Chapter 2

Jr called the very next morning and asked for me.

"I'm not running anywhere near the limit you set for me, but I wanted to ask you something about the truck. When I told you I'd put a winch in my bed to pull backwards if I had the spare cash I should have mentioned it would screw the bed up for camping if you were to want a camper shell on the back and a real bed in the bed. I just thought about it before I stared cutting a hole in the bed's floor to mount the back winch. What do you think?" he asked.

"I guess it would be handy to have the camper shell and a place to sleep back there. Is there another way to mount the winch for the back?" I asked.

"Sure is. I'll need to get you a rear bumper made that will stand up to mounting a winch on it, but that shouldn't be too hard. I know a real good welder that can do the job. We might just as well get him to make a winch bumper for he front while he's at it. It'll be stronger than the one Warn sells and he can probably make it for no more money than their chicken shit model anyway."

"That sounds great. Can you go ahead and take care of getting it all done?" I asked.

"Sure, it won't be no problem. The worst thing is it will take a little extra time, but I'll make sure he gets right on it," he said, and then he said goodbye and hung up.

I really appreciated the thought he was putting into the deal and it started my morning off right by getting me to thinking about the truck first thing. Then I came up with an idea of my own. I'd always noticed lots of pickup trucks with gun racks over the back glass and I wanted one of my own. While I was at it I might as well get a rifle and a shotgun to go in it. I asked Mom if she could let Jacy or Shelly take me shopping and she told me it would be fine. They were fired up when I asked them, but then they were a little let down when they found out we'd just be going to WalMart and to Bogie's Sporting goods. They were good sports about it though and they both came along.

I decided to go to Bogie's first and it's a good thing I did. He had the same gun racks I knew I'd find at WalMart and he had the guns to go in them too. I asked for the gun rack first and then asked his son, Bogie Jr what he had to go in the rack. He had a nice Browning 30-06 that was just a fit and I went with a Browning 12 gauge too. He even clued me into the special extra barrel meant for shooting slugs or buckshot. I thought I was in hog heaven until I spotted the Barrett M821A in his special display show off spot. It was the wildest looking rifle I'd ever seen, especially since it had a 6x18 variable scope already mounted on it. Hell, it was even a day/night model. The damned thing was pricey though at nearly 9000 bucks. At least the scope was included in the price.

Shit, I had to have it but I knew better than to think about spending over ten thousand bucks for guns today. What the hell, even if we were rich there were limits. Luckily my birthday was coming up and since it was on December 23 I thought I just might be able to swing the deal with plenty of begging.

I didn't count on having to call my Mom for an OK on the gun purchases, but I did. Bogie could handle the paperwork, even the federal stuff, but they still weren't about to sell them to me without my parents say so. I bit the bullet and called Mom to ask her to ok the 30-06 and the shotgun. I had already been making noises about going deer hunting when the season started in November and I managed to explain it was why I needed the new firearms. Things went better than I expected and she told me to go for it then I had to put her on the line with Mrs Bogie to give her ok. Luckily Mom didn't have the foggiest idea what guns cost so when Mrs Bogie told her it would come close to a thousand bucks Mom told her as long as it was under two thousand it would be fine.