A young woman in the crowd covered her face and sobbed. An older woman consoled her by patting her on the shoulder and offering her a tissue.
Trudy choked up, witnessing the young woman’s anguish.
Holding the carnation close, she cleared her throat to regain her composure then concluded, “After decades of advancement for individual rights, we are facing new uncertainties. Aunt Star’s final request was for all of us to take care of each other and vote for human rights at the ballot box.”
During a moment of silence, Trudy could feel the vibration of a freight train as it rolled along the tracks to the south.
When the moment of silence ended, a loud clanging filled the air.
On cue, Lupi rang the cowbell she’d brought from the diner. “Friends,” she called out after silencing the clapper, “make believe this is the Liberty Bell, the sound of freedom ringing over our land. No matter what happens tomorrow, we must never surrender to dictators and oppressors. Star Hurn lived her life taking care of others. She believed in equality and human rights. Thank God for strong women like Star. And there are others. Powerful women like Christine Blasey Ford, Marie Yovanovitch, Fiona Hill. They stand up for all of us. And remember, you don’t need a lofty title to let your voice be heard.” Lupi rang the cowbell again before she set it on the ground. After Benny passed her a carnation, she inhaled the scent then lifted it high in the air and led everyone in song.
Women began to chant, “We shall overcome.” Some held hands while others lifted their carnations in the air like Lady Liberty with her torch.
Trudy’s heart quickened. Standing shoulder to shoulder with the women, Hector Cordova held a white carnation high in the air and sang along with them. He wasn’t wearing a coat as usual, only work boots and jeans, a long-sleeved white T-shirt with the words UNITED States of America emblazoned across his chest.
Tears leaked from Trudy’s eyes at this image of unity. A sign of hope. If a small group of people from various backgrounds could come together in peace, maybe the country could, too.
After Jewel scattered a handful of ashes over Bogey’s grave, it was time to leave. Clay and Gil escorted Jewel toward the line of cars. Trudy and Georgia trailed closely behind. At the last second, Trudy said, “Let’s ditch the crowd. There’s something I need to do.”
Without hesitation, Georgia linked her arm in Trudy’s and they hiked across the cemetery. “Guess we’re going to pay the perv a visit.”
“The one buried in Pardon,” Trudy deadpanned.
When Dub’s full name came into view, Georgia clenched her jaw then leaned over and spit on the tombstone. She straightened and gave Trudy a smug grin. “I’ve been wanting to do that for years.”
“Madeline T. was here. She drove by when you were speaking.”
“I wondered if that was her. I saw a Lexus pull up then leave. I can’t even imagine what it feels like to be her.”
Trudy took Georgia by the elbow. “Sis, I had an epiphany while you were reading what President Carter said about truth. It got me to thinking. Forty-five can lie and get away with it, but there are ramifications for not telling the truth. Someone always suffers. Take Aunt Star. She died with her truth, but she paid a heavy price by living in fear. Fear of being found out she was gay. Fear that Momma would lose the house if the truth came out about Dub’s death.” Trudy squared her shoulders and looked her sister in the eye. “I’m tired of living in fear.”
Georgia removed her eyeglasses and pinched the bridge of her nose. “So, what are you saying. You wanna come clean?”
Trudy took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. “Yeah. After we get back to Momma’s. Maybe after that little ceremony she has planned around the flagpole.”
Turning their backs on the tomb of a serial rapist, the sisters linked arms and headed across the cemetery to meet up with the rest of the family.
Since Jewel placed the campaign sign out by the mailbox a year ago, vehicles had been pulling over left and right on Seven Mile Road. As the family assembled at the base of the flagpole, another car pulled up, the driver got out, snapped a photo, then left.
Mr. Grumples hopped up on the window sill in the living room, switched his tail, and gazed out the window at all of them. Zia sat on her haunches on the front porch, tilted her head, and stared up at this new fluffy friend who’d come to live with them. Hercules had died a year ago in Trudy’s arms while Clay was mowing the lawn.
Reaching to kiss her mother, Trudy stepped back to let Jewel pass.
“Clay and Gil, will you two do the honors?” Jewel held the American flag folded in a triangle; the same flag displayed upside down in front of Star’s pink adobe since the day after the 2016 election.
Both Jewel’s sons-in-law strode forward with the precision of honor guards, Clay in a charcoal suit, Gil in jeans and a black T-shirt, his forearms covered in tattoos.
After the men unfolded the flag and clipped it to a rope, Clay slowly hoisted the red, white, and blue up the pole, right side up.
The flag unfurled and snapped in the breeze.
Trudy and Georgia helped steady Jewel as she gazed upward. In a voice thinning but full of conviction, Jewel said, “Star was a true patriot. Her whole life was one of service to others. Each of us must keep fighting for freedom, the very freedom Shep died defending.”
Trudy signaled Georgia that she was ready to speak her truth. Georgia squeezed her hand, lending her sister full support.
Heat fired through Trudy, giving her courage. “Clay, Momma, there’s something I need to tell you …”
Acknowledgments
A HEARTY thank you to my publisher, Nancy C. Cleary, and the team at Wyatt-MacKenzie Publishing, Inc. for believing in my story and launching it into the world. Gratitude to my agent, Diane Nine, President of Nine Speakers, Inc. for taking me on based on a one paragraph premise, a promise, and a client’s referral. Your support means the world to me.
To Joyce Gilmour for helping me polish my final draft. You keep me on my toes.
Special thanks to longtime friends, Gene and Sherry Christian, for your help in explaining eastern New Mexico agriculture.
To the late Joan Searcy for telling me stories about your days as a flight attendant. And to Flight Attendant Jenny Mack Quinn, for spending one whole afternoon on the phone with me, sharing your stories and also memories of what it was like to grow up as the daughter of a fighter pilot.
A huge thanks to Steve Bradshaw, a forensic scientist, who helped me with DNA tracking information.
Clasping my hands in appreciation to Reverend Grayce O’Neil Rowe. You not only took the time to explain your calling as a female priest with the Episcopal Church, but you helped me find my courage to write an important scene.
To friends Fred Johnson and Mary Dirickson Johnson, who know firsthand what it’s like to have a family member still missing in action in Vietnam.
Thanks to Kathy Hendrickson of Southwest Detours for the private tour of the Castaneda Hotel before renovation. To learn more about the history of Harvey Girls and Harvey Houses, look for books by Lesley Poling Kempes and Rosa Walston Latimer.
A special thanks to all my author friends who helped me along the way. You all know who you are. Once in a while, a reviewer comes along who says she can’t wait for your next book. Sharon Salituro, thank you for being you.
To all of my friends and family who’ve supported me on this writing journey, bless you.
Eternal love and thanks to my hubby, Tom, my long-suffering saint!
And to all of us who are hanging on to hope for a better future…
Book Club Discussion Questions
for The Flying Cutterbucks by Kathleen M. Rodgers
In chapter 26, Aunt Star says, “Sometimes love crosses all boundaries… Sometimes we must do things to protect those we love.” Have there been times in your own life where you’ve crossed boundaries in order to protect someone else? Are the consequences worth the risks?
Throughout the novel, Trudy hears her
Dad’s voice in the form of pilot radio calls. Do you think her dad was trying to communicate with her from the other side? Or do you think bits and phrases of his speech were simply stored in her memory bank and she conjured up her dad’s voice as a form of comfort and reassurance?
How would Trudy and Georgia’s life have turned out if Aunt Star had called the police after Dub hit the floor instead of covering up his death? How would this have affected Jewel when she returned from recuperating from a nervous breakdown?
Clay Cordova is a detective. He’s a smart guy. Do you think he suspected Trudy was keeping something from him? If so, why didn’t he push her to confess her secret since he was a good cop?
At the end of chapter 12 when Trudy phones Clay that she’s leaving Dallas to head back to Pardon, why does she think of her mother’s place on Seven Mile Road as the little house of shrines?
Even though Major Shep Cutterbuck is missing in action throughout the narrative, did you feel like you had a sense of who he was as a person when he was alive? Why or why not?
When it comes to some of the animals in the story, how did you feel about Hercules, Zia, and Mr. Grumples? Did their characters add to the story? Did the author embed any hidden or obvious meanings in their physical descriptions?
When Trudy has a chance encounter with a female priest late in the book, how did this scene affect your feelings about women clergy? Were you offended or encouraged when Trudy suggested that a female priest be depicted in art?
Lupi Belen is a successful Latina businesswoman who has returned to Pardon to run the diner her grandmother founded decades ago. How does Lupi’s outspoken activism help Trudy and Jewel find their own courage to speak out against oppression?
When Lupi’s Diner is vandalized, the wounded warrior Trudy encounters at the bank shows up and offers his support even though he disagrees with Lupi’s politics. How does his second encounter with Trudy affect the story overall?
When Aunt Star hangs the American Flag upside down as a form of national distress, how did this make you feel?
In the chapter titled “Demolition Day,” Clay’s cousin Hector arrives at Jewel’s house to tear down a wall on the day after the 2016 presidential election. Discuss the author’s intent here.
Near the end of the book, on the eve of the 2020 presidential election, why does Jewel want her sister’s flag flown right side up over her house on Seven Mile Road?
Why did the author place Clay’s cousin Hector in the middle of a group of women at Aunt Star’s memorial service?
If you were in Trudy’s shoes and you were burdened by a secret, would you confess the truth or take it to your grave like Aunt Star?
The author opens the novel with a quote by Toni Morrison who passed away in 2019. The quote is from an essay Ms. Morrison penned in 2015, titled, “No Place for Self-Pity, No Room for Fear.” Do you think artists and authors have a moral obligation to use their platforms to speak out against aggression and fear? Want Kathleen to talk to your Book Club? Contact us: [email protected] with your request!
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