Not in the door five seconds, that woman already railing at me again: "You're drunk." She had a candle. Saw her head-shadow moving on the wall.
"The hell I am. Looks like you'd'a learnt how to tell that after all these years."
"I can. I can see it in your eyes and smell it from here to there. Shut the door. It'll blow out the light."
"See it? Too goddamn dark to see anything in here." Nellie and Carl was standing in the bedroom door rubbing their eyes. "C'mere boys. Your momma thinks daddy's drunk. Whaddayou think?"
Carl grinned. Eight years old but he already knew she was crazy. Nelson said, "Lady had her pups, Paw, Lady had her pups."
"That right?" I rubbed him hard on top of his little burr head. That boy could get excited over nothing. "Reckon we better go out and see how the old girl's doing. Don't you?"
"Leave him, Vern. They need to get back in bed."
"Anne, give me a moment's peace for a change."
"Put that baby down. And Carl, you come here." Carl went. Wanted to slap him but hell I knew it was her doing.
"Did you hear that, Nellie? She called you a baby. How olderyou?"
"Four." He held up his fingers. "And four puppies."
"Did you hear that? Four years old. He ain't no baby, he's a man. Ain't that right?" He nodded.
"Put him down, Vern. I mean it."
"Look, you already made one momma's boy. You ain't gettin this one. No sir." Slammed the door when I went out and set him down. "You can see caint you? Run on and unlatch the barn door while I light the lantern." Gave him a slap on the butt and sent him running. Still had a flask in my coat pocket so I took a swaller. When I got to the barn he was dancing all over the place. "Simmer down, boy."
"Look, daddy, look at this'un. This'un's gonna be mine, Momma says it's special. I'm gonna keep it in the house."
"That so? Sounds like you done got it all decided, mister." Bent over and pulled it away from its tit with my thumb and forefinger. Just what I needed. Four new huntin dogs, but only fifteen legs between'm. "Stupid woman. That's the goddamn devil's work there, son."
Picked the little three-legged bastard up and hefted it a second. Then I thew it at the side of the barn. It slapped against the wall like a handful of warm mud.
Spoiled young'un started screaming like a damn girl. Grabbed at him but he dodged me and I fell on my knees. He ran to the wall and bent over. His scream went higher and went through my ear like a needle. Worse'n listening to that woman whine at me. He was all over the place now, dancing like he was on hot coals. Got near the lantern and I seen his shadow grow on the wall. Lunged at him and missed again. "Maybe this'll shut you up," I said.
Then I reached for another.
Fiction: Holier
Than Thou | Main Map
Theory: Origins of this episode
Initial release: October 19, 1995
Last update: June 30, 1996