As the view blurred by through car windows, going from evergreens on winding roads, to fields of newly sprouted wild flowers, to small towns and roadside tourist attractions Kiry told Loyal his epic tale from the competition in Vegas to having a cop walk him into The Royal, including and embellishing every detail as they ticked away the miles. He talked about making perfect hotel waffles for a good five minutes. And Loyal loved it, an enthusiastic audience of one.
Then Loyal took a turn, telling Kiry about the shwiggity shwag hitchhiker, the broken window he had to get fixed in Eriksville, and getting arrested after punching an audience member in Lake town. “Dude, this is my favorite part of stand up comedy. Traveling with friends, trading stories, this rules. I’m gonna miss it.” Loyal said when they finally finished laughing.
“Miss it? Where’re you going? Don’t tell me you’re quitting. Comics always think they’re quitting, but you can’t quit this. Trying to quit is just wasting time.”
“Nah, nah, I’m not quitting, but I have a kid, and I need to spend more time at home. I’m not gonna be on the road as much going forward. I think I’ll focus on my writing more.” Before Kiry could respond Loyal’s phone rang. “Oh shit, it’s Joe. Can you answer this for me.” he handed his phone to Kiry.
“Oh shit, okay, Hello… um, Loyal’s phone, this is Kiry. You’re on speaker phone.”
“Oh, hey Kiry, perfect I needed to call you next anyway. You riding home with Loyal?” Joe’s voice crackled over the speaker.
“Yeah. We left pretty early. Lots of coffee and free CLIF bars.”
“I have really big news for you. Buck at The Tonight show loved your clip. They want to talk to you as soon as possible, in person.”
After a long pause Kiry replied in a soft voice, “Are you serious? Oh man, that’s… Oh wow.”
“Ha, Kiry, I’ve never seen you speechless before. Let’s talk as soon as you get back. You’ll be flying to New York in the next few days. Loyal, are you there?”
“Yeah, I’m here. They want me too, right? That’s why you were calling me first?”
“No. I always call you first because your phone is always charged.”
“Ah, great. Make sure you put that in my bio would you?”
“I want you to headline the new Riff Randell in three months. It’s gonna be a really big grand opening show.”
“The new Riff Randell? What are you talking about?”
“I gave them the money they needed, and then some. The club is staying open, I’m a partner, and we’re opening a satellite club in Sacramento. I heard you that you wanted to be home more. I want you to be our resident headliner and to help me booking talent. Let’s do this.”
“Joe! Oh my god! This is great! You saved the orphanage! I love you.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about, but that’s not unusual. I love you too. Let’s grab coffee tomorrow. We have a lot to talk about. Have a safe drive home boys, and then get some rest.”
Loyal and Kiry road in silence with smiles on their faces for a few miles before Loyal turned on the radio. Party in the U.S.A by Miley Cyrus was playing and the two friends sang along joyfully, laughing at themselves.
Everything’s coming up Milhouse. Be sure to check back next week for the final chapter of Festival.
If you want to go back to chapter one, you can find it here:
