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Weekends were good for WAR PIG. Cheedo liked the bustle of people ordering and waiting for their sandwiches, the heat from the grill, the smells and sounds from the other trucks on Fury Road. The food trucks had long ago taken over the street and no one questioned it, since the food was so good and brought a lot of tourists to Citadel.
Cheedo had wandered into town a few weeks ago. Furiosa hadn’t asked her story and she hadn’t volunteered any information, and despite this, Furiosa offered her a job taking orders and helping her prep at WAR PIG. She’d never even seen a food truck, much less worked at one, but she learned fast. Soon, she felt at home with her white apron on, talking to customers while Furiosa worked over the grill with her metal hand clinking softly on various utensils, black bandana snug over her forehead.
This weekend in particular was known as Water Weekend. It happened every summer to commemorate the day about 200 years prior that the dam one town over had burst and flooded the river that now snaked next to Citadel. There was a carnival and river boat rides and a giant picnic Saturday night. The food trucks would be closing because of it, and most had opened early Saturday morning to make up for it.
Only Rev Head and Joe’s Joes had been open when Cheedo arrived at WAR PIG, being the two trucks that sold coffee. She’d only met one Rev Head, a skinny guy named Nux, and Capable from Green Wood Pizza spoke the world of him. Toast had told her all about their flirtation over the counters of their trucks. Cheedo waved to Nux and his friend Slit, who just ignored her.
She didn’t look up as she passed Joe’s Joes. The first thing Furiosa had taught her was to stay away from Joe, the owner, and his gang. They called themselves the War Boys and all had shaved heads and worshipped Joe. All Cheedo saw in him was a disgusting old man. Their truck sold sandwiches and crummy coffee, advertised as sloppy joes and cups of joe , a theme that seemed almost too silly for such a brutal group of men. Veterans of Joe’s would only have to order “a joe and a joe” to get a sandwich and coffee.
The rumors around town about the War Boys were gruesome: they went to neighboring towns and looted, kidnapped women and did horrible things to them, kept men as prisoners to practice tattooing. Furiosa had pointed out Max as he closed his truck, Mutually Assured Destruction, and gave her the barest details of what the War Boys had done to him a few years ago. Cheedo tried not to dwell on what was on his skin underneath his t shirt and apron.
She unlocked the back door of WAR PIG and propped it open behind her so Furiosa could get in, then opened the register. Furiosa arrived as she was counting the cash inside.
“Big day,” she said. Furiosa nodded.
“Should be good.” They didn’t talk much, but quickly fell into efficiency when working. They balanced each other out; Furiosa was too abrasive to deal with customers, but was always alert and not against threatening someone if they talked to Cheedo for just a second too long. That was something she’d been dealing with her whole life, people coming up to her and trying to touch her long hair, or tell her how beautiful she was. She’d found Furiosa when she was 24, and couldn’t remember a time when people hadn’t acted that way around her. Cheedo knew Furiosa would never let anyone come anywhere near her, protecting her like a mother.
That’s what Cheedo had found in Citadel: a family. Furiosa had taken her in and even let her stay in the apartment above her garage in exchange for working at WAR PIG. She’d introduced her to her old assistant Angharad, a beautiful girl who seemed to glow gold, but walked with a limp after an “accident” with the War Boys. With Angharad came Toast and Capable and the Dag. Toast works Café No, selling breakfast foods whenever she wanted, late at night or brunch on weekends. Capable would help her sometimes, but was usually working Green Wood Pizza with Angharad and the Dag.
Toast was intense, but funny, quick to make a joke about a particularly stupid War Boy or disgusting old Joe. Capable had treated Cheedo like a sister the minute they’d met, stating that a friend of Furiosa’s was a friend of hers. Angharad, only moments after meeting Cheedo behind WAR PIG, had stood in front of her defensively and blocked her from the War Boys stalking past. She felt safe around her new family and blessed that they had taken her in so quickly. They looked after each other.
Cheedo watched Fury Road wake up over the counter. Windows opened, music started playing, smells drifted over. She waited, in particular, for Green Wood Pizza to open, for a glimpse of the Dag. Angharad got there first, pulling up a stool to sit behind the counter.
Two years ago, she had been hit by a car. Everyone knew it was driven by Joe. She’d lost the baby she was carrying, and ended up with an ankle that was mostly metal, but never stopped standing up to Joe and his goons.
The Dag arrived with a breeze of white blonde hair. Cheedo remembered the first time they’d met.
She’d been taking out the trash, walking to the dumpsters around the corner. The Dag had fallen into step next to her.
“About time someone new blew into town.” Cheedo glanced over and up at her face, white-framed fine features.
“My name’s the Dag,” she said and stuck out her hand. “I work with Angharad and Capable.” Cheedo tossed the bags into the dumpster and took her outstretched hand. The Dag lifted their hands and spun them both with effortless energy, their bodies doing a lazy circle next to the dumpster. Cheedo fell in love right there. Her hand stayed in the Dag’s as they walked back to their trucks.
Since then Cheedo had seen her holding hands with almost everyone who worked on Fury road, but she remained infatuated like a little girl. She envied her happiness and the way she saw things. Her creations at Green Wood Pizza were always her favorite, and she wasn’t even being biased. They were always full of vegetables and greens, leaves and crisp peppers and zucchini. Almost too healthy to come out of a food truck.
She cherished the few minutes every morning when the Dag would come talk to her before the trucks opened for business. That Saturday, she handed Cheedo a travel cup.
“Black tea with honey, from my garden at home. Extra energy for this busy day.”
Cheedo looked at her over the cup, inhaling the strong tea and sweet honey while staring in awe at the Dag.
“Thank you, you’re sweet,” she said. The Dag brushed some of her long crazy hair out of her eyes.
“Join me for a late lunch on the park bench, after the rush?”
Cheedo’s eyes opened wide.
“Yes! I’d love to.”
So, after a few hours of quiet, one hour of oh-my-god-when-will-people-stop-lining-up busy, and a half hour of dead silence, Cheedo turned to Furiosa.
“I’m going to have lunch with Dag, if that’s okay?” she asked.
Furiosa didn’t look up from scraping the grill. “Sure, I can handle any stragglers. Take some sandwiches.”
Cheedo loaded two rolls with pulled pork, one with coleslaw, the other with cheese, and left the lid of the container open. She could see the steam rising as she walked over to Green Wood Pizza. She felt excitement in her fingertips.
The Dag was just leaving, laughing as she said something to Angharad.
“Cheedo! I brought pizza, my creation of the day.”
“Sandwiches, just the usual.”
They settled on the best bench in the park, under a tree but close enough to the edge of the shade to still be warmed by the sun. Dag told her about the strange customers they had had, and Cheedo chimed in, but mostly watched her talk.
She had a way of moving her hands that was mesmerizing, even with a piece of pizza in them, threatening to spill peppers and olives. She also wondered why these strange people never came to WAR PIG, but figured Furiosa’s reputation had something to do with it. She loved her, but Cheedo imagined Angharad had a much more welcoming presence.
But, no one came to WAR PIG for the atmosphere.
“You know, Furiosa started this whole thing,” the Dag was saying.
“Really? With WAR PIG?”
“No, her old truck, I can’t remember what it was called. It was a mess; too many flavors, too many spices, but she made everything passionately. I think people only showed up because of the excitement, yeah? No one had ever seen a food truck. I think it was Many Moothers who showed up soon after, just before Furiosa figured out WAR PIG. Then Joe’s, then Ace Cream. And now here we are!”
Cheedo smiled. She was working with the woman who had started all this, a bustling street full of food and business and friendship.
“What about Max? When did he show up?”
The Dag looked off, thinking. “I don’t remember. He comes and goes.”
“Are him and Furiosa together?” She couldn’t help but notice how they ate together sometimes, or how Furiosa helped him at Mutually Assured Destruction after they had finished for the day.
“Max and Furiosa? No, I don’t think so. I don’t think Furiosa likes men.”
“Girls, then?”
“No, maybe neither. She once told me she loved the people she loved, and that was it. Romance isn’t for everyone, you know.”
This made sense to Cheedo, in regards to Furiosa. But she couldn’t imagine living without someone. Maybe it was the close proximity to the Dag, and how cute she looked, licking sauce from the pulled pork off of her fingers.
There was a breeze, and it was heavenly. Laughing, the girls hold the bottoms of their shirts and let them flap in the wind, cooling off their hot stomachs and chests. Despite the giant windows, food trucks got pretty sweaty during the afternoon.
“You’ll be at the picnic later, right?” the Dag asked as they packed up their trash and started to head back to their trucks.
“Of course, it’s my first Water Weekend.”
“Well, I’ll be sure to make it special then.” She winked at Cheedo before disappearing into Green Wood Pizza, then watched her go from the order window.
She found Furiosa talking to Max when she climbed the steps to WAR PIG. He was saying something about War Boys, and Cheedo realized how seldom she heard him speak.
“Nux says they’re planning something. He’s not sure if it’s good or bad.”
“Do you think they’d revolt against Joe?” Furiosa asked before she saw Cheedo.
“The War Boys are revolting?” she asked, excited.
“No,” Max grumbled and pushed past her, then shot an apologetic look back as he walked away.
“Just gossip,” Furiosa said and went back to work.
**
The picnic was gigantic, with picnic tables and balloons and tents full of food. Considering Cheedo had been around food all day, she was surprisingly hungry, and followed Nux and Capable when they went to grab plates.
She felt giddy sitting at one of the tables. She loved this town and the friends she had made in such a short time.
The Dag sat next to her with her own full plate of food.
“Hiya, happy Water Weekend!” she said to the whole table. “Happy First Water Weekend,” she said privately to Cheedo, nudging her shoulder. She ducked her head and blushed.
Nux told them about his first Water Weekend, back when he had been with Joe’s gang, and the girls at the table listened with rapture. He was a good story teller, and the life of an ex-War Boy was something to be appreciated.
As it started to get dark, Dag took Cheedo’s hand and led her over to the river.
“This is where I spent my first Water Weekend,” she said.
“The river?”
“Yep. I just sat on this bench and listened to everyone have fun around me. I hadn’t met Furiosa or Angharad yet, and I was always alone.” Cheedo held both of her hands and leaned her head on the Dag’s shoulder. “Not alone anymore, though, and I’m glad to have met you.”
She looked up at the Dag, her pulse racing. “Me too,” she said weakly, and then they were kissing softly, just tiny brushes of their lips. A special Water Weekend, for sure.
**
Hours later, when the fireworks had ended and the crowd had thinned, the Doof Wagon showed up. Cheedo heard it before she saw it, the usual heavy metal blasting. She’d only witnessed the spectacle once before, and it was just as surreal.
A crowd gathered immediately and swarmed the window as it opened. Cheedo, the Dag, and the others watched the man take orders, a blind guy in a red t shirt. They had no menu board, but people walked away with all kinds of stuff: sandwiches, ice cream, thick stews.
Suddenly, a crowd of shaved heads streamed past. They were chanting—WE ARE WAR BOYS—and frantic, pulsing with energy. The boys faded down the street and Cheedo glanced at Joe’s Joes, wondering if this was the revolt Nux had heard about. She saw Max, Nux, and Furiosa watching from behind WAR PIG, and Joe. He was stalking up to his truck, climbing in, and slamming the door.
She nudged the women she’d come to know as her sisters and led them to Joe’s.
“He’s inside, the War Boys are revolting,” she said in Angharad’s ear over the music of the Doof Wagon. She hovered a hand over her stomach and Cheedo looked to Max. He nodded at her.
Without question, Cheedo, Capable, and the Dag followed Angharad and helped to loop the chain over the latch and close the padlock, locking Joe inside. No one even glanced at them; the crowd was so mesmerized by the Doof Wagon. Together, they backed away into the shadow of a tree.
Furiosa and Max approached the truck. Nux joined them.
“They’re ending it,” he said.
Cheedo watched Angharad’s face as Max and Furiosa held a lighter to something on the back of the truck, facing away from the crowd. She looked equally devastated and determined. Cheedo thought about the baby Angharad had lost, and the tattoos on Max’s back, and how Nux had managed to escape the man now trapped in that truck.
She’d only been in Citadel for a few months, but she hated Joe with everything she had because of the pain he had caused her new family. And so she watched Joe’s burn down with them.
The fire drew the attention of the crowd. As quick as they’d arrived, the Doof Wagon left, leaving Fury Road in silence, save for the sound of the flames engulfing Joe’s Joes. No one moved to stop the fire.
The Dag looped her long arms around Cheedo’s stomach and kissed her cheek. Everyone looked strikingly beautiful in the firelight as Cheedo looked around. She caught Furiosa’s eye. She looked alive, one hand on Max’s shoulder, and the other holding Angharad’s.
Pride bloomed in Cheedo’s chest for these people. To them, this wouldn’t just be Water Weekend. It would be historic, the day Fury Road was taken back.