Previously: Tommy has finished telling his stories and now it is time for Linda and Liz to talk about themselves:
"I think you can sit back and relax. Fasten your seat belts. We're finally moving. I've unburdened my heart. I know nothing about you two. Your turn to do some storytelling."

***********

Linda and Liz looked at each other with puzzlement as to where they might start. "Let's begin with entertainment first to explain one of the things we did for a lot of the people we helped."

Linda agreed. "Yuh, let's do our rap 'Magnificent Movers', I think Tommy would like it."

Together, Linda and Liz went into their chorale exercise.

"Magnificent movers that's who we are
We go by truck or we go by car
We eat in the rain or work in the shine
Or visa versa would be fine"

Liz did a little beatbox, imitating the sound of the needle in contact with a record being swiveled back and forth on a turntable.

"Magnificent movers is who we are
We go by truck or we go by car
We work in rain or eat in the shine
Or visa versa we don't mind

Someone calls us to say
'We have a couch to donate today'
We give them the answer, we'll be right there
We jump in the truck and we're on our way"

Liz did a little more beatbox imitating a beating drum.

We get a call someone has an almost new bed
When we hear this there's a bit of a dread
We had a nice clean one, almost new
When it fell off the truck into the mud, it was dirty instead

Liz ended the rap with the sound of three cymbals crashes.

Tommy was up front, laughing hysterically. "What were you two doing being movers?"

Linda answered him. "We worked at an abused women's shelter. People would donate furniture for our women when they got a safe apartment and moved out of our shelter. A few of us would go to pick stuff up. Liz & I worked together, sometimes with others. We made up this rap to sing when we went on our trips."

"The last verse has quite a story to it, doesn't it Linda."

Linda chimed in. "It sure does. This lady really had a very clean mattress. We couldn't believe she was giving us such a beautiful mattress. We were extra careful not to get it dirty as we carried it to the truck. "

Liz explained how Linda was sittin' perty in a donated rocking chair in the back of the truck like Granny Clampett from the TV show 'The Beverly Hillbillies'.

"Linda's supervision of the merchandise was going fine until the pristine mattress draping over the truck tailgate slid in slow-motion to the muddy road below.

"We'd already driven half a block before Linda was able to get the driver's attention. It was tricky backing up the street having to depend upon Linda's estimation of where we needed to stop without running over the much-needed mattress."

Liz reported the newly acquired mattress was stood up in the garage. They decided to wait 'til the muddy mess dried a bit before working at brushing the dark splotches.

Tommy looked up at the rearview mirror as he said, "You two have done a lot of good for people over the years. Wow, when I needed to move out of my home on the Rez I had to get so many things and that was just me. You two are helping individuals and families."

"It was exciting watching the women and their families settling into their new apartments. We have a lot of stories about moving the women in."

Tommy answered Linda. "Go for it. I'd love to hear some of those."

Liz went first. "I remember us getting a couch caught or jammed in the apartment doorway. Sometimes people had to take the door off at the hinges to fit the couch or dresser through. Our woman was barely moved in and we were already defacing the place.

"Over time, we became quite the couch connoisseurs. Magnificent movers who were crackerjacks at getting furniture up narrow stairs and around unexpected corners. We'd learned in which direction to twist the over-stuffed couch arms, when to remove the legs, or how to slowly rock and shinny the entire couch over the threshold."

Linda explained that women did not feel safe on the ground floor. It would be too easy for their abuser to get in. They might be violent, take the children or do something to make the woman feel crazy and/or intimidated. They could sneak in when no one was there and move things around, so she would know he was there.

"Because of this danger, many rented the second or third-floor apartment. The families needed the pull-out style couch. With the necessary metal parts, they were heavy."

Liz mentioned she remembered Bonnie, their director saying one time, 'We're not lifting any more couches with the guts in them. No more. They're too heavy.' That announcement was a relief to us magnificent movers.

"We've been talking a lot. We've got to keep an eye out for our sign to tell us where we will get help for our car."

Tommy was curious and wanted to help out. "What do you mean by 'sign'? Did someone tell you to look for some sign on this road?"

Liz and Linda exchanged glances.