June 1980
"Alright that's about enough of that you fuckers!" Tim taunts into the CB mic as Nick checks that no adults around as his ears get warm.
The response is a cacophony of the usual smack that greets young voices, "hey leave the radio alone and go play with your dollies," which is pretty much what prodded Tim to drop the big one in the first place.
He picks his moment to carry on, "Sorry I got a little rambunctious there," then turning on the swagger for a rehearsed line, "but you ain't got no maneuver, boy!"
That was a phrase the boys had worked out for this kind of situation, although Nick wasn't very comfortable with the Big Word, but then again at least his team had something to say on the local airwaves.
The same voice comes back, "what about that manure?" just as Tim hops out to catch someone on his bike.
Toward the end of the school year Nick had gotten wind that someone down the street was selling a CB for 15 bucks and begged for that to be his birthday. Irene quickly pointed out how he really needs clothes but that's more of a gift for herself in reality. Ned countered that he wouldn't mind having one in the Maverick. Nick countered that he wouldn't mind having one in his room with an antenna on the TV tower which got vetoed right away, not surprisingly. Didn't even make it to a committee review.
In the back of his mind Nick felt they were probably right but he had to try. He walked with Ned a couple blocks down to the address they had on a piece of paper, to be greeted by some wiry gal with huge glasses and a lit cigarette who got her husband from the living room who was glad to make the sale on a sturdy 23-channel Johnson.
On the walk back Ned noted their base station antenna, "just watch it when you get on this thing, OK? you never know who's listening."
"Are we going to get a license?"
"Yeah I can send in the form, but...well, how about you let me use the call sign and you mostly listen for now, got it?"
Nick really wanted to use a call sign kinda like Paps but relented, "Okay."
"Besides if you want your own call sign you gotta learn the Morse Code, you know that." Nick figured some day he will do that, but for now he just wants to play CB like on those Burt Reynolds movies he's really not supposed to watch on TV.
After patiently waiting for the next weekend Ned gradually started getting it set up in his work car, the orange '74 Maverick that Irene never liked to drive with the stick shift, although it seemed she was pretty good at it. He had an old bumper mount antenna lying behind the work bench that would do for starters.
Tim didn't really see the point at first but got interested after hearing female voices on there.
Ned had admonished them at the supper table, "Now remember it's not really for kids so if you hear anything bad I want you to turn it off. You should stay on Channel 14 since that's what walkie talkies use and those don't need a license. OH, and don't EVER tell anyone where we live, got it?" Something about this speech felt like it was mostly to make his mom feel better.
Finally his chance came to mess with it on his own without anyone hovering around. Ned had wired it so he wouldn't need the key in the ignition to mess with the CB, that was a condition, so that no one could come up and run off with him in the car and devastate his poor mother.
Nick starts out safe on 14 with a hail but no one comes back. Up on 19 there's some distant sounding chatter from the highway outside of town. Down on 4 there's someone calling himself "Mobile" - as in the city way down on the Gulf? Nick had heard the 'skip' signals on a walkie talkie before. He tries to reach Mobile but no response of course.
But then finally while turning the dial wheel he finds pretty strong activity on 16. The meter goes clear up into the red and it's an adult male voice "Tony the Tiiiger...Towwwnny Tiger, c'mown?"
"Tonytonytonytony got dem ears on? Come back this is Twoody-toucan Sam, commown."
Finally after a couple tedious minutes of this "yeah we gotcha there Sam, old lady was -" then a slight scuffling before a female voice takes over, "watch who you call old, you dumb shit!"
The original caller breaks in, "that you Momma Bear? How's that honey pot?"
"You wish you knew doncha Sam?"
"Awwww yeah darlin'!" Sam laughs it off then Tony comes back and they go on about work which evidently involves towing and pallet jacks.
These folks are probably his parents' age or a little younger, seem to be free to say what they want. His mind was trained to wonder, do they go to church? They sound more like bikers or the kind that goes to bars and smoke and have tattoos; like certain other kid's parents that his own parents don't really want him to be around.
As Nick processes all this he figures these characters must have the base antennas on their houses and 16 must be where they hang out.
And evidently he forgot to lock the car door since this is when Tim shows up.