. Junior and Thomas
ran after him, kept running. Soon, in his dream, Victor and Junior
ran into a large empty room. Thomas followed them. The three picked
up musical instruments and started to practice.
    You know, Thomas said between songs. I hope we don't
make it.
    Make what? Junior asked.
    Make it big. Have a hit song and all that, Thomas
said.
    Why the hell not? Victor asked.
    I don't know. Maybe we don't deserve it. Maybe we
should have something better in mind. Maybe something bad is going to
happen to us we don't have something better on our minds.
    Like what? Victor asked.
    Well, Thomas said, what if we get rich and eat too
much? We'll all get fat and disgusting.
Shit,
Victor said. I'm not Elvis.
    Ya-hey, Junior said, did you know Elvis was a cavalry
scout in a previous life?
    In his dream, Thomas strummed the guitar and pleaded
with Victor.
    Really, Thomas said. I 'm scared to be famous.
    Well, Junior said, I think we should worry about
learning to play our instruments better first.
    Yeah, Victor said. And we don't have nothing to worry
about we keep you as the lead singer anyway.
    Yeah, Junior said. And besides, the only famous
Indians are dead chiefs and long-distance runners.
    In his dream, Thomas looked at his bandmates. He
wondered what they really felt. He wondered what those snakes felt on
the electric fence. Thomas held his guitar closely and felt its
power, then noticed that he was holding Robert Johnson's guitar.
    In the dream, he hit a chord, felt a sharp pain in
his wrists, but the music tasted like good food.
    " What you doing with my guitar?" Victor
shouted and ripped Thomas from his dream. Thomas lay on the couch in
the Warm Waters' house with Robert Johnson's guitar beside him. It 's
Victor's guitar now, Thomas corrected himself.
    "I didn't want it to get cold, " Thomas
mumbled, although he had no idea how the guitar ended up in the
house, and handed it over to Victor.
    " Well, thanks for nothing," Victor said.
"It was hotter than hell outside."
    "Oh, man," Junior said as he stumbled into
the house. "I got a hangover."
    "There's