Rod laughs. “I hope your daddy is right. I lean toward Geronimo’s philosophy: what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger.”

“Yeah. Regardless of how a person handles a situation, there’s always gonna be racism. It’s in every state. But is everyone racist? No. I believe the real test is this. You’re a teacher. You’ve made strong impressions on students. Good impressions, I’m thinking, if you’ve been teaching for twenty years at the same school. So that’ll come back in your favor.”

“Well, I hope you’re right. You know, with teaching, the problem is everything starts at home. Takes two parents to raise a child. But nowadays, both gotta work. So you gotta put in the time. Know where your kids are at. Communicate with them. They gotta have a father and a mother. Regardless of marriage, they both gotta be there for the kid. And like you mentioned, teach them about where they came from, what their family has endured. And then, as teachers, our job is we kind of pick up the slack and hopefully build on that solid upbringing. That foundation. But if the foundation is lacking, man, it becomes an uphill battle.”

“The real problem is those who run our cities and towns,” Nugget cuts in. “Career politicians. Keep taking and taking from us. Dumb down our education. Always trying to divide us. Someone looking for the right words to get your vote.”

“Taking our money. Couldn’t pay me to work with that mob day after day.”

Itch says, “You could always get a job teaching the Amish.”

Rod cocks an eyebrow. “You know, about four thousand Amish live around Arthur, Illinois.”

“We passed a buggy on our way here,” Hunter says.

“Way their history goes, they started in Switzerland. Got frustrated with their church. Wanted a stricter and simpler life. Came to America in the sixteen-hundreds. Some groups settled in Pennsylvania, and another group rooted here in Illinois. They’re all really good people. Hardworking. Keep to themselves. They do a lot of carpentry work for people. Roofing and add-on decks. Really quality work. But anyway, so you-all staying here in town or just grabbing a cup of coffee and heading back out?”

“Coffee and the road. Like to make it through to Missouri. Get a hotel, a shower, some z’s, and hit Kansas sometime tomorrow.”

“Wow. That’s one long never-ending drive to cruelty.”

Finishing his coffee, Hunter says, “That’s why we need to be making some tracks.”

Standing up, Rod sticks out his hand. “Well, it was nice crossing paths with you guys. You do kinda stand out in a crowd.”

Hunter laughs. “It was a pleasure meeting you. Good luck tonight. And stay positive. I’m sure some of the good you’ve done over the years will come into the discussion tonight in some shape or form.”