r

A SLPPING-DOWN IIFE
)

il
Afue Tyler is one of Ameri.a's noŚt acclaiĘed novel.
ists' and in 1994 was f,omńated .gleatest li,ing
novelistwritin8
.n in EDglish'by Roddy DÓyle and Nick
llÓmby the s,flr]4, Tifts' Her ńcrion include,
th€ Pulitzer PriznwńniDg noye| Brcathhg L^98
The A.eidentól Tollbt which was made into a
^nd ńln. Her n€w nov4 kdlet of yea$, js pń.
maior .wir'duŚ.
lińĆd by cLato &

Anne Tyler Ms boln i! MinneapoliŚ in 1941' bu.

haŚ |ivćd fol fuhy yeds wió her family if, Balti.
mo!e, whelE he! lovels are set.
 BY ńNNE TYI-ER y]-I:::rff
.T:ii'"*.s:"Ęij"l':::.ś;'ił.
ii,q"i"iir.,. s" i'*'
It Molhins E e/ Cotus i"*i,.Ja ..*i"'"' s""a"y
The Tin Cdn Ttee -a
llxe#"ły,iiiip,ia"", ""
A Sliwine'Dotun Lile
Tbe CIo.Ł windet
Cebstial Ndriqatio,
SbarcbingFol Caleb
:j
:Tll'',.*:'ł}::,:#J].itf;#
$rfi
Eaftbly P*sessio6

.,'..ęlęi*Tń**il{*
MÓtqafl's Passiflg
Diń,q At Th. HÓfu$i.k R.Śtóura,t
Tbe A..identa] TÓqkt
Bt at ing Lessotu
Saiit Maybe
bdder Of Yed,s

:'jl
Jff:,',::-"::'ńil:.:',":l&::lT
H:]ł.:
Tb' Tifles
W

Anne TYler

A SLtPPtNc-
DOV/N LIFE

,|i
I

l VINTAGE

.!i
r
Fn$ pubIjsh.d in Mnbg. 1990
2 4 6 a 1097531 'ń
Cop}tisnt o Ame Tyter Modd!rc$i 1969, 1970
. Theight of Anne Ty|.' b b. id.nriEed.5 rhż
auhor Ól thlŃorl hĄ bed łs*rEd by h.r in a(old'n
vh rhe kpvr'lhr, Ddignrtud par.iu Aci
tg8s
Thtr bonk k sold ab|diothe.ondfuń
ńatnihall'ot
oy rv.y ol he or o.h.fuise! b€ |enr. r.,old. fir.i n t
frnN|e o(u|atd łitłDur ihe pub|tsherl ^;

**"*
D;ol Ćon*;;
ły'|om Ói bindńgol coErońłth.n

**6'*
ń]i D wh'.h n l;
PUon$Ń,nd J sin'ieMdtrcn in.ludme thl
mno|hon be'ng 'fthout on the lubYquentpu.ńfu
A smvh,rshndB.d 'mpmed fom of,tus novel a!E.r.drh
J.nury r'70 iśsu.of R.r'łooA m''ailne
Firł lublnhed crcł ElrJin bv
HMtyn pap.rbrcls,
'n rg8l
MnBc.
!rndomHouse,20 Vauhr B.idS. Road,

:lT{*}1ł:Tj.**ńffJtll1{i1
Londnn SV/lV2SA
Random,Hour AuEaLa lpry) LimEd
.u dro rr!, Mreons poinl Svdn.v

*ŁHlii*.n*"*t.l*":*.
si'Tij:,^',:
Neł souń w.leś206'. Au*l:lE
Random Hoe N.w ztl'nd !ńned
18 Pobnd R@d, c|.dńeld

ffiffi#f
Auckland 10_N$ Zed,nd
Rrndom HM. tudh Atricr lprylrrmLEd
rU W JJ /. &Ęy|.i, :'ourh Afrj.'
Randon Hous U( rinicd R.& No, 9j4oo9
A oP c'.|osuc ćcord Itr this be!
j3 óv,il.bl. frÓm th.8nfuh
l|bB.y
. tsBN0099583513
Prinr.d ,nd boun,l in Ged Ant.in bv
BI'cPapłblckLtd

Th.Britbh l,rin nE conpmy Ld.

n'**łt-lffi
j.-

$$:!łdliłr"'l";: js?,]ri#j*f:;";*t.itr
.'Th".
'A citv. some ciry. lt ain\ q'riie clear vet
.*".a] li'j
l lim to ctrt
a'bs. andif I on.ewiggj.ou(of here
9naot." l'. ń..i1 ^ń. not evenfor christmas.If my
jslii"":."T";#:"*"ffi
P^::T "..li *i'].'h. "i"'
i:i"""".'...l.lł u:"*
l'mar.|.ll
ilT#n#i 'ong ""ia'
:Łf ffi';T,::*, ijll.liii"....iJ'iji.r"g.Jńey
i-' ir'i.
"gain. cancome
t'.*. ńirh whire telephonesand . sw'mmlna
rowhere
caretulty.She lay on ńer Sa* in irre aa*, "
w€ anng Ź grearlong.se€suckern;ghtgown'
-.^J.11lo"n"d pool.' .Have you don€ much
and frolv'nedai nice,l said H€rb€rt.
|itltt
Ł1:"*"
Jom€ ?f nam€sthat shon€ .*".Ę'' .t'" *ai";, *"q".
Lumesthe recordingYerl'
wcrefami|iartoier - coup|eś sh. had
:'5'Łf;Kii:!t"T#iii
n:Ęłg.[..#..."+ I "."
mar mcy-couldn.r hope ro pass unnoriced
"ili'",
,t o"-"" ofvour,um,records?'
" 'There ain\ none.'
me.namesshe Paid clos. attenr;onro Vten shc kne\ .ói..V.lr' v|", .t'"n' vou|d you care lo d€ s cribe ir
ńe rcngs ńat foliowc4 '.yt..
rhe w_ordswith a kind of poissess,veness
:1T:s .9* bur 'Sryle?'
ff,iti.',i"".11";lT.T.11łffi.#'$f$ćT"r*Ti;
olrr€rence sh€ h€ard b€iwten-ńem
wai ńat ńe words of rh! 'sryle,ait'l no rrlk.'
.vĆLl.whar.what do you do. exactly?
Pop sor€s wcr€ €asier to undśrs.and.

ffifr{-tr*'":gĘ*}#;;łi:#
on€ secondafrer
rii. i'""* ***.; ń"s"r ńan'the ńrst know whar I
*-'a li"l.a in dead air' 'lf vou don\
"*"t n""lly,'thenhow come you got me on
a.ilłJ ó.'".ńg.
your programme?'
Hćrb€ r t mumb|edsometn'ng.
'Vhat's thata'
Nó one answered. .ń"i""* .r'ł .u .... sald.Heavens.boy. iustanswer

'J$ffi*.ĘłJifr""r'*Ę'#$iił4:Ą:'E
the quesdons.L.Cs gerrhis.All 'oter wrtn'
.oh.. DruńsEin8ssaid. .i8ht. .
'ó"i'iii"l..r'.v.g"'. .. was a lirtle scrapof Paperwith
nameon it'
jr:1...".ł";jłtr*ff
vour
,"Ęi'u].a"ń
l".fl
:''}'";i:i:l' tIff :ilY; for.'
iir"." me. l iust show up wherel.m agked
.All rEht' .|l right.vh€ r e was |?
someonesaid' .Not for lon8 I wonl .?;,'';il; il;- whar I do. I sing and plav guitar'
b€ . .
;ili:']:i:i.:".#l!ffi.ł lik"" ston"
ll*l"a \$;" *" t *.* srouPs,'Herbensaid'
'.u
.ł,?'"a,ods tn Norń carolina?.he asked.
t*
'i;;;.iil. Au I gotis a drummer'bur I don\
know
.Farini..
y€ s . off of Hishwav-' .Ho s ńatl'
brumsrrings
i|;..|11}11i9'1'ry'-*ld - cł.y' 'He kind of trodsthe beat'
Ąu rlgnr' wńer€ is it you'rc8oing?'
'oh, yes,' said Herbert'
 .f ti'y explosions;som€one was tappin8 '
hi"T;;:.:."s " "*i." 'Rock-and-roll is ot'l, now
.oh, ! s€ e ,' said Evie.
could ask me wbere I get my matedat,,Drumsrrings
."'You herboÓk clutch€ d
.vhefe shewalk€ d mostpla€ e Ś atone.she€ a tried
.Thar's
do you 8etyour mlt€ r ial?'

veryint€(estinE.'
ti:
;.:T*
:.Js::rh*"ilj:i"l.J1i,.łtt,:i.t'ffi
..o.i,r'.""v
p.opt". t'ad long ago sroPped€xpecflng'.ny-
is ońer people! bu! most is my own. "t'i w'o€ .
'-.sone
m},room. I li€ on my bed ar8uinPwih l ru.ke ir up t:h.; ;. ń".r ciorh"s. He. Coat was old.fashioned.

ł1ł:ii.;t.'rł:g"",t,:'ł:lĘli*ł'#.''*
'n
:iil{t.ł.;*T*i"l'{:*u:::.T
d

jT',.f
tx?. jfi:iłlP#'
::"'"'.[f j.;i:l.#fl"',./j .',l
*n*:".i$.'T",'':j
il.; ;; and riding up her j€ c k'
;i Nisring śideways

#:#:.:..'"l l"lffi:Ęj{
l:;l:rli:: :;l'.:;:,1|
\.l t vo tr.J c.n' r don'I8o alongwiń lll
:*ii,i*:t' **ru':'r
th€ m oth€ f s. !0€ l l:
now'my'songsśtan.Words comeout.
Things) hear...oh,
*,:1.1o" ever come homeon rime tike
-Tj-q ily *&T;nY"tt decent
']rJ;ł:Ł:;
Łi{i.".|T.:!'T."iFi';ł:ffij#:"i':f * r... schoorone s'" sawa poster
da-v.
.Rockth€ NiteAway!'it
i::":,., '*.
r'].jlii.j..i"l.-;l"a.*.
# :i:il".xx..:i:
niłri"ij
i'*f:.fr il,łl; jH:
crearinshis throat,bur Ev,e lisrned wirhout

xl;H:.,:ll'*.
's";d.

*$jpi']!i$!n;*Ęr.:'r
r:$flE
illT..ffĘfi
ł.,""l
*r*.""''*. :łl$;:*i;**nn;.ff..."l*:,
,:Ł1i1iil:n1'":Y
ts fiar rjgfit,'said Herbert. ;#.."""ń.;:b|. |;k. like ;mething sh€ waśroo familiar
unmstringścas€ y waŚ ;il:'si;;liJ . **p .r paperrroma rravedzippernote'
''h. ime andpracc,or theshowrheo

ff;L._:****,'",
asain.
.."";,'# g;'!J"fi
i:T:,:i.", 'i|ent #i ;; fi*. ;."'"
iiJLiń *..o"p* *a plac€ d it insid€ herhistorybook'
\'oooDy.' the cool voic€ said. believe
'And Srve him . nice hand., 'Are youseriousl'Violersaid.onthe.Phonel don't
ls'
vou even know what a rock śhov'/

jl"*Jf1ll#?i ji.J:..?'5..
But ńere vas no one to give him g

n:,Ł:1'iffi
.
f[,l'ń'i*i#il.
hand. of l
:$illl
l1i iil'"."..
;:::"l5f
kl l ;:,i:ł;
bedroom,listeningro the radio But do vou
*{x"}Ę":il:
a singErnamed Drumsrings Casey?,Evi€ ".ll.";:f śliY".,*. 'o'*.o*".
"Łn'9"", o.ł behindher in a|gebraclass.Ife was a
:i::"-.:"
:'#
;[:'"*:: ;*,*l"n{{rt.:l":xl'il:i""
:"J11."fl1ii*j
bonm
T:lT:
*..":ilŁ"*l.
$i|:"''.#.'#ł:i:l;ilJ i]i .i,i'ii.i,"-"a
mouĘ n|sshould€ r s in rfiytńm'But, .Never |ightheeńedcame out sea*ive
.lr' * *..-;" hous€ . vhat couldhappen e?I
heald of himJ th€ r
and

.H€,s "ń.i'
a rock.and.rol| 3in8€ .Myunc|e
wenttooneofńose
-'.*Ji':f}:*lś.ńl['fi.
 j",#il"Jj..l;,:i:f
#Hlł!i{*i!'x.l.* ,ffl Violetmeth€ r in tbc lobby.wcaringa puĘ|e€ P ring
śii.*"" *.i'"*ly r"..gidwiń ieascd black hair
coar.
and a
tsr sartrans'xed
ro hh seat.
never ""
i"""iii.ia*, *a *";t avtworebrilliantcolours as if she
:;
. ffli::Ti::''* ;;d"';;J;;' advicf,!o ih€ overw.i8br' B€ s id€ hef'Evie
.r.3thĆdirty bop?'Evie a6ked. grev*kinned and dull'
/ oon t know_' A.."i',li'' but lifeless- 'Are vou
"i#.a
t'"i.J. in.-t'"a .. i.' 'choot coar lnd oxfords
it's*boundto be out of sgle by now.
,Sell, Tiley wouldn,t Eoinsrc dance in .'ose?,viol€ t said.
bu. .h.y'tt have ńought of something
- .Mro wouldI dancewiń?,
o&, etse,,violet o" boys in lcarhcriackets.
"l"" --"..ń.J "ti.k-haired
fdseeye|ashcs thesizeof small
I want.o h€ar justonespedalsing€r. was'there..ve are
***jjll*:11" ffr'i"r.il..ill'. łń""i*u.dy froń sóool
""LT;ilł;;;il;;J
thar.. said
.Rea|Jy? lii."Jri.i'.f t'eń. l hoPe you r€ a lis€
vńatt hjs name?.
rt s nobodyfamous., V];il: :i;;' "i"li.I*." will you look at rhat girl's "arn'eś)'He'
_u.
'\r/h^t-shis ,rane.!, .]j'r'*..*-,"r' i"a t"ł. ev€ry tin€ shespol€' boystum€d
'BenramDrunsrings Casey.. ." ń *trosle wasandttreos|idth€ i r€ y $ away
to way
4arn.
ńrough
ńja."..i". .r'""." ńey hed ro worl. ńeir
.rrrumsrrmgs?'
'D.o
""'r'"
ii;."a the aisle!in Packs. Ahove ó€ .No
y.orrknow hjm.. Evi€ asked. ."?'ii'* to baze
_'\o.flow do yo,r know himl,
i."L.*ś .ig'", lt* "rnokewas alreadyb.ginning
*-'
lesned
,iiTt,lJ:t arms arolnd eech od*r
ilil}iii-. ilipL-;i'.''€ir
:i",fJT fj i:;.
'| only.h€ a rd hirn
i''i'.i*""rt
]l"ńi.* "'ia
*i. a*rs andńe piperailing
t"iI^.t'" chaiff...Are .No. w€ , sulpos€
down
d ro
fronr
s."''d
tłlkiE&,
a,-,ii,i.iii,l' r'i" a.ua. andvio|etsaid. notme.'sh€
boucht s€cond-
niT*T.'t..,',1"#T.ł:"i1,:"T.'l.,i,"'"i::::d:"TiJ ii*"t'i""ir i'. *. or .h€ woodenseats' was sidling
ffi: ;;." ilń town nearby. A boy who

frffi$tr'+rĘtr-l;,**:ff*.
.Mo'e svI€dl€;
down th€i. row said,
.Move yourśe|f,'viold 9aid.
b|and
a bearrriful
óil i.lr'i"g uj.r'*"avi"let.Shesmiled
.'"jiJ'"l.r'".ip.v""g":+.ń. b] :::*[iłffi::..Y:lę;
E|uttenn8au t
D'lekn€ € s aDd ńen Pa.tEvie\' ca]mly.she
t.f.ń""-""ua servePopcor!..violfi said
a.*" andw€ n t on gaŹing at thestage.,
'Vill you come?' i..o.r'Jn*
well sure,' said Violet' .Now ńat
"..i'". ii" i.ń; 'li" *as ctos€d tonighr.Therh€atr€ had
w;o-h' I know th€ feaso! .i."J.i'.l, !.*"*'l.g "*"a els€' likc a gyfi rransformedfor a
Ń;tan'lćgion ha|lintoa basqu€r roo.Irl

ffiłj['ł'ł$jił.,*+"f#}h"'i'ł"#
i]".i"ń .i walls'
t'"* I,"t *""."."" ". i fromthetongurand-groove
"fve|v€t witrdow-crrftai*' Th€ c€ilin8
t'jH;;f:ń;;:;"y
*a a;l'g;",,andwhenEvielo.ked uDsh€ saw
berrna' wa(ó o''!. c|oteUa shoutcd. "l""i.Jń"'
iij.:.n.ńi*.o.I*a ł;,zy;ngty tat.!.": n:.' ń:l.'*:^|j
.vn.
Evle got to her leet.nd smoońed l?'i"iJ.li -ńa' of ińsccrsthat she lad n€ver not'c€o
up.The
Aer wrinkled skjrt down.
i"i*. ó.ń i.* .r'" .ovic screenhadbeenrolled
6
I
ri:'.'x"lffi
with irs electric arnplińerslooked |ike
I.o1dj: :Y8€ a roorn. 'whatfor?'
fr:::i!iru;:i: i.fr !, #i :il";"li# :t'tr'J[1';ĘT'"ffi
łiii!i..'łi.ii"li"!!.n'"
j
n.'n,'t it me|red
away
arnongńe voices
l.li,.'+-xijil.,".
i1il.jliL:*

r:HĘi"| j.ii,rryfi
:jf;l6łl';J::rr.lTJ,f # *:?:}"ł:'J"f
:"ii'#i|.fi .C".ey' stampcdon it wilh a Eroc€ry ,tore srcn.

:i:T""J
biurrv b|ack
oritń,p.n,
3"J:.'Ę:ffi1jl;."T$.:lfff*"i:: :'xi:islt.,:ffi;:,T1*:ł,i:Till5
il,gp t'trł!J:",
Ęił'Tfr #.::.ffill.''."# iii'jl.i.*
Ł'l,;.sjx,''li:.
li"J ńr.'.ó shiny. acroshisnecl
cutsquate

ił!:ł}l5!. l#ji :łli.lT#';T.ń.""'*f.,"ilT"fj *:"tl*i1[*n,'*ffir. i';łE

rr*.*ł*ę*;ęff
.ń"r'

j[#'ił.,Ę
His
r"".r'",.t"."' lńłełd-ofwalking,he glided.
ń"" m

:::l'ł*"T.in€jn..::'t*:ll*'
#
i^"ii'il."%' shourcdMan-
cut it.'.someone
i.i"'i,."""J ""r.
ol'mg t" theńiddl€ - ofa norc.Th€ r e wesa
"i.ri"'l
:il;i;i";il;ilffi hriethebrond bov,seated h'mserratthe
;;;; Ti"' h€ pick€ d uP therticks'. H€ *l . '.1Ę:1
"pano
tap. a er
irl.oo" ń".t'. .t'". ."a" the dark boy's ioot irar-pravins

::.łi''fr:
iji,; .J::?TTil: ;:lH:i;]j,.:"**i:'l;Ti:*ilIł"':.:
l'?'r*i:i;.'il*ffi
;il,'#";'.nj ilil;;*' Drunsuings c'sev's
s

):Ę"T:'.ftiiiĘ l.izulą;
FT'-x{;H.:'l, śi".i"iiii".ilńl"g of guitar
ru, y, thy honef knows bou. . . ri; i^t, .
a panerof dr']ms
strings.
"'i|'
i'.r.lń.i".".l*". thi gultarintoa merejinglearlhe
conson-
:i::Hiii ;""s reeivvoicethatsortened
""Ń"a
*!:[';Jr'*i
**t#i"".i-"'i"l"f.T
- #;i;ffi]"J;
l,ii.';;i;;il';";'.""t. Ni'1"*1t'3saidoccasionłv'
buflh€
stopPed.
*i *i-.pr'-.. Th€ n the-singing

*1łiifrl+sttłdlĘ"łł}f
ii"ii race
unseeng
."";.lllń.". pń-""i.gs rumedhlsnarrow'
"W\^fi"ko on m! neruesthisuav?'he dsked
suddenlv.

j:
.il:*:tr*łgiiiny"'":''aal.lit}i*i ,*:,:,,;:n:,,iłn:łł:'i::"-:*
Evi€ tumedandlookedaroundher..

,sbe was ąnptyin9 trasb.aL9.

'No. I don'r rhink so.,
'łł:;ti";Ti;"*,'
'How wilt we know him?. thedrumsa|on'wiń it. The

'..1:;:jl,'JI.';1:
"
orunmer'
rook'mavbe
wr shourd
r',ri'F*ii*:*'jf *::*:
T:i,i:1t,T*'i,$'ll
^nd

9
J
.' Evi€ toldvioletas theyw€re
.Y.".'Łff;;;* ".'i'8,'
'rwss it like you exp€ c r.dl'
vn, moreor less.
a sImr, neon.lItsrreet'vatery
.*Th.e)'.c.rosed
.'H"]::.j.]9 r€ f lectionsor
i|:"s ::'.ptician s darken€ d wtndow.
r" rillT;fl?[.:3!9vroret'
vasDrumstrings
casev
- was
'Mr exacdy,'Eviesaid.
rou sory youwenr?,
.v€ l l, no',
and duller' Evie
at the corner.in rronl of th€ Ar-rxRTre sHov the days *emedlonger ofrenro

ili#e:rfrrii:x,Ł,iiłiffi
*ll-.-Trd town lrbrary. .-"J.a ,r.*, aimlcsspace'.stoppins

I"ffffi
-!r.J "t "
u'a".". sie hłd changcd to spriDgclońes
liii l". thatkept
'r'-"'i'i,li.iii'-"rir.ii
'i." *"* tu[ with waisrbandLs
-'ń' b|ouse' came
hcr. sleevdess,
i.]rłi"..i" r$emselves, au
''"'iii"i.j l* *"a"r sEapssliPpedoff.hĆrheels-

[T#Ę"młi#n*
Thar pzJ pecLdiar,.said
Violer.'I neverh€ a rd a.yone
ń do ''i

'.#'fu
'Me neither.'

ri;:'i"ri#ii,*ili:,ai;l:fix1.:'r:"-,
.vh?t''
Ę vbĘ.
iiJ.ill].iii?.pI"r""a
*'i#ił{'t'fTt:.tlft
q1:T1"9#*l*IĘ
ł*ŁT':ilii:}.Y
saidlvie. .You lik€ d itt,
*:l".lx".tffi vior"ts"id'
*":.xrt*unseto."

Fłi#.,.t*!trillj*.i.nł;.3'1f'.:'**f# ji: a d'p,s$aP

Evie onlv sishedand vrnked ar

."l.#*n*Ęnt{l.t.g.i:i'"*T1T
;ffi.i.;iń w€r€ linedwiń fu'|f':^T
*.rashy,'
s""lłl.ff;f .i:"|.':o
'Tha. greasyhair.,
saidViolet'
Ł:f"iflł':l".l".i:-:"?''lH'' .'
Tfffir"}ł;;".u-
1#,:.*::"*:
'Thosedghi panrs..
'a'r'akin8thatl|inky '.l$;#Ę:.rallnl[1'**'r*:;llt
tlti'łtł#-n*l;gT::
way h€ has.,
yol' ljke to com€ to my hous€
JsMu|o for a Cokei. Evie
.oh,
j
ilĘHi:#"*$:{IłT
l mighras wćll..

""l7.r*#::"ffi:ii1igT:"'ff
'"'"
:,;iT:P,:
10
ĘĘjj#
l1
lr1
8eIlJdatewjrh the3ing€ . of your choice,dinnerand dJncin8 said 'l didn'i
Fay-Jeanlooked up. 'Vhv, ves, he was" she
afd.a photog'aphrc rememberit by. |t relk
}ou ńght here]
.Y€ s ' 'fwas near the back.'
but V'hatif l winl' 'Did you Iike him?'
'Lucky you.' .Ń one was heŻ
'Velll reallyI - wh;ch ..Honey-
'I m€ a n' wouldnt you dż?, .óil him.H€ sang
ń ;Jid"{
'Not ne.' -erlook€d
Dor."Now YourememDer''
r wouldnl say a word arr evenins.How coutd "ĘJl r ** wondering.Do you knowDrum.
..-.1::."1d
you talk ro a singingstar?. ""iłi"a
stringsCasey?'
. 'Thaas why you.havero waLchwho you prck. you cant rltiń) w'it
'
mnut€ .
throughh€f norebook'she
|ustcńoosefor ]ooks,you got to get someoiewirh per"on. F#i;"i L.*|ffi;."B,ng
.Paul .".J *io redslashedquizzes'a.Siluersoeen ńAg^z|ne"
ro Evie.
Mccaffney hasp€ r sonaliry'' 'i"
}i|j.n"łr" .i a.a.paper whi& she.handed
.H's nam€ " "l'"" oi a' nanow-faced.'bo.y high
wiń
.*".'
isnt on herć.' il."*il.i';ńi.L;"g
jr'J"li.'J,. .*."" .*".tlerthai ń€ orh€r' His fraruleswere
.u'T:
l#.5:1"':t$
farinecsdaushrernamed|ay-JeanLind-

*..łlt'n:.t.{H*;'j :,:f::'ł:T*,'f;ł}:tff
:!ti:'*
"--o::,da{:r€ n anr

;ii*h"1'Tń:.fl
.Nev€ r
heardof hjm,.Śom€ o oe said.
'lt's DrumsEings Casey' who do
'Do vou know him?'
you tnrnx'

'He s from pulqua.R,ghraroundpulqua., .No. Do vou thiŃ it.s a good Lken€ s sl

.How . .iji. i,ii .Bute#. howwereyou- didyo'r
comewe neverh€ a ld of himt.
.. don.L "i".':;;ń
know' You ou8hrto hav€ ' He singsr€ a ] n|ce.'
"'f.LliT,i'l,tll li" u'icorn.rhacswhererre same
pravs,
'wh€ r € ' s h€ at nowi.
* il,ilin b:''irJ.l;*prBarlew is real
m-v butI
ravourire'
'Pulqua.'
trif,iti' ."" i" tr"d too.You everbeento $e
cur€
.or heaven.s
sake,.rheysaid,and ńen rbeychan8ed "f
.L.ven' Unicorn?'
.l don.tevenl.now what it B!'Łj'e.salo.
wh€ n Evie was fuIlydresse4shecameout tron .i.:" ,""j.ń."*.l*. *uth of Pulquaa ways.You cao
Den|nd
'.B:rl.t€her
r , parńrio-n
to ta|kto Fay-Jean'Fay.Jea'
|n€ on the end.of a bencl'.drawin8 her'cómb was kne€ l . "
ń,r]i..ń..i'""' l got a car I can borrow''
r'.obonotPsle'shini'g hatr'1h€ a rd yóu rh'oĘh a -..
UkedJoseph Baliew.' 'Vhat)'
.Ar€ you goingth€ r e rcmorrowi
*:\{"*"l,he
...I:l*:she lookedinto comband broughtour a mirror, srrurdavs
'r"".1,'.."';*lFru"v' c*ev onlvplavs-on
wnrcD for romeume.There-wasnońlng else .wil| you b€ goingth€ r € ńls larudayl
to.do w'ń ir' sh€ had one of thosetioy. p€ r fect .sure.l cu€ s s so''
faces,not .could I bring a
:.:l T.P"".d. ::."ch to śhowthe ."..,i. t".."' r.".' .iii"L"''"" then,' Evi€ s.id.
woo. sh€ sald hna]|y' 'n friend?' "r*''."
Jos€ P h Ballew.' .sure.And keepńe picturc'it you llKe.
'He's all right'
.was he
.s.ii. it"ii. l .i.'t t'aveanńmg rc rrrdefor ir.'
at thar lock show a lew we€ks back?' 'To -1. 'J".
t2
f,
'Trade. Trade for rhe piaure.,
FinaĘ ray-Jean reache<t wer and lifted óe hand away, and
woujd you walt to lYade for it?'
'I.wńy
dont kDow.. Evie said. Evie pull€d her chai! out. 6e sit'ser
"ro, do uil that iłs I bousht?'
'vhat did ;;;-;.-";;th

:.:ń:a"j:..'Ę:;Ti,ł,i jl;T:i':fl,ifl J':r'ń:.Jfr *#i]?" ii'.ij:,ł...]"'

ń.i;atm
:T;:.ii;",#;; #';;g.
diń redbń'.movńg
' .i; red
constandym
bulb.movinaconstandy.in
żin,t acńncliki bołefiot:'
no
ev€ r y.tirne
sh.e
cornbed and
h€ . tla;...wrr"n
*e fi1-otłeunlm.n.. i*iJ.' r'i. g"i*. rfierl werc rfuee.ońer inst'ufi€n$
".*i;;;i";;;;;
Yj:Ę:^":'9:..9:,"' ;il:.h"[."liTJii
iffi;"łi#;l'.n, ii',.-ili" pi'""o, Eviecouldnl be surc All shesaw
ft:HH:*'-':"P*
-..'Ę
live wiń her art,workj
"
fi"i'..".''* "r,r'""sh
*i';et""ti pressing
' I n:
ńe sameplatform'a f€ w pjoPle daredl,
* B€hindthem.
ńe keys' on
;mellof beer
'I don,tmind,'Evie said.
J#;il' r;.ilsil t4,::I
;'";iii:
l ..L'^. L...|.
":*l*:illil'l
mad'thebu;rd'
:ifi ;";J;;ilil:n licnicp"avirions,
*iy"r,"''ff
arcun-o.rt.
:Jl."'t'ł.-Tff ft i""'f
iJ'!*Jł"i'..j;ins seemflimsy and rcmPorary'
ing
iia ;;; i" a burcira\apton-was .Howo|d
A fat man in a butcher's aPron
l-diP:Y:.:Ti
j;"łj,"ć*jl'*tT'
Lars and mob"cyclesand pickup shouteą
i"i.'";; *emFay.Jean
:f."i.# j.:tr"'trtxTŁ"ffi'"rtr
wil"']"i.ilińi mcks s-arani
.sev€nte€n,' said Evie.

ffs.J"#łflłliffiil#'ffi,,lt
.How old is viol€ t ?'
.it' .l caughtsar|et f€ v er in the
Vio|er gid.
"rJ.i.";
founh made and was held-'
'vh;rt'
.Eińreen' I said..
'i.Y";;k""'t* -' and shepointedt9 E:ie' 'sD wav
nen ńey won't'askfor proof...

T,l'.tr
ffi
ilIl;ł$j}*TłF,6iŁTilffi
"'i",-ii"'t"i.* **.y.
*"']ś.
'Jl. aa;.t evenquestion her'He wanreoto
sheshowed hirn rhen
*Ji)"-i""';, a.i'i'g r;*nce'whrch

*"*:*b:;:ffi j:ff:l: tJr"3i.Ji.*i"' i;r"' .luńped t.blewiń her

against.ńe
of her dre*s'wMcs
".""*t*.il:.iT"1,łi
*'"'i.lal U" dirbwing bosom
fo..vou?'he ""a*
said.
fou ak ne n be łnebody rn lu, 'Vhat?'
nou @n,o, sdyyÓ,,e fr! bonelpot. .Budweis€ r .'Fay-Jeantold him.
.Hear .sam€ fot you, rna'am?'
ihŹr?' Fay.Jean s.id.
Viold nodded.
.}ł€ thotj8ht if sh€ h€ ł d any more rhe noise would turn i;;;;i.B;Ń bft ńe platform. The dancers remalneo'
ńe mom. untll

,;#f#ifi,tr#[$ffi
heelsand gazing.around' .Young at
'joilil;ih.i. ii"'ł..a of Fiank Sinatra singing
lł...'i to th€ ir seats.
" '**a
..:ii*l|'łr' .i.' ń* yp and wandered.b'ck
iil.jii:.ri." .You Can
ń"ii"* i;my ideal.'Fay.J€ a n.said.
out
r'"* *rn*' t don't care He rs onlv nineteen
'",liii* rwocoorrines running down
ffii,ffi;.-.n#:;;iilthose
aloncside bis mouth.
14
 .xiv€ ^sur€
]-o]' up ratkedro himi.Evi€ .sked. and down the brid8eoI bis nos€, a$d sur€ly th..udienc.
. 1'€
ell1rł'e
'8on:
dme'1d
onc€ I calledh'm on lhe phon€ i*. r'i"" i'" motionl€ss cifclc of air he
'-lun' busy. ;''air wiń th€.toe of his boor aDd
il['ł....i,""l"iiiol* butl corrld
"".r*a "ęaratą
ar r'.*"''ffii i".*j i". ńi'ń.*J " resrińgon
iii'i.i. .i" *n* ot .l'" pt'dorrl" \rith onc foot bov ambled
:$fat
wo{d you ś'yif you went up?.
Evt€ .sked' i'i. .i*J*, ** r'r"'i head, and the blond
your ar ńe drums'
,i'':1di{!:li#t".J€śli h€ad.You'tl
s€e.Arent b; ffi;ń'htJ ; ro śeal hiń-s€ l f
".plifier
.fi"*l"-o" a"'' *.r''.casey'. on it?' Evie rśk€d Molet.
r cou|dn'l,'Evi€ sad' 'How shouldI know?'
'vn'
j,'".l'll'#r[:-[:,r.*fi."1ffi
,rX',:""-'L:,i:, .Heshouldb€ usin8hisowndrums.-
&-*; .Mavb€ óes. .re bettet.'
.i..#J-r'"t *. r'i".*'. nes€-cou]d b€ justa!yone!.' .what
.il;ó;.i,'. ;" h'td to s€t thcm uP eaó titn€.
;nł*ifii"^'$łi'?Ji{:,.i:l'#,"i:;i:*H;J
#dli:":ń"^T]:H#''ff jn **ij:i;;
differóce doesit makel'
.m".l.*
u'olerask€ d . .Drunsrings
'well. sdll.' Evic said.
ń."'""wlal *"gi"tt"d
.My Girl kfr Home.'All Evic
;h"i". fouf w;rds. Helfu'y through'ń€
r'{t"u}**;.'..,' caseyor
nusic slowedandDrumstringslrosrleo'
".d;.J;,;;.;

*finęęx.**ffi
'Hold o',' he said.
The audienc€ stopPedtalking.
'SbeW Yousa|?'
He hit on€ notes€verd nm€s over. .
.wbeft uete yo,ł?Did lo seehe|8o!
'Th. meter fian's @mit18'
,Br.r the tkk?ts. Wdit in the lobby.
.ń.*.rall the pnces going.up.!
'H;ue ,pu aotked
.iJ'li.'iJ1.r. ńe il'ummircaued.As if thathad

siiiiiiili!;::Ęp*''.sJ:l:[iJix
to* ir I *"re tosnaphis
j:iT#.,::: ...i"ia$'i''i''lii"i'iir*tt *'"'.nngs
'iiiii"iri
.*s. il;
"'d Lęt
ono"na
"t picked
aereconveisation
ńeir on
eyes
-ntin*d
'P
th€
agpin'
guitar
,l"""ilo,lfi*. " ;icture?I b;;ueh; i.i.. łir. "."y"aq"terand
".w
st ngs.

.3łł :Ii':.,::],.#* i"i.ie"n a-c"d *itt' " boychewingbubbl€<hould€8um'.Atth€

!ll"sił..'ł*]?i.:Llff -'. *l1r,..#,n'".,."g
'r'"
."ii.J ||o* ......r';ng.
*stj.her hand
Then
steadily.
on
a
hk
new piece
snerarked
rand
bęan
tohim
ff;ffi;;.ńil;;ia',f,;6rst one\prace

mfłi*ł*.p"-*,ryffi
as jf wh.r Śhe said rook
i*. T..l;ł .**a o'€ .udienc. ńe
""i i*. *.'c a slithcring
c.urv.d' Pat*rn on
;l-li;il:il; was
il*..ń"5,J."ia.. n'" .usic seemed fami|ia'..lt Prob'
iii' iii.-.*^g'ń''-""."s" crs€y t'ad pLayeda! th€ rock
and spokcor't'
.i.,*i.u'i aź' *r'* he;bwed his guitar woman € r nPty|-ng
*.i.ii **.t'" .* pi.ti"g berri€ sandńe
t6 17
 .Ę.shcans?This dme. he told about as
Dortle caps at th€
someone throwing soda. afoundin rheback'Now Viol€ t sgt yawningand blinking
And then a brcvc|e. awake.5n€ wano.
'noon.shiny
tl,e |rońt. rhe unoinnedher hair,but Evie was wide .l
'oasRet.on
in the dark'
t. y94..8difl' uill you lblen this timeł .il;l;;;ń;;.ń fully dresstd,snePpingPictur€ s .
,!,l want to use up th€ ńlm,' sh€ said.
'Vait till rcmorrow, whY don't You?' Lowry's
*:".T.ą::i:.'.
,lmbled in her handbagfor her .ilil;;;;li;ii"..ń" ls
..monow.
drugsiore
ń"," sithorrl
'** al|owing r'.*li.i.' .r'i* ou!
:i:""".1'"{ .""" on Suna"vl oo vou ,hink tha(his piclurewill turn
iT::Tl^:l1:9a,:*n*,r,.pi"i,r".,ilti"".y
r"*"a*,
"r,""a haltuav decent?'
*::o*:.::.tłr :"rlJńil.;ł.;ii'Pi;;Ę ;::
..".;r rJii;iiLiLITllli'",Jij
''":iil,'llrn"e'""
*.' violet vawnedasain and reachedfor
::,:j:"*.,*..h!b"p
sheried.
::3tr"{::1.".oho. rc ii"a,iiJl.,"a"i!io.lói[l.*", thinkwbatto ca||him,.
wn't€ ' shaky lacf' Tlren she sat down. ";;i. li""'".
",-."."n.
I coutdn,t
sh€ Phoroglaph€ dh€ r
heragarn Herhłnds
H€ i ooked.'Jt be.".| i"i".-iia. .i o,unsrrin8s.'
were;łń;i.j" .-- ...-' bullerinboard.huns lvith progranmes andnewspaper orP-
cir lation se€ m ed to hJv. 'il?]i",l.jl1".ll pń l*j-rirt.n by a man t*ch€ r whom
.Łvi€ .
'rop.o.a. *a nltt
I declar€ . .Vio|et said...
"."' "
ii"fiJirlJ*"i"* ur.r€ . Th€ n shesaid..It.s ńos€ quotes
Fvie said nońing' mart.". Whió
ii#;;"ń;;;;:1ó.;";ingi, in quotation
saxs..someoneelse's song next, one
L^l]e
oercrć on
she hJd h€ a Id dmsthatmean I should call bim bY?'
Time.. when his guitar slowed' the .UkeNat ..King''col€ . .
'.sweetheart
:.:TT::,b*'
stnngs.dlctn't
|ouder. prodding him ro ńurry' End
Drum. .ói,. ,t,.''. t'a ro.gotten.wha! did th€y ca himt.
sp€ 2 k out after.all.At the end he bent 'igl'i.
his head 'Nat.'
łEl[|'' I mllsr nave been a bowi *€ r yone ..Beńrlm...B!t
c|apPed' 'ri.n l .r'o''lat,"" ."tt"d..B€ ń ram.'... I couldnever
tnat he.wa|k€ d offthep|atform and pasr Shesnapped her
N^.ńrr€
enve|ope
r
Evie\ mble.
ot cold air rtavell€ d with hift. a, if he a. Ji"i. i'a r"a si y saying .I wasso scared.lwas
had jusr p.lń.;"it'" r.irńgti mirror.
J winter night. Evi€ h€ a rd his denim "-"
::1: ll''l.T
.|"j,l ia;k€ r shaking;'shesaid.
ll"']'ll.]!!i sh€ f€ h thath wa9sateshe 'l know.I saw.'
rum€ o to lookaft€ r htm..B"i
"'d.when
h" h"d by. You meanir showrd?'
r,r,
.r,in ".r P*..d
ar,.a.,,p,r,r,
.y""onr,..
'ii"-r'"n* *.*
't'"ti'e
f."::ffi"ltT".,lii:* 'ń.;ii' :Y"J:''"ł1il*fi-ii:J.i."E. yo"l'.*.r.
n*.. !
ł:: :T##':"'"**"*rl'
h€ asked. ** Jil:;i i;;;a;.
;vhi "p .nddidit.
ińought.
noi:.,
l.ii ]I.ijijl'J t.ward
;ń i..shetu-med Violet'whobad
'Oh,' he said, and then he watked on out. .l'rp'l,.. wbar
That.s
iii" ł.*" .i. tr'".** siae of óe bed.
''Oh." he raid. was it -oh,r Or..We it was.'
.., I shoutdhaveirad .Risht.' viol€r s3id wiń h€r eyescloged.
an answ€ r p|anr€ d ..
'iii'i',r'"'Ji l"l;*' I *odj haveralenon mvrace ,or
17.Irs.no[
5omethin8yo'l would have expeclśd' lh€ . a]l'. a.ioęa trcómera.or lostmyvoic€ .Impulse wasń€ due.
dins the nisht wiil e"ii. up in t",
nowereooearoomwherer}e radiosri!
sDu. hr Eviefittedanoth€r nashbulbinto
n"**..**
Ł.:.:l.:"y9*""Y"k. ^.ł#:'łriT,;",*.". tac€.
f::'.
rah€ r !":*.1
'
s sfudebaker. '."o.i.x"j'*l
abr€ a st in rhe t'on.
'ń:.. whilea bushe|
or r"y.1""n:s
het cameraand snaPp€d Violet.s s|e€Pin8
basket "iu.
ful|of rooliranled
l8 19
!r"
|mc. She rumed often to study the facesof-ońer customers'
JaJi"--i.' o**"ioss casevwasplavinswho was
on
d!.t bb;d who hushed everyone aśsoon as Uasey cam€
a" y.u i<now ńar Eviecouldneverhave
jn
i", l.'"ar *i.ń.ur a lot of oth€ r peopl€ burdnga
"i".r.i.ivo"u"t
*'iii""
*" m .t'" fu if h€ r coulingherew€ r €
-l-."ńl"i"
i'i"t".io'" p"ltlaty."nd?ńe audienccgrewlargerevery
Sa'turdav "onńe c|appinglouder..There-.you Śe. l k'low
and "r
.Now catóing on
Jiit-'i'r'"i: .ń v."tet.
"t'" aia"'. look "'Prybodyt
hapPy.abolt it. she watch€ d
..ij.j'l'i
FAY.J[!ĄNuNDsAY was always dancing,and someum€s
rolns ii . tt'ou*',ful'r'. .""to.ins, Iookon herfacew1lenherufiled
orr ro nudde d I carc with boys.who only sbowł ui
'd ńe l.ind to a strance sirlt hał on thewayup to theplalorm. .
'voikiow I'n latp,'he said"u'Ii volt tetne be!
oncc. Jn. wasnt chauff€ur rwo girls arounŻ
'trd€rlnire|y.
5o Evi€ al|d Viol€t started borrowirc theil ,l've |iste,1ed d żfight.
r'm€ €, .erą Ekin8 tums at it, and coming to ńe (inicom
oy^BćĘel.ves-every safuIdll 'I'ueoonderedall daY'
Th€y sn|J sar at Fay- i"^I-a,"l .iit, ha![as nuń as names.'
s'9o|e''a|though8€ncral|y lighr:
her óair was empty and her 'ti"ł
sbffned -"down on his drums rhe music
fan i#il;.;.
purśe,rcrt sP|ltedopen tEside her ber rru3. They ńre skim *Jl;d*:.ó]ł. i;.b rt ralkingoutof hiśthatmad€ ńe
::::Ye,
n:Y'.ang
:łav.d when ńey pascd ńc po|icarran "ait'*.. ł" i** haw begunł. while h€ Śpoke
ar me dool. Evi€ . s skirts weredark' ro slim her down. Her t"i" r'JiJ".'' s*"t'*ld v'ith h€r €yes wand€ring
orcus$ w€re whil€ corton rhat furned grey aDd timp halfT''av
iil".lii ".ill' ;J' 'vha, wourd
"r.ćrwards' makehimdo rike
rnrou8Dtrle€vmin8. violeis skins were roseand ptlrple
anó ..l
that?'
'Jii.,"lt"
cnartrcus€. 5h€ sć€med to have mken ńe place over.for mu8 of
ow't- -. stnd|ng beM€€n óairś. |ik€ a hugc' stercly queen,
her kind of |ike it,. said violet. *rrrint h€ r second
bTil
.o-"tt,l,,e?Is thetesomethingund€rn€ath it?
sel€ne ln th€ ta.ć of whisdesand catcalls.oidering diań
bee. t,"
oy mc Pltcher and poufins it exPertly down the sid€ "aying
mu8 so th.t tłerewou|dbe no foam.she remiDded
of her ls h€ soeakinq in code?'
Evi€ of - ó-J:.;fń.;ń. of goingsrraight up ro him.
had.|€ a medabout jn spanishclass, ".ńing dole..No.. how
:j^.::TTĘ:'1"*:ł" rr';;;ftł;;;;J;soońx a's"t
;.xcĘ't tnat .violet did no chapśroning:Fay.]ean remmej i.j'"i" did you g€ r-as
' ... Caseys|ouchcd
rro.m'|ongabs€ n ces wiń uDknownp.rtners,tiltin8 e8ailst "*. '.;iwt'*. and look€ d straightńfough
I*l''"'i;.iii. i"r"' t'is śide
"i pa.t.ot'ńe pro8ramme.
Tj'.:]::]lT P':''
''k" ".i.s':'
rag do and DrumsBilĘs Ćasey ńem. He s.em;drc (hiDkth€ y were
:i.
sne ]l|" ł'p:''1:""I mder '
Violet.s caln gaze.śfiesaij ii""'*i'iń-r"l" uv r"y-leń\ emptychairanddrewfaces
uked tfus ł'nd of lif.. .I shouldb€ a barmaią'she said. '".
in a ringof be€ r .
"..ł.iil;;;'
.y::,: pf at,rhe next.tabr.said,.Hey, fat mama,,she
mrew rack hcr head and lauńed.
his at€ n tion,' sheroldViol€ i 1r would
.l.:
r'"". i" t".*i.r'".* thinkingof it ńrst.som€ $ t"c ll'l
on|y' Evi€ s€ € m ed uncornfinablether€ . Ir was sh€ wbo
i'$;J|j:cJi.ń ; ."":
*'c.lo Y]ŁŁ::,*T:":
s:l.;::i;
,
pBmeo.ancad tor the evenings,rinsed hcr hsL i'l mah vin-
egar and moumed e broken fn8emai| and beggedVio|ćt
m o|sgrac€ herty w€arin8 ber wiglet. Yet in ńi Unicorn
not i{Ę*rufr
:;!:{*i;mll;"g*ru:l
ini in mr blouse] sayingsomeń;ng
sal s|umpedbehind hel beer' chewjngfier óumb and
shć ..irni .* ulŃ"'a.] iń r€ad;ng rcneof voice'
scow. 'Oh, hewouldn'rnotice"violetsa'd'
20 21
 'That's exactly what I meant ' .My l,rd in heav€ n , Evie D€ c k€ r !. she.9aid.
One Saturdaya.redhradwho was dancingon rheplartorm vi.jr., ..oJ j..ipt' sa|l€ w stolped p|lying.The com.
stood-srock
srocksrill
still whil.
whilćCas.y
c,(.v.,];.]
|';."^."Ll.: our.
a;a nis,peaLini '. .....
^'.. lr . ,
wasonty ** ;" i'i."p. bv thedoor to the ladies'room'
'od " ""-er. h€r way ovet th€fe ńe
--i""ev€n wh€n viol€t had
bu! an8led
If,1,tp ł",,. would stilt say _iwłt was too
oowd tight|y pack€ d for her to s€ e łnyo'ng'
Jo1'| !es?,
T:.:!: a;l*
-*,,.,'"/1g,
"l*:";*ń:a
'Youbrrr woutd!.Then "ńri' ir*'ffi"JI*'a, t.t lni .ńóugt'?.she said'
.vhat is it? wilt you
sr,.l.r,ruifl.,"li,"j o"l"ac** *#ij|ll'*io"u
"ou .Polic€,,t,€
rroundbyone
aroundby one shoutder
shoutderr"
ro nri"t
6nish,lJ
rhea""*.
dance.i.
He daned a*hl I,ćffrom-b€hind.
.ci""' 'said.
c]ń. ń"-*"'. '.'.l. way..The cfowd divided.Violet
hugh'.The śudaenb'."ki"g .f thł-ńorh oliv€ flc€ .r'."ó' *'a*i'g the pltb for ńe policPnan. when
maoeh'm |ookUnfńishedand"P
alrgular.Iikesomeone's
comi. "*'.a
ffi ;"ffi
lii aoo. .t ,i'. bdLs'
;ili;;;;iiń shestoppedsuddenly
room sheitopped
ladies room suddenlv
'.i"r'"Jif,.backwad against ńe polic€man's chest.
ad rocked ,
.|ustqive .Evi€ ? .she sald'
, ',Tbere,s.howro g€ r his arEnrion,'Viol€ t sai4
n|m a'yank. But when she tuJned,sh€ saw rhar Evie Evte was smilins. Two peopl€ supPorr€ d her. the ledhead
ivas
weral tab|esavaybynow.pushin8towJrdth€ ladles.room. *i'l" jliń.iffia girl..ft;yheidh€ r in..-Profess'onal
Doy,at v'olerr. r/ighrsajd, ,Hey. tirde marshmallow, movieJikeway' eaó wirh one hand b€ n eath Łvrcs eloow
-'ne
you re aU Viol€ ( cmj|€ d and pouredmorebeer. t'"r back'Evie.sfacewas ridgedwiń
'|one.' * ń","-"tt
|rJos€ ń Bal|ewlhey al| camefot) He swa8gć'ed -J.""
venica|strands of "t
blood. Ther€ wereoim9on z'8zagsacross
-.Ur.was wiń his.h€ a d dołłrand one 6st iJised, her forehead,dampeningber hair''Eeie' wh happened!
iI".T:.!'::t..].l',c|'t:r.
a:|::manł:'1f Pverybody clapPed. Fay-J€d app€ared said viol€t.
s. learherracter and sad. ,!flilt you look ;i how his'n .It's his narn€'' Evie said.
halrduls,up? oh. I wi5h woLl|ddo ńar way.' ri'" ,.óp.a forwerd,carryinga smal|pad of
a risht to '''i'P
katr ne tike you telt ne; loseph "ili..."i bal|polnrpen. He dicked ńe pen.
. .:o1?? F?! *"c. ;Nimel' '..,".'"ti"
'";";;; he" asked.
wereangry.H;s vola was furry ńd
:11f. rPu8ncnrn8
ulrĘ :|.:"' ii: on vowels. .Drumstringscas€y,' Evie said.
and he sroodvery c|oserc rhe
wh€n h€ srartedhis secoDdson8 Fay'J€an said,
:l|,:ł,:phon€'
listen?,EvieDeckercan have slł óf óńmstrings
.w.l 'you
Lasey. wh€ r e'd sh€ qo. anvhow?.
'Excused herself, iaid Violet.
som€one scleam€d.
..Jos€ looked p|eased,alld rwan8€ C l two shaĘ
not€ s pon
h,Ba||ew
hisguitar.Th€ n he loweredit ro siń anońer lini.
ne nćver^dld both at'once.Behindhim a murmuringaros€ ,
ano rn€ otnerpLay€ r sbeganlookin8around,butJosóh
on wrthhrs eyesctosed. san8
.!vho Ścreamedi'
viol€t asked.
Fay-Jeanmovedaway.heriacketswinsmgfrom
, hershoul-
deĘ. As soon a5sh€ was.gonev;olet n,miaiact ro t'er
ulr,
out rhcn.th€ f e was anotherscream.This timerhe voice
was

22
J
.Do you think
Erie's óeeks sharply' almost slappi 8 her.
óe s au risht:' '' '_ ź
The dońr shrlresedand6l1€ d a hypoderm'cneed|e.'wno
.ń"; i;ol teenagers.r;nd ber ł room will
h;;i.-;;ij.
il;.i:..ń;* h". night riliI seeher srateof mind..
il".."i* r.rł,ńa * 'h" aia tń€ pol'cefian.srill staringback.
door. .shouldwe
**ji ńil he.closed rhe
"*, d him?.viol€
tiDo€ "s
"t'-ta*( said.
have
*:Ń..Il"la .You mightas weu call her fami|y.
J. a..,...
sH!.!t,łD.ct'r ńe lett.r.swith : pair of nel| scissors. Do€J sh€ have a family?'
ftcy ran 'Onlv her father.'
acrossherforehead,largeand rassedand creek-
illlle lay
rooxrngbecausesrraighrlineswcreersrertoiur 'He il haveto be told abourthis'
cvz( l. In s" Vi.iłLrt r.., ,;ppti"gthe ńng€ r s of one h.nd at Evie.
room. aft€r they had swabbedthe blood away' 'lust be a minute,'shesaid.'Take care'
l€mere
€n€r8€ncy
was a.sflm.e lasdng severalseands.,Backuatdsi; ,;il';*
iil ;"iy patienrin ńe € m € r g-enśyroo'n' The
som€ o n€ . sald nn. y. h]ooked as if she weresraring ner
out at docmr worked in silence.snappingthJea.lslu\t abov€
oe |emerŚtrom within' from rhe wrong side ol
her for€head' J* i"lii' ińa. *nł" warefdńpped
a."a.r*li"d
whate\€ r rhe rea'on,Evie wasn.tte]|i-ng. him. 'casiv vour bovrriend?'he rsked
śnam€ U ed
she sar a white "i.i.J'
H.*i;;."'b.hil
b€ s id€ an insELm€ n t case, her'n shoulders ńna1ly.
yumPed' tht 'chalr
lo\łerpaft of her face roud and bLankand
'No.'
Pale beneathń€ red s|ashes'Her pudgyfeet in ńeir vinvl
$noarśwere twued around lhe chair run8s.Beside
ńe' sr;d Just a singer.
wn: had.broughthcr rn.sri|Icuriousahhough .Rock.and-roll' I suppos€.'
ŁEf.o]|T::: tak€ n
ne-nao.a|ready down the łece*saryioformarion;aid 'Thals right.'
nght alongsjdeńe doctor and nu'se, was 'rut.'f'."i- H. anotherthread This is nothinB
:f!::.:'".r
]|oEr.'Un) |t wot'|dtakemoreńan ńis ro shockViolel.
nrc'rloo€ n | wlń' Łvle in the bacl of ńe squadcar, sh€
parting
d";;;..*:'".; """pp.a
u"deiirand First-degree
You.ttneeda
cus But thev're
goodp|asticsurgeon
II
ner hand abstntly' .Evie ."griJ. ń"i'u t"*. **".
sai4 iI wislt
De.k€ . . I dedare,..she to set rid of th€ m for yolt.'
you wou]drelIm€ - Goodness'will you lirren]
toJ'you..'Eqe only.b|inkedand warchedas ńe
Sirerrs.
They re Evie staredat a creasein his whirecoat'
headliihts .You all right?' h€ ask€d her.
scr,pćdthe ed8esot a tobaccofield.when ńey
droveup to
thehospttaldoor shesaid,1 leftmy
Pockćtbooktn the la;ies' 'Vell, I can't rhink whY.'
v.rll ..*i."a, swindngher Pursebv its .Your lons srraPso
'Oh, don'rwoEy. I' cat aboutir.' *'... ..".l"j t'"-.,iins ai everv
everysrep.
srep. fath€ r \
Your fatheis
'And fhenwhar abouryour car? And I neverp,id rhat it iingled against
'"'r"* .l saidyou hld rc hav€ a linle cut
, for my ii' *;J"ri" .;la.
""
,inJł o". *t'af you wanted? l couldn'tse€ iust
"J.,v".
o'i--a l". l"ttłs hirn'' Sńe settledon a srcolbesderhe
The othcrstreated}rer.s if Śh€ w€ ' e unconscious, around her..would yourath€ r
..
ue|r hJnds on ł|ershoulderwhi|. ńey leaneu
resring a"".i*a t'..
ruNaro !o I Md?' ".*"ń "kn!
o6cu9sn€ r . .ls sheall nurś€said once'and Darted Evie shook her head.
'i8,'?'the
24 25
li
'Hold sriu' said .tll€ docror. .He wasn't sin8ingńen. Joscph Ballew was. ,l don't know.'
He.łorked for wiar,bińr have been houą snaopnq 'Didn't you look?'
. .ń.".".iy' r"t' l doni łzop. l was with you. l and th€
rnfcads mdl€ssly and soE|ecirneslening our a |onr whiilini
sĘh bcńł.e.n.hislecń. B€side hin' violet rwifled o; h€r sroo.i Doliceman. we w€ r e busyt.kin8 you out''
. ;i
ano numh€d. Ą clock over rhć €xit icrked each minute bv s"ti*. ttrismiehtb. thebeirńing |.veeverdone'' said
wlrrl a-deep, Pointed click. Vhen 6aa|ly ńe doctor laid a Evle..Somethingoit of óaracer' D.finite.Nor cover€ d by
slr|P'ot 8:uz€ over rhe sritche-ąEvie saw ńet it wes n€Arly in5ulanc€ . |'m iust sutei! wi|l all work out we|l.'
mmnlgrt. .lhts ś€ r 3 kind of recoĄ'he uid..Areni liobi b"nt io lln" op tt'e vinyl sandals beneań the bed.
lrlcre any s'ng€rś ś.lled
.His-6rsr
'ome
All or Ed?. 'Vhv don't vou tetl mi whet vou want rc wear tomorrow''
nań€ $?s Drumstrin8s,,
.w:!' rhen.Iśuppos€ Vio|€ t rcld him. lhe iaid. .I'li stoo bv vour hous€ and pick ir up..
9hedjdńe besrshecou|d'' :ór'. *".r'mi. siin and b]ouse.!?hi|e I was walking
Lrus He pe€ I € d 'thinkingof
8Iotesott.You.can go home romorrow'if you'ń in a *.".r' ir',"tcń*a with ńe policeman,l kept
orne] staF. l hough *'ltat.''l wou|d be - He|p her ro ńe ny n;me: Evie Decker, Taking soFething into mv own
n.urs€s' stationJwould you' miss?Ask for Miss Cbnnolly. |'|l bands{or once'l ńought. ''?. if t had starreda.rin8 like this a
tak lo h€r tather befor€ I send hiD in.. lons nme aco my whole l'fe mi8ht.vebe€ n differ€ n t.-
.Thant you,' .&"rr. rńrt fo. sure'. said violet..Anyway. skirr and
Evi€ śaid.
.You.d
bc betu off in ńe PeacecoĘa's'id rbćdocror. blouse.bo vou want me'to stay rill your father comes)'
lvrc's room beldtwo whirebeds.borhehpt', and a map|€ .No, I gu;ss not. You. family will be wonderingwh€Ie you
dt€
' ś s€ r w|ń a.mirroroverir.Th€ r r wasonl' a night]ishr;n.
when she lookedin rhem;rrorshesaw a wide dark siadow .All rińt. Seeyou in the moming''
w|rb a Dand ot startli'8 white across th€ fofehead'sbe tou- vio|eJsshoesmadea soft,ploddingsoundoUl Ófthe room
cned,thebandwith^one ńnger..o}. |ook,you gEta iohnny. łd down the hall. lvben the soundhad fad€ d Eli€ pulled
coal' vo|et said..on]y rwo riesdown ńe who]eback J. .r'*...*' t'* uy on herback,śtarin8 at theceiling.
of ir.
and on€ ol ńem broken. Shall I bńng you frcsh clothes to Headjińrs swungacfoss -a it ln slow whirewedg€ s . someso't
w€ a r homercInorrowlYour fańe.[ nev€ r ńink of iL' utoi"' u*."ń t'e. *lndow madea rreadyruńing noise
'No. be probablywont.' Evie said. rhar turnedońer noiresunrealand disBn(' Her ioreh€ l d
"i
.
S}e pulledoff ber doth€ s . which feh cfeas€ d and heevy was a tińt' thin sheel There was on|y a suface pain' but
....1
P9 l."q. As sbe dropp€d eaó p'cce !o the .r'" .lJó"'" c"* h€ r th€ fee|ingńat her skin might split
floor,Y:lF
lT. v'olet tumbted for it in the dark and laid ir on a chair. i'.ifi"u.* ń.t.' * mom€ n 1.she bridgfdher for€ h € a d
|'n€ | r movem€ n tswer€ slow and sound|ess - Evie.sbecaus€ ;ii';;;h"fu' -y it inward wiń her thumb and
ciampińg
sne.t€ | t iwk\rard' Violels for no kDos'n r€ a son Decause rniddle finger to eas€ the stretch.
vlo|€ t n€ v € r lelr awkward'when Evie had pur ńe gownor, 'Evie?'b1r farhersard.
śh.c||nbed.'ntońe bed fanhesrfrom rhew'ndow-.she sr'eioweredt'erhanaand winc€ d rowardńe tighteddoor.
se; (he
up a8a'nstthe m€ t a| b€ a dboard.h€ r handsfoldedacrossher H; iń", *". a mlt black angularsilhou€ f te, b€ n t at
waist.He alt€ r € d wiń hi5 head ]eadin& iuŚ| es he € n teteo
.They'x
brin! you breakfasrin H, I suppos€ , ' Violet ,.id. f'r" J""*... *t'lt whisperedind passednotesand
r,rMlsrr'ngs Laśeykrow aboutńis?' .I "*a"nts
him. brought you som€ clothes'' be said.
,u-oes
'we||! isnored
-
|'m not 'Oh. You didl'
.Tbcrewas 'ur€ . ' .Donl vou needtheń?'
a |.ojof conmotionov€ r ir. vouldnl you rhink
, .ve[, viobt waśgoing ro bring sone.'

26 27
FY
li::"*:3^::-:"ł:o:r€au .:i:il:łŁ".:@tinu.llY €xpected
and turnedon a lamp,so to hear).But the b€diack€r with its gtin
:l::1;:'":-.:.:".:".*lJ'";.";;l.';::ff fuons,
thatbandage havem beso tiel, r,.-".iei i""i
ą Ęeaking up out of all ńose years of silence'
his realising
siemód to be giving him away without.Vell'
thank
*t'ot"
r.i."r'""J:--'.-' rou
. ve.v much.' Evie said.
Ęff ;,,.*..l rte went ovei to óe window, iamming his hands into his
Iookathim..Ińoughtthćdoc.or Dockets.Everyrhingabourhim waślong .nd bonyi nolhing
Lr his awkwardnesshad beenpasredon to Evie. His hair
'":T**:1'ii:?ji..
'He did, yes.'
aad lasha wete pale, his eyesset in deę shadowedsockets'
'Do you wanr to seel, thatńey seemed
.oh' bb skinsorinkledwith largefrecklesso lainr.Plasttc
no, thacsa|l dńr.' ro be througha whireouer.layer. sugeons
end.und|d 'eóingof cours€ - ' he v./assaying.
:lm*jl".*:r:i'::1.;rffi;;l;TfiJi:ilry,1:
].*l'L:ll*':n. ";: "c thegauz€ ,wh|chwas tŹI€ mon.y'
only a ńeshwound,'she said. 'l donl want one.'
H€ barely heatd h€r. His mind had snaggedon a new
rarherrookedror omyone .Evie, you he asked. .was that
second óought. had been drinking?'
berore
he drorxd r,i,.y*;i"..:iii":,
he-r"":i1.,^.:,1-*:'-!.,;:ier
said. "ia!iil"'il:
ha'
.Half a be€ r .'
'It's a singer.,
'Yes, I tnow. Casrv.I know., 'But ther\ why would you do itt'
'You know himt Evie loread her fuserc in front of her and studied ńem
chos€ ber words..Now, l.m
m€ a n,l know ńat.s what his nameis. l ltke . deck of cards ;hile she
.^.I neverheerdof oot tryingro be rude.'she srid 6nally.'but it pas mv face.
lt is. It,s my busineŚśhow it looks',
'l ncver even heard ofhim., 'You'd feelawtully silly with "Casey" acrossvour forchead
.vślI'' all vour life.'
sald Evie.
.rd le€l sillier having it eras€d the day after I did it,'śaid
b"*
j]ę^łig:'"!'.j\j.:,
l".-j1h":
ł:ll.
*y^..Ę bag at his fe€t, a
;Jlj'']Tj; "'::::f,
i":":": Evie.

llt';-11..-t""..
x"".Ł-:* :lllt$;;';; il; il #J.Fi""l!;
p'"tr"iir.i;;i;:i;;fi;#' ji";':Jl"H
..itrell.that's the wo.st of it. Yorr .'''' erase it th€ next
day, you have to wait unril it heals. Could you mavbe cur
lj:: jr.:*:jl:^::a.
ir.'P.and
H. uia
iii"'r,..rii t,i" p,*"a bangs,meanwhilel'
rumedh over,s.*.t'l;s'J"j.i||,. YAb.iilJń; 'No.' said Evie.
shesaid. Her farhe! lubbed ńe pouch€s under his eyes' smoothing
.l ńought
you mi8htn€ e d it.' andre-D]eatinq th€ m . .Evie,hooey,.heśaid..There areple'i"y
tqe}^srubbyhaI|C|s. ń€ frillś\€ e med fł!,syand out ot of nice.bovsń ńe wodd. Just sive youne]{ lime. Youie a
^|ln
l*;;.i.'i::'i:::...1]:l haveb€ e n.whatheiroughtr'ei lweet.|ookinssir|. after all, and when you lose a - wh€ n

;f;"ffi:*
for
T#iTjł:.:1 vou}e older, bóys are going ro fall all over ńemsel"es
you, tak€ ńy word. You're only sixteennow.,
h:d be€ n rńćtasrwomanin Pulqua .sev€nteen', said Evi€.
P]lf1""':'"d|e ollę*::
Loury,io chi]dM fever' Her father never .Śeventeen.So why should you fuin youJ life for som€
'iiśłĘ{;i'ó:,il.il
nel {a.ndnćversaid'..Yotj arć what
.no
't
was a bad baĘain at that'' which'was
mennon€ d
I rraded your mother for,
what Evie
sinc€ r in a roadhous€ ? Ltsten.The docrcr\ glvin8 you a
tranquillizer. You have a Sood nighCs sleep,and tonorrow
28 29
al
lll.come.ger you and we'lt retk ir over. Things wilt took
d'tterentin rh€ momins.You'łlęe-.
fvie said nothing,Sh; rolled the srrip of gauze into a srnall
'Vell, good night, Evie.'
He dicted off the |łmp.Then ar rhedoor hc stoppedand
turn€ d ' .Anotherthin8..hesaid..Tell ńat Caseybóy not to
both€ r comingJ|ound again.I wont luow you o s€ e any
moreof hiń.'
Evie |ookedup, with rwo sma|l-pieased fo|dEb€ g innin8 at
..
the outefcomersofher eyes'Bur by rhenhe had
ińmediis
nanosDack|n h|spock€ t s and walkedawav.
Th€ y 8ave her somesort of pi|| but she sPenta bad nińt
an}v5y,,Iosslng bćneańa'light.frownings|eep.Strangrbids
bońeJed her.,splinlersof dreamsc'łmeand went'ieal ins
on|yectlo€ s ot th€ m se|vesto lememberin the rnorning.And
whensheawoł'etall h€ . r muśc|€acied.
s shesatup and|ooked
out toweJd th€ mrridor'.wherespecksof suńight doated
slowryaboverhe potisbedred floor. 'Nurse!,she cied. No
somewherein her wakin8, ńe ńought of her fore}ead
^
lloareo by yesterday-s 1urprise.some n€ w poss€ s sio'
whlch would '||ke
haveto be conńrmeda$in today.Sheslid off
h€ n|gnbćdan.l Padctedoverto the bureaumirror,keeping
her n'gr'rgow!hitchedshut behindhĆr-
HśrforeheJdwls an an8rydotl\. crisścrossed wiń black
sntcncs. the word renectedrighr side around,
rormedltsell _.Cesey,'
alrcr severa|seconds.during whjch she
'oą|y molion|esswlth her
srunned'and
'tood mouń Bare|yopen.
Later..mayb€ 'i| vou|d be immediately legib|e.But todly the
mreadsfumed her tor€ h ead first inlo a
ie8geddesjgn,a
8reylŚn-wn'te crazy-quiltcoveringtherpacebenveenherhair.
nne and h€ r brown ey€ b rows, which were Raked
'traighr her oń€ r fe.Nres
w'm drrcd blood.-All
seemedro have
oralnĆoaway.Her lipqwer€ Pa|e,lnd hćreye,hadlight€ n € d .
Hs noselooked flltt€ f ' For yearsshe had cherished-the few
Śurpnsesh'dd€ n away-;nher shapelessnes
n€ n der wrts$' andp€ r fectoval ńngemails.Now. srill|ooking
|ntoth€ nirro.. sheheld up borhwristsand turnedńe b|ue..
30
Ęgred dbrcninq insid€s of ń€m towerds ńe gla6s.Then she
bacl.cd-awav,uóry s|owly. But when she was as far !s she
could s€t. o;ess€d acainsr ń€ wau behind her' ńc lettersstill
iooa óui iaggedaod black..cas€ y .' A voic€ insid€ her read
ńc ngme out, coolly: .Casey.'
Somcńing on whecls was coming down the hallway. Evi€
Jimhed ba& into bed and ś5tńere. with h€r wlists still
@tumed in h€ r lap' while her hean beganthuddingat en
óeven rate. Theri was no way sbe could steadyit' She
bre-:theddeeply'gazcd at a blank wa|l,srraighRnĆdhĆrb.cl(.
Her heartkipt racin83nd ńen pausinB.collecdn8it.€ l f ro
A nirse wheetedin a cart laid ńth pills in paper cups and
.fie|?we are,.shesaid.sh€ lookcd
a iarfulof rhmometers.
ovtr at Evie' wiń a th€ m ofu€ r er in mid-air'and oPenedhcr
mouth but said nothing.Her facehad ńe samepalc, sartled
look.h.t,Evie'śhad had in rhemirror.BBt whensh€ spoke
.Have A nice niehtl' She slid the
aeain ell sh€ said E,as,
ńermometet inlo Evie's qrouń and reachedfor a wrist. Evie
was too intent on her heartbeat to attsw€r. sh€ w€nl on
staring at th€ wall, keeping hef lips śonsci€ntiously ti8ht
arornd the thermom*er. ln a minute.now, the nurse would
know from her pulse rhat som€thing was wron8. sh€ would
droDńe wńB!.nd run to f€rch doctors,oxyg.n tents.digiralis
- takins th€ resDonsibiliry from Evie, l€ t ting h€ r .esrńnally
wl'le sineone else stćaó€ d hef heartb€ a t. But when th€
minut€ was uD.the nurse hld still said nońinB. Evi€ stopp.d
lookinc at ńi wau. She founć the nurse,s€yes iust brushidg
her, very brieny, and then settlingon ńe th€fmometer $hich
ńe oluckedout and shookdown with no morethana g|ence
aI it' .Breakfast'llbe along,'sh€ 3aid.sh€ s€ t th€ thermomet€ r
on a oaD€ r napkinand whe€ l € d th€ cartout.
lr jne lay st]ll Evi€ kept hełin8 the blood
lav st]lL bloo thuddingun'
eńlv through
evenly thrcugh h€
herI €a rs. she droMed th€ sound
ears. 5oundby struggling
one shert halJwrv across lhe floor and
out of bed.;ailina
linplng on ńe fooithar was Bngled in ńe sh€ € t ,s folds'Her
hosoirł com bdli€ d out |ik€ a s'il when 9h€ b€ n t rc fr€ e
herie|f.ńer hair fell foruard in darĘ r'gd stfin8s.mafted
with blood. After she had kick€d ńe doof shut sh€ dressćdin
a flurry o{ deliberat€ noises:clicking snaps,shufiing sandals'
i
lr i
slaftmingdraw€ r c as she look€ d throu8hth€ bueau
sray.comb. Al]-sh€ found were a box of Vipenes
tor a c boot, and r€mov€d his sunglases. Hts fac€ lost its
bookr€ r call€ d -.olll Dai|y Bread..Sheshut the.ńnal
and a He had. aftef all' lhe naffow brown eyes that
ano
dralrer E.i€ expecteą so stfaight.ed8edńat €ach seern€d fomed
-*ń'śs.
head.Iisreniog.Her heanbeatwas regular lines.The s|antofhairwasnotBr€ a sed
agarn..ur
-rnen-ra'sedner
rr nor reglllar,at leasrunnoriceable. bom a óair of oaraUe|
In rhe minor **n óday; ire rumed it ńrough his ńngprs.srrokĘ hh
a sEady pulŚ. quiv€ r ed one pointof her collar,and a .it\ the newsp.perlady.'he
pomfted black. *i."a *iń the*-. *otion.
d€ s lgn.wasplasteredaboveit |ikea hbe].
NI€ r Dl€ a ktast. a nuNe's aide app€ a r€ d in the doorwav lrit.
}.Io' said Evi€. she meant no} sh€ was not ftom the news-
to'.1"1* acrossher prnarore..photographert
li,:.|!"i sh.
comln8l said..You'r€ Boingto be fanous.. DaDeret au andhadroldhim so beforeibutcasćy.misuDd€ r .
Evresar on rhe foor of her bcd, snappingher warchband iardiog, said,'Vell, you zuredo took likener''
.Mo,!,.."ction' Cisey,' ńe phorographersaid. cas€ y
ov€ r ove! for soncone.torńember shewas .Vill you tum
rnftć. .ramous.'
'nd 'nd-waiting *."t'ua li" .oń into ! wide Jtnight line.
she said..Matt Photoeraoher).
l.łry healdwbai you did,'said rhenurs€ . s aide.sh€ dis vav. miss?' Evie turned,focusingber evesupon a drawer-
. .
outol
sPun pul foi as tonsas chefeltcasevwatchinsThe photogrepher
lbeloom. Jusrb€ f oreshe disapP€ a redshe.€ m embered
ro sayl lThat sing€ f 8uy. roo.He.s ómiqc.' iickea rne sliter. 'No*, casev.Put vour arłr aroundher'
'what sinser?' s i!€. Don't you know how to sńil€?' But cascy only star€d
fxedlv at ttr'bonom half of Evie's facE.Every now and th€n
fus evesdarted up to her forehe.d and th€n down again. as
g:: :ff rhe bed. It.was berterto b€ standtn8'No! il.r'lv n.a ." iway witlr him for a second.Acros! Evi€ \
^..ł:: óut ther€
s|E|n8. wes no placeto sit exceprrhe bed,'whose the handfaling
sn€eB we.€ sbu strung our acrosŚ th€ roorn. she ł-jiń r'" *. ti.p and motionles9,
srood in th€ oien off dreedsęof -i' l'er siee'e.He had ńe pleasandybitter
t1': floor with her hands .lasped behind her,
::::-:l
ffirgnr-armecl, snirrng from one foot to another. oi.a.ieo.lds. t'"" *is dose.he seem€ d fumedby co|d
She feli "l'.u
a po" of6ce, srampedand addressed'and The c-amerac|icked again. For rh€ fust r|mś'Evi€ remem.
:'.:j..łackag€ / a!
me neeltapsotthe addr€ s s€ e w€ r e c|ickingcloscr
t'ad |eh at ńe Uoicornconrain€ d

I
and closer s..J.r_". a. o"""
down.rhehall. She coutd hear him cleari| now. 't'i .oh-' she saiĄ but
nog llle 3wln8rn hts w€]k crearcdsi|eocesbenłm
She heard i.i.*"""t'.. oi orumstringscłsey.
cl|ck,''spac€ !cljck' whil€ whoeverwas witfi him
nls sreps: whenńe rwo men rurned sh€ went beck ro starlngat the
luń|ufied a]"*"ń"tt. n. snapshothad come out dapp|ed. by riny
alon8 in soft-sol€d shoes.The photographer,a gt*I"ó r.r no apparent reason on rhe edges
oarc man hun8 \ł'rthsevera|strappedobiecń, arrived sma|l
Ila]l'Iy ń.if.f uń..
doorway.fint. .Paul o8le. Pu|quaT''es.. he said.
in the Iiii' a",l-als". *i .' hiŚ i;c.. whicttw.Ś riltedslighdy
Wss€o'th€ roorn to th€.far com€r. holding a |ighr
Th€ n he uo. thc
-.;Ń.*. eyestumedin her direction'
meter rc "eiLed
ii;i r"i., ,t'"t Evje D€ck€r,' said-thephorcgra-
Evrcs cnln on th€ way. And óere, ńnal|y,came 'igt't? o{ pap€ r with bi$enJooking
brumstrinss oher.Hl was writine onl soap
LŹsey..Ę€ wore-hisblack denimand his high |eańer
rl. had on sunglasses booi.
m.de of a sitverybtaik nar mrrrored
iage"...Ąger
c}r€ p€fiecr|y and'furn€d bis own face, whar you .s€vent€en. R€ally? occupation?'
cou]d s€e
oI |ntosomethingaśhard and as opaquels the
tn€m't'selves. shad€s off, cas€y,' the piroti:g.aple. 8lasses 'l P.oto school.' .Now.

t siid. .l .i ii."sh. *"* aa.Ę' the.Photo$aphfrsid.

want a r€ . ction.' in mind"
Dlumslrings casey l€aned again$ th€ dooń'me, C,ouldrou tcil'."mc what end vou had
crossed 'End?'

I
ł|

is:. rg,o;ć""I in
"'"' ao;ne
.I'i,.' Sute, I can read it '
'Your reason,rhen.Coutdyou telt your .l.łowI c2n se€ that it's u!even.' Evie śaid..I know ńat's
me reasonr.
shifred
hiswelght.
irs ńngenhooked !oĘ to boóer me. Every rime l |ook in a mirror I.|l d|ink'
,"i#il11'lff.u..T:' rhy did I ler ńe Y droop? !0hy did l sha|c on ń€ c?'
ir rhk.way.,rhe photo$aphersaid. .We.ll "Why did you make it "C.sey"?' Casey s.id.
,,^'LeCs.p!t say sbc st.rcą mistakin8 hiśme.ning' She drought he had
ff:.?:lTj!:l::il.}:u d.8rock.
ćsi.cla||y
casey\
rock,' sl<ed ńe onlv ou€stion she minded answcrinq.
'Oh, weU,I suessio.. vhv not mv hrsr name?' he .sLed. 'There'r; thousandsof
Now.wouJd oseys arounti.'
;Y;:"':lJii1:r'j:''heo vournind
terJing vĄat, Dr']'''s''i''as? I don't hav€ that big a tror.h€ad.'
.I .Drum'' he said. .Nobody says the wholć thing for l.rd's
doni r€ m emb€ r ..3.id Evie. sudd€ n |y
tired.
rr alt or a sudden?Had you planned
.!wrs
ll . ,ri. "Theycall you Drum?' asked Evie.
s hard to śev
.5;*rrgl,' said..It,s
óe photographer 'Thais right.'
."'I*l.i"łlę; vell, l c€rtainly wish I'd of known.'
.Yeah, I supposeit's too lete now,' h€ seid.
n|;l13.;;i5..."; """ighren€dup. A caption,
whais Hć was teet€ring on his he€ls, his handsin his back pockets
'The,wririnSundera photo. yo,r rgain. plsinly thinkin8 of 8oing. Evi€ prcssedher palms
know., tDeeńer and saią .YoU are 8oln8 rc be farnousmmeday.'
,\_ouron r you give ir more),
-rt3.not żft ńar says,boy, irt rhe boss.' Hc raised his sunglass€s to stare at her. His eyes were
(Jod almigńry,'caseysaid' b|eaclred{ooking in óe sudde'' lighr. .Itt ńuny'' he said
,.w€
'what!' .I
ńla|lv. would-a*er hav€ took vóu for a .ock fln at .ll..
now?'
jliltT't1'ł'#i::7:1*j::iijilłl: Evie held srill under his gaze,unril he d.opped th€ glassesrad
ormed toward ńe door. .cerrainly wes a peculial feelĘ'' h€
;*IĘ:]..:".ł
" l' ".*p"perpicrure.
leapofgreydotsnotoa.. said to nobody sp€cial' .Feelslike meetingup with your own
iłiiliJ}g. facesornewtrrc.'He was halfw.y our ńe door now, but still

".i:lŁ{tiHil"tiltił$:,'#j
w'ń no good.byes' no lurrrmingup. oo rounding off of ńe
.Almost likć śomet$in8

ę:t#*xfu
conversationbcfore he left. you
would dream in bed ar nigfit'' he !ai4 but by th€n he was
out of 9icht.H|9 vojc€ was slidingaway and his bootswer€
amblinc-downthe hall' Evie reńained whereshe was for

fJ$Tg'ił#1i{-*$5łT$":diJi*Ę}
'Ir jusrwo.kedour rharway,.said Evie.
! work€ d out rhatway' how do you
. m€ e ?.
several-minum,staring out tbe op€n doorwey. she was used
to definiteendinqs.WhenDrum Caseyleft he trailedbits of
conversation liki wispsfrom a cottonball, cloudingthe air
behindhim. His voice rernainedin the.hall dis€mbodied' His
heel"tapsclicled for a long time without s€ € m ing to get
ranheiawav.The doctorwhenhe camefoundEvie alonein
the middle óf her room, surveyingóe insides of her wriss,

ii
oon'r know' tł|acsjust rh€ way il
rśal ńlppen€ d . can.r you and he shook his head and sĘned hel dischargc pap€rs irl
s enc€.

I 34 35
ą

.dEis' and h€r s|iPPerswer€ gl€y too. a narred !i|e th.t had
fud Óur whir€ ' Evenwińout themyster|ous clutt€ r arouno
iE. anv com€ r sheinhabiredwoutd sri|Ihavcseemeduntidy.
.You constiruring a mcs' all
Ęu .igh.,.cb.ai" said.
) br vour " self..Evieonly BB.edar her and rurneda pag€
"i" lon€
ol
_ń.i hcr magaz'ne.
,.". t'.. homewiń her lather.
"".J.*
.Ąr fus( her f.th€ r seemed "ssignnents
reiieved that she was stayingout
Jscbool. In tbe morningsas h€ left he śaid..That.s the 8irl.
You iust take it easyfoia whjle' l,ll śe€ you toni8ht..But it
ME55E5RosEUPwh€ r € v er shesal; thatwas ńe kind of mood he e-\Pected thingś to fall-inro Śome sor! ot
ra! c|earthat
snew-asIn.for dals rfrershecamehomefrom rhehospirrl,
rogession - ńe bfood ro be washed from h€r hAit' the
::-lY}:1 ll a.dB88led bathrobe.as if shć w€ . e truly an
lnval'dl'whlle !ń **-.ą u*gs... Evie took no stepsat all. Toward
c|um€ r col|ectedmagicallyin an oval ie en<tof the-weei she kept an appointńent to have her
nercn'a|r'|hkes o| lint Ęeck]edrherug.candy paPers 'round
over' l"t .t'"" ca;e hom€ and got bac! inro h€ .
Ilowed the.esh 't.ń.u.. ."t..l-*."
łiJ.,
Th€ slipcov€ . sagged; ń€ chair y."'. h€ r fańer catdthat.e\ening.Evie
't'.
gr::'ra}.s.
crease.aand din8y.yet from mom,ogm '* expos|nga nal'ed foreheadwith .Caley.
iyjlloi inihardty a*J-ń r"."
nrgnt.Ev'e moved.jost sat on the back of her n"eck iii' aii"a ,id dos. h}, ves. saidher farher'
"p'
*ii"
wlth herarmslimp ,r hćrsidesand an openma8arine "".os"
in her lle lookedawava*ain.
..si.-,.*
|ap. L|oce|la.passin8 thlough lhe |iving rooń. j *.ń justas he left for work, and drank
iabbed
broom unde!Evje's legs.'Lrcuse. pteasr.Move,. she ssid.
ł slass of orange juice
-?*i"g in her easychair.Then rh€ oP€ n ed a
rv'€ ltownedat th€ broomand ń"i1".i'* l""ght her.magazines at a newssrand'
Pickeda óocolate our ofthe .i*a*.
*."r.'u" .ń..'i"* .t'"* Jiich had nothing to do with rock
calledro ask abourher.Not claŚsmales,bur frieods .*i". ó. t""""g"i', o. ."en iove' If she was not in a reading
or.PmpJe
ber rarher's,.yo! ralk ro rhem.'Evie rold Clotela. r'"tai"i ot t';5ł€ | ectionsop€ n on her lap whi|e
She
n€ f rd (onv€ r ..arionsfrom outdoors,ar willght, while '".j'J"
.t'" in.o to. sh€ gpt bor€d Śh€ dove und€!
her
tamerwassprlnklin8rhelawn..Ev€ n iog. sam.Is Evi€ ' l hear "i"i"a
*" .tl" .r .t'. "o"""' for"'hen
wha! cloretia'read|j".. EboŹ),
sne,hada |'rtleacc|d€ n t.or rather- ' .Go on now'. romeone "t'"i,
nd ReuealineRo, ances,she cheweda hn8erna'| ano rac€ o
3l|o. .theyte|l rne ńat gir| of yoLlrshas s|ashedher t'"p"r"t srcr'es and smeered adver-
wństs ,t'-"J
s1rn a star's.'nitials.
ls rhatrru€ ? ..Forehead,'saidher '"*'i.
ri,' hai; -nfession
,rraighrcn€ r s and bust creams. By th€ n
:r:v'€
.1::"s..
r:!""vould His tuu lasr n5me..wlen he camein, his "'..i'.' wou|dbć makin8Paslesat the livin-groom w'th.
clote|ia
race be polched,andsaSging.cmwnups wrrjng rhar difl dustcloń' .vhat you read that trash tor/ sne asx€ o
expresslonusua]|ysaid. when asked,.No' ńor angryi.Just
Evii. 'You know it onlv snarlvour mind'
-.:i-.'i.
disaPpoiured.' only Evie nevtr askedłd'hcr fań;; n;€ r *" *t'*i y.u gót your o'rdook on life'' Evie
sa'o tr,nor our loud.
She coveredher foreheadwirh
caD'netald tapedn at both ends.8luze
from the medicin€
.
ćiotelia emptied one wastebaskerinto anoth€r, Piece by
I
ńe way ńe docrorhad.
rler ha'rt,wh|ch shesrillhad nor washed.remainedstiffwiń '. ćńreliat skin *"s a palecocoa.but s'n(esbe had snrred
D|oooln łrontand |imPand damp.lookingb€ h ind. she ner
wor€ datinP'BrćwsterMiggśshecalledherseltblacł.nd wore
a oahrobe radedirom sky blue rc grey,greyer a .Brewsterdon\ want ńe doingday.workno
along the halr in bwh'
 mo'e..eith€ r ,'she rold Evie. .Say I got to quir. I
w.|u. Ietsh€ conttnu€ d ro shou up everyńoming, him I
telt rshe rrail ńrt girl atl th€ way to New York"$al,s where
at nine i! *ent for ńe h;liday!, and 9agle-€yed] oh' she give mc
.. pants and an Afriian cape. ć. c!€.oś. I despis. a wom.n to be that way.
*ŁT:ll'Y
wnen_snechose,rodo l*'.**ring.s|i
ey cteaningshe kepr up a mnning sb€ \ 'sot no.s€ N € of pńvacy,,said Evi€ . crump|in8the
conversahonwirh the din. .com€ out of ńere, you.
you. rlow. come you ro bu8 tue rhis wayt I sei rł.bt wńo.r.
Thart alt this !h. d;;t teu You rem€ m ber when ber boy got
nousets' hlrh.Filń.' ''e.
ąaged?'
Ę:-..*id Evi€ . she-fdt conrinu5uydisap. I didn\ see it.'
^^.]:^"' "FnJ
by c|ot€ | 'a. FoUr years'and C|or€ | ia was.srill an
PoPjeo w"rr' i. ** . sweetgirl but I warn\ śasyabouther.
|nolrerentsrran8€ I kickingdusl puffswirhrfieroe
Neo€ h€ n .he€ l € d -booJ. o$erpeop|€ wou|dhav€
of a cream somJiń shewas rriding.Ńaturally his mothersaw it right
"
fumedinto otf- she dlont miss a trick-.stop waggingvour foot, will vo'r?
m€ m oels.ot the hmily by now. clotelia carriedh€ I purse
-jli to drivingme crazY.'
Ulc
]::Ti^ltl.9..'.
rcUon|ntoheJ h€ n ds while Tom a|lday long andmassaged pinł I'"."cor ao,' taid Evie,but shexilhd her foot'
statingout ńe kitóen window' ' "li
'Evervtime-i q*- out of hereBrewsErsav, "Honev' whv
ln€ n snepoked J moP beneath$e radiator,Eli€ ..|t.sthar
me wnol€ hous€ was suffcringfrom somesort of
fell rhat ." ź"ili.a"ń I **. secnyou so evi|'..l sły.
wacsucha leaden,darnp-stuellin8
drsdain.lt Lne.'.ShedriviDsme crazy"' I sav.'
fiouse.The flowered 'l don't do one thinEto vou.'Evie said'
fu€ ano lacy h8ur'n€ s had sat so lon8 in their plac€ stumi_ .ól,
thar r..t. * yó"' i,herełeryou sil you iust causing
ou"d thcre.hardtningaroulj ńe edges. ".; I alreadvdeanedthatŚpaceroday.w'll you loox
Śh'mbleś.
:iy.^:::il
L|oren3 pass€:'h"*
d .Emongthemscorn-ful|y. '
wirh earringsas b;g _i"l"
.1Ńi
a5 s|av€ bandś naśhing chair'
knivesot Ught'aclossthewalls. l*na' crumpled c€ l lophanć lay besideher .vhat
ń: operascameon. Clote|iaalways *a iń".i. **l.' li(rer;dher |aPandthe rug.
...1ll11l:*he'n ":lp wirh her feer
slTl€ o D€ l ror€ the l€ | evision oursEetcheda;d a. v.' .";a' .t iu$ cameout of ń€ hośpital..
"ńus
**.* hel knees..clorelia.wh€ r e ls lunchl, Evie 1ń.iJó.;' "*p..rł. 't'" And you be rigbt back in. if you don't
.;J..
:Jff:
.I'm Y'atching *" .ri'*.i }"i fr"" .i y.i.s. You hełr whrt happen if you
the stoli€s now.' sit too long?'
'Well, I ste vou are.'
'Somethinghappento your tuet). 'Vhat'
leak
-l 'iof-so't noo. ttio .."'ns. You pop risht open, vou
d'd Bethomefrom rhebospira|,'Ev;esaid'
'uŚr Ń your tĆetgiv€ you rrouble]No si!' Your Clor€ l ia n€ v er woutdac| th€ way shewas supposed 'ro..
ł::': ^".":'j"Ppj.q
her rśmpleJnd w€nt back ro watóing AJtetschoolviolet would smP bv she carrfd her boor6
Łvi€ eaEn Iun<hanyway.Shi iiiJ".aa. *a *as she ńad accumuLarcd duringthe
arc
"::"^"'::.iT.
cnoco|a.es. or ńe 'ouldn'r.have
]astof a pack of Nabs in clorciiai binder' blank newsprint
-a
d"" - broken looseleaf
purs€ . ,Meanwhi|eń€ śoapoperastoi|ed 6owerfoundin awasrebask*'
on' on€ aft€ r the ti- a."o**n.t
i."i""r.m*
oBer. yeoPl€ quarre|led and sobbedand flungout of roorns s'ved birs of gossipshe had heard
sh€ ",issue
to or8an music' and Evi€ kept ślyin8..oi, śi;;Jiń;ń.
for-' but *i.d-i*a.'.. ń; *.*.a from the outer circle she and.You
Evie
w2rcnrng, an'-way.cauBhrup in what wasgoins on. Cloreha ńe nameswere missing.
ralkedabour'thechJ€ c rs as if theyweńelaiives. .I ini."uŃ .i.". .olnł-..
don\ ""- The on€ thardoesńe sPlit
Knowwnatś,€ . doing'Thar boydon.rcale rwo l".*.ii"i.i""i
Ricksfoi her. .r'" nŃ "1i;t';"'t€
st'" a
t'łdder1
ro germafried.Lola Nesbit bas
Iou € v € r s€ e n her moth€ r ) Ta|k abournosy.At "r.ii "u.v datesl I saw him senda nole into
chrislrnas. t""li *fi .r'",
-"gl
't'"
38 39
 outsjd€waiting
forh€r toreadir' & I rhou8ht,violee Thb summ€I mi8ht be diff.r€nt. Now
iii:iij'':lj.Tl5 ".-, i bolis like it won't be.'
PuJledfrom one setof plois inro anorher,Evie frowned
, ar Vhv u]ould ir b€ diffurent?. .Ha. Thought ńat
lne te|ev'$onsel.andtriedrc co|lecther thougis. .ls *i",aiaor but clotclia did.
he ńe
one tnardebates:'shesaid. "*'n,...
com€' ridiug up and spirit her away' once
c'.!' boy would
ńink so' Mi$ ogden is backfromherhoneymoon. She's L h€3.d what sh€ done.'
.'.| 5|shop
M.rs' now''HEs a-Rorentlned wedding.rings€ r with "You husll, Evi€.
o'amondchrps.h look kind of racly; everybodysays .I doD\ se€ him
'aid be.tin8 down no doors. Do you?.
'wn'r do ńey say .bour mel'Evie so.,
asked. Troore her,' Evie told Violct.
'Oh, well,I don\ kiow.' v-'oń sińóa *a h€r hands around €aó ońer.
'They don r say anythinct' 'n'"ppea .Your faóer
"rm coutłtake vour 6niis at homc,' she said.
'vell. birsand pie&s. yir know.,
Un tnetelsjsrcnscre€ n a renŚemarriedcouplĆsarqjnse .You thń I'n scaredto go back.'
. v
c|rdlngeachorn€ . s fu€ l ings.castingsigl'6ca;t looks-ańe.;
v"it' s'i", t'ere you sil vhar E-reyou stayĘ arclmd
s'mPk sent€ n ce.causin8dre musi€ ro swe]|ominously
over bme fort'
a pbBse ard-a pair of loweredeyes.Vioter .tmk. can\ vou t€ l | me what ńey're all saying)I won.t
l:-T:.," l"*
włtcnedftemand tapP€ d a fingernailagainsrherńont
reah. .'i. i o..i". f *"r.. lust t€ll me what you.v€ heard.'
m gorngto a plesricsurgeon,, .Justbis and-pteces' ńat's a|l.
.Myrarnertnrnks-t Evlesaid. l aią, *ia vi.let.
wer, arent vou? "Ll.łi up sav;"ls it rruewhatI heardabour

#l,T*.**".
s"i.o* ..vhat'd you h€ a r?'' I say' And they
'J;u "na

i:*ifi:łl#;*i::T\#'-ff
óar ftiend of"o.e
vours?..'
*lil.Ł\Jffi
ll."t .: ,, said..vhat
sometim€Evie
beworse.showingup a! schoo|w€ & ln8 ban83 do you re|l ńe'n?. "nswer
a]|
^|'.Tharwould
ol a sudd€ n ' everyoneknowingwhy.' .iń them yes,I belie"ethereras somethinglike ńar.'
I nengo ro the surceon.. .Do ńev act surprised?'
łrow,'Cbtłia said..This man hcre s wne oper. vhat iould they act surprisedfort lf ńey asked'they
arcr'.Llst€
^..Varch,n to.hjs sweeFta|k.Yesr€ l day he was after
ihat Eust have alrćady known.'
oo'no' th€ onc betorerh€ commel(ial.Fick]e?'
"well. stockea'ńen.oo ńey lau8h?what do th€ y sry?.
r m,not \orry rhe letrersare .r..p.. Evie said. .t.m gtad. .oi' it'.v
ri.m tark'ngaboursomerhinselse.' io"t ńink a wbiie. Like wben - bur no' not
.\phat' e(acdy-'
th€n?' 'Like when.'
'\vell, I don'r really know.' .Like when rh€ ch€€rleader had to 8pt naffied' l w's 8oing
will be or:tin justa fcw moreweeksanyńow,'said
',..School .Tńevthink t did som*hingevil' ńeo..
.J ke.p forę€Etins.'
'No. l didn't mean thar. Good l,ord Like when someoue
]Jh"tl" !":;"* ń" a.".. getoutdoors.h.s bot now.' r"' ."ii*t'.. ,t'" restof them haven\ been Ceaing
lśtti'!v'e twistedin }er s€ a r, tearinga shank "iJ*J boy in ń€ bandwhoshol hims€ l f'
i of hair
rDrougń h€ r fingers'.I iusrharesummer.'lhe sato. ","*-i' ".a'I"g'...i"t
[.#.:tli .#J Y,"" .t'i'k,
..'why, I saw him in ńe hallway'
.l'veryyearyou
te|lm€ that.. often. And sar behind him in algebra.But I n€ver t,,?'/' and
'l mean it. \Vhat have I gof ro look forward ro? you ..* i'""ń ń* *a a*e it.'' ńat's what they sound likc.'
knolv
40 4l
 .AI''
said Evi€ ' toe herEneemaih or leańngthroughmoremagazines' and
Ar suPpenime. Evie and her father sat oppoŚile each orher *ł'"." r"ttintodl'd'reams.h!t involv€ d on*sideą
ar rhe t|ny kirchen tabte.Ctotelia would havi setout the food "f,.
*""o-"J **"*",i.*. 'Aren'tvouDrumCasev?| thoughr
ano retr by rhen. slarnming rhe front door bebind her and * l"|* l r'*a you sing once.y€ a rŚ ago'Yes.l'm Evie
cxck'n8 away down.th€ sidewalk.She.lre|y sajd *.; tat b,ackthó, Ididni thinkyou wouldrec.
8oodby€ .
s|lence.shelel( beh'nd seemed an angry one, as if she ;;-;..st'J.fi;"'shir hairback.exposinga smoorh
'ln€
had said.'Now, you re_doneit. See) I.m teaving.I;ve had aU ';;.i
s" r*"r'""J. r* *. .urgical|y smoorh. sh€ pictured.th€
I.can Lake.'The rwo of rhem tooked guilty and awkward &cts of olasticsurgervas beingjustthar'plast'c'a wnrre
they'sat Poking lheh baked beans. .w?/, now,'ber fańer
as
,ć.""*l. t'ti labiisurrounded on fow sides
wolld qay' t'n.l]y' .Tell '*a.* ",ulank
i..aJiińiJ..i.r..*.issue. |n her daydream' thesmooń.
rne whlt you've done wiń youce|f
today. lalked to anyoneJ Been our mucht' Bur all Evie ever ś wasnarura|and the raggśd l€ r teB 'Uasey
spelling wot o
aDsweredwas. .I did.n\ śe€ anyone. I didnt go anJ.where'' u'" u*' ."1" i.t", *;;thins she hadwiften in redink
"
oi".t..',l"n* y". sońething
itrst Casey had made up.
- "
r-.!ii".' L'l t cur leters. where did you ger
nea}Do'vouńink "ł.' I goaroundcurtingsrrange nameslo''al
my
.oh. ńne.'
imei(ien(€wasconBolled, T,1. *" endedup reelinghopeless.and betraved'
Ęi: 5howing
uponlyin theway bo;rd'shewouldcltch
n€
' ndgetedwlth a tork or drankwaterin deep.hasq gu|pj. "*t,Jxt"**
ri'i." i. r.."r' emeł
He dicl no r€ a ding lr rhe bble nowadays'uó concćniraied dd;ii-ń ";an
;a".il." whispenng iń rhe bureaunirror and
so|€ | y on Evje,as if he had mad€ someson of reso|urion. F*ouńcta.p her tipsshutańdl;e down aBpin.Then'by
wh'enhue lried to ke€ p on r€ a ding hers€ | f, sh€ fel!his eyes nile o.clocksh€ would hav€ sBrted tlying to s|€ € p . All n€ r
oJ|n€ r and h|sp.ćm€ ó 'tatedsmile,butdeninghęrmrnduńti| .*a." i." coil"d f.om dav of sirtĘ. sh€ furrl€d from one
'J;;"#;.;;;ńi*.g
sne nad (o g'veup and shoverbemaBazineaside..A righr,. " lier sheetóver and in order
"vet b€ d .
.* ł"i. ir'. *iia' ę.ti"ithat fol|owed her € v en ro
'What?' il;;il;;;.h& ;" davrsafter she had rerurnedrrom
.Evi€ ' hon€ y ' l.d lik€ to ra]kto
'was rheresomeńingyou wanredto savl, *" r'"."l."l' i'- r"tl.i'""id,
.vhy' no.
Not ńat I can thid<or.'
They 6niśh€ dthe m€ a l without speakin8.everyclink of ' ..ijmnl' said Evie. she was alr€ady in her eaśychair' a bag
.
rorx besideher.
a8alnstplate sounding.s loud and as ardńcjal as a -. marshmallows
of
school. Don1 you feel lik€ going
solno € | le.ct. |ood 3h€ didn't enjoy,Evie ńought. was nor i *"" *.'Jłing
rarrenlng' "uo't
srlewadedthroughhermoundof bal'€ d beals Jnd - her
rranRfuners' Iułcvafinringsof cannedpineapp|cano lnsraot tir'.-vaL no, I don't.' Evie said She looked up ar
masneqpoMroes,andeverything r"*." *r'...i.Ja rocking gendy abov€ her' Th€ morning
sankheavilyro hersromach .I'm
.nd kir h€ r tee|in8uncomfonablebut virtuous.when her .iiii"i.. ui""Jł *'. .ip""ońis iashes. notreallyupto
ratherbroughrsherben8lailesfu||ofJel|o from rberefri8€ r . it vct.' she told him.
atoi, she al€ every lastnourhful and ser her spoon down :uo to it? lfhat do you mean?'
neatlybesideher knif€ . Then they werefree.Thev could co 'V"ri. iu"ti*. I t'"i. low-sradevirus l would 80 back
oit to oppositećnds otherwise, "
bLltI ńink I shouldstayout ril|I'm w€ l l' My head
ofńe houseand do whateveikeptńń
aches.'
She no longer lisrened ro the radio. She lay on her bed 'But if,rhatt all-'

42 43
 .And my
stomach.sups€ ( . My ioin6 are śtiff..
'Evie,honey,rheschoothas madequitea few allowances od hunchedover the hatl table,clutóing folds of bathrobe
for you.wirh ńnalsso near..
.!g€|l, rnaybe 'Hello,' Drum CaseYsaid.
tomor.ow'' Evie said.
'Do you meanrhar?' 'rhis is Evie Decker.'
.sur€ . ' liuh?'
.l @rvedyour nameon lhy foreh€ a d..
But whfn be went he paustdat ńe door for a mom€ n r .ob, ye9.''said Drum. He se€ m € d to be € a ting somethingi
hiŚ keys,and th€ silenceb€ h ind him t€ f i Evi€ wiń r
suspended t óewed and swrllowed.
'in8|in8 feeling. .t was wondering if l could se€ you for a minute.'
She sat very sdll for a lona rime.sErrng inro spaceuith
. 'Oh.' Drum said.'Vell . . .'
n€ r nandś|n her |ap' A clock struck.A lawnmowerslarted
up.Clorelu bangedrhe fronrdoor and wenrstrajshtrc the 'lt'li only take a second. There's something I wanrcd to
k|tchento mak€ mffee,showin8Evie nothinqbu.the back Jscuss with you.'
of a swir|in8cape'.C|otelia!'Eviecal|€ d . Vhai! thatl'
.I'll haveto rellyou whenI se€ you' vill you comeover?'
Clot€lia didn't answ€r.
'Claulir! Trn in F rinia" saidDrum.
But tberewas only óe ra ltnP of orderv. ! know You are. Don't you hav€ a car?'
.Look.vĄat do you thńk, rnywire is tapPed?Justtell B€
Evi€ wajleda mlnui€ |onger,lnd thenihe heavedherself
out.of her chair and went ov€ r to the ha|l telephone.Dusr @ ńe Dhone'why don.tyou''
.lt wou|d be to your advantaget'Evie śaid.Her lpe€ c h
outlined the.direaory beside ir. She thumb€d ihrough th; .No
plges until shecamero the |iŚlin8slor Farinia:a page-anda *.ied m be t.rmi"i formal.To ńake up tor ir shesaid.
hali ot names.mosdy Fraze|ls.There were ńiee oeoole .well. wail a minut€ . ' said Drum. she heardhim fanher
namedcasey. Th. 6rsr szs Aśquiih'which didnt.soud
|ił€ | y.-Thenńer€ wac a B. L., and after ńat an obed E. lf otr caliins'Mom?'h stunnedher to think of Drum Casev
:s som"one\son. part of a family' possessing evenan age
h's tather.snamewe.€ B. for Benram,wouldnt Drum have !0hen he
she had niver thought to wonder about
to be calledBenramiunior)Sbedialledthenurnocranv.wav. 'hich .ol€ y .
cameback he said, \rhere you at?'
A womananswered.our of brearh..Hello..sardEv;e,.May
I speakto Drum?'
'Who?' .Fourte€n-twenty Hawthorn€.'
'Drumsrings.'
Therewas a sil€ n c€ . 'Now, you sure you can\ sav rhis over the phone '
'Berrranl'Evie said. 'l'm Dositive.'said Evie.
.vńol' vheir she hune up she found clo(e|ia righr b€ h ind her.
.o'. Evie,.5he
.vell, I fi|usrhave
th. wrons numb€r.' holdinga alp of óflie and shakingher head.
.I r€€kon you musi' sard.'wharcall you go( ro act so rgnorant'
The womanhung up. Evie pressedthe diat rcne and then tv|€ turnedand w€ n t uP"tairswfhour 'nsw€ r |ng'
caI|€ d obed E.' whereanońcrwomanan\wcted..Yes, Ńoihing *". n . **.' sbe didn\ havea singledress.hc
hello.. si""i, .l" **t throughherclosetflailingar skirts
'l'd like rc speakro Drum, pteasc.'Evie sard. "."rł ""a
.To.- oh'' Th€ hang€ r s.Finally
l:.-lińó|r.ńnprc
andl'nglin8
and
^.l iinglinghangers.
(hr
Fiń'llw 9he
Finally setdedon
sh€ setded
ś.rtled on aa red
Ón r€r€dd tatleta pańy
taffera party
receiv€ r at ńe orherend claneredagainsr '
somethin8'end ńe *oman called,.B€ . tranl Phon€ . r Evie a*.i. ń hi. f", too tong for this year or even |asr.year'
ń. ;; il;; t" .lv"" red. she"slipped it over her head and
"i"
44
I' tug8fdunt|]the
on her!|nyl 9nda|5' 'bultons.met
rłleburtonholes.
Then shepu(
In lhe bathloom.sh€ benlovertheśink
ro wa\h her hair wirh a bar of lvory. It was tuckvshe had
nor cut rangs.Her hair lay plasreredro her rkull in dark wet
rnes rom an atmosrcenrratparr, and coited into snakv
r ńe steerinewhe€ l , rhc shockof hair fallingforwardover
ls face.He slid his eyespasrher for€ b ead wirhoul€ v er quit€
boting ar n' .I ainl got muchrime..h€ said.
Evie'onlysmiled.'tthoughrvou miShthale a motorcvcle"
c|.c|esat h€ r iJwś'Frecklesrhatwereusua|lyinvisiblestooj & told hin.
.Me' a bik€ ? '
her pale skin. more dors of red € ó oiĘ the
:::..]:.'.y
oors above."j5h€ smi|edin the mirror,exposinglargesq-uare .N'w' rhry,r€ too d.ngerous..
teeth.Shefrownedand turnedawav .oh. i see..said Evie'śh€ watchedDrum ser the car into
Whrle.shewaitedon the front porch,clutchingher books
-to her ch€ s |' disapProva|hung |ikea fog mtion, steeiins easily with his forearns restiń8on th€ wheśl.
up an. down her
$re€ r .'^ |adyln a 8'rdeninghat clippedherhedge,lhrowinc * wore a wriirwatih with a silv€r exPansion band' which
ple hera smallerversionof lhe shockshehad fek wbm sh€
t'v|€ . sharp. sid€ | ong |ookswirh every snick o.her shears:
ó|ank-tacedhouseswatchedher stern|y.B€ h ind h€ r , in h€ r raid him call his mother.Did he wind his watch everv
own nous€ . L|ote||as|ammeddooft and shovedfumitule ł.ine..h".1. irs accuracy.try to be Placeson $me like
.How old are you?.sheask€ d him'
and murteredto herŚe|f.alńoug} Evie couJdn.rhearwhat it adinar! peopte?
was sn€ sald.Unc€ sh€ c.me to srandb€ h ind thescre€ n wiń Nin€ r cen.'
e € r ane.neckedwaterin8pitch€ r in }er hand' .I.vea good
mrndto calt your daddyr'she told Evie. Drum said nothins.
.lf vÓdle nin.r€e;' said Evie' .do you go ro school}'
''lvhatwould vou tdi hima,
'Yiu know he dont_wantyou s.eingthat Eash.. 'No.'
.lvllat' th€ n .'
not do'ng aDyrhin8wron8..said Evie' shć srr.ighF
'tm 'l don't do nuch of norhing '
a suddensmile ar rhe gardeninglady. -Her
!lj.d: T.:y.g
Drum Casey as.if Drurn were sórrning
'oh.'
:i:l^Ti
ńr fronthedge,lT:d rh" car turned onto Main Street.Thev passeda cluaer of
b€arin8 fl"**; t"al"., l.gg,;i.;.it lrnall shoos and cafćs' th€ bowling alley aod lh€ chrisdan
|et almostpretend""ańar "her fatherknew-some.
mm8 'n.shecould
Śhć didjt' But when ńnally Drum drcve up' in r bat- scienceR;adin8 Room. Evie pass€d ti8hr againstthe window'
ter€ d b|ackDctd8€ wiń lpside.down |icencep|iies. a|l he but thereivas nobody to s€e her.
..wlnt rias it you wanted to tell me?' Druń asked.
ord was leanour his windowand 8iv€ hel a |oń& unsmi];ng .vell' I had an idea this ńorning.'
stare.Łqe hug8śd her bookstighterand sranediowardhimi .Isthis wher€ l turni'
-rou gorngsomewhere?'he asked. 'No, one block farther.'
..I'haveto 8etro schoo|.I ńought you coulddrivem€ ther€ .oniv been here once before, but l'm good ai dir€crions.'
wn!].w€ wereElking.. .wegotwrinen up in thepap€ r . Did youse€ il?.Evieasked.
.Funnydm€
to qo io school.' 'Yeab.I saw ir. Jusr a piaure, thoug!.
.I know.
I.mhń.. .!g€ll' it's bett€f than nothing.'
sh. open€ d !b€ car door and cllmbcdin besjdehin. The .sur€ . '
c.r had a hot' syrupysm€ | l in the momingsunli8ht'|nsread .somebodysenr m€ a copy in th€ mail.' sh€ rummaged
ol the blacl denimrharhe s3ngin. Drum Caseywore blue
Jcansano a l shrt w'ń s|ecves ńroueh ber notebookuntil .he bad foundit: a plastic.sfaled
ro|Ieduppast his biceos.The photo-graphof her in hcr hospiralroom, rising.froma wa\e
soft m|ollrsgEv€ him a gentl€ r ' fadedloo|. H€ was ieaning
of strunB.outsh€ € t s. and Drum scowlingbes|deher. l apeo
46
 ro rhe plasric.\rass printedmessaSe..C,ongrarularions me sit!'n8
your r€ c ent achievemcnr.
on v.ll. ir's don€ now.vou|dnl you lile to have ..we b€rt€!
And whenn the ópś in aóieve. would sey, 8o
menty.o!vant. |us(.ńinkofsonny-MertiĄ ' rrr. *.t'ite you p|ayed?People
PuiquaCounry\ b! Drum cas€ y , there,s ńis gir| who cur-
b]88estKeal Łstat€ Agent...Thisright|ybelon8só you'. Evie
srld'.Here..K€ e Pit.'Drum took his eyesf.om ń€ ro.d 'Are vou out of vour head?'
a .irh;? vhar.s so crazy ńat}.
m'tute.rogtanceat it. and then he noddedand pur ir into
Tor'you"mayb€ no!hin&,said 'boŃ Drun. .Butl ain'r8oingro
nrs DackDocker.
'Thank,' he said. Ę under thos€ condidons.'
'lt's goodpubliciry.' Vbat conditionsI'
.sure.
l r€ c kon'' 'How do 9ou think I would f€€ll'
How do you usua y getpubliciry),sheaskedh,m. we|-l.I don't se€ -'
.Go ón, now,' said Drum. .G€t orrr. l.m real sorry about
Drum.ga!€ - l 5uddenshorrlau8h,a5 if it had been9tartled
out.orD'm..wel|' not lźarwly'. he said. lbat happened. but I got my own |!l€ to |lve.
'L.royou pur in adsl, Nobodv said rou didn't.'
.| got a
mana8€ r .' Yill you ło?'
.oh'-l .i*,.- ii". |jfc a|l you wlnt,' said Evi€ ' but
rhoughtonly ń8ht€ r s had managers.'
.weu. no''.saidDrum..We|]. ł. ńri-ęa l.j. *".a"
"ou'o'"n r"ding awayfromher.Drumhad
. ńem too. of course.'He had
or.s'rl up b€ t or€ ńe'schoo|by now bursJt rYownin8, ;h;J ;;; h*.".p* !h€ ;f door.H j3arm wascov.r€ d
on€ Dn8€ r on rh€ whee|.as if he wereno |ongersureil\at
taPPin8 bro'ł'nhłrc. jomed wiń the fainresrsh.€n of 9weat.
manag€ r was what he had. .of course.he.so;ly my drum.
i -i*in"
JL. .'" ń..i.''t"ś" .."ond sh€ star€d down ard mouin€d
iiń.r'" i"a""a sh€ h.d only now startedto
mer..h€ said ńnallv .,łtl
"hich
#*. iii"i J. oia'-. righr.tf ńat,s the way you feel.,
'Does he put in ids?'
s. out onto the iidewalŁ c|'rróing at .slipPiog
.:":T.]T:i'9l"LĘ j."nd. mosl|y'Goes ro iee PeoPl..' books andsmoothingńe backofher rump|edŚk'rr.Her race
"*.tra
''wou|dn'th€ like it if you
'whar you aeftinsarl. 8or fiole Pub|icity?. trir'""-.li it *.ight at her iawlinewere pullingall
ber featuresdownward. '..i
1 was ńinking ifi surredcominglo a|l yoursl'ows,wherc
peop|€ cou]dseeme.rvea.ingmy haij offmy face.\l'ouldn\ ł.i st".rca up the front st€ps of th€ €chool. two
|r caus€ talk? Th€ y .d. say' ..You s€ e what.he did for him. sirl in Evm short. *ere śtaringpast her at ńe disapp€anng
"'t'"n.t'.
Ihe.e fiust b€ someńin8to him, then'" vou]dnł they) ila*"..ń.v t."na at h€ r , en ar the Dod8śa8ain.Evie
-uh,.l rcckon,-.s.id mulł at ńem and wentinsjd..Ifrwo peoPlesaw.$€ wnol€
Drum..Untit you got healedup.. .ii"r *.'ta n.* w .oon. TheyiThat would pass it from d€sk
Ęi'vhat Jre you ta|kingrbor:t.I'z not gbingto . ał .t'" l-cb]ine: girl who slaśhed ńe
'..Hea|ed wirh
i-"-".;, "'Ja.*" l" t'J f".., welt' now sheishanging out
ńe' way slre had expefied'H€ stopped
...!:
rapp|ngj|s !i9|.r.reac
nn8€ r s a'd s|ump€ d back m his sear,stłińg ar hi;- He""." &ove her to school.Sara long dme in lhe car wrrn
m€ . wndsh|eld' Aher a minu!€ he seid,.wł''l}, her.
...śi" whar w€ r e ńĆy doing,in the cal?'
.I thoughtyoll *ir"a ar a 6ov st'i diant know and ,et her books
.Ar€ you goin8kn€ w .' ao*' ńi.".t or n"i ń"l"r. If the boy staredat ber forehead
Io hav€ . uln -'
')cars,'said Evie. J. Jia't ..tl*' The l€ r te6 śtoodout clelr and proud'
'ę"'."Jl"
A line a"*p r'ai.' 6'er ń!n any plasticrec(an8]€a suF
.tol|ow€ d 'of-girh in gym shortsc.oss€ d rhe playing ń€ | d' gieoncorrid haoi pasted ńere.
by Drum's dalkenedeycs.]esus,'heia;j' -

48 49
 kld? Ask her. h.s ch€ a per Io hire the rlvo of usl rhośe blg
gouos can eer out of hjnd..He be|ievedin g|mmicks'|inl€
}eótch;ng raps for peopteto fa|| into while rhey were
ralinp. uoiheii minds.Brisht red crrds whh gik lenerins
6 m ńń - .Drumstringswiń guitar,D.vid with the sricks.
B9-30]6. - wer€ th-umbrlckedto every bul|etinboard'
DavidsJeepwaspaintedwith psychedelic swirlsanda purple
deohońe riumbei.Inoeamber. h€ had sent chrislmascards
nńrins an orches(a of ange|s to every |eading businessman
I p"l.i"- e*ini". and T; ciry' He instruaed Drum to
DRUM cAsEy's DRUMMERs name was David Elliott. Sone carn his euitarslunqoverhis shoulderat.A( alltimes.but Drum
p€ o ple hadtriedcalJinghim .cuhar'for a ioke,iustrounding &rl'ł' |.in the ohai,tucl?' Drum said. the liquor store?
thinssoff. but David was the kind who stid out from undei i"".*'""..i"n. .. oo'l; łna *l.n Evie Decker slashed
nicknames.H€ was not tj8ht.mjnded enou8h.He pIayedrh€ .Gsev' icross'hcr forehead,ir was David who cau€ d the
drums.in.tently,watóing hands' sirńg v€ r y śrraight .Tl'is is why yo'l ne€ d a mana8er'.
ńrslaper phoogfapher.
-his
u|st€ a d ol hunk€ I jng overr}e w'y ońer dfumjbersdid. Thjs b. tojd.Dr;m. .\łoi|d vou have rhoughtof it by yoursell?
made.himse€ m ói|d|ike' a|rhoughhe was a You hav€ n \ mt ńe € y e for h.'
Bood six fe€ t .Yor:.rerieńt,I ain.i.'said Drum..| got rc hand it to you.'
tjl|. He had whirc.blondhair thaife|]in an evń Lne,bidin8
his ey€brows. His face \'?s llne.boned and hh eyes ransi Drum sońlonq well wiń David' betterrhanoth.r p€ o p|e
parcnq the colout of old blue Mason ja$. yet girls never did. H€ iked ridlng on rhe tail of all ńat energy.lcting
took to liim. They ltked his looks but noi his seriousness.He ;omeoneelse do the oęanising, listenin8 ro ńe rapid. pfecis€
spote rco d€ ń nir€ | yi therewas a conBtanr, edgyimpatience low of talk whió hi thouńt came from David\ having
in ńc way hemoved'andheplannedaheadroo muó...Ve.re łn. t'"ir cańpbel| college.But it was only
good.ve}e 8oinggood.,h€ told girls.l want to hir a ni8ht ".
łords ńar shouldbe so precile,not drums'David\ drums
" '.......
c|Ltbnext' !g€ } e 8ettjngUp there.ve}€ r€ a dy !o move.. óąćrskippcd a beat,andyetcomehowńespirhwas m's9'ng.
Urum' b€ s jde him' was s]ow and cool Jnd dark. He made ońer drrrmmerswent in(o frenzi€ s ! David remainedtj8ht'
p|anstool but whi|eDavid talkśdebout uD. Drufi' rall(ed cxDressionlesŚ. soe€ d inB fasterand {asrerwithout so muchas
about our. \vhen we get 6ur of rhis ptece;I want me a .you Drum. .oh. I fee|ir..
ńdlne for*a.ł arag,.said
custon c.r. coing to 8o so far t,ll losetńe way home,forget .t do;'t &as. I'rn th€re all the way.'
the'nameof the toun' mislry rh€ map. A|5o new s|n8|ng 'Vell, but yóll're holding m€ back somehow.Tyin8 me in.
oohesi r wanr ne somethingshiny..crrls undersroodwhar
he meant. Th€y futt€red after him when he drifted off, and .Get anoń€ r drummer'if you feelllke that',
David stayed b€hind to rhink rrp more pubficity. But h€ ncverdid.To8€ t h€ r th€ y wentovereachnew p|€ c € '
David solicited clubs and roadhousesand churó organis- iuse|inclin€ s and bick;ringand giving|irdewheezesof dis.
adom. During rhe dJy h€ so|d insurlnce po|iciesdoor to sut aieach ońer. vhen-h cańe to music.Drum always
door. bur he n€ v er forgotto work the convirsatlonarouna i"'. n. Ua,n. feelfor it.'Whaas this talkinSout io the
to mrrsi<. .springis h€ r e. Are you .vhere do€s ńar 8et
gorn3to havea dance?Do fińddl€ of a Di€c€l' David onc€ asked.
you know of eny dances?You'I|n€ e d a band,r€ c ords afen\ vou? Most oi what you say is not € v en connected.'
the same.vhat about Mrs. Howard, the on€ in rhe house '
'l ain't goingro irgue aboutthat,'-saidDrum 'l iust do
on the hil|?sh€ givesa danc€ everyMay. Von't she needa ir. If vou haveto ask why, you ghouldntb€ h€ r € . '
50 51
r
I .oh' all right.I don\
car€.' H€ saton tbe toDporó slep,with his forearm5resringon
H.'Fl iI" nor to go againsrDrurnon thin8s|ik€ in !h€ shad€ h€ had |ost his
I , He
tMt.
who deserved.
"+ry
b€ l eled tharDrum was a rea|musjcian'lomeone
ro dimb srrai8htto ńe rop.lvhcn an audrnce
i. ń",. l.* d"i t'"
śimmer. H€ wag made """.
of solid flesh' damp from the heat.
Esi€ b€ e an swinginPback and forń very raPidly'
talkćdmsi€ a d ol lislenin&David lnuftćledcurse,al ńem a|| 1'o łso his ńaniger,' said David'
rh€ wn'l€ }c played.when Drum hit one of his |ow moods,
'Yes. I know-'
David followed him around rescuins sclaps of sones from .1do his o'rblicity'|ine up panies and thin8s.| ńink we
wa$ebasl.es..!yh,t ca|lhaveyou gór ro siumparoind |i!e .D'''' has.'
ln|s?what yo|lthrowawaythos€ othercarswould lot a good ;oundgóing'H. ffushedh€ r a look.
8iveń€ i r Evle stoppedswin8inS"
t€eth tq write. You're n€arly there.You've almost ńade it.' .o.. il.' .eal|veót i.. he rold h€ r . vrhy was he watchĘ
'Yo! reckon.so? I dont know.Maybe youle ri8ht,'Drum he ietl Shecurled'herroesunder.'Doni vou thinL so?'he
.śked'
David Paid a.visit to Evie Deck€r on a safurday aftemoon 'well' yes,
tell, evie.'vou know I do.'she brurheda loose
said ćvle.
. y€ s t salo
duringńnals' She was on.her fronr porch studying.Shelay pece otńair off her forehead. David pered at ńe sc,arsaM
in a woodenswing with hef head on a natte'iea,Ro-ereł t." ń*.i.a his eyes- somethingthat usual]y.madcher
c1l.shion'on€ foot trailin8 to the f|oor to leep her rocking. to talk aboutt sne
angry.'lWhatwas it that you \^'anted
vhen she heardńe Jeę. sh. fum€ d and blinked.Swirb óf askedhim.
co|ourchas€ d . around its boiy and acrossthe carrvastop, .oh. Vell' you spoke to Dfum ńe other day about a plan
wh€ f € ńey b|ur€ d and boftened.And there came Drum
c)sćy\'drunmer olt of ń€ lirdera€ k € d .on door.smoothĘ rou had. Plan fo. publiciry.'
'Tuesday,' said Evie.
downhk bansswirhhis 6ngen..TheMissouriCompromisei 'was that right,you had a Plan?'
Ev|€ wenton out |oudl.w.s sltpPo9ed to maintaiDa '. ..bur .l thouńt iil went to hisihows. md sat uP fTont..yol
h€r eyeswer€ on David. she watcbedhim cross her yard and .Thisboy has gor rc be 8ood' look
Laow.Póple would say'
dimb.h€ t srepś. rifle.sraightand ful|of purpose.Bicauseof *hat shi did becausóof him.' only your friendsaid-'
the eclg€ | € s s shimmerof his hair in (h€ sunlidt, h€ s€ e med "t .It\ not a bad ideą' said David.
only alońer daydrćam. nothingto getnenoui aboul.After. 'Your friendsaid no.'
.Aft€ : noo'n., 'Ah. }e don't know. Thatt wht he has me'
.' said Evi€ . she sar up, |ayinga ńngerin her 'He said he couldn't 6ins u-nder$ose conditions '
n|storyL'ookto rhJrk the D|ac€ ' .vhat does h€ ltnov'?'
.You Evie D.ckĆr?'
'Hc knows if be can singor not,' Evie said'
But.h€ wou|d have known. havingseenher foreheadby lf
D. y;';";a;"-rv itr iustonc. iusttonishr'
now. 5ne drdnt answer. "il"k
J.
p"opl. Ćanst'y'
y." .an st'v' Ii not. you go. All righr?.
If not,
'l'm David Elliot.I play wirh Drum Casev., .what' -r." "i,i..
"ót... """
"l"try justsittin8ńer€ ) '
.l know. I l€ c o8nisćd .Thacs .i'ght'Toni8h1.l.l| giv€ you a |ift.Pick you up a(
yoLl,.saidEvie.Shi wa1rcdfor him
to go on. but he s€ e med (o b.gertinghrs b€ a ringŚ' H€ gaz€ d itrree"dótta.sina ueer.only don.t drinl a |ot' you
at tn€ ' dlm wb|teiousel ar the l.wn rwink|in8benearha "i.t't.
h&r? It wouldn'tlook good.'
sprinkler'and finallyat Evi€ herself,who rłore-abil|owinp .I n€vet have but one beer anyvqay.'
muu-muu and no shoes.Then he said. .Mind if I talk wht! .Thouń on second thoughr, nothing wrong if you
you a moment?'
drink a |ot. It wouldn't hurt aĘ'thing.'
'AIl right.' .l nevćrhave bur on€'' Evi€ said.
 'Oh. wcll.'
I
.!. stoodup_lndEvie sroodwith him.clurchingher book.
'!oeir.'she eid.
'lfhat is irl'
I
.vell, I do-nt
know. I haven'r thou8hr it out yet, r€ally - '
.Aboutińr friJnd,'
. He pausrd,not arguin&i'lst waidn!.
shc said...Drum.I mean.vell, I harcro go a8ain$ him ńis
way. Ridingrighroverwharhe sajdto me-.VIat wjll he do)
Did he say .nythingabouryou cominshere?,
.H€ didn't |.now
aboutit.' David said.
'Oh.' said Evie.
.He leav6 this
kind of ńing to me,' David to|d her. He
Iook€ d up sudd€ n ly, strai8htinrc her ey6. .You cant evc.
|futento.'''''. Then wh€ r e would he b€ l P|.yin8 in r room
to himse]f'walrin8aI rharmusicalone.I ha'rcó sec ńings
lt Śeemedmofe sdtl€d ń€n. Evie nodded and let him
80.
At eightotlock.lhar nighr Evie camedown the front srcps
in a..skińand b|ouse'her viny| ssnda|Eand a b|uep|adic
h€'db.nd ńat kept. her hair off her face. The Jeei, was
alrcAdyParkcd outside.In ń€ back sear.b€bind Daviąbrum
cesey spr.awled out wiń borb fecrup and his guira;in the
&ook of arm. h hadn,t occuned to Evie ńt he might
.his
be ńere. Słrefrozc on the sidewa&' gripping her purse.Tli-cn
David said'-.Nop€ ' k s nor what I ńs ńinking ;f.'
'Vhatl' she seid
.You ne€d
rometbing b|ac}. DreŚśy.'
.No one dr€ises
uD at the Unicorn.'
'Yor do. You wa;t to stand our. We'll wair.'
, '\gharl.You wanr me ro changenor{,?I can\ do thaq my
ratncr w l sran wondering. He ńinks l.rrr ar a friend's.'
.ve.[ wait .round
dle block ńen.,
.oh' ńor christ's
sak€'' said Drum. David strooedhim a*.ay
wiń onc hand.
.You leav€
this ro m€ . ' he said..I.vegot jt au dear in my
mind.vś'u b€ over rhete.Evi€ ' '
Evie rł bacl..tol€ r room.sh€ chan8edin a ru!h, mis]ay.
ing ńin5 ńal had b.€n rtht at her ńng€niPs anj r€arińg
srocx|n8st|a'nmmg z'pP€r9' EiPping over cast.off clorńing.
54
f she took one minure too long, she felt' the Jeep would
It would drift off like a riny' weightless boat' piloted
'aiśh. m€ m ories. sh€ put on a scoop'
:' carelessDeoplewith short
bl'Ći biouseand a black skirt.Then sh€ pickedup a
"..t..1
Brr of DumDsand rrn down the sta'rsin stockingedfeet'
caued.H€ r fatherdidn.tanswer.
ł*t u
'he
'n ",t'il..onaav'.
rk mie-htnot even heve h€ a rd.
Th€ . |eeo wait€ d around th€ corn€ r . Drum was plucking
o. sJrai st.ins oue. and over. He didn.t śmpwh€ n she
J'mtd inro th.-frontsea( but Dav'd lookedh€ r over<ate.
nllv and sa;d,'Thatt right. Msch b*ter.l
.k thiśwhat I shouldwear all rhetim€ ? '
.All thć .''??' said Drum. .How ofren you 6gure oń doing
disa'
Evie looked at David, who was ba€ k ing th€ cal up. H€
didnt answef. Finally she tumed toward th€ ba.k s€at' and
*O.*i"ao"rtv rn",ltine Drum's eyes she said, 'If it worlrs
ort, I'm coming everYweek.'
.Ah. David.' Drum said. .You've \łenrmo faf this tim€.'
"!{iil you leave it to me?' said David.
.You'vew€ n r roo far, man..
Thev drov€ th€ rest of th€ way without speaking. David
frownid at the road, making some sort of calcularions,shak-
ms his head from tim€ to tim€ and then brighteń'ng as if an
idia had struck. In the back, Drum kept plucking at the
e!irar string.whenevertheJeePslowed.Evie couIdhearth€
iingle noteiepearingitselfiinnily in the twiligłlt'
ihev ouI|ed.ln boidea mo(orcydein th€ Unicorn.sparking
lot. Nói.anv orher ca.s had arrivedyet' AJterhe had shut
.Now, list€ n . You'll sit at a rabl€
ńe motorofi' David said,
for one.rishr up fronL.I've broughrvou a candle !t'll strnd
out. whi|;ńe;the. guy s on. JosepbBauew.read a news.
Paper.'
'Bv candle?'
'cih. shoot now.' Dru'n said. lloseph Ballew is a friend of
mtne.sh€ can\ do rh.(.'
.oh. all rieht'sure down ar your be€ r , ńen. what I want
,s a differenie.vou follow me) A d'fferencethat peoplewill
notre whenDrum comeson. Si( up. Look close l wasrhink-
 ing of someoth€ r rhin8s'but ther€ hasnlb€ e n timeto work
out. s€ n ding him dow€ I s. for insrane-t
.I would send
'ńem
.I figułedyou
them back,' said Druń.
would.'
.Anoth€ ' .l
.rhing,'said Drum. want you both ro |isten
8ooo'now.'la|nnot tor anypartof ńi3 p|an.l dont applovą
r nev€ r w lt makcsme sick. And on rop of that
n won\ work, 'pplove.
becausewhile I arE playina, my enrireaudience
wU|o€ \łtlsP€ r 'n8 aDdpoiolin8at a fat girl wirh a nam€ on
ner ronen€ a d.l ||!stthoughryou shotJdknow rhat.'
Evie Śaid' .oh' w€ | l' l don.twant ro - '
.Got you'.D.vid
. to|dDrum..ThcnI hadńouńr of havinc
h€r scleam' mayle. but I guessnot. She.snot ńi rype for iri
. Ęe rcoked at Łvl€ lor a minurc |onaer,and ń€n shook his
headand ć|imbedout of ń€ Jeep'Evi€ bad io trail th€ m al|
the way across rhc parlinq lor.
. The policeman ai the dóor recognizćdher. He nodded at
h€ r and ńen r€ s ted hi9 bandsawkwardlyon his gunbekand
sBred itrto ńe disranc€' The proprietor recogrised her t|oo.
wn€ n .sh€ wa|k€ d iĄ he.$eppedout horl b€ h ind ó€ bar'
smooth|nghis .pron and]oo|in8 vorri€ d . .You're th€ giri
that'un. Lookt I.hoPeyou.rcnot p|anningo pull someńing
||k€ tńat a8ain.'|had an awfu|time. Cops were down my
necka]|night'thin]<ing ńere had beena ćufting.'
.Th€ r e hed
be€ ! .' David śaid.
'Not ,rat kind.'
,..l9ell'
treveffiind. sh€ ' s herero wató Drum sing.rhaca
al|. r'aye you 8ot a tabletor on€ ? '
'You knowi ain'r.Peoptetjkesining ;n groups.'
b|v€ me a ba. stoo|then'we.I|userhat.'
He dragged ńe *ool up next ro the dalce
Platform, and
scta chaif besid€ ' h waŚ ńc ri8htheightfol a t'b|e bul much
roo smau.which David said was alt for rhe bener.,Ruin
everythingifsomeonecameandsai wilh you,'he rard.From
a DrownPaper b58 h€ took a tab|eclońand a nercovereo
vasewłh a candl€ in it. rhe kind usedin resmuranrs. Mean.
while Evie sroodt'y.awkw;rdly w,th her handsacrossher
P".,:...Y*T had d'saPP€ a led som€ w here. From a door
oen'ndtbeclanc€ p|ado.msh€ heardlau8ht€ r and ń€ !wan8.
|l|gor gurtars.
sir dolr,n.' said DaYid.
Sbesat.
'].{o,not like that, srraight€r. And don't put youf Purseon
ś. !'ble.l wantvou ha|f.turned fromlhe audi€ n c€ ' notquite
rJćways,so ńat theycan geta glimpŚ€ of. '
.| know how..Evie said'.IJav€ ir to me.I can figureit our
br mvseli'
Anó she did. She sar erect,h€r hands iold€d in her lap' an
omuchable beerin front of he!. The candl€ 8limrn€r€d rnor€
btishtlv on her face as the room g!€w darker. P€opI€ filing
a Lltla out greetinBsro thE Proprieror'iok.d whh their
datesand scraled pathsfor thimselvesberweenthe chain'
int when thev^sawt}ecandle their voices seem€d to skip a
ha|. Thev clanced at the €andle and th€n at Evie. Evie star€d
*aight a,tródat nothingar all.
Dium Casev was tb.ńrst to plAy that night. when he
cme onto th€ olatbrm Evie looked up; nothing more. David
.Do some.
siłralledto hei sjlendyall throughthe 6rstpiecel
d;s. Move around.could vou sund? Take a drink' Evie
dorc and boaded a carclida
ęlr;€ d him. 'My g has
i'ailłals., Druń sane..shę\ sared lo dealhof ph,Es and
sltecanltstard raituays: andEvie sr.redat his fae without
blinking.Out ofrll thechaneringcouplesdanc'ngor at reast
b€ a ttng rime,Evi€ was ńe only on€ monon|ess. 5he snoweo
inro a Ścoop
$em ńe wbitemoundof h€ r back djsappearing
of black cotton, the curve of on€ óeek tumed rigidly alay.
Hł dowdvclońes savehera mltlon|y looki herscars'whar
coutdbe słn of thń' samed in theandle|ighrtobe mainly
ver(ical,a ne{,kind of as*line or teartrackwhichmade.5€ her
€
.DDe.r experi€ n c€ d and incapab|eof b€ i n8 9urprised.
.t
ńat sirl?' someonewhispered. b€ l ieve it.s thśone in rhe
news-oaoer. No. wair tlllsh€ rns. Rem€ m ber whenI showed
vou ńei oiau.el.Tl"y wele śareful Dot ro poinr' Girlśindi.
caredhei bv no morethan a glance.'Thafs her' No' don\
look now.' in the backof th€ room,a boy half stoodto p.er
ar her befor€ Fay.JeJ Lindsaypull€ d him sharplydown'
'Will!o s?ene to tb. dool?' Caseyasked.
.Dołt;tcome no
ft,łttber'
'Don\ mifld th? Iiąbts.
'ułhc you goił1sń haue off that hd,nne|inq?,
 '\Vhen they going to let me be?,
Evie ]ooked down ar lhe rabI€ . Dalid had sto'Ded slqnal
'Iln8 to her.by now'
His eyesskimmed the roomfuiof peóp|e,
who srared tlom Evie lo Drum aśif folIowin8 a doft;d
line.
Then he noddedro himsetfand ru,""d
the son8,
h: 7
"i

,i-. wAs HIREDfor life. David said,meaningfor rs long as

;. couldcauseanr kind of srir.makea rippl
|'oune off the wall to cross back. Bur how lon8 would
=2t be?she had felt' theńrst nighr,a buzz and a whispering
-d
the back of her neck. On rhe followingSatuidavit was
':
:!jeler' .Mayb€ I shouldn'tbe ridin8 with you,' she rold
:r.'d. altholeh she would have fough(againstgiving the
loes uo'.!qońr ir look funny?You and Drum bringjngm€
:ere iuit to vt rdmning You)'
.]Ł"! don't care.. said David' .jt.śllke watching a
:ragician. Thev would like to beli€ve his cards r€ally come

David had other plans in nind. Now that Evi''s had

..orked he had groń iitrery' impadent to improve on it. He
a6out rńe shee. undersrat€rnent of a singl€
:nov eirl rintne therewith a beer.Shouldn'rsbedrink too
ć.yl s"ń noteŚ?But Evte qaid no'' She walked a
-*ńi line;it was altrighrto taLemonef for liftinga scarred
-:now
:;a rowari a rock playerevervSarurdavnisht but onlv if
*hat she did wa+reil, withouta singlepieceof plavaning
H€ r sittingstill was f€ a l' and so was pinningher € y es on
Drurn. So were her scars.which tumed whit€ in rime' raised
and shily, glearningcl€an even if ńe r€st of h€r {acebecane
.How about a n€ w (os(ume?.David
...rae€ d l;,rhe hclt.
sk€ d : .Blacker and shinier.lgith a rhinestoneneck]ace''
'No'' said Evie. It w.s as clear a no as Drum's when h€
refusedto stop his speaking out. David n€ver brought the

si'. ro cometo rheUnicornfree.It wasn\ as ir she

"fA*i .Fine,' but Drum' when he
needed óe money.David said,

J8 59
 hm r d Jbout j l . sal d . .w} J t i śs h e t l y |n 8 t o d o
to me? she 4Fared. 'Oh,' her father would say, deedng her on rhe
8eIśpa|d. IhĆłlshe (an burn it. for a|I I care' But she gets 5ils. 'Are you going out?'
.som€ t imes Just to Violet's.'
t fee|Iike l lm dealtn8wilh porcuphes,'David .Have. nic€ tim€ ' '
said-
Vhy ha<ln'tanyone told him wh.r€ she went} H€ con'
School. hrd.ended. Evje spent the lasr few weeks thued up th€ stairs, pullin8 ke}s and loos€ changeand post.
. ot ir
reelrng.brurredand out of focus. wirh clasrmares .g. stamps from his pockets and st€pping over th€ $mćd.
Iookinp
calerufl) to rhe righr.and teft of her and speaking
to thi T p|acein rhc carpd wjńout ev.n se€ m in8 ro noticeit.
bu[t9i o:' b|9u5e.Even Fay.jean .indśJiseemed sh€ wait€d on the com€r for the Jeep. H€r armśv'ere
:|:i|e ler
Io nav€ lrouble n.dIn8 thing5ro say Io her. on the
ńnal day. blded across h€f ch€st' as if, in this heat' she wer€ cold.
1."-1,::i"qT!.d ouronrheschoor rawn.
rheyhJ son€times her teethóarter€d. lqhat held her mind was not
"1,*h
other yedrś
- relch|n8acrossher ń€ tih€ sDmt |n the Unicornbut ńe ridesthereand back'
to paśs
-.J^:.]al:"'":" ń. rwo h;u.hour periods in the Je€p' sh€ thou8ht of rhem
a'rcwscattered !8narure:inherown. Bur rhisyear.everyon€ .Do you waDt Drum
.s a gift. someonemi8ht have saią
wanteońer autograph'They shovedrheir books caseY?Herei5a halfhour.H€ r € iśanother's€ e whatyou can
ar hei sil.
ent|y,w|rh.|ow€ r ed eyeś.- Besl wish€ Ś . Evie Decker,.\he ó.' For while she was at the Unicorn, she qevercxchangeda
w.rote.5hej€ | t awkwardabouttryingthe cleverrhymes Fo.d with Drum. He vas eith€r p€rforńing or off in the
that
oLherpeolle used.Then. after signingfor rhe rqentieth back room. Bearing that in rnind, sbe talked non-stopall the
rnrn|€ r n rrmeishe.began or
mrrkingthe foreheadof herphoro- *ay over and all the way back. She went against her own
8JaPnw'th (vZl,I ' and.nońin8.mor€ . lqhen the be|irang, narure' even. sh€ shoved down a|l het reserveand from her
sne,(GJred,ourher tockerand lefr the buildingwithoutl
.olace in the front seat she driued hłn with wolds.
'can you !€ad musicl Do you believe il! drugs}!0hat was
at dó rou do witb yourselfthesedaysl, h€ r farher it got you staned playing?'
.cours€ I readmusi€ ' what do you think I am'' sa;dDrum'
"..'Norhingmuch.'
fouowinsa passinscar with his eyes.'MrriiL'anasives he
'Areyou.bored?Hive vougora torot rimeonyour hands?, hcadaches.l wpn a talent show, lhar's how I stańed.'
oh, questionswer€ ńe only way to grab his atr€ntion. she
hungin,huge..blank sheer,.splir by Sarurdayn,gh$. had tri€d, at fust, decla'ative sentences:laying her life before
.LTime
Jn€ Śpent hef days bickerin8wi!t' cIolelia or carryinq
on him neady and in chrono|o8icalorder' s€ t tjn8 out ninut€
.9"*':,tions wirh Violel. ln rhe łenings fucts about hersell as if it w€r€ imDortant h€ should know.
1'::::'] :,I."'"1
snesarat herwhdow slappingmosquitoes, gazinginrodar[- Drum seemednot to hear.But sh; had only to say, 'ls a/l
rcss so hea\y Jnd rhat it se€ m ed somedlin8was about your family musical?' for him to wad€ up from his 3il€nce
'sti]leverdld' Sheawokein tńe
ro napp€ n ' bllt nothing rnorninss .nd stgrt framing an a'sw€r. .None of ih€m's musical, they
rc€ l |ng lad€ d ' wjlh c|ammybedc|othes rwistedaround hir iust admirc it a whole lot. My mama said she would give
every cent she had into seeinglne be a singe..'
bn.Saturday shć took hours to dr€ 9 s. Her hair 'Doesn'r she come to h.ar you playl'
-nighrs
votllo be llmp irom constanrre.arran8inB,h€ r b|ackskirt 'At the lock show she did. All my family did.'
ano'olous€ l rhlny a( the seamsfrom too much ironing. .Did I s€ e th€ m ) !0hat do thevlook like)'
she
and rhrew.downendles piecesof.osrume 'Nothingextra.Jusra parcelof &othersand her andhim.'
l:ro,up iewittery.
Jn€ brush€ d he| black guedepumpsunril linle rubLedsoois .Hirn?oh' your farher.vhat do€ s your fańer do?'

60 6T
r
.w}at have you go!
uP there'' Drum said, a qu€ s lon.
naire?.David. takinghim lłerailyfor a second. g|an.ed side.
waysinro Et'e'slap. But thenDrum workś
in a
fillingstatron.I helphrmout some., 'aid..H€
'l bet he'sproud of you. lsn't het'
'Oh, well.'
'He would havero be. said L\ ie. .An)body (harplaysLke
you, his family musriusrd'? of Dride.'
His eyeswouldflick overto h€ f , as suddenand as staftlins
aś(he appearanceof someonern a window. If shi
sPoke about his mrrsich€ would list€ 'acant
n all dav. but what
would he ,nswer?
.oh' wel|'l doń't
know.'
she €ntered rhe Unicorn alone and went to her table. keeo'
ing.herhead er€ c t, holdrngher stomachin. Eyes |n on her
back. whisp€rs flitted acioss tables. .oh, it's you', the pro.
prietorsaid.'Budweiser?'
'Yes, please,Zack. Have you got a match for my candle?'
Shethoughtof herselfas a bair-and"swirchad. peoplecame
our ofcu.iosiry.boredby ihe longsumme.days.Thet 6g red
ńey mightas we|lgo ltare at the gir| who had rulnedher
tace'But lft€ r rwo minutesof ńat, therewas nońinq left to
do but concentrat€on rhesinc€ r who hJd caus€ d ir a . Ev€ n
Drum had to see rhat' Peopiewho r€ t urned came fo. rhe
musicalonetEvie was on|y a ńxed chdracter!o be poln.ed
out kno\łin8lyto new customerg.'V/illyou be aai!i ł?.
Drum called. 'Wberc ui you be uaititlst' Customers who
wereuredro hrsspeakingour begrnanswerin8..yeah.man!
Here!' A revtew€ r commenredon hin' in lhe Auali.e dnd
Farinia Weekly.'Rock music of his own making,leaning
towarcla countrysoundjoriginalat 6rst althouShhe tends
to gcr repetitious.' Evi€ was not mentiond' any more than
the colouro{ his clorhesor rhe brandof his suirar.
Evie alwayshad ro hangaroundfor awbi|ibefor€ lhe ride
back.The waii was nerv€ . wracking.Ir sometimessirerched
on till aker one ot|ock in rh€ mońing. while ar homeher
father mi8ht be telephoningVio|et at iny moment' sh€
waLched thecustomerŚgaLher
ńeir belon8in8s and leav€ . The
Prcpri€ ( or washedh|s8hs mugś. Thc danceplarformwas
dark and empry,and aU ,he heardof Drum was 6ts of music
;! ńe back.oorn..David.'sh€ would say'carchin8his sl€ € v €
rs he hurriedby, .arewe goingnow) vĄat.s takingro long?.
.B€ |usta momenr..Davidalwar said. Br.rrhe wou|dbe
ffins in a DN pkch€ r of beer and a ńsrful of mugs'
eenruilly rvie gaviup. Shetuckedherpurseund'r herarm
.nd left. sid]ins bervjeenvaonr chairs and crossingń€
fu]it. ho[ow.sóundinsfloorto rh€ door.ourside.rhedarl'
x would be cool and transDlrent'shć took severa|deep
b€fole sh€ curl€d uP ń ńe back seat of th€ J€eP.
The slick surfaceof Drum's guitar would iog her awake'
'*ihs
.vove over.' he would say. .H€le we ar€.'
'vhat time is it?'
'l don't know.'
Until sbe looked at her watch she alwał'shad a lost' sinking
E!|lns. Her s|e€ o had beentroubledand ńll€ d wiń mudd|€ d
&eam-r ir miehi havelasrcdfor minutesor for hous. Had
ber fathercaliedthe policeyet?she pr€ s s€ d foruard in her
xat, as iftbat wouldńelpthemgetbomefarter.Everypickup
Euck dawdlinc in front of them made her argry. Then she
ęncnbłed ńurn. on th€ rides home he śatb€side her'
.Did you think it went
$rh only ńe guitar betw€en them.
*ellt'she askedhim.
'Mmn.'
.They lik€d ńe carolina Trailways song.'
.I tholght so too.
No answ€f. DaYid took over {or hin.
vhy always that on€? The walkin8 song is a hell of a lot
harder to do.'
He was kind.heaft€ą David as. or maybeh€ iust wanted
ro ke€p Evie's good will. Durin8 Drum's sil€nc€s he picked
uD rhgtail of tli€ conversationand mov€d smoothly on with
ii lescuingher. For a while they would shoot s€ntences bAck
and foró _ .oh. well' th€ walkina song takes getting used
to.' .Not if they had ears it wouldn\' - but th.r€ was always
ńe consciousnessof Drum'śsil€nce, which th€y played to
lik€ adors on a stag€. Qu€stions, that wag ó€ only way.
Queśtions.
.VĄat i9 you. favouri(esong.Drum?Drum.l
'Oh, I don't know.'
.Don1 you have a favourit€l'
63
I
I 'Nor fof all rime I don'r. The one aboui rhe blue ieans,
'!Vhy don\ you havercgutarrittes?
.Nevel had
no rle€d fo! theń.'
.You will when you
make a recotd.' Evi€ sa}d.
. H's.eyes fl'cked over to her again;she fuk th€ m in th€
dark.5hemov€ d hi3 guirarslightlyso as m śp€ a ksrrai8htat
h'm.'som€ o ne is goin8to makea recordof vou thatwill sell
a mi ion copi€s,'sh€ told him. .what will ihey pur on rnar
lit|€ Cf,ntre|abe|?You'vegot to think up somi tides..
.she.Śri8hr. David
.{rhacs so
said.
hard aboutthat?' said Drum. .I'll nameth€ m
what I cau them- ..The $?a|kingSong'....rh€ Blu€ Jeans
5on8..'nothingto it' vait till lhey ask me. ńrsr.'
'You rhink rheywont ask vou)'
.Theyhaven\ yet,
. hav€ !hq/?I b€ € n sirti.g in rbat dump
for sevenmonńs now' Hav€ n t sot nowherer
'You wi!,' Evie said.
.Howt lx/h€n?
You seenany tal€nt scouts around?'
. After a show h€ was always like that. She had seen eirls
dust€ r ing aroundhim rhre€ deepat the end of a set.oaiing
him comp|im€ n rs and brushing birs of nothins óff'hi;
shoulder whi|e Evie frowned ńercely inro her beer and
thou€ h r' .Now}e]l 6nd outi t}ey'l|showhim he'stoo
8ood
for Pulqua and the Unicorn and me' _ alńough she-had
alwajs count.don his becomingfamous.Br:rwhin the
sirls
rn he wou|d only s€ e m more unc€ r rain. His Droud cold
€ o ve|opeof a|r tempo.ari|yleft him..You sound.berrer ńan
atryone I \ear on th€ radio'' Evi€ would t€ll him, and he
would !run-herby rumingon hersudaentyand sayins.,you
thiDk.so? Is rhat whai you rhink?.Ah, but whźtio yo"
knowt'
'l krow if ir soundssood.'
.l don't know that.
ńow do you łnow?'
. Thos€ wer€ ń€ only tim€s they met face ro face.They were
the on|ytime9Evie |osrń€ f€ e ling rhat she was iug8in8at
Drum's sl€ f lc whi|ćh€ stood wirh his back to her' gazing
outwards toward somerhingshe couldn'r see.
Early in July, the Unicorn beganhiring Drum for Ftidays as
64
td]. Peopl€ wereaskingfor hin\ the propriero.said.Jos€ p h
lallew wls no |ongereńough.But Fńdays
b ń€ A & P, bigsing 8loceriś'
Drum worked lat€
.The on|y sÓ|u!ion,'said
D3vid.sitiins in thc l€ € p wiń one of his ]is$ on rheste€ r ing
*ea..n d me to pi.k you up 6rsr, Evie.Th€ n we.|l8śt
Dnm er rhćverv lasi ninute' Even thenit'll be dose.Do€ s
'Of course.' Evie said.
'Or you could ke€p coming iust on Saturdays, if vou
'Vhvt Do vou think I'm not workingout anv more?'
.llo, l-ord, you.reworking out 6ne. But if youl farh€ r
worrying,you
tts worrying,
*ans beinS gonetwo evenmgs
you be'n8 ano all -
ings and
'No, l'lI cońe..Evi€ Jid. A|ńough h did seem-thar.her
fróer mjghtbfqin ro wonder.Shefrowneddownat herskin'
garheńr'it jnkHŚ b*ween her knees'while David made
Eore |iśtś on mo.e scTapsot paPer.
The n€ x t Fridayth€ ' drove to Fa.inia to pick up Drum.
FJiehadbeenthróush Fariniaoften'bur withoutreallynotic-
inc. Shesraredout h]erwindow now at ńe town's one pav€d
srrieet,with its double row of unpainted srcres covercd in
ru5wsofr.dńnksigns'on a cornern€ x trc a rhoerepairshoP'
a servicesrationiar Lrndera tent of nappingPennants'its
Lóts alreadvshining.David drovein and honkedbis horn.
'.You
havń\ run óver the b€ l | ńing y€ r ', Evie rold him'
.Be[ ńing} oh' No, I don't want 8as,this is wh.re Drum
lives.'
Then she saw ńat the s€rvic€ starion was an urrpamt€d
vic1ofian house' its bottom story tiled with shiny whit€
souares.Abov€' lac€ cuftains waver€d in narrow v'lnclows.
.YĄat the hell,' David said..I'lIrun up and g€ t him.'
'Can I comeroo?'
Sh; followed him across the servicearea and up a flight of
rick€tv outside gieps.The door had a card thumbtacked to
.Ivho
it saying .obeD E. CAS€Y' in pencil. David knocked.
is it?' a womancalled.
.It's m€. David' I've come for Bertram' tell him.'
The doór opened.After th€ rick€ty srepsand the Pencilled
 jre having him
cardlDrum'smotherwas a relief'a plump'che€ r ful woman :r.' l said. łnd rure enough. thele rhey
in a bibbedapron,smilelinesworkingoutwardfromDrum's i.l r.a,ii .. t i'st kinouvouhrda Partin rt oh'
b.own ey€ s . 'Ev€ n in8, David'' shćsaid.Then she saw Evje' ;;:";;;;;;ir;t", ""J I heardarr
y;urri.retabrerhatwa-vr
..sbe servlce.
ir doing you luśt a mlgnlfi.ml
and she r.isedher ńngersro her lips'.oh. my Lord.'sh€ $out lt.
qid. .!ghy' you mu(t b€ - my Lord. come in. honey.I hate ftram," I said -
E-:irn
.o say ir but I've forgortenwhar they c.lled you.' r'"* him on Fridays anylay..Evi€
.Thisis Evie Decker'MfŚ. *i{;
old ber' .He's
'",. 'r'.y.a
tbe best ""rred
sing€ r I know ol.
Cas€ y ,' David $aid. or
The name on Evie's face' of €ourse, was Mrs. casey's bwn w"tr,t cantlav ir mvserr'
- somethingEvie hadnl rhought of before.But Mrs, Casey ",;;i'il;;.ri
t"i"" t'i, bur
morher, deep down I know he has a
pinnln8
didnl seem ro mind' sh€ only looked worried; she .-a",l"l .i.*. i" front of him' H€ is what I am
-,'*-
'Y." remember.'I teu him, rhat wherever
shepherded Evie to a óair and hovc.edov€ r her whi|eEvie ;;h;;;;;.
sar down. .Her€ ' honey' put a cushionat your back. It's ;"'ff.;fi
..i.... .. ;;;.ń my hopesaroundwirh your..,And
arteno.
or it'"i t'e.snor justa ńlling.sralion
much rnorc comforrable.My!' she said, stanns opemy ar .s.y's &ddy says'..Ninetc€ n
Evie\ foreh€ a d. .l n€ v er thoughtir would be so, \o larga!. iilii. ".io*. 'n.
r'i"a"Jay. l'fy,..his
David. srill besidetbe doo;. shiftedhis weińt une-asily' il..Tal; i. ilt"' -Jnd spinni"sou(hisdavspluckins
I
..whe.eis Bertramł' he ask€d. .v€'r€ runnins late.' ;iiil."ilir"i'iJ;* g".*i'uni.i"is " I rerrhim
h'łm I
.oh, h€ . s ..You
of talk. iustI
rememb€ r ...
iust now changinq'|.|lhurrv hińabns.. lilli."."i
''li.. i* ii"ińa
she disappeared.Ioołińgla.kward'one |ast iime, and rł"i.s.";"'" t. goingto b€ f.mousoneday.He's
David sank down in a floweredarmchair.Tbe room was dim "r
;;il ilil*"" l"sav rheres a sparr in Benram'
lh€
but cleen, with a lin€ of vinyl Plants on rhe $,indow sill and ;";,i;ffi "ii ń; Ń i. r... l"y "la"' My-fańerllayed
i".'".Ń.ii",i 6"i* .*ical buta son of. r don,tknow -'
sdff plastic antimacaśsers on every piece of furnitufe' ov€r ".ill.
th€ mantelwas a pićru!€ of a cro$ with a radiant gilt sunset over.Agre€ m entwe||ed up inside
".ai"ą ";.i*a
ń]ik.i;;;J"i *." yesheantbreaking lntoMrs'
iust b€hind it. The glass-{acedbookcas€ contained thre€ .Th€ r
'"ying e someth|ng specla|
books and dofens of photographg in whitć paper foldefs, casevs web of words. was always
he wes Dom
wbich Evie los€ to look at more closely. Tow.headed boys Joui hrm, said Mr' C"sev Rightfrom-when
scowledour ar ber, threeor four to a pictur€. one was Drum, l' f€ l i it. lvou|d you like to seeńe album''
.,il'i.g"i6ń v... Drumsaid..Hewasś!'ndins in the
his hair turning darker and lodger as h€ grew. In the most .Don\ wail UP for
fecent picrur€ he was posed ell alone with his guitar held llrine rlom dborway,buckling hiś beh'
vertjca|lyon on€ krce. .vould you belise that h€ was ever .1ól' I want
blondl' Mrs. casey said behindhe!. .Then one day it s.eńed .l, ao you ..t, off like this)Berram. honey'
you heżr? we iust 8er a|on8
rt a||rurn€ d black,su.pri*d the life out of me.Ttreothers, s.i;" Eire back agłin.
'".'.. Ihopioll wlll never be so famousyou
now' th€y'r€ turńing loo. Bertr3m's daddy says his did the itil;ń;"il.
forsetthe peoplewho did you a Soid turn . payingher,
.-lf
.It's a good picore of him'' Evi€ said. ...i.ń.i'. *ll*t beenrellingyou? I'm
"r'e
'lvould you like irl'
'Oh. no. I -' "':Ńj-l... o. all that crrningyou didn\. Can.t a'y mon€ y
.Go on' take it' we have more. lt's ihś|east
I can do. *" }". ii,'... r"i.' t'*"y. wńat do the doctorssay?.
Honey'I fe€ l l op. you som€ t hin& ..B€ r tram,.'I said (In€ v er ' iI
don\ know,'said Evie -
call bim DrM). 'that lirde girl h.s pur your name in lhe .w"ri. .'*' iusr inquire.v|hen |eavesńis
you up -Bertrlm
lik€ ńĆw.'
pap€ r start€ d you on your way. Now dont you for8et *.a I exóea "." thó co.rldńx iust
'nd
 'M-om,for Lord\ ske,, Drum 6aid.
-w€ | l' shedon\ want ir all 'Thevdo srandour some.'David said.
h€ . |ifc' now do€ s she:'
*.ff':.**:g o.a:ia
.Ńl."*iJ.
ii. r,;,
^y:l;:::l-b,.,S:'lri
51 1'iil *"'ii.ii,
",..a "i"J"a."
iiJ] c*.y..
'!vell, I don\ know -'
.You can te||m€ . I don\ car€ . Are rhevbld?.
lf;!1".',,u""r'rr9.",
*"t8.ii l",il i"iTlaeu.
1ó;ll. .vell' nor with bangs rhey wouldn't

"*-8*,
b€.'
!T.|,tri :ii:Ł1':l.9|!..'
Evie,wr',werco;; "h;.;.
youi*,;;;ri*;,;;;:'"; ;::iT
.I s€ e '' said Evie.
But she still didn't ger around io cutling bangs.
Next I'll |etyou sec'Ń"*#.;" ń"'pT.[
'visit y."
"rt".. Ąt rheendofJuly a heatwav€ struck.cropŚ shrivelled,lawn
yorr.'said she was surprisedto t€ e l D.vid,Ś
r..ThanJ<
nand suddenlyclasP.Evie. Tńnklers ran all day and a|l.night'Cloteliacarrieda black
h€ r elbow sh€ sin€ d down;h;;reps.
"s ombrella to fend off rhe sun and violei sropp€d wearing
bicl, oft€ n : Drum usua|lyhad ro be c{|led aderwear. .s€ems lik€ this summer will just 8o on for€vef,'
:!i]::nr and
r:|Tyl for on .ćoplesaid.But Evie thoughtof the heatwave as the peak
ir wa, Evi€ lłho ran up to knock on thś
wn e,avld waitedjn the .| door r{ rhe season,a dividing point after which swnner would
Jeep. dbn.l 5€ e how you srand Jide rapidly domhill toward fall. And how could she go
rnarwoman! h€ said.
.vhyi backto school?Shehad nev€ r plannedpastAugust.she had
I think she'' sw€et.'
Jean€ d oul her lock€ r with th€ feeltn8tharshe was |€ a ving
..^.*:"_y:,1"" a rharl,lk? tuld Bo,nson abour
yox'lo:eł€ J g ln91.,:".. how can you put up ńtb thatl'
tor sood- and the d'oughtol goin8 bacl to lhe .igid life of
.LL
vn, I oon t mrnd, *'inter smotheredher.
said Evie.
Lately h€r fapjd"fu€ questionsto Drum had slack€ned ofĘ
Ł*:P:
n.y r'łJ-r'"j..'..il; .;.i:
ń" o""ia .igl. ** |ikeher now, an Elown €asy8oin8.
.I suppose you'll be playing at a pa.ty
a^os€ n trfitnded
1*T 1.!:d'*"y..
rogefn€ r .
rcgfino. wtth rhe 'way.. ff;
The} had had so many long 'n
6l|in8 of the
6l|inB
rides tomorrow,' she would say, too hot and lazy even m add a
; ;;;"łł;;;ffii:'I;#":;
th€ silence resting;n
rł*i". .""
^. the rwo
-''^ ^.
ot questionmark. All Drum had to answerwas, 'Mmm' and
:*l;:::r"!.^..1Ł:Ę.
tharoneguna..st.ing
ó;; ;il ń;..:il:.i*l5 laps€ into sil€ n ce a8ain.But rhethoughtof summer'sending
.!l:\ńc
l1l;.1-::'T:: "t.* y.".-r..ii."i..i.*-,
-h"J ..y. .ame to h€ r one Fliday night at the Unicorn' Drum was
,was it you l he@d cryifig?' 'Yes!' someon€
"nlr now.
ń. hńr'. H,J;;;;;;; ilil:;i;::H; Teaking o'-ltl
-hite
bangs?' shouted'Bur Eviehadn'tbe€ n list€ n ing. she didn'rev€ n know
'Thenno wharŚon8 h€ was on. Th€ n shewas ridinghomein theJeep,
.v/€|l' no.'one in rhe Unicornwould seethem,,Evie said. picking absentlyat a seam in his 8uitar. Drum i€ r k€ d h
away from het. His face was rurned to ńć window, only the
ip;";.11.".;1"1. *m€ to th€ t]nico.nlny more1
"'". smooth line of one €he€k showing. t|qhathad happenedto
j''il..'T: resrofrhe,time.
Pólle must all her spring plans? Things were no different lron the very
".#:1';l'".i*:.ł5
.I don't
hav€ any fri€ n ds,'said nrstnr8ht.
Evi€ '
She changedher rempo,She concentratedon Drurn alone,
running a face wirh time' whiĆh she pictured as a hot, dark
t
*:ii;ffiT .ś:J:H,,j#:.:
jo.niy-Viohl. and.shedo€ s n.r stJre.And bes|des'by now
wind. .!0hy do you speak out in son8]s?oh, you,r€ 8oing to
i{::łiłtT"l
adiust€ d ?Do theyćome.as
lt.T.dT
a shockro
say you don't know, but yolr could tell rn€ whar started it.
was it by accid€nt? Did you iusi wa.t to giv€ a fri€nd a
#::':]J:l''ii.. m€'sage or somćthing?'
.I for8€t'' Drum said.
6a
69
 'Think. When was the 6rst time vou did it?'
'Ol'. we , the picnic son8,I reckon.Thar.srighr. Ir was
too short.] tossedin exira |ines,sp.,kin8 our' [[e, iust ńe
prcruresin my mind. Then a girl rold mc h was a good
$nnrcK'
'Whar girll Do I know he!?'
.That's nonę of youJ
business.'
,Nothing you
ŚPcek out is conneded'' Evie said. .how can
so itany pictures come to your mird ai o.ce?'
she noric€ d that peoph in the Unicornhad stoppedstaring
at.h€r. No on€ whisperedabout her; no one stoód up m gii
a b€tter look. Th€y cfaned their necla aromd her ń or<ler
to se€ the @uŚicians.soon€r or later David would notice.roo.
she dr€ a d€ d his ńrin8 her. As if she could changeanymn8
by b€ a ring him ro ńe draw'shecamerisht out wirh rhi newi
herstlf one evening when thcy were aione. .people are nor
whisperingwhenI wall in nowadays,'she told him.
'Doer that meqnI shouldsropcominc?.
.vell' Iet ' 'Now. Mom, did you wait up againl' Drum circledher
me s€ € wh.t D!um;''..'
She knew what Drum would sav.
The nexr FridaynighrwhenDavid pickedhcr up, she totd
, two weeks at th€ Pa{isian.'
nlm tne€ ' t|re Plot ot a moviewithourgivinghim line for a
sing|eword.wben theplot was 6nish€ d sheln'lys€ d it, and
wh€n rhat was fnishrd sh€ told him clotelia's life story. By
thenthey had picked up Drum and errivedar the Unicorn.
N€ i ther Drum nor David bad had a chancerc say she was
6rcd.It will be afteruards,she thought.wbenwe are riding
hom€ . All duringńe showshesatmemońsinethe co|dsmeii
of beer' rhe rexture of her nened candle-vaseand ńe sight
of Drum Casey tossing bis hair above her as he sang. Afrer
ńat night it would all be lost, a suńmer wast€d.
Bur on ńe ride homc rheyhad otherrhingsto talk about.
'You hear rhe nellrt' Drum asked her. E-vieontv stared.
Drum neverbeganconversations.
.ve.Ie
8oin8 ro a nighr dub in Tar ciry. A man cam€
Iookin8for me. a|]the way to ńe Unicorn,hired me for a
two-week!un. I thought ir would nrr.r happenj
70
.Thisis th€ beginningnow,' David said..Didn'tI tell you?
From hereon
-Ąsenuinenieht.lub wher€ theyse'veset.ups.
:ui we'll be ńeadingstraight up''
.Butwhat aboutth€ Unicornt'Evie ask€ d .
.ob. we.|lrak€ rwo weeksofl' It.sall s€ t ''
'And mav not be back.'szid Drum. l rell vou. after this
fm qoinqto buy me somenew sinBingclothes.Spanglv'
''0(ell.coneratulations,' said Evie. bur no one beardher'
ThevwerediscusrincIigbrsand monevand rransportation'
when thev reachedFarinia.Drum said,'Leis wake Mom
and tcll her'rhe news' Tell her we want a c€lebfation.' He
Ei8}l bave be€ n sp€ a king only to Davidi tvie wxń\ Ńr€ .
Th€ MÓ of them boundedacrossthe dark€ n ed s€ r v|c€ area
whileEvie followedat a distance,hangingba& a little and
boking around her and stoppingto searchin her pocketbook
ńcr nothine at all.
Mrs. Caiev wore a pink chenill€ bathrob€' and her hair
*as s€t in sDindly neral curlers all over her head. lqhen she
u
€ rlers. .Bertram, my
openedthe'door her hand new to th€
lad. l rhouńr you was alone,'lhe sAid'
with on€ arm. neartypullin8h€ r off hcf fuet-'List€ n ' Mom.
we want us łcelebiaiion'A man cameand hiredus ro play
.Is ihat risht? v€ll. now,' she said. Vhen she was pleased
her cheeks grew round and shiny, and linle tucks appeared
.I
.( the corne;sof h€. mouth. was iusr mixing up hot cboc.
olare.lViU you all havesonel'
.Nah. B€ e r.'
she talkedevenwhile sh€ was out in th€ kitch€ n , freezing
the threeof them inro silence.They sat in a row on th€ coucn
.1
ald looked toward the doorway. iust know this is th€
break vou have been waitinB for'' she called. 'Once vou're
;" rhecirv vour nameeersaroundmore.oh' ..Now..' l,v€ half a mind
|.|lsay'
to vóu. daddv.wonl'? be 3urprised.
'\ell"ake
me;srin who\ wastingtimewhenhe shouldbe putnP-
ins cas?,.-Th€ Parisiani5 a risht famousPlace.you know' A
loi óf i.p"n"n. peoplego there.Rem€ m ber your cousin
Emma,Drum? ThaCi wherc she h'd the rehearsalsupper'
7l
 .I
befo.c her wedding. l wrs thcrc. v€ll, little did I d'€a''', of ł dashinebeamof angprthar took her by suĘris€ . won't
couE€' at the time. Is'Evi€ 8oin8 tool' noi o' eń aga'n.Not iftha.s ń€ way he feels.'
Evie stared at ńe doorway until i! blu|fcd. -.".P is€ rhe Lord'.
"u"'. said Drum.
.And anoń€ r thing' Drum cas€ y . lf I had known what a
Yhst for?' Drum askcd.
'Why, to sit at her litde table.' olJ and s.U-cent.eipr.son you are thoseletten wouldn\
'Nah' said Drun. l rherc,l canpromiseyou that.And your muŚicis bor|n8'it
rardsrc'eetreDeńtious, and l hopeev€ r ybody at ńe Parisian
'Oh, go on, Evie.' 6ttt nisht and sendsvo'r homeagain l
Devid cleared his óroat. .As a malte! of fact. Evie's been "ot...
tfi"t ttt.
"..v
thinking of quittin&' he said. .v€rcn't you, Bviel' bpe you cry ev€ r y mi|€ of Óe way.'
'Th.t'r right ' VĄiy, Evie,'Mr,. casey said.
.sh€ fe€ls ńE point heŚ becn made,by novl. No 'Noi only thar' but you can\ even play th€ guitar.You
sensegoing ost hanrner out noise lik€ łny loo| at l Uok€ Party. ano l
on wjń it.,
Ve|l' no I supposenot,' said MĘ. cas€y. hoDeth€ v noric€ ńat too.. .You,r€
.Tha.śa lie,.saidDrum. talkingcrazy..
she aPP.ared in thc doorway with thr€e cans of beł on . .oh. am l?. sh€ stood,but her kneesfeltshakyandshesat
pizza tin. .shc mi8ht want to com€ \i'ith youl daddy and me .I
down asain. may not b€ musica|bur I know t'ul mucb.
and iuŚt though,' she s.id.
.toseoh iallew can plav betteranv day.'

I
',.a'ć',seid D.um.
'Shedonl,' .ń" ."n not.lo"ńt' ion\ know o!€ € n d of th€ Buitarfrom
'lVill you let her speak {or hercdf?' ńe other.'
Everybody look€d at Evie. Evie staled down at h€r taced more than you know.'
fin8ffs and ŚAid' .I don't know. lf it wa3 up to "That's
,i"";r" out of vo'i. h"ad. l play a gf€at guitar. Don't I'
I m€an -
l mighr want to com€ just oncc and hear him play'' '''e,
David?'
'There now. You see)' Mrs, Casev rold Druin. .whg. surelvvou do,.Mrs. cas€ y said.
Dlum slappedhis beerdown on the coffeetable. 'lvill you .Ali.;;;;;;;;r goin€ " ' said Evi€ ; .is ńe speakingout and
get he[ off my ,'ćl?' he said. ... w,"lr, out does not m'ke senseand I.m
'Bertram!'
.Noq I meanthis. I have had it. minct;.ut .y.t'"i. ńl.n8s. T'e' se€ how farJou 8o..
'r'.-"p.""l.iń
How do vou rhink ir f€els " .l'was *orking at rhe Unicorn befor€ | ever b€ a rd your
to look ar that face night after nigbt when l'm playing? Do *.".l-aia"li *vone askinghow com€ no girl bad
you think t like itl Following me with those eyes,warching cut .casey' iń her "3.i..
folehead. Did you, David?'
every move. It wasn1 fault shc cur those fool l.B€fs. Am .It was a wast€ , ' Evi€ said.
I goin8 to hav€ ro go on '',} paying fol ir for€ver?'
'lgitl you stoP thar ralk?'
'Benram. No one's asking you to pay for ir. Sheiust wanrs .lt waŚ all for nothing.'
ro cothehearyour music'ńa!'s a|l.. 'I play a great g!itar,' Drun said.
.Dont nake m€ |au8h.'sgidDrum.
'Oh, you'returninghard,!on, Are you goingto be one of on thewaYhomś,Evi€ criedinto ńe hemof herskiń. David
.That
thoseśtarsthat foĘ.ts ń€ lłt|epeoPle?. lói q"i".] wt'* *.y t."d reachedher horrsehe said'
.w€ wait no%' said David. He stood uP. .seemsto m€ ti€ s i(' I $es,.'
'
we're BfiinB worked up ovc[ nothing. lf Drorh do!'t wanr 'l'm sorry,' Evie said.
Evi€ in the audiencesh€ }gont come. Ri8ht, Evi€i'
.Ri8ht'' 9.id Evie' The word op€n€d Ftom what she could s€e in th€ da.k' he
a door, letrin8thfough
72
t
t smil'n8. sh€ Śmi|edback end smoothedher slirt down. .vell,
i! |ookslik€ I wonr be seeingyou again..sheśaid.
'No..I Buessnor, Beenquiti an eiperienceknowingyou.
.
'V/ell. cood-bye.' 8
Before she shut the car door b€hind h€f she maoe ce.ram
she hadn't forgoren anythin& Shewanredto leaveno naces,
not ev€n a scrap of pap€r fluft€ring on ńe ftoor to mak€
rhemrememberher |au8h.Her fJtherwas downsraiBr€ a d.
in& weerjnghis fadedp|aid bańrobc. .I was |usi at'out ro
c'|] Violer'.h€ said..Aren.ryou a lit e late?. slIE cLIr HERSELf. s€t of ben8s, long enou8h ro covet h€r
..w€ ran inro
solrle frjends.' .Y€bro$s. Hcr €y€3 wińout cycbrows lookcd wonied and
'Oh. There'scocoain the kirchen.' łęrised. And bicause ber hair was pufĘ .t ń€ sides. 3h€
'I don'r wlnt any.' sońetńs had the feeling she was livĘ unde! e mushfoom
Shesranedrowardher room,but hattuayuDrhestairslhe button. .TDere,s
r.*" '2"-"'. my girl,' her said. 'I'm goitg
her ffłther soitg ro 6nd
thoughrshe he.rd his voice..Did you say sómething?.she ou'ti. -" "irl-i vould you go? t alwayskn€ w
.*.
.allĆd. "ool "u'*źoi'of *is' if I iust let you be.' Then he
ioo *ó'ld .o-.'"ut
.| said.are rhos€
the only clorbesyotl'v€ gor?fumind me łent off to oaint rhe back porch' whiśtlinga rune shc
rh€ mornin8to giveyou someshoppin8money'.
'n 'l don-rwaDranv.'Evie said.
she threw iwav her black skin and blouse, her snapshot
of Drum at ńe I'jnicorn,Fay.J€ a n's Penci|drawĘ and th€
oos.d DhoroEaphhis moth.r had givenher' Thrt was eu
l'.. *i' l.r'ir iirn. st'. *alkcd dowDtownulder clotelia's
hugc umbr€ U a and |aid in a śrackoJ school cupplies-for
way hom€ she bou8hta Tar city
jLike on thc
the-coninevear. .ni8ht'lifeseems
newsoaoer] enerything € I s€ , . sh€ rćad,
# from óe heat wave' Th€ Manhattanclub
has no entertiinment at all ńis week, and the Palisian's .
'o "i'rt..in*
Drumstfin8s cas€y is sBictly amat€u|.' she rdolded th€
p;hed it ń;ouBh ńe swingingdoor of a
".vllńper.*a
ł}"...."', violet. At| summer-she had suyed
"t'" "l"i..a
hom. .nd let vio|et corn€ ro her,and Dow she felt .śif she
had tetumed fuomsomelong hard triP ńa! no one else kn ,
.Ihe
about. oftband duner óf violet'i room and hef smiling
fat familv had a ctear and distanl lóok. N€w china horses
had ioinid ńe paradc across vol€t's bu.ea|r.on th€ cleet
dool was a life-3izeposterof a ńovie star she had never€v.n
heard of. .lVhat bave you beendoin8 all summ€r?' Śhe asked

74
 .vhat do you n€anl You'v€ seen me eve.y day, haven\
.!vell' y€s., she sat forwa.d on th€ b€d' cuPPil8
her chin
in h€r hand. .s€ens like I had summers,'sh€ Śaid. .Two
difft.ent ones. SometimesI think,
'',o was thar ne, riding large
as lif€ betwe€n two boys to a roadhouse?vhy' I nev€r was
on a date, even, except with that peculiar Buddy Howland
whose voic€ nevel óan8ed. I can\ believel did it all.'
.oh' remernberin8rhings is always
ńat way,' violet said.
.Not for me. Nothing to óo,,€f f€memberin&
befof€. And
I wotrld rather not rememberthis, l{hy was I such a fool?
You should have ŚtoPp€d m€.'
.Th€ besr thin8 now is just ro droP
thc subied ffom your
.You're right. I will. lćt's ralk about
3omerhingels€. Did
you krlow my fańer is laking over Miss con€'s class) Hc
śaidthat sh€ -'
.You told m€ thar.'
'I did?'
'Oh. I forgot.' She rose slnrply from rhe bed, causing
vol€t to gfab for he. bott|eoI nil polish. .You seewhat I
nean' I donl remembertelling you a ńing about it. oh,
how am I going to get over all ńist I wish l had spent ths
summerswimming or being a camp counsellor. Ot iusr snug
in my houser€ading books' ev€n. I wish someonewould giv€
rne back all the time t've known Drum Casey, and I would
chang€ everyńingI did.'
.You wśre
8oing to drop the subiea,' Violet said.
But she couldn't.She spenther momingsskar;Dga slick
surfac€' k€epin8 busy' bur afternoons she sprawled across
Violer's unmadebed and said ńe same thingsa8Jin and
asain, and Violcr listenedwith a son of cheertulrolerance
ihat made it seemsaf€ ro saY them.
On Monday nornins, over a week.since her fight with
Drum, Evie settleddown ro cleaningout her desk. lr h€lp€d
to do thin8s whh bustle in them.Just as sh€ started on the
second drawer she h€ald clotelia call, .Eviet You wanted
.coming,' said Evi€ . she cameout and Iook€ d
down the
76
rt well to the front hall. Clotelia slood waiting the.e with
.You got a
ła arms folded and her fect apart. 8u€st'' she
'Vlo is it?'
'com€ on down' I told you.'
Oh, all !isht.'
.Your fatherbe homeanv ninuf€ ' now.'
'well, whar aboutit?'.
Bur clotelia onty i€rked a ńumb toward th. living room.
Dovnstairs. Drum cas€y was 3inin8 on rh€ couch wiń his
mots on the coffee table. His he.d lolled to one sid€' as if
L wereasleep,Eviesropprdshon in thedoorwayandstared
r him.She filr separatedfrom him bv a wall of glass.pro-
rcted bv the rhicIinew bangson h€ r foreh€ a d and th€ da}s
śe had soent removinchim from h€ r mind in bits and
*b.. riis eves werelbsedr she could look at his face
rińout fceline be mińt blind her by looling back. His
nouth was reiaxe4 op.n. Hc ne€ d ed ! śhave.His
iands, with their nails "i.o"t
c'rt shoń ior ńe guitar sdin8s' la'
boselvcurledon his lecs' wb€ n st'esaw his handssh€ made
: s.ai| mouement' on|i cnoughlo smooń her bans down,
ihr Drutn ro ed his head toward hcr and looked frorn
.Hey'' h€ said.
b.neath low€red lids.
'He[o,' said Evie.
He sat uo and mov€ d his fe€ r off the coff€ e tabl€ . Tbe
hald ro break.
slenc€ srew to the Dointwhereir wou|dbe .c|oreli9
didnl
1 didn.;know ii wa; You..Evi€ said 6nally.
say. Do you want a lemonade?You're hot, I b€t -'
B€hind h€., cloElia Śaid'
.Your father b€ horne
minute,Evie.'
'Oh. Yes, my father'scomin&' Evie said.
But that didnt se€m to EI€an anyrhin8 to Drum. H€ sat .I
forwe'd and rubb€d his eyes with ńe he€ls of hiŚ hand..
ain'r slept since Sarurday,' he said.
'\lrhat happened?'
.I got ńred.'
'wher?'
'Fired,I said.'
'Oh, well, they don't knorv" said Evie, rhinking of the
77
teviews. .h's rhe v.'€ath€r. lfl this h€at rhey cant rell good
'Music. hell. Tha( was jus( an excu5e.I was ge ins on
8oodwith themanagel'sd.u8hterand h€ didn'tlike it, that's
au. said I hadnlworked out well...cod&m man thar
ń€ s e people_ '' h€ said.I said,..Nobodydoesrhatto Ź".'' ''l€ s
End of it all was a fisht'
.A ńght?with ństs?'
.what ć|se.Fists and
the.police station and th€ works. H€
was just peevedov€! his daughtef is all.'
Evie blink€d' cutting off the daughterforever wirb a single
(Thafg
movement. ille8al''sh€ said' .You can hold him to
'Cottrart, what do you think I am? A movie sra(?'
.Vell, he can't
iust ńre you.'
.Gu€ss again.' Drum
took a comb from his shift pock€t.
.Now th€y got my nam€ on the booksl
down at the police
station.Just whar I n€ed€d. You evers€en thosemovieswhere
the ńother t€ l ls ńe coPs,..He'sa good boy''} That's whai
zry mońer drd' ..H€ ' ś a 8ood boy.,.she says...oh, I jusr
donl undcrstandir," shc s.ys. Then she paid the damaSes
and yankedme ourdoorsand said she mi8hCveknow rhis
would happen. said I had d;sgrac€d th€m all, what would
my daddy say, if she had had any senseshe would have put
me ro wofk lik€ €veryone told he! to. Now, I ask you. won't
my o\|n famib ewn stand by me? vh€n I got hom€ my
daddy wouldn't l€t rn€ in the hous€. ..I am just too pissed
off to look at you right now," he says. "Sleep down in the
car. I'll talk wirh you in rhe mornin8." "!Vell, if rtart the
way you feel," I said, and walked righr off. I don'r ca.e if I
nevet se€ ńe place again.'
.vh€ f e is David?'Evi€ ask€ d .
'Devid,Home,I reckon.He didn't8erin no 68hr,not hin.
I wou|d'v€ gone and spentrhe night ar his housebur you
kno\łhis moth€ r ' sheharesmy 8uB.'
'!?hat for?'
.No teason/ know o( I n€ v er did
a thingto her.'
out in ń€ hal|way.clore|iJ8avea sudden(hJrp sigh'.Go
6x somelemonade.; tvie to|dńer'
.Evi€ ' your fath€ . going to hh
theroof if he ńnd him here.'
78
N€ver mind' fix some lemonade.'
clorelia pivoted on on€ heel and left. Drum śe€m€d not to
hłr.enoticed her. Hć comb€d his hair' ran one hand across
,. and pur ńe comb back in hls pocket..Isp€ n t the ni8hl
porch..hc said, .but didn.r sle€ p non€ . Now
s' evelids feel scratchy. I don\ know what my daddy has
€ainst me, but he nevel will listen to reason' not for on€
@nd. Nevćr asks my side oI norhing.oh' w€ l l' him I'm
E€d to. But Mom? ..Bertram,you hav€ just kill€d my soul'''
told me. ..l ain\ Bot no mor€ faith in you.'' Mom! ar
'ite
rould you say to ńar? I went by home thb norning afte! I
..Mom''' I said' ..could I
..v his se.vic€ rirck pull out and,
bt hlve som€ biscuits and a little side meat for rny break'
ist?'' she said' ..Yes' here, l don€ saved you Śome' b'rt you
J.$€r not €ome by ńo ńore' Bertram, until you ser it right.
Veaning make up rhe rnon€y and apologis€ and g€t you a
*eadv iob.'' well, l never thought l would live to h€ar
talk that way. "Now, you &zora it nrunt my fault " I told 'e7
irr. .'That man is iust r€al possessiveover his daughter and
mr no eood reasoneither,sinceshe is rightwild and tlways
hasbe€ n . Bu( he iust won.rseeir,'' I said,..andup and 6red
Beon som€ manufactured caus€ . ,'Mom says,..oh,B€ r tram,
ńere are you going to end upl som€tim€s I fe€l you won't
3en amount to a hill of beans,"she says,and then she
pusheda titrle brown bag of food on me. Igell, it was like I
bad iusr heardsomethingcracŁ thć ńnal floofboaldI was
restin8on. I won,t b€ going back now.'
He stood and beganwalkin8 alound ńe €dgeŚ of ńe room,
Every now and then he took a hand from his back pocket to
pick up a fgurine or a photograph.'Who's this?' he asked.
.MY fuoń€ r .'
'Shedead?Mo\ rhis?'
'MY uncle.'
.You got a real nice place here. You feckon you. fath€r
might let me sleepon rhe couch?'
'vell, no, I doubt k.'
'How aboutyour porchl'
.Not tb€I€ eirher' I'm sute of it.'
'He'd neverknow.'
79
 'He might, said Evie.'lf a neighbourlaw you, or he went
out on the porchsom€ night''
.I,d b€ real car€ful.'
.But I was
iusr getting a|| straiqbt', sAió Evie. 'How can
you ask me a thinSlike tbatt'
All Drum did was pick up a china goose girl and lay ir
agAin$ his ch€ek, as if ir cooled him.
,oh, go ahead,rhen,'
said.Evi€ ' .I don't care.'
so h€ slepr on th€ porcb, on oe leavy, natteneaJusllons in
the woodenswing. Nor jus( one nighr.bur all week. Evie
wou|d li€ awak€ unnl midnight or so, when she heard
throughher op€ n window th€ rustysoundof boon on me
floorboerdsand thenthe C.€ a ting of ń€ swingJs he sert|ed
himself. The geaking died away imm€ d iately, wiń nothing
himse|f'
touowing. He s€emed
fol|owing. m€ d not even to
ro turn
run in his sleeo.
s|eeo.He woulJ
would
be one of thoscpeoplewho lay down wirhouta fussand lost
consciousnessuntil rnomin& ffustrating whoev€r was witb
them' th€ way Viol€t did wh€n she sp€nt th€ night. It was
Evi€ who stayed awake. she liśr€ned r; crickcs a;d breaths
9f Tusr: and other peoples p:rties,and she thoughrof a
hundfeddifierenrthin$ ńat couldhappenif her fath}rcame
upon Drum. r|i,|ould he shout? call ńe polic€? or only apolo-
gise for disrurbing Drurn's sleep and tiptoe back to bedi She
€xp€cied to have ni8htmaf€s about it' but when she finatlv
clept her dfeJm! were of struggllngin wat€ r as rhick aś
ge|adn.running from a 6re on bonelesś Iegs.climbin8.
ladder-which swoopedbackwardsunde herwirghrbur ne-ver
quite fell over. Vhen she awoke in the morningi, Drum was
a'ways 8on€.
Afrcr rhe first night she came out on the porch in her
bathrob€ and staledat rhe swing,whosecushionswerenor
even dented.she was still ther€ wh€ n Clot€ l ia came. .He
sone?'Cloreliaasked.No oneh.d roldher Drumwa, ruvins
rfiere.bur sheseemedto I(nowrnyway.Fvie nodded.
.!gell,go on g€ t dressed.
Nothing aśractiv€aboutshting
out herein your barhrobe.'
At ten o'clock, her farher went off for an erand. As soon
as h;s car wĄ ouc of sighr Drum openedthe fronr rcreen
door a few inchesand slid ,nro rle hatlwav..t wonderif I
80
ould have breakfastt'h€ s'id. Evie was at th€ foot of ń€
Ealrs.sordngollt th€ mai|.lt was rh€ ńrsr tińe all mornin8
ńat Drum hid not beenin rhe centreof her mind' and shĆ
:alsed her head and srared at hin a minut€. Then Clotelia
a]led,.come on our' it's on tie tabl€ . 'she had set a plac€
d€n _ a dinner Dlat€ h€ap€d wirh ham and biscuits, whi6h
Evie and her farhir neveraie. !0h€n Drum walked in, clot€lia
.lt's waiting on you' over
look€d up from rhe sink rc say,
egg I inow y'pl'' Then she €rnptied rhe dishwat€r and
rall.ed out, peeiińg off pink rubber gloves. Drum shrugged
ed sat dorłn.
.sheis a tniteuppity''he śaid'
'Did vou sleeDall riPht?'
.su.e.lt.s linie slon, l.rt bett€ r lhan ńe ground.You go(
Evie hinded it to him and thensat down Haveyou bem
o seeDavid yet?'sheasked.
'Nor yei'
'How aboutyour ftiends?'
'How about them?'
'\vell, you do have some.'
'Surc.'
'fue thev worried about voul'
He frowned at her over a biscuit. "vhat you Sming at?'
he asked.
'1'mnot Seting ar anything.'
.You want m€ ro cl€ar oul?'
'No, of couse not.'
.wh]t vou askinsaboutfTiendsfor' th€ n 1,
.l drew rays our
iust wanEd ró know-. said Evie' sh€ .I
hom a coffeering, wi(h Drum *arching. was wondeńng
why it wa! me you cam€ to'. she said ńnal|y.
'Oh. I don'r know.'
'There must have been lots of other people.'
She gave up. She waited unlil he had ńnished eating' atld
thenshe brouńt hrm an ash tray. Drum tipPedback in his
chair ro smoki a cicarene.At his elbow was (h€ back door'
unlockedand waitins in caseh€r fathe. should appear'Th€re
was no telling whei h€ mi8ht walk in. she sat braced to
i
81
 move suddenly,her mind tracking down and idenrifying
ev€ r y sound from the street!so that when finally Drum
decidedto answerh€ . questjonshe didn't rake i. in. .You
and me reallyhad some6ghtrharnighr,'he said.Evie said,
.Mmhmn.' sh€ was listening
to a iingtingmoror noisethat
co!]d have beenh€ r farhei\ volkśsa8en.when it pJsed
shesaid.'Vhar)'
'You and me r*lly had some6ght,I said.'
'Oh, well.'
Drum blewour. funnelof smokeand warchedh dissolve.
Then he said,'I thoughrabourir larer.That figbtis whereI
w€ n r wrong'I thougbt.'
.oh' well' h\ overnow'' Evi€
.It cam€ to ine
said'
the njghtI got ńred' I said, ..oh, dainntI
missedall rhesigns,will you look ar rhar?"'
'!{hat?'
.Ar€ you listenjngto me?,
'l jusrdon'tseewhatyou'resaying,'Eviesaid.'lr'sall right
aboutthe ńght really.I,m rheone tharshouldapologisc.'
'l ain't apologising,I neant everyword.You weighon my
head.Bur you bring luck, too. Or rake ir away, like when
you hop€ d l .^'ouldmessuP at the Parisian.'
'Vell, wait- ' Evie said.
'lf I'd of took you ro the Par'sianlike you asked,they
wouldn1havefir€ d rne''
'Thar'sjusrsilly,' Evie said.
'Nothingsilly aboui ir. ExceprI wish il you bring me luck
you wouldn't have to we'gh on my head.Don't you ever
'Of courseI do.'
'Not ro norice.Jus. srftingrherepaper.faced$irh your
foreheadshowlng.Now you.v€ cut bangs.'
'I thoughtł was tim€ to.'
.Doesthat meanyou wer€
serious?'
'Seriousabout/rdt?' Evie said.'l donl undersrand
what
we'retalkingabour.'
'The fight.I(/henyou said I couldnt play the guirar.'
'Oh, rbar.'
.I can play one hell of a loi betterthan
Jos€ p h Ball€ w , I'll
82
:ell you that. And sing too. If you don'r agree'you got no
'vel|' I was tustangry..Eviesaid' .l nąer real|ymeantil..
Did vou know I rook lessons?up at tarnham'<Music
:omDarv.uhere l sot my guitar.Then I won a tal€ n r show
..i.* l't'"a ewn 6;iqh€ a ńy |es.ons.Fiheendoltarsand a
redal.'
You know I nevermeantit, Evie said. It was iu't one of
iose things you say when you're angry l could listen all dav
.veil. tńn.isaid Drum.Itseem€ d ro be what h€ had€ o me
aor. He stlrbbed his cisa.ette out and then iust sat there'
l ooins hjs chah asrinir rhe walt, until ńey heard Fvie s
:"tle."cl'mbinerheoorch 'Seevou around, Drun said
:le was uo fróm his chalr"eD{
a;d our of the housebefoieEvie
-n'ld anwer. He must have taken note of lhat door ridr
:romrhe beeinninc.
when he-waspóne. she felr she had madea nistake. He
had
'ad comero makesureshe srill hked hrssingrngrif she
had any sens€, she would have kept hirn wond€ring. sh€
ploddi from room to room pulling sharply on one strand
óf hair. munerineuoderher breathwhen 5hewas suresbe
wasalone.'was iserious?I don'Lknow l've forso(en what
vou soundlike by now.' Clot€ l ia pass€ d h€ r s€ v eral tim€ s '
]nd threw ber a iook but said nothing. H€r father ask€d if
shewerebored.'No, why?' Evie said.
'l rhought you looked resdess.'
'Oh' no.'
'!getl. school will start soon. Summeralwavs drags about
j
1 He looked so cheerful nowadavs. He had made her an
and at
aPPoinrmentwŃh a p|asticsurgeonfor Seprember.
siioer he had srowń ralk'live and śometim€ smadesmall
olis- vtrat she shoutdhavesaid was, No. I dont like vou
anvmore.I don\ lile your music,I don'( want vou sleepinS
or mv oorch.'Then Iife would be simpleasain. No morc
hangingaround wardng and wonderins.
hidd€ n from her whiślling'
unsuspectingtather.
Drum sel up a Pat€rn. He came when€vet h€r father was
83
gone' as if he kept cloŚe warch on the house.and he s€tdon
sPoke. conv€rŚation was 0p to Evje. If she was silent $e
se€ f ied irritab|€ ' tappedhis fin8€ r s or 9wrtnghis foó(' lefl
b€ f ore he had to. lf sh€ talkedh€ 5eemednot to lisren.but
h€ k€pt very still. He [€sted the back ofhis head against rhe
wall.and Mtched th€ c€ i ling while she searchejfor' any
words at all to ńll ńe space'.You mustn'i rnind clot€ l ia.
Does she get on your ne.ves? Once I wenr home wirh her
when my farhe. was our out of town and I mether boyfriend.
not the on€ she has now but anorher one. who sat around
dr;nkinsbeer all rfie rime and marchin8pennies,tivins oft
h€ r money.sh€ thinksal| mendo rhatway. rhat s rhe"on|y
reasonshe acts so snippy. His neme was' wait a minure.Nót
She had never been given so much time befor€. No one
in&rrupted her, no on€ shilted impatientĘ' Sbe could óoose
h€ r wo.ds as s|owlyas |uxuryiremsin a deDalmenlstor€ .
.Not stewart,nor
st€ n g|e. h wil| cometo ń in a moment'
Spindle.l kłrewjr was somśrhin8 peculiar.Havc you *er
heardofanyonenamedSpind]e}FIehada b|ackkni;€ d skull
cap oa in ńe middle of summer.His sl'oes w€r€ the big high
kind with metalm+caps.'
Drum srubb€d his ci8aretteout and passeda hand ove! his
eyes..AI€ you tir€d?' Evie asked him.
'No,'
But his facewas pinched and tight, ałd his tan was rurning
y€llow. sometimes,Iost in what sbe was saying sbe forgoi
tharanythingwas wrong.Then she would lóok a(cid;n.
tal|y and notic€ how he sat, |imp and heavyJimbed, "P nor
botheringto protecthimśelf from ńe net of uords she had
wound aroundhim. Shewould breakoff and say, ,Do you
want som€ t hing?Ic€ d tea)'
'No.'
.Are you nol
sle€ping nightŚ}'
'l'm deepingfine.co on ralting.'
.How can I talk t
if neverget an answef?You talk Ó ,ńe.
Vhacs.been happening?Have you b€ e D back ro seeyour
'No.'
'Are you goinS?'
84
TJo.'
.she can't still be angry wiń you.,
'l don't care if she's angry or noq llm not going.'
'Whar. not arg',?'
.I'v€ had it'' said Dr'!m' .All this tim€ t€lling how famous
ro 8oin8 to be. and ńen sh€ 8oes to Piecesat on€ lirtle
Etback' i'm ninere€ nyearso|d.l gor a ri8htto 8€ t 6r€ d once.
con't ll oh. il looks like I will never g€t ary.wher€ in this
iifc. Never do a thing but b.g gro€eli€s on Friday nights. A
.lfyou..eDot
8oin8back,,9aidEvi€ ' .wherer''€ you 8oing?'
she was oreful abour her rone of voica. Even a sudden
oovement.shefelt.mightfrighr€ n him lway' But Drum only
4ook his head. t{e didn't sećmro care ]vhat she said.
He soentńvedavsmovineb€ t w€ e n her houseand Davjd.s.
whereic was allowed to visit b'rt was Dot asked for m€alś.
He shaved in th€ r€stroom of an Esso station' borrowed e
óarrgs of c|othesfrom David,and kept fusgunarin David\
tool .hed. At Evie s hous€ he saw onlv Evie and Clotelia.
once violet came' pint-ch€ekcd with curiosity alter what
Evie had told h€r on ńe phone, but Drum left immedialely.
.I b€li€ve he docsn't like m€,' Violet said.
.No. thais not it. It's some mood h€'s in,' Evie told her'
vhen Violet was thete.sh€ could draw back from things and
sć€ how stran!'eth€ y wer€ i EYi€ Deckermakin8excusesfor
a rock suiurist, prorectin8a fu8irjv€ sirdn8 boldly in ber
kirchenchair. she said goodby€ to violet as soon aBsh€ could
and w€nt out back to si8nal toward the tall grassbehind the
.This iŚ Mfs.
oo Friday aftemoon Drurn's mothg callćd.
Ora Casey,i she said stiffly. 'Is that you, Evie?'
'Yes, ma'am,'said Evie.
.I am trying to get ahold ol B€rram. He's wander€d off
somewhere.Has he been by you[ hous€?'
.If you s€ € him, will you say I'rnlookingfor him?'
'All right.'
The.e was a Dause.
'l've called liavid too,' Mrs. Casey said 'He's not scen
him. Now, wh€r€ would a boy 8o off to like rhar)'
85
 .rwell l'll cerrainly tell him you 1'9€rc
looking for him.'
'Evie, I'll be honest with you. I been looking for hiln all
week now. Since Sunday' ve had a lirtl€ fa ing-out. oh, it
was all ovc. noth'n8 _ a misrrndć$tandingat the Pafisian .
but you know how sensitivehe is. I told him he had let rne
dolin - w€ll' I had ńy reasons. ve may not be .oll€8e-
€duc.ted in our family but we are lclu.abiding' we don't give
no one causeto complain about us. I did sp€ak sharp to hin,
but only becarrseI was disappointed, nothing Petman€nt.
What call did he have to take it to hearr so?'
.!g€ . if l s€e hitn
- ' Evie said.
'Yes, yes. All dght. Goodbye.'
Evic hut|8 up and w€nt back to the living room' where
Drum and clotclia wer€ watóing soap operas. Drum had
$own boldcr now. lVhen the television was on ne sa!
watching it as ifh€ we'e an invited 8uest,ralking back !o all
ńe actols. .This hefe doctof,' clo&lia was telling him, .tbink
hcs the c€nrre of the llniverse.selfish) vatch.' Drum nodded.
probably not listcning, conc€ntrating on the scre€n so hard
his eyeshad tumed to slirs. H€ and clotelia sharedthe €ouch.
Clotelia had grown used to him, although she still said he
lr\rastrash. 'Now. here is what I wanr to know.'she told him.
.,wherl th.t doctol minc€ in such a
stuck.up way, is it ,is
way? or do he just ect like that for ńe play? lohich? Pull
yott gut in, Evie. \vho was rhat on the phone?'
'No one,' said Evie.
.Ir l don't
8et on h€r tail,' Clotelia told Drum,. she would
go alound looking like a old b€dshe.t. VĄar am I 8oing to
dol I tell my boyfriend, "B.ewster," I say, "you ain'r going
ro beli€ve i! but I know a white girl seventeenycarc old need
a full"tim€ nufsemaid.Maid ain't cnou8h,''I say...sh€ n€ e d
Drun rolled his bead back on the couch and watched
Clorelia.During commercialshe would Ustenro anyone.ir
d'dnr haveto bc Ev;e.
...vhy won't you quit then?''h€ say. I tell him I wil|.
Noth'ng more dis8faĆ€ful, h€ say, than m€ spendingmy life.
time picking up over Evie Decker.'
'I wisb you quit' Evie said.
'Oh, I will, 'l,orll
miss,I will.'She rnadea faceand twisted.her
86
reich aroundsharplY.'Weekto weekI sav I will Only if I
rou|d find me etseto do. Factory iob. Do you
how how lons'oń*hing
I wastedon herl Four vearh Now I Bot to
*y iI was all fór not}ringand qun. My |and.'
.Co to som€ ciry,why doni you', Drum said'
.su!e.B€ slad to.'
.I wouu ńo' if I had the tnoney.'
Evie stood abovehim, folding her hands-onthe back of
ie couch and lookingdown at the toP ofl s head There
ras no part in his h.ii illst a densesheetof blackseparłting
nlo thi;k strin$. som€ i im€ s . watchinghim spJew|edin her
louse,shefeh !n unpleasant sens€ of surprisehit her.There
*.i" ir'i""" t'i. .t'at kept stanlingher eaó rimeshe
ńim'"uo*
th€ bony,scra d look of his wrists,ń€ nic.
"or'ced
;;; .."l" ." bk miadl€ ń;g€ r . ń€ srragg]inghairs that
cd9'ed his sidebums'He was sunk jnrońe couchcushionsas
łfr" *.i. p*.**t. tr nerfłtherwalkedin rightnow' what
*ould Drim dol Raise his hand no more than an irch'
orobab|v. sav .Hey,and l$ !h€ handdroP again.
'
'Drum Caiev, whar do vou wanr our of me?' she ask'd
'Huh?'
'v/hat do vou wan! I said. wbv are vou hanging around
'Evie. well. I nevet,' clotelia said.
Drum had turned to facęhe!, wirh his mouth dighdy ope!.
v€ll. if ,l,a.,s the way you feel,' he said.
.I dido't sav one word about ńe way I f€el. I asked you a
'Someouestion.'
.!tle ńave you ever b€en kiown to answćr onel Have
,
ever rrad i .eal cooversation,one tha! Eoesback and
"ou
ionh ltke it s suooosedto) I askedvou somethinSl want !o
know. What do_vouwant out of me?'
.varch now,' Ćbt€lia said loudly' .Th€ lady-in black goin8
to .rvr she'scried every show. How do vou reckon she rnakes
tearssDu.t thar way?' .Talk
.t'"Lk' it's oniy *at"',' said Drum. H€ stood uP.
like this iust gets me down. If you don't like m€ sl€ePing on
87
you. porch, come our and say so. None of this roundabout-
.Po'ć,? vho said
.I Polchl I askedyou _'
8ot eals, I can h€ar.'
'l wonder more about that every day,' Evie said.
BuI Drum was alreadyleav'ng,Śiulńn8 his cigar€ r teśinro
9
his shirt pock€t as he crocsedthe hallway. .So lon5' he said.
'Well. wait a minul€ - '
Shesaw his back as he loped dowD the ftoni sfeps,4nyone
could have seenhim. Her fańer could have run into him on
the sid€wAlk. I?h€n he reach€d ńe strefi h€ Pausćd for a sHELĄY A\pAlGmostof the nigbt.listeningfor the creakof
minutc and thentŃned ro th€ light, wher€ b€ rł/ashalf hidden ńe 9wins.h nevercame.ln lhe momingwhen she 8ot up
by thehedgeńar borderedńe yard' .l don\ seeyou running ;.;;:ii; h;"" ..,*"ed to rhewav shewas a weekago'
after him.' Clotelia told the lelevision. ń;i';;J-;-*.ńi. willing|ysimingon a board while her
.I.do!'t know if I wantedto'' Evi€ said.
r".ń",l"vv"a ir ana łren-ńumninEwhi|e she washedńe
drshes,since it was clot€liah day off. lul tow"iq.noon sh€
iiliJiil.i' hebuilt
ir'i r'i,uń"Jh€ rfańeraim]ess|yvhile
.'l".l.'*
Sir".t i" ,t'. Li
l. .l.. .i*.
|.h.hń ońe shepointed
once Śh. to his work pants
Dointed to
pants
.e.. y"u going to wear ińose all day?'
""J'Vhat's
"łj, wrons with theml'
r:ł"[. ir goi.g o*' l ńean' fuen't you gping doi!''.
"oo;iE
'No, I hadnt plannedon it'
.Tomorrow'śsunday, you know.'
.vas th€.€ somelhingyou n€eded?'
'Oh. no.' Evie said.
she-w€nt out into the ba€k yard and sat on the stepŚ'
lookinprowardthe 6eld of gass wh€ r € Drum usedrc wa|t.
Ń"iir.l.'..""a. śt'"*. for hours.for an entireafter
ńa*. * .*t' *'hń a book in her lap. Her eyesbegan
".."'
rc sdns from sBrin8 at on€ placeso sleao|ly.
.'ł'r,ii."''i,
i*..uśide again.rhisrimero the fronr
ooró' Neńboun. 't'. televisions blar€ d up anddownrh€ sffeer'
i.. tt'" i'indo. b€ h ind her sh€ heardher fatheiŚ shon.
.Evie' come
wave radio flicking rapidly across continenlś.
r'*". ń. M.;....h; el|ed once. And then.a litde
i"... "rn"i. i, .. rn*t' spani9hin rhisworld..Evie pick€ d
"".
*. ł t" irer|ap.Itsmelted musry,likethc
""l..i'""
i.i'ia. ""J*.or* lf everyevening|as(€ d this
"i"'.ta
lons. how ńuch rime would"otrag€it. take to g€ t her who|€ lll€

88 89
livedl Centuries.Shepicturd hc*elf growing older and latter
in this airlecs dark house, tuming into a spinster with a
potrchd faceand a zipper of lines acrossher upper lip, caring
fo. her fath€r unril hśdied and she had no one left but cats
H€r fathet went lo b€d with a book. Lights blink€d off up
and down ńe stf€€t' and chairs were sfiaped olf porches
throu8h bri8h! yćllow doors that ńnally closedałd darkened.
Then somconecame up the sidewalk, dl alone. She warched
him swin8 over the hed8E and cut across ńe lawn to the
ftont porch stęs. .oh, you loow better than anyone' don't
youl' he said.
'How come you're sitting out he.el You're wairing for me
to slink badg nowhere elsr to go.'
Hc clinbed the st€Ps and sant dovn on the swing, at the
opPosireend frcm he!. .Ev€rybody asked aboutyou'' he said"
'Vho do you meanl'
.l thouglrt you weral't goi.g ńere this weet'' Evie said.
'No call nor to, is rhere! Sure we did. Last night and
toni8ht, same as ever. P€oplc said, ..!ghęre is rhat girl who
c|rr heśelfup' has she found her som€on€ els€ by now}'' I
was ńinking of srying you had killed yourcelf. ..Finisbed
what she starred," I would say. Ttzt would h.ve gone big.'
.You don't Lnow wh.t you'.e talking abour,' Evi€
said.
.Do you think I would Lill m}s€lf ove| the likes of yout'
.Th€n I went
back botn€ wilh Devid and slept in the rool
shed. His mother carne out in th€ moming with a broorn.
old witó' should have been riding it. ..vhat are doin8
he.e?'' sh€ esks. I swegr if she wasn't about to 'o' sw€.p m€
light oBt.'
.lw€ll' I don,t blame hć|,' Evie said. .You
iust han8 on and
on' Drum Casey. Vhen are you going ro leav€ me
alon€? As soon as I gęt used to you being gone,you tum up
',ż8
again. Will you ever lust get our and stay out?'
.oh' now' don't make m€ .It's late. l'.n
8o'' said Drum.
rired.'
'Well, so em L'
She drew in her breath' waitin8 for hilh to say someńing
90
.|5e thai shc coutd ńre back at him' but he seemedto have
given up. He sat slurnpedagainst .h€ arm of rhe swing. AI
sLe saw was a black shadow wirh bis T shiń makin8 a
B.ians|eofwhneabov€ his iacket.Finallyhe said'.You know
Josph Ballew? He says. 'Where is rhar plump grrl with
.Casev,on her forehead?l-osther inter€ s t? Youie slippin5
man ; he says.'
Evie di&'t answer.
.Hav€ you ever ńought of losing sone wei8ht?'
L took a Elom€nt for his words to sink in. Then she said,l
'Vell, my God in heaven.'
,Haveyou?'
.VĄy do you feel free to act so rude} I €at less than yol
.l was just askin8.You know. in Tar ciry ń€ y 8or this
placc.Steambathsand exercisemachinesYou
slenderiring
.!7ell. This girl was alling about it. s€ems they can r€auy
slin oeooledown.And makć-uo.andhailsrvles- You know'
Il saw
sari inin'this macazineonc€
ńis magazine ńey decide
oncew}erethey tbe shape
decidethe shapeof
your face and thin fix your haif to fit it. Th€y had b€for*
and.after picrur€si it looked real good''
'l wish you would go,' Evie said
'Vhat, nou?'
.Nobody łlałes you sit here. IJ you can't stend ńy looks'
6nd son€on€ else's Porch to sleepon.'
'Vell, wait now,' Drum said 'You got it all wrcn8. I'm
tryingto help out.'
't didn't ask for any help.'
,I just want you to look yoff b€st. Ther€'s no .ćason you
should gpt mad about ir.'
'What businessis it of you$ if I look my bestl'
.vell, l was rhinking w€ might could g€t n.frie4' Drum
said.
Evie held still for a minute,nor bferthing. Then she b€8an
lo raugn.
'Did I say somerhingtunny?'Drumasked.
.Y€s,' she said. But the laugh, which should have flowcd
9l
 .I
on, suddenly rusted and brok.] beli€ve you're out of youl
head,' shc seid.
Vhy? Don\ you wanr ro?'
.No' l donl'' saidEvi€ .
'l don't know what you got to lose. You mu$ like me
sothe or you wouldn\ have' you know' cut !h€ l€rters. You
wouldn'thans aroundm€ a|l the iim€ . And hereI am wirh
no home. Anó my car€€r's at a standsrill, we could get our
pictureśin ń€ Pap€'s. Human interest.Plus l do like you. l
wouldn't be askioq iI I didn't''

$';tffi
$l.3.rłx*".łtr
.Vhat do you like about me?' Evi€ said'

.'!0ell. go on. Name som€thing''

.J doń'i know. l |ile tbe way}or.r listen to people. Is thar

[*łąt1:r*ffi'.il-
enou8h?'
'No.' said Evie.
.Look. I lil(e you. I wanl to get manied. I fe€l likc ńings
arc iust peterinq'out a|l around me and I want to B€r married
o someóne t lite and ba'e me a houx and c}:azg:.Make a
óanBe. lsn't ńat e ou8h? Donl you want !o chan8e your
life around sorne?'
Evie hcld ńe crrshion clocer to het and bt€ań€d in its
,T,l.,tli
.ixl.*:Tillff
musty smell.Then she lifted a held and ran on€ fingff across
her forehead' ttgcing ńe n.Eow rid8eśof ńe sce.ś'which Evie didn\ answer'

-łflitĘiŁffi*ffi
.Evi€ ? '
alwavs felt p|easantlycrinkled. ln the oppositc house,ńe |r'sr
:T'ffi'łii"Ti.,?ldll*.
,i,'"l*ii' r,*ai""y.
r,"a.'"a"

ffi*ł6['.t
of ńi lighó *ent our. Peop|esl€ p r 6ń']ly in hot, rumpled
beds houowed ro fir lheir shap€s, in housesńey had g.ow!
uD and clo$m o|d in. B$id€ h€ r , Drum shifr€ d in the swing.
fie waswaitincfor heranswer,whichwouldbe yes,butonlv
alter slre had ńken her tim€ over it. Thing' mov€d too fast.
Sbe had wanted a coumhip, with double dates and dances
and matóinq shins' bur all she got was threeminutesof

llłtrłll*ł*;ł****
starinr at sl&ping housesbeforesbe said, 'Oh' well. Vhv
nott';d Druin s|idov€ r to kiss her wiń cool blank lips.

r r"l:n:li.;ł:6'm**x*r
lln.llił!
*:{"
mi'*ł*,*lr*i. t'"."-rł
tll.*lt""*
93
9f
 afterall. she feltso celtainof it ńat shedescended .h€ srairs
blank.{aced' shutagainst€ v erythin& and whenshesaw him
loun8in8 in th€ |iving room doorway she failed to smil€.
Bur all D.um said was. 'Could vou 6x somebreakfasr?'
'All right,'she said.
She fried eggsand bacon while he leanedon the srove and
watched.The shut feelin8 was sdll with her, causing a bdŚk
competencewhich she had never had before. Eggs plopped
nearly into the frying pan, and she laid down srrips of bacon
in exactlyparallellines.Th€ n Drum said' .No bhcuitst'
.You'll have to do withoui'' sh€
to|d him. .I don1 know
how to mak€ thern.:
'Can1 you get Clotelia to show you? Bfeakfasr is not
breakfastwithour no biscuits.'
.clotelia isn'rh€ r € today''
.l mean later. For
rbe fuiure. I'm us€d to havine biscuits
ev€ r y momin8''
'Oh. Later.'Evie,said.She ler out a long breathand laid
the spatula on the stove top. 'Well, sure, I guessso.'
'ThaCsrhegirl.' Drum sa;d.
Shele{thim to eat his breakfastalone while she fried nore
€ggs for hels€lf' she had rumed hun8ry sudd€nly. while
eggspopped and spunered in the frying pan, Drum fnished 'he
€v€rything on his plale, Śopping it up with slice aft€. slice of
wbit€ bread. .l've got the Jeep tomorrow,' he said wiń his
mouthtull.
'You do?'
'David's lending ir .o tne. I asked him this morninS, Ve
can driveto SouthCarolinaand be baĆkin timefor suDDer.'
'SotLh Cafohna?'
Drum look€d up frotn his plate. .\'hacs the matt€r?' h€
said. 'Did you forgor all abo$ it? Last nighr you said you
would run off wió ne. I was countins on it.'
.But SouthCarolina.I can\ go
theró.'
.v€il, Di on, you m€an. vhere
everybodygoeswLen they
hav€ to germarried,al| ńe rash goes.You expectme ro run
'Vell. sure.'said D.um.
'No, we have to go somewhereelse.'
94
.But ther€ ain't nowhete else. Dillon's ńe only place you
don,thaveo wait for ńree days.'
'I'm sorry,I iust can't help ir,' said Evie. Vhich was exactlv
what she meantishe had had no ideańat shewas 8oin8to
obiectto Dil|on. vords poppcd forń r€ t dy-mad€ ' srrung
.l
rroń her moulh likc comic.sdD bauoons. would rańer
wait fo! the licence,€ven. Anytling. Do you think I want to
go aroundrheresrof my |if€ wiń a souń c6ro|inamarriaB€
&nińc.łre?oh, you iust haveno rcspc.r,Drum casey.'
'!qe . mv L,ord.' said Drurn.
.Besijes,'we'd have to lie about my ag€ anyway. Even in
Dillon. l{/e mińt as w€Il do it in Tar city, ot Raleigh.'
.ve'd hav€ ó te mol" in Tar city,' said Drunl .l would
be underagetoo, if we wenrrhere.'
.l do!1 car€ ' ,
.They'd ask for proof. Then vgherewould we b€?'
'I donl care.'
She waited to ste what sbe would say n€xt' but norhing
more came. And ńere sat DrufIL Bppin8 a cigaretrca8ainst
his thumbnailover and over unril rhercbaccohłd s€ r tled a
Poodeishthof an incb,but sti]lhe didn.!light it. H€ wou|d
.All right.ńen. stay-home.Die an
be framinga way ro say,
old maid.;He was ioinedto her by a pjec€ of elasticwhich
she had strctchedtoo fat. With Drum, even an inch was.I'm too
far. .I know what you mu* be thinking,' shć told him.
sorry,l rcally meantńat. But cant you 8o alon8 wiń me
ńis once?I.ll nevetask you again..
.oh. we|l. shoot,' said Drum. Then h€ ńna|ly struck a
match' but het father's car was iust driving up. !{€ had to
leavc bv thc be.k door, hunching his shouldersand cupping
th€ mató name as h€ went.
.Evie.'her fańer said,.why do I sme|lsmokel'
.Ve|l, I.vetakenup cigareftes'' Evi€ said.'
.l ńou8ht so. so you are straighdorwardabour it'
Jusi
then. I koów yorrnepeop|ehave to rry th€se ńings.'
.All rińt.'Evie said'
.I wałoulg myselfonce,'said her father'
It was Violet who helxd mosi with the affangements.('tlop_
.Evie. Aren} you e',(ót€dł oĘ and here
she had said.
'''8t'
9S
 I thought tbis Drun business was all in your h€ad.') she
invesrigatcd marriage laws, arranged for the blood tess,-
chauf{eureddren to the doclor in h€r mothe!'s convertible.
.As fal as thć licence .lie. Don1 bother puuing
8oes,'she said,
out phony documens and suó, lie throughyour &eth. You'd
be amazed how much you can get away with.' she drov€
Evie to Tar ciry to apply for rhe licence, and Evi€ lied and
no onc questioned h€r. AlI the way home Viol€t sang .o
Prctnise Me,' causing people ro slow down and stare as they
passed. Planning things se€med !o tum violet largef and
more brighdy coloured.Sh€ took up over half of the car s€at,
and every time she thought of how rhey had fooled the clerk
she laugh€d her lazy rió lau8h. Meanwhile Evie sat in rhe
comer wió her hands betw€en her kn€es. sh€ oictured Tar
Ciry Policemenswoopingdown on ńem to hanj a summons
through the window for pffiury, or the clerk having second
thoughts,and al€rting all ministen and J.P.'s, or ber father
coming out fmnt to point at vol€t's car and say, .That's TaJ
City dust on those wheels. whet hav€ you b€en up to in Tar
cityl' But th€ ride hom€ was smooth and quick, and when
. she went in clot€lia did!'t even look up from the t€l€vision.
They had to wait three days after tłrcy applied for the
licence.Duriry that whole time it rained, breakjn8 the h€at
wave and puuing thc town from its stupor. Evi€ kept ńndĘ
Drum on ń€ back doolstep, under ńe eaves,huddled into
David's windbreakerto keep warm. sh€ him in when'
everherfatherwasnlarourrĄ but onceńey 'ulled
weresitringside
by sideńey had almostnothingto say to € a ch other.Drum
discussed houses. H€ had h€ald of a cheap on€ fo| renr,
M€nry.iour do|larsa month.lvhen he hed ńnish€d with lhaq
Evie went over and over the d€rails of apPlying for ń€ licence,
as if that w€r€ the one solid link ńat would hold them
to8€ther till Thu$day. .The clerk sai4 ..Da.e of birrh?'' l
had it all worked out befolehand,but still I lhought I would
slip. Vhere I did slip was your nane. "Drum Casey," I
said. ..No' Befuam.''I must havesoundedhalf-wiB€ d , noi
knowin8 the n.me of my' of rh€ boy.'
'l reckonBo,'said Drum.
They were qui€t for a minure. He was beside her on th€
96
couch, on€ arm drapcd across her shoulders and his hand
danslinsfree.
'Thevwantedm bow vour morher'smaidenname' said
Evi€ . .Did I tell you that? I nade one up. I|vhat$,as your
norher\ maidenname?'
'I don't know. Park€ r .'
'l forxet what I told them Maybe Parker' after all
Vouldn't that be funnv? lhad to think even folrzy tnother's
maiden name, which shows you how flust€rcd 1 1vas.Eve
Abbott: my own ń$t two nane$. lt $ould hav€ becn on the
.when'clońia
was farenouBhawayDrumwouldpu|lEvie
clos€ r . choosin8th€ 6rsr pausein her speśch' Evie bad been
wait|nsto be kissedfor years.she had r€ h € a rsed it in her
ńind. 66t with sommnefacelessana rhenwirh Drum' who
Lookedas if he would know all abour iti but now sh€ didn't
ńink it was what it had been built up to be. They stayed
Dr€ s sedtoqerherberw€ € n kjsse!,lookin8outover€ 3 ch'other.s
iboul&rc likednvercmeetinBonoPpos,relanesof a hishwav.
Drurn smelled like tobacco and malicolds and the flatt€ned
Doró cushions. whi.h had turned mustier ńan ever now
ńat ńe rain was here'
On Thursdav.ihe Eot up earlvand put on a wbire eveler
dressthat she'hadsavedfiom iunior'ńish gladuation.The
<eamshad greyedand it was a litde right.but she had ser
herheanon white'Śhe 6lledhe. pursewilh abso]u'enec€ s sr
ti€s, in case her fańer told her nevef to darken his door
again:mak€ " up' rwo diaries.a|l rh€ leftersrec€ i ved sin(f,6fth
crade.a ohońcraoh oi h€ r par€ n ś taken beforcshe was
[orn. ani a s;lfoid conrainingrwenry+ighrdollars.rhen
she tiDto€d our of rhe house. H€r farher was still dr€ssing.
lust ai she reachedthe stairs shć heard hin slam a drawćr
and say, ,oh, drat.' h surpris€d her that sb€ could do som*
thinc so mońentouswithouthis sensingit.
she set out for a corner ha|fuay b€tw€en h€r house and
violet's, where Drum and David were going to pick rheń
uo.{.IfVio|€ i scomin*rhenso is David,.Drum aint
'aid..I
soine ro be oumumŃred.- as if ihis were some son of
io"ńr, girls a8ainsrboys.)The rain had stopped,but the
streeB srill elistenedand ńe lawns were a dark, shiny 8r€en.
97
 acro5srhe pave-
sheedqedpuddl€ s noi y€ r dried by ńesun andhopp€ d across
nowinó cuiten. feelinq|ikeą śrarin ln old movi€ wiń her #'Łi*ll:lit1te.tii:t'il...ł:il,łT:il:
leo our o{ sisht.BarefoorchrldrenstrunS

hlgh h"eeis clackingsoimponanrlyand her tull skin swiding Evies hean'olrof rhnhml
..i.l"i|a .ii"ii!i' ir'ł orelsed
around her calves. on the corner wh€re ńey were to me€t'
viol€ t was alreadywaiting.sbe wor€ a pink nylon cocktail
dress.'l believe this is the rnost exciting dav of mv life" she
ll'i"Tt..'Tii.id'xłilih
*5"Jii::.ilfi hom€ , beanng|oao'oI
or drivinsthe P'roceries
called out. Evie hushedher. She was cenain someonewould
notic€ ńem andgueśs wharłas.happening' They waired6ve
minuteg'Evie staredvery hard in a direcńonaway frortt +*l.'"":ł***""',l."::f":.:,.:il:,.łiT ;.[l";
to see'
*"tihine enuiouslvunlil thev weretoo.nnv
whereth€ |eepwould be coming.lghen she heardit pu|l
behindh€ . ;sh; beglnsmi|ingwid€ t } andcouldnt srop.
in.' Davids!id' Ev'€ climbedinro theback' whereViol€ t was
up
.Hop
;#r"tJJiTt"',T'J"J'ffi 'fi
"J{i,;:'."":l'i:ii
He śmeal€ dtne
alreadys€ f tlilg h€ r self. she lookedsrejdily€ a s$ard śorhat
th€ smile would be taken for a squinr a8ainst th€ sunlight.
:#ji:t*, j i'['ir:.'i:łl
*T'" ir'.'i i"i'a.t'i.u. *ing a gl€ a sy clolh.
Tni;1, tm';':i][ ]i;i
Uo ftont Drum śatloungingin the cornerof her eye'one of
hi..feetrestinson ńe daihboard'He worea wbireshin wiń
his ieans and his hair was slicked down too n€ady. David f;rH']lr*':lln:;:l'::ff [.''".ff
waitto
l:J.i:ić.il:j"i]
seewhacuhappen
was-dressedrhe sarneas alwavs - a sigr of protest, it tumed i.i"r. ,l*.v,1'i'e l crnl
","'"*
,".ftiJs;" .ońer
out' He wasagalnśt rhewedd'ng.In All (h€ s € daysofplannin8 wrong''
nasgone said.
vio]et
to ask bow David f€ k , and it rook *', hadchanged
.r'*ii'.i .""'' .r'".'n* fór by ńen ń€ light
Evie had nevór thoLrP'hr
.Au right' he.e w€
her a minute to unde-rstandwhen h€ sai4 "aa"a.
go' But ir's againsr my betr€r judgtnenr'I just want you to
-i..ff l:rj"'j''.,ilŁ "J."Irehead
ingfor.Drumi ingi
wedd
'You alreadvsaid rhat.'Drum told him.
l;i"txJxil"L:ililł:łlT":i:iil.l'j;l*
lfii:*llrur::n'i*T::'le"':il""$
'He did?' Eiie said. Shesar forward and looked at the back
of David's neck. 'Said whari He thinks we shouldn't be
qerdnsmarried)'
- .Dńn .Thereis Śom€ t hjn8 roo
::"{,il'
rińt l do'' said David. Non.
l'"iirJ.
T*l n.',i,'I;;""'* ori.,..."a
h'lf-baked ;bout this deal. And besides Herc I am His fits'"nv*"v'
""r like her
j:.r*.;*:mf'"J.'1jJ*
slowins.down,in
ff::i#
to know what.sgood for hirn? rri"'#
manaser'Ar€ n 1 l suppośed "pi.i'"e "p 'nd
Careei*ise'maniageń suic'd€ . Look at the Beat|es'.
Ł*il* l[.T.
*:l;.n:r':';!'#;
./ still lik€ the B€ades.' Violet said.
'But you don\ swoonawaywhenyou hearthem'now.do
:Ęil*::'ll*ł*lj:rs; l:
you?'
.I n€ v er di4' violer said.
That endedthe conversation.For rhe r€sr of the ride €very. :.'h*.:*'"*[*ill*:ru ńi:'el
xl'i.l,#:.
out.Ńe.ll palA ro rhe weddlnq..
one sat in his own corner' staring out at th€ s€en€ry. Evie's
smile had faded. she waróed tobacco barns zip by' each
..il'.* *t.; "''
slandingout baJeand |onelyalon8rh€ f|arhighway'Men in
ńline ńrions tumedrheirb|ankfacess|owlyto fouow th€ ""v.i"!i, i" t.""ar. -"*lt,,,,tttt*l:*.'
,ien ve arewalkrng'
three
99
98
 .Go ahead.' David said. .But let me tell you on€ rhin& far 'Methodist" Evie said'

ł:,.TiT:1l*ł:!T':!iJiff
girl. l didn\ |ikeyou rhemom€ n t I set€ y es on you.oĘanis€ '
organise,I know you like a book. !0hy donl you gct some-
!$j.*i1iłi#$f
ilg*t!**t$
thing of your orlz to organise?' He stopped the car with a
(cet out, all
iolt and reachedaooss Drum to open th€ door.
ihat wants to. You won't hurt mife€lings a bh.'
.Fine,'violet said. .Pick us up al th€ n€ a lest
J.P.' in an

'Minister,' Evie told her. 'And anyway-'

.Minister' then. I don'r cal€. Yotr
iusr go hav€ yourself a
b€ e r' David Elliott.'
.vhat?' śaidDrum. He had beenwatchin8ped€ s tfiansall
ńis tim€, not apPearingro list€n, but now he turn€d halfuay
.M'fi,?'' what's ńar
in his sea. and rais€d his dark glals€s.
fof? what's wrongwiń J.P.?'
.v€[, nothing,' said Evie .only I was always hopin8;well'
I was counting on a minisrer. Also e church.'
Violet nodded.
'lthat ne..t' David said.
'ThinSs are getting out of hand here,' said Drum. 'I had
ncver looked for all rźis.'
'Vell, now's the timeto back out' David rold him'.w€'re
violer said, .will you iust ń'.,,) Evi€' climb out.
walkins.'
.No. wait.' Evi€ said.
'Do you wana him to ruiD your weddin8i'
'k'll be ruinedfor sureif yor walk.' said Drum. 'Becaus.
I ain't coming.'
'Wait,' Elie said.
Time slowed to its regular pac€. Ev€ryone husb€d and

'Nobody walks,' she told them. 'l plan ro have a norrnal,

ordinary wedding;with wim€sses who ar€n't called in ofl the
stte€t. No fighting.No disapproving.!g€ ale going to do this
one rhins the wav ir ouńt to be done,and afteruardswe
will hav; bor € ; fwin€ i o Now, is thattoo muó
Cf,lebrate.

'vell -' said violer.

'All right. Shur rhe door.' Drum said. 'Looks like we got
to 6fld us a miniŚte!.'
101
100

E .r l _ _--
 heaskedDrum'
'Areyoutherocksinger?'
.cas€ y .'

TY :i-iiiiil.', understand.t was soins to takeher to a

plasticsurgeoqnoneof this wasnecessary'
'Sir?'
Jil|Ę."':lTl''i]i.*'.-*"'
'gl.B:."-.L'':',:f
j*:ł:liTJlxlT:*il:".l;:{
".jirj:,:.iil;i
FoR TVENTY'For'R DolL^Ps a month th€y f€nted a tarpap€r
shack on the outskirs of Pulqua. A selies of tenanr falmers
had once liv€d therc' Toba€co ńelds Ńr€tched away fuom it :*lłii;:*rli;\* Inr*
Elie wil|
T"l*l,:"ł::1'l
showyou.
ąil;hj. y." **iń.n.
on all sidcs, and the gravel road in front was rrav€lled by
ba'efoot childfen and mul€ wagons. Evie thought it was a
lj::f
'Thankvou,sir, Drumsa'd
^ j#:
's*...;*.J*iłi
wonderful place to start out in. Th€ tenantfafmers had b€en
too poor to leave evm a strip of carpeting o! a on€'eared ,.::"T:{:xłf,'.',.fi j""'".u"l
sugai bowlt the housewas blanll waitingfor Evi€ rc make
#":i.*;*Ę;Ęt*;:li,:::u:i:u
hć. ńer|.. Nothins shecou|ddo would hU ir
she P]astered ń; Paperywalls with posrersadvenisingthe
Unicorn.shć spen!€ i sht€ e n do|larsat th€ dimeśtore'
€ n te.ing
the amounrcaiefullyin a budgetbook. and luggedhom. tea
łłl*ptlriĘ'"r"*H.tjf
.f".*:
towels and cutlerv and a set of dishes ńe bluish colour of
ski'n nilk. Their furnirur€ came from Evie's {ath€1s house. '".ł.?.l]il;:1i."'.,,,,"l11T:'*.:l::fl
.ti was you a|ways1
ji*;Hi;,ffł
rcll
Thev had rtoved it in a U-tŁul.It the aft€moon of the wed. rrying to lbak€ him.
ding, becaus€ rhey couldn,t aflord a ni8ht in a mor€l. aDgreciak her' he saro'
iwEll- I didn't mean m4'ry her'
First het fath€r said' .Married?, Then he sat down on tbe
porch steps and said, .Marti€d. I don't bólieve it'' He was .fi;nł:::":u: J:'Til:ń
n.;i i:li:;:"jJli;."
ilumoedand hollow.fłced'exposedbeforeDrum and David
and Vrobt, whom Evie had Broughr,witbour thinking,up
n:l"1 *jĘnt.lł::l;l;]ł[l]'i1?f:iil;?i:J
i"."1
rbe fJont walk with her. Th€y stood in a semicircle alound
him and frowned at the gound.
Evie asked 6nallv.
.Havc you ev€r ńet Drum?'
l[*iłi;l.';ll"::r i'"::;
s':#:ilfi]iTlr,::.ilł"
.No. I don'! beli€ve I hav€'' het father said. He fose and t'T#"".T;;l;",r.
t""o oneorDrum\riltrerowheaded
held his hand out, not quite looking into Drum's eyes. He "r
could hav€ thr€at€ned annulment, but he didn't. H€ didn't ,,ijlf*',:Ł:.,'u5:i Player
:liTi",":..ł:T.".% my
from
seemto have the energyto think it uP.
.And th's is David Elliort,'Evi€ told him. Yiolet you
Casev would be so
Brrt her father wasn't paying att€ntion. vho would have thought that Drum
103
102
homey? He wanted cushions for all ńe chairs and currains 'why are you t.lking like this) I rhougbtvou h'd ltafted
for the windows, a checkeredskirt for the stiltJeggedkitchen likinc
-li-i.ff Dr!m.'
sink and a frilly bibbed apron for Evie. Durin8 the tust *t'"' go look at vour father' You've broke his
thre€ days th€y were married h€ sp€nt his time instauing€an """
open€rs' roorhbrush holders' and towel rods. He dir€cted 'You nevercaredbeforehow he felt'
their settling in as if he had had in mind, for years, a blue .Nor don't now.' said clotelia, .but it kius me to se€ some.
print for a home of his own completeto the lasr detail. 'That bodv'sheartbroke.lvhen you goingto visit himt'
easy chair goes in the bedroom, fo! when I'm maldng up 'VJell,mavbein a daY or rwo.'
songs'No ńore lying afoundon a bed to play my guiar. .łIi..ińi.,i* g.. yl'', imponantńin8 is mix k
.iń vo.i' ńng..,' Ńo'i ao before 'ectp€ i
Brewsrer comes.You know
Th€ oth€f €hair 8oes in the corner of tb€ living room. v€
wlnt our furniturein comers.ve want to sit snugin cornerŚ he don\ like
..-sr'"i""".a ro see You here.
when we're horneof an evening.Do you know how ro make t"i..i*.r ńe door wiń flo'lry hands'Drum
**-r.l"i,i"" f.. U in David s Jeep.w'th a crowd of little
Evie paid a call on Clotelia, choosing night-time so that ;"; J";ń i" like mothsro touó .shoo ńe headligh$3nd run
sh€ could go to clotelia's own hous€ insteadof her fathe!'s. .}';ir ńnsers o"er ńe canvastop. now.- Drum (o|d
'lrell, look who's here,'said Clotelia, kicking open the screen drem. .Yóu get the recipe?'
door. .The girl with the peabfain' l dedar€.' 'I think so.' Evie said.
'I came m seehow to make baking-powderbisorits,' Evie H€ drov€ h€r home cafsfully, as if rhe fecipe wer€ some.
rhinepreciousand she the shetlńat he|dit.
'Ain't you got no cookbook?' ói.rved'ecday schoolbegaD' she wenl.ev€ n thouthDrum
.'
'You know a cookbook wouldn't do it dght. Drum has a ouun'r see the'ooinr. ńeverńnished.and l aiń\ sorr}.
special r€cip€ in mind.' eiiher,' he said.
'sure.Him andhis kind usebacondrippings,'said Cloalia. .Bur it's 9i1lyto quit my seniory€ a r.'
.NothingśPecial to l,al. oh. comeon in.' .All rińt. suit yourself..
She led Evie ńrough the darkened living room, whete an T'*e.was M.. Harrison to arguewiń too. He wa9 th€
so he had
old woman with powder-puff hait s.i noddiog on a vinyl o.i""ip.l, .ń* t.i."a of her fńcr's, bur.e'.n
couch. In the kitch€n' she sat' Evie on a step.stool decaled ili.iii"i " rut. m*ried studens 'we nake
"l-,.t'. .Esp€ c ially when their 8radesare
"sainrt
with panda bears. She whipped up a mound of crumbling exceDtions. ,ute'' he said.
dougt',mixinBit wirh quick.angryfingersand cuninBit out y.".i. s' *. if yóu, not if ńere s a lide one on
with a dlinking gtassbeforeEvie evenrealisedit was finisbed. 'ii.i.J ".
rheway, so to ,peak'
Meanwhile Evi€ stared a.ould h€r to se€ how oth€r p€op|€'s 'No. of coursenot" Ev;esaid'
kitch€nś werŚ kept. .vhat is that óina thing in yorrr stove?' .A;i il;; ... it would dep€ n d on your discrenon.'!Ve
she asked. havei tot of impressionable vounggirls here Knowingvou
ia.. it' ,".. v." .*ldn\ ralt about.weLI,bur still
.oh. I s€ e .' "' 'of coursenot. Evie said again'
.cost me 6ft€€n cents al a rumrnagesale'' Even if she did ralk, whar woutd she sav? Shehad ovetr
'vell, that'Ś rhćtrouble. Fifreencentshele, a quaner there r'."-.j.lr|.".i' .r'. gi.t':gym thanshehadyet łoundout w'th
you don'r kllow how they add up. f didn't know.'
- .should bi".l" *. o"p*i *aióom. Th€ i r lov*makingw'śsudden
hav€ thought of thar b€fore you got married.' andawkwaró,iomp|icatedby Piró darkanda rwsrednl8ht.
Cloteliasaid. ir'. *a,i, .r and blankets(hat Lvre kept
"".' "J 'heiri
104 105
.ov€fing hers€r with. Bcsides'ńer€ wefen't many P€ople she
could talk ,o. she arliv€d every morn;ngat the last minute'
havingcaughtaTrailwaysbusouton thehighwayandridden
it ro the drugstÓre teminal. In class' PeoPl€ sra.€d at he| and
were too polire. She didn't mird. Shehad known that gening
married worrld s€t her apalt. ńer€ was always Violet'
who ate at hef table in rhe caf.teria
^.d and walk€d h€r to ihe
drugstoreafter school. Violet was full of talk. Vitnessing a
werlding s€emed m have the sameeffecras being godmother
at a christening: shewas ploprietary'€ n thusiastic..Evie?Do
you cooł' just like ńar' every night wkhout a single lesson?
Does he like what yotr |eed him? }Łve you had your ńrst
quafrel? oh' I can1 wait till l,n ńalried. Nights when I
pass lighted housesI think, "All those people, so cozy with
som€one they belongto' and h€fe I am alon€.,' I think you}e
the luckiesi gid in the senior class.'
Coziness. that nust be what rh€ world was all about. Ir
was whar Molet wanted. and David. who sank onto ńei!
borrowedcouchandkickcdoffhis shoesandsai4'oh, man,
a placć all your own. l night get married nyself son€day.'
And most of allit was what DruJn wan&d, wheD he Ioll€d
over in bed to warch her dress and said, 'Ah, doz'r so to
school. Stay horne and make me pancakes.I'll do more for
you than any schoolhouse will.'
.But we'r€ g€tting ready for a test.'
.so whar} k's cold oulŚide. stay in the house where i's
And olten she did. more and rnorc as fall ser in tnd the
6elds were frosted over every morning. Drum worked very
litde now _ iust odd iobs at the A & P, and th€n rhe rwo
€venings at thc Unicorn. If sh€ sBy€d hom€ thćir days wer€
unsóeduled and almostmotionless'with greatblocks of dme
spent on manufactured tasks. Afternoons, Druń practised
his guitrr or made up songs. He lested new lyrics in a
mumble,almostinaudible''My gi's w.arin{pate,rtleather
rloes - ' No. 'My gil uears-'The guitar string!barely
tinkled. Ar fi$t Evie stayed in the orher room, thinking she
might get on his nerv€s' but eventuallyhe would crash down
on all the stringsat onceand say,'\(rhereare you) Vhat are
you doing out ,'aą .ome in and keeP me company.' Then
706
on rhe€ d ge of ńe bed,watchinghow rheslantof hls
'he 'athair fell overrheguiiar jusras il had rheńrel ntgh(5he
black
she worried that he would get tired of her. she sp€nt w€eks
feelinsshe bad to walk on tiptoeand checkevervthingfor
*upiłtv beforeshesaidit, sinceshehadneverirnagincdthat
Dft'm would ceftlequickly rntobeincmarrred.He would be
hald lo ltv€ with. {hi had thought.shĆhad se€ n his moody
silencesand the way he shruggedoff what peoplesa;d to
him. But he turnedout ro be the easiestpersonsbe knew.
All b€ wantedwas a wif€ . He at€ whatshe fedhin, k€ p t her
comDanywheo she washedrhe dishes,slePtwith one arm
ńrown icross her chest,and ros€ in th€ morning asking for
herbakine.po\i'der bixuits. Graduallyshestoppedtipto€ i tl8'
ShetaŃ aboutanythingthat cameto mind - a cassetole
R Tlre Ladies'Hone loumal or a new wav to stop runs in
stockines- and he keót cheerfullysi|enrand mendedchairc'
Theseńre tbeńingsihe wassapposedto u|k about.wear.
ing her bibbedapron. ryins a scari owr her pincurls..she
beeanto fe€ l as sureandas comlorrableJs any ofńe fearher.
Ireńr down hish.schoolcorridor,'
"'Aielrls floarinc
I saw was1 cat' slilłizg oz a /.ll.?,. Drum ca|ledout
'!łr'illhe be there tonigbt?'
'Yeah!'his audiencesaid.
'Wi l b. thercto/ti4ht?'
He wore black. He was cooland glitt€dn8. Evi€ sat smiling
be|ow him in a baggy bro\łT skifr and a sweaterńat lode
uP aroundher waist.
.M\ żi|l k dt a byfiIahs.
'ihit happmed to double fe,ris wheels?'
'Yeahl' theysaidagain.
she srill couldnl understand what lhar sp€ g kin8 our was
She harl to dam sock now instead of rhrowing them awav,
and she c|iooedlecip€ s for m€ a tl€ s s meaLśand carri€ d her
lunch to scióol in a brown Paper bJg. They n€ v € r Paid rhe
.butto get
lenton tjme..Thereis nońińg for lt'. saidDrum,
me a DarGIim€ iob. I wish now I hadnt {'|len out wtrh my
707
daddy. Punping 8as w.s not too cnioyablq but tl€ pey was
surc gooą a'd vher€ eb€ would they l.t E|Gwórk śu.h1006.
hourc?'
.Malc pe.ce with him' theĄ, Evi. s.id.
.I donl E'uch fcel lik€ it.'
.Vel' l dirlot say apologis..
Just g€t oń śpcakin8tetms.
!0e'|l have them to dinle! wirh my lath€r, settle all óis
family businas at onc sining.'
'Nah, it'd neverwork out' Drum said.
We could give h a try, though.'
She set óe dinner for thc second Sunday in Nov€nbe!.
That Fri&y in school she invited her father, choosinBone of
ńose rnomentswhen thev m* in the hall and stood awk.
warrlly *arching for somcńing to say. Thćn śhćtel€phońcd
Drum's mother from the drugstore. 'Thank you, but we'll
not troublc you by conting,' Mrs. cas.y saią .nd hung up.
Evie dialled again. The receiverwas lifted on the 6nt ring
.Mrs. casey, we \ń'crc.r2,','i'8 yo!'l Evie s!id. That was
thc only a4umcnt sltc could thint of' but it ś€eńed to bc
enough..oh' frel drcn'' Mrs. cas€y said, .I r€ckon w€ can
ńr ir in. I don.r be|ievein |enĘ people down.'
Evic ńxed a casscrolca full day ahead:tufu ńsh and cenned
peas.Early Sunrlaymorning sbe washedall the ash trays and
ń|rned ńern witb floor wax, rhe way Good Hoxśekbepi|.g
had told her to. She refusedm let Drum ure them after that;
he had to carry around a Mason jar lid. "This is geaing on
my nerves'' hc said. .can't you irtśt
But sh€ couldn't. Sbe wonied tbat 'ćł&?'
her lather rniót be
dismay€ d by the bouse,or that Mrs. caśeywodd łarr a
f!gh!. Au thesev'eeks ńc had bcen half cxpectingan amul
ment to come throuSh {e scroll of parchment,she pictured
it' starnpedwiń the statesea| Ess2ąuań uideti,, atrivin'
in a mailing tube to prove ńat ^nd,
she was noborly's wife after
all) and now she wonderedif Mls. Casey planned to bring it
in person.'Here. A linle housewarrninggift.' Sheremembered
€xactly th€ nowinB tone of Mrs. casey's voic., soft but puslt.
ing srcadily forward' and the rhyóm it set up wń ńe other
voicełEying to sulviv€ b.side it. Vhat if an argumentstarted
somehowbetw€€n Mrs. casey and Evie's fa.her) Her fath€r
would b€ be'ten to the ground. she strai8htEn.d the table
108
settingsne8óusly, stood back to squint at th€m, and then
srraińtenedthemaq'ain.
gi. fatherarrivcJfirst'!0hensheoDen€ d ńe doo. to him
he stood folded in his tbin ovęrcoatwith his hands in hh
pork€ ś . He ent€ r ed sroopin8.as if h€ werecomingto inspecr
.so th;s is whereyou
; child.s playhous€ . .well', he sard.
live.' Then he smiled and kissed her, looking at the floor'
'Do vou like it7' Evie askedhin.
'It's a liltle cold, isn'r it?'
'No, it's very confonable.'
'Vhat do you use for heatl'
.!v€ havea verYsood oil stove.There,s€ e ) over there.'
.oh, yes'.said Ler father.But h€ sti|ldidn1 look.
Then Drum\ par€ n B cahe, and Drum appearedfrom the
bedrmm bunoninghis shirt orfts. H€ slood sriu while his
rnothcrkissedhim ón one ch€ek. Mrs. cas€y wore a featheled
hat and a rayon dresswiń a &aped bosorn;Mr' Casey was
in a blue suit and whit€ sp€clatol shoes.He waśshafp-bon€d
and whiskery,with very round bri8ht ey€ s . Nolhing llke
Drun. Evie had ncverseenhim before,bur in\readof inEo-
ducinc them Mrs. cas€ y iusr tipped her bead toward him
and h-enoddedgravely.'we liki to gor lost,' l'4rs.Casev
slid,.well. l was po'd?|ing whatkind ofhous€ you a||had.
My' ir surelyis - I understlndyou r€ a ó. Mr' D€ c ker.'Th€
necktineof her dresspouchedoutwłrd'framinga v of slin
reddenedby the conirant pinchingmodon of her ńng€ r s.
card€ n ia perfum€ powder€ d th€ an aroundher:she caEi€ d
Ar dinnerthey all ourdid eachorher in complimenrsand
small courtesies.They circulated serving dishćs' spoon side
or:rwardlthey leapt to pagsrhe buttćrro whoeverask€ d
for it and they filGd sińnc€ s wilh hop€ f ul quesrions' LiLe
.Mr. Decker'
salesmen.thev over.usedćach orh.t's names.
have vo'r lived in Farinia all vou life?' 'Evie rells me vou run
a servic! station, M!. Casey.' 'Do you bowl' Mr. Decker?'
Melnwhile Evie watch€d anxiouŃ as her food disappeared
into peoPle,smouths' and Drum at€ in silence wirh his fac€
The only tensionwas over th€ conteBtto be b€st.behaved.
Evle\ fat}rerwon' H. łaid,'Evie' Drum, I'm g'vin8 you a
109
late wedding present. Vell norhing very fancy, but I'm .I b€liev€ ńat's all you can ńink about'' Evie s.id.
buyĘ myself a n€w.rr. Irould you like the vv?' 'Huh?'
.Boy. sute would,' Śaid Drum. .v€ gor th€ d€vil's own
'Vell. vou could at least have said thank vou Or lalked
time 8ettin8 an}'$'h€re.' to him more. Oh. I know that car' it smells woollv like his
'Thar's \dhatI rhought.I know that Evi€ isn\ do€sn,t kećp school suit and I will think about rhat every tim€ l g€i in it.
a p€tf€c! atteldancc r€cold th€s€ d.ys. Not thet it's any of couldn\ vou iust telLhim you appr€ c iatedit),
my business,but I ńgureda car mighrhe|p., 'Nothingwiong with a woolly smell.'saidDrum .
fiank you, Daddy, Evie said. The aftemoonwas roo .No.' Evle sa;dl$'ing up. so whenhe suddenlytighr€ n ed
perilous to bother arguing about her attendancerecord. Her arrnsaround
hiss; arms
arrns pullingber
her' pulling
aroundher
her' c|ose'it cam€
h€ r dose, aśa surpris€
cameas surpf's€..
fath€r sat wilh his ńngefstog€th€r, the tip of bis bose whircn- .Don't fret, I'm her€,' h€ said.
ing .3 it .lwaF did under the sEain. MJs. cas€y was pl€arin8 n"no* t'i' sl'in r"tt t'is r;b cage,thin andwarm,and
thc V of skin again. sh€ heardth€ steady"tbeating of his heart.
.rnrd knows we don1 have €xtra .ars to hand ou6' she
said' .or anything lik€ thsti we're only simple folk. But your
daddy here was thinking you might want your old iob bacĘ
Bertram. Plenry \łould give rhćir right arms for ńst iob.'
'Vell, I could use it, I reckon,' Drum said. 'Sure.'
Th€ ńr€e par€nts sat side by side, kceping thei. backs very
strai8ht',as if the couch wer€ someńing breakable.
At three o'dock they left' Mrs. cas€y said, .:w€ll, I Śu-rśly
did - obed' whete is rny purs€) NoĘ don't be a st.a'8er,
B.rtfań. You come by wheneveryou like - even if you iust
gptloneśome, or hungry for a snack.Thank you for the sweet
lunch, Evie.'
Loyed it, said Mr. Casey.
Evie's father carefully button€d all ńc buttons of hi6 coat.
He kissed Evie on the cheek and shook Drum's hand. 'Mv
car will be comingnexr! ednesday,'be said.'Thurs.dayl'U
give you the keys to the \^W.Wont you come by and see
.oh' of course'' said Evie. .It,s
iust that ńese last few
w€eks hav€ been śobusy. G€tting s€trl€d and all.'
'You could comefor suppersomenight. !{ri you do that?'
'Of course.' Evie said.
sh€ stood b€side Dlum in the doorway, shivering slighĄ'
watching the two cars gr6w sinaller. 'Now,' Dfum said. 'h's
ov€r and don€ with.'
Shc nodded.
'And hot dog, wc gor us a car. Ain't rhat something) I
always did lik€ stick-shifts.'

110 t1t
 was a full house tonight and ht almost ChrisEnaśand now
Zack heredecid€ s he\ losin8mon€ y .'
.No% Drum' ifI could s€ e my way clćaryou ł'o',I'd -'
Zack said. He looked fatter rhan ever and v€ry sad' whh
.spring'
sw€at nrnning dow! th€ sides of his face like tears.
of course' we could see about having you for both nightś
again. h all goes by searots, dont you see'
.He's right'' said
Jos€Ph.
'Yor can talk,'Drum told him.'How would you feel to
getcut back wirhoutńo waming?'
THEN oN! SATURDAYat th€ th€ Unicoru, Drum got into an .suf€ . I know how -'
ar8umćot.Not a fist ff8ht,this rłnej iust a shouling quarrel. .Ah' forgćtit'' Drum sa'd..wher€ ' s my coat?'
It was
wasalmosr
almosr midDiShr.
nidli8ht. Evie
Evie was
waŚ splininga bunFour matcn .]t's ńght b€hind yod'' Evie sa'd.
into t|ny
ńto riny sl'vers
s]iversoi paPerswhile
of paPers while she
she waited
wairedtor
for the
the ev€
ev€nnin8
in8 But Drum went on stamping tbrough the room, shoving
ro end' and tłreaowd had rhinned enouch so ńat she hearó óairs asideand looking und€I in9tfumentcases.lgh€n finally
cl€arly when Dlum's voic€ rose in the bick room. .The bcll he found rhe coat he said, .Anothef ńing. You can forget
you say.Vhar are you tryingro pull, Zackl' Shelookedup. satuIdayŚtoo, from now on.I ain'rcomin8backher€ . You,ll
6rsr rcward ńe back room-and'ó€ n at ńe peopleshari;g have to ger along without me.'
her table - three_couple_s,talking softty ovir empty beer 'Now, Drum, wait,' said David.
mu8s' s€PaJated frorn
mugs' trom other
oth€r coup|es by a iungle
iunq]eo}of vacant 'Do you want a ride or don't you?'
óairs.
chairs.Non€
None oI ńcm paid
of tbcm pald any atientioil. .Ah, don.rgive
artenrjon..ih' me He pushed his way out of thć room, right past Evie' and
Drum s.id' Evie roseand pushedthroughtbe"óairs David looked a! the ońers for a minute and then shrugged
''a',' behindrhe band Plańorm.when słrereachedrhe back
And and followed him. Evie had lo run to cató up with th€m'
rooń she squinted in through layers oI smoke. There was
outside' ńe air was crackling wkh a sharp dry cold that
Drum' facingrhe proprietorand ho|dinghis guitar by ńe rnadeher ears tightea. She srumbled after Drum and David,
n€ c Ł David ,tood besid€ him. .. ' ' to b€ sen9ibleaboutthis,
struggtinginto her coat on ńe way. Their car was haloed
Drum', h€ was saying.N€ a r€ s r Evie w€ r € |os€ p h Ba|lewand
with f!oŚt. ]while Drum unlocked the door Evi€ shifted from
player. .I don\ see ,/osepbgening rreared so
J*ę.h:\ bass on€ foot to th€ other to keep warrn, but Drum didn,t look
.Jos€ p hi oU l€ a d .You cold at all. He pulled the key out of ńe bandle and then just
. P|ayer,.rhe proPr;€ t or rold him. stood th€r€ a minute' starin8 out over thc icy roofs of other
.Hav€ you got can. 'Hop in,' David told Evie. 'kt tne sit up f.ont. I'll talk
some method to tell who draws il what
to him.'
Peopl€ ? No. Ąu you got is -'
'Look. Drum, you ll snll play on Sarurday.Bur Fridayi Evie oeróed on rh€ edse of rh€ narrow back sear.one
faceiq ńe.e ain.tall rhatbig a crowdnowaja}s.You wanr kneeresrcdagainstDrum,sguŃar,which had k€ p r som€ of
ń€ warmń from th€ Unicorn. lghil€ Drum was ba€king out
.vĄat's going .Dann
on)' Evie alked. bo one spok€' but thćn on the hi8hway Drum said,
They |ooted at her and then tufi€d away agam, fat fool.'
ans-lr,erirg.Finally David sai4 'Zack was iust sayinghow - 'He's iust bavingto look out for his business,' David said.
.I been cut back ..what' over christmas? school,s letting ou!, the
to one night a week,, caid Druń. .There Plac€'ll b€

172 111
 stlaighF
iammed.)\nd how about J6€ph, now? How do€s he 8.t to He walchcd Evi€ while she moved aIound ńe room
i.ia"a li, andlaidfh.ń in a óAir' sh€
.zack told you. , -l.. 'o'it'.
J"r""ii". i..i;.-.t "|ońes
nrshrsown andthen brrore
Jos€Ph is th. - .who "r drawćh 'srcod
she rooK
.Ąll riń! all right. The l€ad Player. don't €ven have a miimr to curl her hair. From one of her
pnned be' bangs bacfi rhe] would
e śc!3cof rh}.rhm.l t€ll you, we'r€ w€ll out of that place. I ii."t" t"*"*
iJ* i.i" *l""a "Jthai *ay' sh€ PlanDed to l€ a ve herfore.
Got to ńnd us somethin8l'i"l, now.'
..\pe wher€, Drum} Do you think
, }ou caa pick up a new ili;;;;. il;i"c d.um a'id'rl theresrorthe*orld
job iuśtby Enappin8your f$8prs! l ś!D'teven 6nd uśpfivate what hismusicwaswofthro h€ r .
"'łii;"Ń;;"' .l
panies nowadays, and here it is chtistmas time and I h{v€ alout saturdays,, Drumtotdher' ain\
*i"* ioJ"*. rnvmindiI m;anri! l don\ wantapp'ecr- ro plav
s€nt ads all ov€t town.' go where l-m not
.som€ ń ing will tur! uP.' ir'*J"tall anv whv should I
.Nothing will tuń up. Tomorrow I'tn c.lliĘ zack. l'll tc[ like to 6nd m€ som€ l hing new' swltcnovtr'
aied?l would -ore.
Ńo*, you goingto with David and starrbeanngE'e
him we'll be th€.€ next satuday same as usual. You w€fe ".e "de
iust a mite put out, I'll tell him. lle'll understand.' down .bout ńis?'
.No. he won! becauścl ain't showin8. Me and Evi€ ar€ .You know l wouldn't,' Ević said.
.well. l was iust wond€ r ing''
*oinq to thc movi€ s ..
- .suit yours€ u ,
ńen'. David said.And h€ was quietfor rhe ti" i"', *"-"i"" i"ttvg|"ss'onthewindowstll.and by th€
rest of óe ride, alrhoughhe whisded under his breań. ome Evie had out ńe |ighrsout h€ was asleep'
vhen ńey dropped David off at his hous€' Drum i€rked 1""i;;j;;'IJ;*"6. iong aftł shehad gońero bed.she
watchin8how ńe cold moon.
his óin toward the hont Śeat. .corn€ up he!€ and sir'' he r"' ." t'.iu"ł,
Tharhadb€ € n the|ast
ii.ir,i]..".a o. "iłr .r.r'€ i€ l ly glass.
-a "6ll,
said.
ri'i'"
ii,r'Ji",ji,-.-u.'i. one**rendwhen
*". ."cirrei'-purct'ase
'\vhat for?' " the bordehad
for'two months
.cońć tslŁto me.' ;iJ'il"i;;; ;.;"''
"nd stkĘ and.6ng€ r prinred.
She looked at his face in ńe r€ar view mi[ot. h was pale ;i".i; k;;"h""*p6.*d growin8 Now ttow
l."Ji-a.*" .*ł *a miasured ourcarefu|ly'
and shadowed.Ard after she bad settledherself beside hin mor€ ? Their money
he said,'I madea fool out of myselt didn'tIi' ni'-I"""ia ii u" lieforetbey bought
her€ ! 6fteen.ń€ r € . som€ ' 'mes
'Oh. no.' cańe in dńbblcs- 6vedollarŚ A sweat€ r .'or
ili"r"'iń r'* r".r'* \aid..This is for
'Scems like I atn iust Soing through one of those low -ho maLingh too explicitfor Evie
pedods. Last Christmas we played at three differeni panies; i".'i""l.. .i." Ń t'"t.do'
i" .-ui*i'l**gt' spentir on wh.! be śugg€ s t€ d .
this Christmas they lorgot all about us.' 'l" "*er ir wasn\enoughfor a
.Mayb€ you need mofe publicity'' Evie sAid. Vr,lt'it Jrnua ti.v L.pt in billfoldsr
.I don'r see bow I can iiiir ii;;ń'a
i".'ii. .fu".. , so thar
;"t in dribb]€ s too, th€ dime.
8.' anymore. oh, pr€try soon he .Moftgage''
;; b;k *irh ks headingś -
wiu ńte m€ for Saturrlaystoo, I can fe€l it coming. I wil| .ń".""*.r ł,-ę-*.ion. to rhelr
haveto play at rhosefreethingshe has on Sundayafternoons, - seemedunrelated
li*i T.},*soenth.on cigarett€s or r€cords, or on r can of
everybodydrinking coffc€. That's how low I'll come to.' he wanbd rc try
.You
iusi need a 8ood night's sleep,'Evi€ told him'
.Things iniłokeiearts whiclroru$ said sahin€s
wil| look differentii ńe morning.' il".r",.ir'" j"a. vt'." *"y wefepoor€st th€y atesta|e
j.'"a'rins' reduc€ dfor q'lick,ale.They
'ubt.once
.oh' sur€' I k'ow.' iij.'"-r'."i. r'
;fiffiil.-";ilil; dugberwe€nsofa cushions. And
Vhen they got home' he pulled off his shirt and i€ans aod
thenclimb€ d into b€ d with a jellyglass.halffull of bourbon. iń the € n d. more rnoney-d
alwayśdribbtćd ln a8eln.

114 115
 But now their only income would be fron the A & P and juie can some cbild had paintśdfof her' .vhy' Evie,' Miss
thc ńlling sation. It wasn't much. r she didn't want Drum Simmonssaid.'How nice to seeyou.'
pumPiĘ ga3 a day Śhc woulrl have to ńnd a job' and she .I only came by for a minute,' Evic said' she shift€d the
even Ln.w wher€: st th€ public library. Her father had told heap of books she held aSainsther chest.
..!0asrhereŚomething1 could h.lp you withl'
het about a position rhere, intending it for Drun. (Mof€y
.oh. m. rŁe[. I was curious'is al\ ny fańer saidyou had
was someńing her farhel worded about. Money and bal.
anc€d diets.) But how would Drum evet endule a libraryl '.Tha;'s
He would sit behind a circdation desk in spurred boots and rińr, Naomit iob. she gor naffied' I hated to lose
a black denim iackct, sinking lower every tine be jabberl a her.Are vou interested?'
.rwdl. l dont know. There'g my, Drum' h€ doesnt _ but
rubber stamp againsr an ink pad, Ir would have to be Evie
who did it' altefioons when school was ou!. sh€ even it soundedlike somethinqI'd like.'
.h's after school hours, you know. No problem th€r€.'
óought 3b€ might lik€ it. she picnrredherselfin a blue smock, .Y€s. I know. but . '
ca|mlnd comp€ t enr' 8oing ńrough a 5€ r of crisp motions
wirh caraloguedrawers. vhcn she nnally slęt she dreamed 'Dollar and a half an hour.'
.vould it tak€ up any ev€nings?'
she walłed up to ńe Unicom.s band plafform lYith a srad
.Ev€ n in& no. we'r€ not oPen even;n8.Thre€ ro six ev€ r y
of hiŚtorical romanc€s. and onc by on€ sbe laid thern in
Drq$'s lap. 'Thank you,' said Drum, strummin8his guitar. aft€ m oonl you.d be home in tirne for supper.Vont you
.It's what I always .wani€d.' ńink abourit? rd love ro havesomeonel knew.'
Bui in the moming D.um tumed our to be againstthe idea, Miss Simmonshad a wide, lopsided smil€ that changedth€
He hcad it with his ey€s on Śomething far above th€ bed, shapeofherface,makinsherlook youngandhopefulrwhen
his face smooth .nd bl.nk and pati€nt. Th€n at her first shesmiledEvie said,'Oh well, all right.I rhtnk I'd lil(em.'
pausehe said, 'No.' withou..ven D|lnningit' DrUft was ;n som€ far unli8hred
.Bui don't you se€?' Evi€ asked..lt works out so well. You omł or herńlnd. shi wouldn.tthink abouthim unti|lar€ r .
would nev€l bc pEŚs€d into doin8 som€ iob you hated; you she followed Mi$9 simmons into the workroom b€hind the
would know vou had me to fal back on.' deslq still carrying her books, listening caretullv while the
.Could
'I don'r like it' said Drun. iob was exp|aineóto her. }ou sran roday)' Miss
'Vell, Drum, I never.tue you onc of thosepmple rbar simmonsaśked''Th€ r € are a ńese cards piled up. oh. I
doesn'rlik€ workine wives?' hopeyou like ir. some p€ o ple getth€ ńd8et3in libraries.lt.s
'No. Vell, no, oicourse not. Bur it woulda't look good- ńe importanceof detai|slhat both€ r s rhem..-
leople will say I must have got cut back at rhe Unicom.' But io Evie. imponance oI derails stemed pcaceful and
.You hav€,' Evie wsntcd to say, bur high stool in th€ workoom'
settledherself on e hi8h
Llioc' She settled
lulliog,
she didn't. sh€ had
read in Fa,,,ib cncle abont how wives nc€ded tact at tim€s with in electdc heaterwarming hir cold stockingedfe* and
likc this. a mus of cocoa at her €lbow. For three solid houts she
on Mondey eftemoon, she Pass€d ńe liblary twice v€ry alphabetisedLibrary of Con8r€ss cards and stackedth€m in
slowly and then mad€ up h€r rniJd and wa|k.d in. Al1 3he |bboti An.on'
neat liftle Dil€s. Abboti AnJon, Ard€
Arden dre cards snapp€d
n - ńe
w.rtcd to do was satisfy hcr curiosity. She smelledthe fam- crisolv under her fingers' fnished wiń tbe
fineers,and when she had ńnished
i|iaf library smells, Pasr€ and br.rclramand po|ishedwood. A s.sńeeueaedup rń comers, slipPed a Nbber band around
and sh. ssw how rhe cheerfulycllow cuuins framednarrow them' and mov€
lhem' movedd smoom'y th€ .B's.
smoothly into lre D s. .Are you gpttin8
yuu Bę[xĘ
.Do ^rc
rectrnglesof w'nter light Bchind the desk sat Mis Simmons, tired}' Miss sinmons called. 'nrc you want to rake a br€ a k)
red.haired sp€ctacled' slidin8 penot into an orang€. l know ńis must seemt€dious,' But Evie didn't g€t tir€d au
'nd
t17
 aftemoon.At six o'clock, whcn Miss Simmonsmovedaround
ńe rcading room closing blinds and sttaighteningmagazincą
Ev|e was so&y to bave to go.
Drum was |yingon the couchar homświth an o|d coPy
of Billboard.'what took you so 1on8),h€ ask€ d .
.I stopP€d by th€ library.'
'Oh,' Drum said.
'Do you - sb!! I open up sone chili?'
.sur€. I lśckon.'
He n€v€r asked what she had b€en doing at the library.
sh€ went to work €very day that *".[. r'toougt' Mi,"
Simmonskepr up a sreadypatter of tea-paftytalk Evie staye4
silcnr, soakins up the words and rhe warmrh from tbe heater
as she filled our overdue-remindets.Som*irnes she wandered
ńrough the reading room wirh a łou€y of books to sbelve,
and the memofised classidcatioo numb€rs hummed oeace'
fully throughber hcadwhileshesearchedfor shelf-space. Or
sh€ sar behindthe cirorlariondesk.swiv€ u ing in a whe€ l ed
m€ t a|chairand stamPin86rstbooksandth€ n cards- ńUmp.
tap' thump-raP _ until sh€ was lull€d into a trance' People
rare|yspole rc her. If Vio|€ ! cam€ by and slid, .Hl, E'i€ .
Evie).'Evi€ look€ d up wiń a b|anksmilefor severa| secondr
before sh€ realisedwho h weś.
.oh, atm't you
bored out of youf vol€t łsked.
.I donl se€ how ;u$ ''i'l?'
You stand ir her€.'
.It's all right'' Evi€ said.
She kęt pręaring explanations fo! Drurn - how Miss
simmons rłas desperate,how ńe iob was only temporary-
but she didn't have to uŚ€ them'Drum askedno queslions
at all. on Friday he said' .k's r'y lat€ ni8ht af rh'A & P.
Can you comc ea.ly so I can have the car?'
'I have to stay ar rhe liblary rill six,' Evie told him.
.Ve|l' I'|l cone pi& you up and
nke you homą tben.That
all rińr?'
'I !,ress so.'
At six o'dock she looked up Lom th€ d€ s k ro ńnd him
l€ a ninB in ń€ doorway.|ooking3|€ € p y. .I'm readysy time
you .re'' h€ lold hc!. she had n€ver thouBhl it would b€ so
easy.she wonderedif he wer€ iust waiting dll they w€ r e
a|oneto s'y, .Hey.whlcs ńis? I thoughtt sa-idI didnitwanr
118
You wo.kins.' But ev€ n after tbev had |efrńe building'he
ireoto'liet.śtrehad him drop h€ . by óe bank to cash her
o"v cńcoue.and when she ńurned to rhe car she handed
i.iń *" .Good. I.m out of cigarettes,.he said. sh€
^"n.v.
was relieve4 but she had a l€t"down {e€ling too.
Meanwhil€ nothing s€ened ro have b€en s€til€d wiih rhe
Un'com. Friday night David stopped by the house and said,
'l wanted Drum, but maybe you could tell me what am I
suDDosedto do about thiŚ Unicom business?1 beenl€ttlng it
l o."., óoughl h€ . d go ńis far. Now tomor.ow is
"di;
Saturday and we still don't know if Dmm will change his
mind and play there.'
.He hasn't ń€ntioned it.' Evic said.
'ShaUI iusrgo on and say we'll show?I rhoughtof iL Bur
ńen Drum could alwavsmak€ a liar of me. and that.sbad
for business.'He sat down on the edgeof th€ couch. He was
still wearinethe suk he sold insurancein, greywool with a
pinsrip€ ' lrmad. hirnlook unusuallysrrai8ht.edged and sure
.And you
ól trimielt .yo'.''e aroundhim all wetk,.he said'
kłrowhe likes the Unicom. Even l am sure oI that nuch. so
what should I do} You must have śo'Ż"idea.'
'David,I don't.Really.'
.But if vou don't take the d€cision our of his h.nds h€
might iusr say no fron prid€. You know how he is.'
.vell'' Evi€ said.
'Shall I do it?'
'He n oroud.'
.So stro.uldn1I go and tell zack h€'s coming?'
.!?ell' I don1 Lnow. l guesś you could.'
.Good €nou8h,' David !aid. .It'll work out' You'll se€''
And it did. on satuJday nińt sh€ talk€d Drum inio his
s|ncincc|othes.po|ishcdhis boos and set th€ m besid€ th€
door'iol|owedhim aroundho|dingbis gukarout l€ v el. lik€
a rtay, until he grewnervous about its sal€ty and yanl€d ir
away from her. .!0hy are you doing thiŚ to mel' he asked.
'l-fil nor doing anythinSto you' I'm saving you from
makinga mistake'You.|Ib€ sorrylat€ r if you throwthis iob
.Dont you caf€ how I feel about ł?'
.of couĘe I do, that's why I'm t€lling you to go''
r19
 .v€ll, l won't,' said Drum. He sat down sharply
and laid
his guitar on the couch. Already he was almosr late. Evie
kęt sliding her eyestowa.d h€| watch' on whió riln€ s€emed
to Pass with a hurri€d' 8ratjng modon that she could feel
ag.inst her skin. 'Drum,' she said, 'I sruck rny neck out fo!
you, I and David borh. I got him to patch thin8s up wirh
Z.ck. Now what will Zack say whenyou don'r show upl'
'Well, you had no businessdoingthat,'said Drum.
'Vbat else could I dol You always zspl to like rhe Uni-
.I got a .ight to chan8€ my mind' ain't ]?'
'Not when there'snothing to changero.'
Drum was quiet. sh€ rhouglt that sh€ had lost' and already
her mind was rearranging itself to accept the deleat when
Drum said, 'A1l risht Alt righ!.'
.You'r€ going?'
.I don'r seel hav€ muchchoic..'
At th€ Uni.orD he played heavily, for once overcomingthe
drumsbehindhim. He did his speakingout withoutceasing
to twang th€ guitar strings' so óat his voice fouńt out from
beneathńe notcs |ike a swimmerbeneań the peaksof waves.
'How did it gey?
'Wbe?,werc ,her pinh?'
'Th.t'ue tads him a naioL
'Hou lons did it take?'
His audicncekept silent.
school stopPedov€. rhe chfistnas holidayą but Evie hardly
noticed. sh€ went less and less oken now. en sbe did co
the sharprhińm of e|ectricbel|sand the herdingfrom ckls
to class s€emed misted and foreign. Hef teachersspoke in
loud, evenlypaced voic$, e&phasisingńe namesof aurhors
and the dales of warsi stud€nts scribbl€d frantically in loos€.
leaf not€books, taking down everyword, but what Evie wrote
trail€d off in mid-sentence.She often stared into soace for
long p€ r iods of timewińout a tboughtin her heaó. vhen
shecollectedherself,whole minut€s mighthav€ pass€d. There
was not even an echo of what the teachethad said and her
classmates,still bent over their notebooks. seemedro have
ridden away from her on their s€ u rrying ball-pointp€ n s.
120
?leasc excuścEvi€ D. casey,' Drum wrote in hfu not€s to
the principal.'She wrs not feelingwell and coutln't come to
<hool "lfednesday," 'Thwsday," and "Friday." Sincerely
BdĘam o. cas€v.' Mf. Harrison 9!t on his clear.fimmed
glass€s and puzzLd out th€ penciiled words' bunchy and
downward'sĘing' Thc notes were an embarrasśment to
bin. To have her husbandwlite them s€€med a mockeryl y€t
her father could not lolcally be aśkedto do it insrcad.
Fo! chńtmas, Evie gave ber father a pair of gloves and
.My
Drum a swe.ter. Drum gave h€r a bonl€ of pe!fuńe -
sin', which pl€as€d h€t. she put up a little tree and they had
cfui$mas dinn€r at ń€ caseys. Th€n the nett day sh€ went
back to work in the library. Miss simmons had offer€d h€r
a wetk's vacation' but Evie felt thćy couldn't iive up th€
Evening,when Śhe came home, the house would be ńlled
with the clutter of Drum's day - oi€rflowing ash rrays' empty
.v€re you practisin8?'
recordiacket6,ltray dishesin the sink.
she asled him, but he t.tely had been. 'I don't know, t iust
can'r cer stancd rjńt'' he said..seemslike I am melsiDg
arounóa ńc ti.e. vy 6n8śBfoĘet what ńey was doing''
He talked more now. His voice tuggedconstandyon the h€m
of Evie's mind' so that rhe alrnost fo.gor how it had be€n in
.vhal is th€ point
the old days when he never ta&ed at all.
in he sitting h€re struńming? l'll ncver g€ t an}'where.l ain't
but nincteenyears old and alr€ady leading a slipping.down
life, and hard rock is fading so pretty soon nobody won't
.That's not tru€'' Evi€ śaid.
.lrell it /'als lik€ it is. F€els like I have hit my peak and
pass€d it. I was just e foo| ro ever hope ro b€ famous.'
.vill vou sroDńat?'Evie said.
sbe want€d to gćt pregnant.she had latched on to th€ id.a
out of ńe blue, tlying in th. {ace of al Ęical obiections:
her iob. th€ i r |.ck of money,thc cound€ s s tińes ńar Druń
.Is it safe?.The thoughtof a
had whisocred'in th€ d$k,
a
baby seni shaft of ye|low lighr througbh€ r mind |ike a
door opening" Y€r getting pr€g'ant was turning out to be
easict said lhan donc. Drum in this new mood of his often
121
drifted into sl€€p whil€ listening to ó€ radio' a wcighred'
formless6gure facc-downon the living room couch. 'Drum,'
she would say' .a'€n't you comin8 to bedt' Th€n h€ would
stagge' up and into ńe bedroom' where he full asleepagain
with all his cloóes on. She tugged at his boots, working
agains(rhedegdheaviness of his l€ 8 5. she put on her night.
8owE, and in h€ r mtrror rhe balhroofulight lir up her sil.
houeae almost as rvide as rhe billowing gown, a blurred
stocky ńgu-r€ broadeningat the hipŚ. and not narrowing
below them' She thought o{ crash diets' ex€rc./des' charm
school. en she lay down, Drum would be snoring. She
sBy€d awake fof hours with all her nuscles tens€d' as if sh€
w€le afraid to trusi b€r w€i8ht to the darkness$€ r€sted on.
122
r3
L''l FEBRUARYA .evivalist named,Btotb€t Hope came to
D.eaó at th€ Pulqu. Tabenacle of God. His auious face
aooeared in everv gtore window, aboY€ int€rchan8€Ab|€
mi""..t. .t'"-i"n tt'. number of souls hc had savcd. His
sermontitles wei posted on a signboard on the Tab€nacle
l'$'tl: .one'way stfe€t,' .Do You Hav€ a Moment?' and
Tor Heaven's Sakc'' Above th€ signboard Y'er€ srrin8s of
P€nnants! triangular like the ones in Mr. casey\ 6[in8
.someoneir shoutingyou! namein thc Tabemacleof Goą'
a bassDlaverlold Evie. Evie felr a son of inner ioh' a bunch-
in8 to8€thcr of the óest muscleś. Th€n lhe bass player saią
.You ouńt o go hear.theysay it's ri8ht comicżl.'
.HaYe
}ox b€en?, Evie asked.
'Naw. I don't go places like that.'
None of the Unicom,s rnusiciansdid; y€t stiu they sieved
the neq,slrom unnamedsourćesand passedit on. False gods
were multiplying on every corner oI rhe €ańh' Brońer Hope
sai4 even in ńis greenand Pleasanttown of Pulqua: drugs'
Lquor' and the mind.snatchiDg rhyńnł of ro(k..nd.roll.
Rishr here in Pulqua some poor sirl bad ruined her face
during an org7 over a roadhous€ tock singer, it was in all
ńe n€ u lsDaD€ r s' and ifthat was not idolarrythenwha(was?
Evie Deciei was her nane, if no one believ€ d him' the Uni.
com was where th€ singer san8.
'At least ir's publiciry,' Evie said
'Publicity won't do us no good in the Tabemacle of God"
David told her.
'Well. I donl know whv not.'
123
 .Do you think thar € o ngreg.tion is likely ro show up at
the Unicornl'
But he was wrong. They did show uP. Not the €ntire
congregatioDbut at leaśtthe younger members' probably
slipping out on their straight'backedcountry parents. They
came that salrrday in small clusters' pale and watóful, as
ifBrother Hope had beenń€ i r trajn€ d guid€ on the pańŚ to
sin. The rablćswere lined with dressed.rrpboys and dowdy
youn8 8i.ls who seem€d hit in the face by every bear of the
music.Drum slid his Pelvis easily benearhthe sparĘledguitar.
Evie's scars shone like snail tracks. Brother Hope's congre,
8ationlean€ d forwardto watchJnd ńen back ro whisper'
rakingin the sighrsin smallgulps..w€ l |. this iŚ th€ p|!ceal|
right'' Evie heard one boy say. .Th€fe's the ghl. This is rhe
music.' When she rose to meei Drum in back, she walked
slowly and proudly, as if she were carrying somethingimpor-
That Sarurday she was happy. She felt that things w€re
8oi'tg w€ again. But by Monday ev€rything had changed.
Zack Caraway drove out in person to say that Drum was no
longer needed,even for Saturdays.He stood in ń€ middle
of the room looking .round him unhappily, twisting his hat
in his hands. 'I was going to say it two nights ago,' he said,
.but they was a fush toward th€ end and I put it
ofI. Now,
all I,v€ had this winter is bad lucł and I know you will argue,
Drlrm, but what can I do? My money bas zezr. lf you want
to com€ on sundaysto ńe free'for'a t would be right happy
to have you, but rhar's rhe mosr I . . '.'
Drum never said a word. she had expect€d anońe| fight'
bur h6 iĘt sat in the couch wirh his {acetowald rhewindow'
bis long brown eyes reflecting the winter light, not ąen
Prot€sting as zack cut the last inch from hirn. After Zack
had left he drank two beersand listenerl to a record. Then
David came by, and rhey played a game ol darrsrDrum
s€ e med insulatediif Evie mentionedzacl. he looked away
ftom her and all she saw was ńe smooth olive lin€ of his
.zack is sliPpin&' David told het. .r
h€ had eyeshe could
seetharwhat theTabemade crowd is aft€r js you and Drum.'
.!łell' t€ll him rhat.'
124
'I can'ttell him.'
.so.nebodyshould. Brothei Hope is
8iving the Unicom fr€€
publicity and nobody even rakes advantagś of it.'
Publicity was everything.sh€ felt thal mor€ and more' sh€
ńought of publidry as the small, n€at click that set into
motion machin€s ńat had previousIy been disengag€d.
Drum's music, bcating like a pulse, had staned leaving her
earswiń a corton.woolfee|ing'and his speakingout was
hard€r to und€.stand with €vely showi but if there were
crcw<lso{ screamingfans, .hen €v€ryrhing would click into
working ordel' .If we could only spraad Brońer Hope,' she
said..Ger hh sermonswhereth€ y maftercdmor€ - not just
.o lirde old sca!€d country peopl€.'
,No way of doing David śaid.
.wly not? .!0ecould 'ła','
go to the Tabernacl€ and make a big
fuss,8et a newspap€r writ€.up.'
'Naw.' David said.
But she wore him down. over a two.day P€riod she 6ll€d
his mind wirh pictur€s - Brother Hope looked starded' a
rcponeraskingwhat al| ń. Eouble war abour,a n€ w s irem
on Drum cas€v\ Drotest at a chulch atBck. David mov€d
iorwald inó by inch, balking sometimesso that she wished
she could just give up. There was too much expect€d of h€r,
shethought.All óis arguing,ufging, encouragin8.Alon€' she
heardńe driving rhyńm of her owrrvoice echoingwordlesdy
ńrough her rnind. But ihele was Drum. sh€ watóed him
when he wasn't looking, and felt hollow with worry when
she saw him slumpedon'th€ couch endlesslyci'cling the rifu
of a beer can with his index finge|. .oh' why no! l€is 80
and give Bfother Hop€ a try,' David said one evening.Dfum
didn't even look up.
And wherl David c-am€ by Thursday niglt and said' .You
.eady?' Drum said, 'Ready for whatt'
'The Tabernacleof cod, of coursę,'David said.
.You woutdn't catch m€ d€ad in the Tabemacle of God.'
.Vell' what the he|l' Drum, wh€r€ you been all this tim€?
v€ b€€n discussingthe Tabernacle three days now and you
nev€r said a wo.d against il.'
'Oh, nsver mind,' sa'd Evie. 've'll go alone. ht only for
125
 'Tlen what about rne?' Drum asked.
'You said vou didn't want io come.'
'!{ell, what am I supposedto do, iust sit here till you get
backt Looks Ike €veryone is lerins me ż||d\e ti,me,,
'lnr4' said David.
so they rll went.They rode in Davidt Jeep.wind i,{,hisd€d
in under the canvas fiaps, and EYie s}tiv€red inside her thin
school coat and huddled closer to Drum's side. Hćr hair wa,
pull€d straight off h€r forehead' held by a flaking gold ba(.
r*te' !0hen she looked inio the r€ar.vi€w mirror h€r scals
glinred back at her, ńght side to, but dim as an old photo-
grapb.H€ r fe.tucs werewaveryand unc€ r kin. .Now that
we'rereallygoin8I feellike a fool,' she said. 'l don't flen
havea olan in mind.'
Davii said, 'well, I did call rhat photosrapherfrom the
newspaper.Publicity\ no good withour a photograph.'
'l{ I hear that word publicity again,' Drum said' 'I'm going
'Now. Drum.'
The Tabemade was on Main str€€t, an old whit€ dap.
board housc beveen a pizzeria and a shoe repait shop.
.Pulqua Tabernacle of God.
A sign across th€ porch said,
Everybody ..I|velcom€ ' '' com€ on in Folks'' with the sermon
title tacked ben€ath it: .what Nextl' Nail€d ro a pilla! was
another of Brother Hope's posrers,with his eyes unfocus€d
and Ei8ht€n€d, as if he could se€ srraight to hell. spiĘt€rs
in high.h€€l€d galoshesand old m€n in suit jack€ts and over-
alls 6led past the pos.er toward a brighr lit doo!. Evie fol-
lowed, holding tightly to Drum's hand so that nothing would
separatethem. She had pictured somethingbigger and more
anonymous' lil.e a lectur€ halli not rhis oversizedfront Par.
lour iinedwirh foldins chairsand huogwirb du(rycunains.
Aa old ladv wiń lace laid across her shoulders like antima.
.Good even.
cassals plessćdEvi€,s hand in both of her own.
ing, children,you won\ re8rerthis,' she siid. !flhen she
saw Evie s foreheadshe smiledharderand gazedfar away.
blinking several times, as if she had receiv€d an insult she
wanted to ov€rlook. Evi€ cl tóed Dfum's and David's
elbows and led ńem toward ńe cbairc in the back of the
126
'I wish we hadn't come,' she said.
'Told vou so.' said Drum.
.vell,I foĘ;i ho.i\,creepyth€se ptacesar€. l don't lik€ rh€
.sm€ u s all
David was the onlv one who srayedcheerful.
nót to n?.. he s.id, and he mok a deepbreathol the air -
ń wood' hand.me'down h}mnals.and dust..Yonderiśńe
photoSrapher,' he rold Evie.
.vłhacshc doins w.v up front?'
.He has to be fai enóughawayto photogfaphus..
.Us?'Evi€ said.
.vho €Ise?'
.Iv€ll' y€s, of course,' Evie said, but she v'ished she had
óoughr ń;s thingthroughbeforeshecarne'
sńth* Hooe-apoearidon a small raisedp|atformup
fronr He was ied and knonv-faced, tikea manrwellingwith
aneerbut óokins it doM' His h.if was plasteredsl€ e kly
a.óss bis skuul andbe *or€ a longb|ackrobe with l strip€ d
.Al| rise,'hc said'
woollenscarfhangingfrom his shóuldeu'
His voic€ was ńin attd stilled.
Ev.rybody ros€. Forty chairs cre-akedand snapped.
'I was slad when thev said unto me. ler us go Into tne
houseof ńe Lord. ..ln the Garden...'
.In ńe Garden' sounded strange wióour a piano. The
womensangin hi8h,slidingvoices,as ifthey w€ r € complJin.
il* and thi men-mademutteringsoundsbeneań the tune.
Ev]e.who dislikedhvmłs,srayedrilent.!?hcn all the verses
had b€ € n sung th.y sat down again. and Brother Hope
grippedborh sidesof the PulPi(
.Ve are sańered here'.he said' .a3 lone survlvorś on a
śinkins shiD:onlY vou and t know tbatshipis sinkin& oDly
aid I ieek to 6nd the rottingp|anks.Ar! thou w€ a ry]
"ou
in thoulangr:id? Thenthou ań sman€ r ńan thy neighbour'
for thou hasi seenńe waterfising ben€ a ń the planks.Llst
month,my friends,lwasin Norville.Aman buvuB a polular
macazinewas told rharth€ price had gonśup' and l hearo
hin-ask..lgharnext]'.Vhat nexr).h€ said..w€ l |.lhat started
methini;ng,my friends.what n€ x t for lłs.in ńe Ufebeyond'
t thouót. if ńinss continu€ lik€ rh€ y i€ goingnow?Today
rhereire'women wearine the gaó of men, men in srupors
1f7
 fron the fulnes of alcohol and th€ taste of foreien mu'h.
rooms,dancersdancingobsc€ n eśin publicand€ v .rywhere.
on.every corner of the eanh, sacdńces rDad€ to false gods
and earthlyidols.vĄat n€ x t? vha. next?'
His voice stircbed in and out of Evi€'s lhou8hts' risin8
above th€m som€tirnes as a nerł'topic iolted intó view anj
ńen submer8in8while sh€ decid€d wh;ther ro so to Śchool
tomorrow.ptanneda menu, wondereduhaiDrum was
thinkingwirhhis mourh!o sEai8htands€ r . At herleft,Dlvid
shiftedhir weighrbur kęt his.eyesPinnedon BrothelHope.
lh€ congle8,'r'oncommentedon ńe śe.mondurine each
paus€ . .h's ffue.h.s true.'.Amo.. .Ain\ ńat so)' Liń poor
listćners in an oldinafy conversation,they seernedlikeiy to
|unp up at any momentsnd interrupt to t€ll e'xpefiencesoI
ńeir own. only norre oI them did. lnstea4 Evi€ began to
wolry that k would be she hercelf who interrupted.-pauses
betweenpara8raphs8r€ l r and quiet€ r . swe]lin8until
mey.m|8hrburst|onh wirh -longer
her own voicf caln8 som€ t hing
terrib|e'ordinary ministersplcked a singlś. narrow them€
tor eaó s€ r mon; BrorherHop€ rriedto cove' the world in
al hour' Facedwith ńe lcapfiom onetopicro anońer, from
th€ € v ils of pr€ . te€ n daringto the inevitabjlirvof deathand
frofutherero theunnarura|ness ofworking mo!h€ . s' he k€ p t
rakinga brcaó and hcsitaring,as if he worńed about ńe
abysshe had to spanland ćv€ r y tim€ it happ€ n € d Evi€ dfew
in hef breań rco. sh€ was nor certainwńat would burst
forrh. she gripped ńe €hair in front o{ her, and the man who
sat in it tum€d io show her ó€ expśctanr,circula. €y€s of a
_-'Our children are no longer safe,' said Bmrhe! Hope.
'Golden nets are casr m reel therninto evil and we sav. ..It's
only music. We had rnusic," we say, but we had the wahz
and..M!irzy Doats.'.My fri.nds, I sły unto }ou.8o inro
youJ paflou$ som€ nighrand watchyour childf€ n dancing'
Is that innoćĘnce? | can cir€ chapterand vefte.A youn8man
onv'ng home |rom a ju-k€ b ox ioint c.ashedinto a Good
Humour rruck and d;edi mariiuanain hi' slove .ornpan.
m€ n r. His namewas \vi|]ieHammond,if vou careto check
on thar.A young girl living w'thin your oM ro,.m liniB
slashedher foreh€ a d with rhenamcof a rock.and-rou
singer;
128
luined h€r life fo' nothing.If you don,t believeme, her name
was Eve Decker; the sĘer 3an8at th€ - '
'Vai(' Evie said. 'ThaCs ,r,e,'
sh€ stood up, still gripping the chair in lront of her, and
looked around at all the uptum€d faces.Hcaling her nam€
in public, even whe! shc had cxpectedit, gave her a rbped'
open fecling' She couldn't think why David waŚ smiling at
.You take that back'' she told Brońet
!:r and nodding.
..w€ are all frields hcrc,' 6aid Blothff Hope:
.lpeu' I,fl not. You'r€ speaking libel. slande!. I
did not
ruin my life, it was nor lor nothing. How can you say such
a thing?'
Brother Hope was fiddling with ńe ends of his scarf :nd
staring at her forehead.'Please, now, please,' he said. 'Any
burdenvou have - '
'I don't have azy burdens!'Evie shouted.'I didn'r ruin my
life,I marriedhim!'
A flashbulb snappedir her face,an explosion of lighr that
faded to a squirmy green circle. It took her a moment to
rememberaboli ń€ Photo$aphe!. She watched the circle
dri{t over to Brother Hope's facą and rh€n slrc let go of rhe
.well'' she said ńnally. .The place he was talking
about is
the Unicorn, out on the south hi8hway. Th€ sin8er is Drun
Casey' wbo is my husband and iust got firćd for_'
'Sit down.' DruIn said.
! for the last day of the week he was working. Just got
his working time cut day by day, raising his hopes and rhen
lowering ńem again' and if anybody really cared about
chdŚtim love th€y would ca up the Uni€om and say,
..vh€ r e is Drum cas€ y ? vhy isn't hc thcr€ ? .we want.'''
Drum rose. 'I don't have ro allow this,' he said.
.!(Ąy' Drum.'
'Shutup,' Drum told her. 'Sit down.'
.Pleas€ ' my fri€ n ds. Please,',saidBforhcr Hop€ , and he
|ooked over €ith€{ should€r alrhough rherewas nothing but
a blan! wall behind him.
'Drum, I am ody trying - '
'She's doing gleat, Drum,' David said,
129
 .You shtrtup roo'' said
Drum' .I hav€ had enoughpubli.ity
tonightto Put me six f€ e r uńde!.And r,ol. ' h€ s;id, turn'n;
suddoly on BrorherHope. who openedhrsmourhand rook
a b.eJrh..youandyour 5acfińc€ sro falsesods.ńa.s a bunch
of bul|' h'd b€ e n a he||of a lot moresńific€ ii she.dbeen
p.ertierto begtnwirh.cel goin8.Evie.vete ńrou8h here.' r4
. He took ho]dof her arm iusraboveńe e]bow.H. Pushed
hel out.Jh€ a d ol him and Evie wenr.bonelessand warery.
Ęod.ed sjc} by whal he had said. David had her by rńe
.Now,waii.. .'
otherhand. Now.rien.'bekeptwhispering.
They rodehomein a swell;Ę' susńndeJśibn(e,as if rhi!
were iust aDother pause in Brother Hope's sermon. David THAT vEE(,s NE\GPAPER carri€d a photograph of Evie
k€ p r clearin8his ńroat. Evie expeaedró crv bur could not. huncbedforward behind a seatednan, as if shewere pusbing
Drm sar besidehe. wiń fiis lac. se( sr;i8hr aheaą hi' him in a wheelchair.Her face iooked surprised. 'Evangelist
hands on his knees.once he dre.win hh b!€ań as if he meant E ds Soioum in Pulqua,' the caption !ead. 'Blother Evan
to spćak'but he said nońin8. Hop€ l€ft PulquąyestĆIdayafter two weeks at the Tabernacle
of God. He described his sray as "heanwarmingly success-
tuI." Above, a local teenagerprotests hh attack on rock
music.'Evi€ threw the newspaperaside,not botherin8to
show Dflrm. But the n€xt day David drov€ all the way ou!
to their hous€ !o tell th€m that Drm had been r+hired at
ńe Unicorn. .You can thank Evie for this.' he said. .!flord
of mouth spread what she did all over own. People kęt
calling Zack and asking where Drum Casey was.'
'what do you know,'said Drum. He didnr look up from
ńe ma8afin€ hć was I€ 5 ńn8 through..An}thingI hate,h's
;ndecisio'l I whh zack would iust 6re me for good and g€t

'When are you going to be satisfiedl You got your Saturday

oightsback,didn'tyou?'
'Sure. I guessso.' Then Drum turned another page o1 his

Vhat he had ssid to Evie at the Tabemacle was buried

now, not eras€d but buried b€neąth ihe n€w grave courtesy
he showed toward her. He had never apologised.For several
days he treated Let very gently, helpiłg her with the dishes
and lisrcning wiń extreme' warchfrd stillness whenevershe
spoke to him. lt was the most h€ coutd do, Evie ńgur€d. she
shovćd down the Tabe.nacle memory every tirne it floated
up in her mindryet evenings.when rheysar doing separa(e
ńings in the lamPli8ht' she sometimeswant€d to leap uP and

131
ask, 'Vhat you said, did you mean itl You mus! havc o. you
rr'oold n€ver have 'thouńt it. But did you !Ęean it for rll
time, or iust lor that moment? Ar€ you sorry you marri€d
ne? vĘ did you marry me?'Non€ of the questjonsw.rc
ones Drum would ansn'er.She kept quia, and only watóed
hirn from acroŚs ńe room until h€ look€d up aud trised his
eyebrołs. Then the questions b€gan to occur to her l€ss
freqrrently.!/hole dayspaesed\łithouth€r remembefing'and
gradually she and Drum drifted back to the way they had
Drum tetumed to his saturdays at the Unicorn wińout a
word, playedhis songslnd can€ home as soon as his last
ser was ov€ r . H€ nev€ r went wińou! Evie. she fe|tńat h€ f
hold on her school work was slipping' and sorn€times 6he
suggestedóat he go alon€ whil€ sbe studi€d, but Drurn said'
.Nah, you cln s.udy som€ other tim€. You're so smaĄ one
night won't hun you'' Y€t vi'hil€ he play€d he stared ovBr
her head, nevcr direcdy at her.
'We ue t tu.p-i|.son tbe ofte.
.ve uent cirćlił,Eoń the sq|drc.
'We we t ad.dingo the diride.'
Evie listened wińout óanging expression, clutching h€r
coat arcund her for warmth.
Sheńought she might be pre8nant.sh€ pictt]Ed her stomach
as a drin, swelling shell, like a balloon, and since something
so fuadle had to be guafded wiń a halł.drawn lireath' she
put off 8oin8 to the doctof and sh€ said nothing to Dfirm. It
was too early yel she told herselfłand then, as she reachęd
th€ cnd of thc sćcondmonń, it was too late. How could ńe
e'Yplaink€€pin8 it a se$€t so long? lvhat held her back was
this ńin-skinned feeling' The baby, sh€ thou8hr, was a boy'
still and grave and l€veleyed like Drum' ald the picture of
those eyes in such a small facć rflade it s€em nec€ssa.y to
pfotect hiń in fierce silence evely s€cond of ńe day. Shc
madća ci.cle of hefsćr, lolding more and morc inward. sh€
carried herself like a bow| of wat€r. At mom€nts wh€n she
open€ d h€ r mouń m say, .Drum) Guessvhat,'th€ senseof
somethingepilling or breaking always changedher mind.
In depanment stores she picked up free magazires for
73f
expectantmothersand studiedeveryword. Babies,it seemed,
!€sded in vast jungles of equipment' wheeled and decalcd
and safety-railed and vinyfcovered. She had never been
oQos€d to babi€s befor€' and sbe w1s not sure hov much
of the equipmmt was essential.vould it tałe a Jolly Jumper
ro keep him happy? Vas ir true ńat babies neededto ride
ó€ir mothers' backs in canvascajriels in o.de. to fe€l seclrte?
tud if so, how would she ever buy it all ) Sheput her name in
a drawing {or m English p|ań' and she clipped a n€wspaper
coupon for a free week of germjroofed diaper service.Uke
a moń€f cat, s}rcwald€red through the hougecouń!Ę up
bureau drawers and staring for long periods of time into
comer cupboards.Shehung over the toil* bowl in the morn-
ilgs' sick and dizzn and worri€d about fnding the ńoney
6r a rip-pmof higb chair with a snap"on tray and safery
Mealwhite Drum sat in ńe bed.oom chair with his feer
slung over one of is arms, and for hours on end he played
his guitsr. He sang very softly, reaching for notes deep on
ńe scale. Even Evie could tell rhe songs werent rock. .St.
he Śang; and .Tfoubl€ in Mind'' and som€'
Janes lnfumary'
.Nobody .wh€n
ńing called Knows You You'rc DoĘ.n ald
out.' The wo.ds slid about more' ńe beat was not as clear,
and ńe tunes were sadder. Evie said' .Did you make thćse
ńings up?'
'Shoot no.' said Drurn.
.They're not rock' are ńey?'
It had beenweela si.ncehe had wdtten any rock music At
ńe Unicom he did the same pieces he always di4 but at
home he play€d nolhilg but thos€ new ones. Evie b€gan to
recognist them. She could pick out ńe pattems' thc vers€
óat recuned widr only sligbt vAńations song to song.
The parts that she liked she sang alone in dre kitchen' wió
'ron
ńe twes all wrong:
one ńo.ni,'g !o,!' wak. ,o ,n efipty b.d'
You' bur! yow eyd dd bou)row head.
But she nev€r rold Drum she liked them.II he startedplaying
133
thoŚ€ lhings in ń€ Unicom it would be ńe end ol bim. How
could peoplc danceto 'Nobody Knows You'?
.You neverwrite any songs thesedays'' sh€ said.
.I'm gettiĘ w€ary of ńem.'
'Vhat will you do, then?'
'Ab, I don't know. Seemslikc I am always pushing to lift
sorn€thing . don't have th€ muscles!or. Every song I wrote,
I ńought' ..This is it. This is sonethin8 singular''' I rhouńt'
but lai€r I seehow it is no differentfrom anyone€ls€'s except
maybeworse. Litde old crabbed,stuntedlines. Notbing new.
sam€ old beat. Noq why would I want to w!i!e morc oI
ńem?'
His lashescut acrosshis eyes,sraight and even;his pupils
s€em€d prick€d by tiny poin* of gold. Evie toucbedńe hand
ńaq lay nearest her on the couch. .Eveł'thing will work
out'' śhesaid. .This is iuŚt a low p€riod. VĄat you ne€d is
publicity.'
.Publi€ity. Huh.'
.Let m€ rhink about it a whil€''
'Folget it, I tell you.'
.v€ll, it's fof youI ov,n good, Dfum''
.Not lor zy own good, no ma,am,' Drum
said. .I har€ iL'
'How will you g* aheart, then, if nobody knows your
.That's |ż,
y busin€ss.'
.It's min€ too. h was me you w€re cornplainin8
to.'
'l wasn'lcomplaining,Iwas talking,'saidDrum.'And you
welen'r|istenin8.You wereńinking aboutpub|iciry,which
mak€s me drcd. A.nd I am rired too of gctting naggedat aJI
ńe tiore and having to fac€ that nagging foreheadof yours.
I don't know why you don't wear baogsany more.'
.I don.twcal bangsb€ o u9€ J
don't back do rr on ńing9
I have don..'said Evie. .And I have nev€ r said a nag8in8
wold ro yo! in my lif€.'
'All right, all right.'
'Have I?'
'No, forget it I was iust ralking, Evie,' he said, 'where has
my luck gone} vh€n aml going to rise above all thist Am
I going to Srow old iust natirrS?'
But EYi€ couldn't answ€r rhat. All she could do war sit
134
quiet' l€aning gently toward him a9 if that would do what
words could not' watching him run his ńngers throu8h the
slantof hh hair.
That Sundav David came over for lunch. Vhile Drum was
in the kirchen opening beers'Evie said, .List€n, David. !v}ar
wouldyo'l ńink ol Drum geningkidnaPPed?.
'Huhl'
'For publicity.'
'Evie. You couldn't even fool a trafdc coo with a srunt like
ńat',
'I know we couldn't' Evie said. She looked toward the
kitchen, checking on Drum, and then she came to sit beside
David on th€ couch. .Bu! list€n !o whai I have in mi!d. tt
woulrlnt be a sstio',/skidnappin8, nothing to call in th€ FBI
for. He would be spirited away by fans' ńar,s all iust for a
couple of hours. Vhat would be the harm? And still the
newspaperswould pick it up.'
'Sure,' said David. 'Nothing wrong with that at all, except
it's too much work. It's not worth iL'
.Ir is to m€. I will do th€ ił'ork. r gćt viol€t and
Eayb€
Fay-JeanLindsan she'll do it if she thinks ics ti€d up with
the Unicom. And Fay'J€an night have a friend. I'll atrange
the wholc thing. All right?'
.You can't arrang€ Drum'' David said.
'Dmll?'
.He will never go along wiń this' you know that.'
'I'm not going to rell him about it.'
'Oh, well, wait now.'
.[t,slor him' David. I kno$' he doesnt like ńings lik€ this'
but l don't like se€inB him iust curl up arcund th€ ed8es'
cith€r. vMr els€ can I do? Besides'I have to think about the
'What baby?'
.I beli€v€ l Bight b€ having one', said Evie' and sbe felt
sonething luró inside hel iust th€ way she had exp€cted it
'Oh,' David said.'You aret'
'Don't tell Drum.'
'!vell, shouldnl - '
135
 .Evic,' D.um call€d' .what have you donc with ihe becr.
.cominB'' Evi€ said' .Listen, Devid. If I
did the wo!k,
would you go along wirh ira'
.oh. Evi€. I don't
- '
But at the end of the aft€moon' wh€n Drum .nd Evie V'e.e
ścein8him to th€ door' David saiĄ .Evie' you know I would
always tly to hĄ you in any way you wanted.'
.v€ll' thank you'' Evi€ said.
' at was ttat about?' Drum asked when thev had shut
'l dont know. Evie said.
In the library she looked up Fay-Jean's number and then
reach€d for the t€Ieńone. Even before she had dia|leĄ her
thrcat p.ęar€d itself for the tone she wanted. sh. dipped
into it like a needle into a groove: ihe sure and reasonable
voice neededro lay plans before people whom she did not
expect to agreewith her.
on Tue'day eveningat seven,Drum said, .lphy a|śwe wait.
in8 so lolg to eat. I'm starv€d''
.In a minut€,' Evi€ said. she stood in th€ living
room
window,Pressin8h€ r facf,againstrheglassso rhatshi cou|d
seśpast her own refl€ction.
'You ain't even started cooking.'
'Inaminute,Isaid.'
A Pair of h€adlights swung up ń€ .oad, recognisableev€n
at this distan€e. Th€ headlightswere round and close.set,like
ńe eyesof some small wonied lady. They floated gendy up
and down' bouncing on th€ uncven road. .,Who's ńat
coming?'Drum asked.
.vho\ it looł likc?'
D.um sigh€d and novćd uP n€xt to h€r. She could smeI|
ńe marigold sme|lof his skin. .That's David's Je€p, as any
Iool can see,' he said.
'Is it?'
Th€ J€śp park€d in th€ din yard, but th€ li8hrs srayedon.
736
A minute lat€r th€re was a knock ar the door' and when
Drum said' .cofile in,' th€ rhree gifls entered6rst - violet,
Fav-lean.and Fav-lean'rsisterDoris, all dressedup. David
u.t'ina. 'vili, hey,' Drum said. He noddedrc violer
"".i
and Far-lean.and thenlookedrcward Doris and wrired to
be inrrbiuced.No one borheredThr rhreeof them kept
walkins until they had rurroundedhim Then Fav-Jean
brouphiout a shimmerinelens(hof nylon cord and reachśd
for o-neof hir hands.roi m'nureit looked as it it would
be as easyas that - iust tie" him uP while h€ stoodwait.ng.
But as her tusers werecirdins hrswrisq Drum said,'rvhat
rn- and ierk-ed awav. rvharihe heU5 soingon) he 'aid
'They're kidnapping you,' Evie iold him.
'They're-'
'Kidnapping. It's only for publicity.'
.Ar€ you ou. of your head?'
'Now wair,' David said.'lt's not sucha bad idee' D.ułn.
we.retakinglou to my shed.Evjewiu iell ńe policea bunch
o{ c'azy fani iot you, and thenyou'|lbe rĆtumed.No more
.You have ńnt too far this tnne'' Drufi said, but it wasn't
clearwhethefh€ was speakingto David or to Evie. He back€d
awav.holdineborh aimr readvat hir sides,while the.bur three
.l
$rls advanceó' would help you,. David to|d ńem. ir
wouldlt look righr..Fay.Jeaomadeanotherpals wtń ńe
nvlon cord and Drums lash€d out, c|ipping th€ side of her
f;ce with his forcarm and sendingher crashinginto the wall.
.ouch.' sh€ said..Get him' Doris!'
But it was Viol€t who got him. ĄIl she did was fling herself
againx him tikea pillow, knockinshim 6at on hi! back She
sit herone hundredandeightyPoundssquarelyon his óes(.
Even thouehhe was still hirtingoul at ńem' Fay.Jeanand
Dorisbenv'een thernmanasedro tie his wriststogcther'Then
they all sat ther€, br€athing hard, and Drum lay scowling on
ńe noor' 'This is lauńable,' he said.
'well, !ure,'seid Violet.'So laugh.Enjoy yourself.Weie
only goingfor a linle ride.'
'Oh,no.'
H€ h€av€d until th6y coutdn't sit on him any longer. He
triooed Violet with one kick of his foot and ramm€d an
r37
 l€ bow into Doris's stonaó. .Noq you bette! s@p that'' bunch of fans got him. vhat'u I do? I'm 8€tting worri€d.'
Doris said. Her voic€ was on the edgeof tea$. .Didn't any. Ald she was. H€r throat muscl€s knotted' and that uneven
body cver tell you nor to go hitting girbt' heartb€at was beginning in her ears again.
.H€re'. Vio]€t 5ai4 ard iied .Drun can wait''Mr' Harriso said..Yourfath€ . 's sick.I
his fcet togeńef wió enough
sPacebetwe€n ń€m so h€ could walk. Tńen ńcv raised him want yo! to .om€ with m€'!
.Drtln,s beel Łidnapped.,
up, kecping tight hold'of his elbows. .Evie, w€ haven't got time fot that. Youf father's in ńe
'Evie,' Drum said.
Evie pressedboth hanrls tog€th€r .nd shook her head. hospital.'
.Now' !vie' I know ńis .vi you łs,e''?'Evie said. sh€ had &awn clos€f !o the
was your idea. Ir coulrla't be
nobody's else\. You rell rhes€ 8irls rc let ne 8o, righl this €ar now. Her hands dutched the window framel she felt
s€ c ond. I don.tadaPrwe|tlo bń8 kidnapped. then trenblin& 'Drive me to where Drun is. No, never
.Ifs onlY for a whil€ . ' Evie śaid. Eind, I'! driv€ nys€lf. Do l have ńe keys? Tel! my fańer
'I mean'it,Evie.' I'll be ńere soon. It doesn't matter about the police, iust tell
.t
. packcd you a supper. It's in ńe Jeę. A broivn papcr 'Your father,' said Mr. Haruison, 'has had a hean aEack
oa&
'David?' and is dying. l didn't want io say it but I se€ l had ro. Clirnb
David hesitated, in' I'll take you io ń€ hospital.'
.Th€ worst part]s He openedńe dool on ńe passengrrsi<le,flooding the car
ove! anywax' Evi€ told him.
'She's right, Drun. No point uatying you now. If I'd of fiń a dingy yellow light. Evie cirded dre car and climbed
known you'd take ir so hard I woułl have said no, but what .HosDi!al.' she said. H€f voice was as dear and suddenas
have you got to lose? You'll be back by bedtime.'
Drum stemed to have nońing more to say. Vhen David it werean ordet, but sbe was mćrely eóoing him without
had-op€ned the door, the girls led him out with no touble any idea at all of what to do next.
ata.
AJtcf the J€ep had dfiven ofĘ Evie sat on the couch for a
whi|€ wiń ber hands pre9sfdto8eń€.. she had nor exp€cted
r kidnappingto be so dif6ork. Thc room was a shambles-
fumiture kicked over' cushions and paDćrsscarteredacro99
the door.Wlrensheńnallycossed otńe doset for her coat
sh€ nearly tripped ovef the rug whiclr lay in a twisted heap.
sh€ clos€d the door behind ber before ńe had even put hir
coat on and ran toward ihe Volkswaeen.
More headlights floated down thjroad, wide apart ard
rectangular.whil€ sh€ sbod waiting besidethe W ńe othel
car drew to a srop, and a man said, 'Evic?'
'Sir?'
'It's rnc. Mr. Har.ison.'
.oh' Mr. Haffison.' Evi€ said. As if this ev€nins.had
been
noneof her doin8,sh€ f€ | t shakyand re|ieved ar ńe sighrof
him. .Drum\ b€ ć n kidnapped'.shesaid' .Nor for real' but a
139
138

r5
IN rTrEflosnTAl lobby, on a secrionalvinyl cou.h, sat M$.
Harrison and Mrg. v/illou8hby' tbe old lady who liY€d n€xt
door to Evi€'s fańe.. They stood up whcn Evie €nr€r€d - a
bad si8n. Evie and Mr. Harrison cli&ed toward the{n.cross
polished tiles, betweenpottcd palms and standingash t(ays.
As ih€y came uP to the two women, Mff. }Łrrison tugged
her skirt do\łt and stlaighten€d her belt and smoothedthe
8!ey pom-pom of hair on her forehead.
.Evie, d€ar-' sh€
said. Her roae made evertthing clear, there was no need to
s.y more, but Evie was in the grip of a stoEy stubbornness
and she refusedto $derstand. 'How is hcl' she asked.
'He passed,dear,'Mrs. Vitloughby said. Mrc. ! illoughby
was as small and as dumpy as a cupcake,raiśngher creascd
hands to he! bosom and furrowing h€f powd€ry Iace into
sympathylines. Everyone els€ vJas small too. The scenewas
miniarujiŚed and cfystalclear, like somethingseen through
v€ry $rong prescriptionglasses.Li8hts w€r€ shaĘ pinpointś.
Soundswerednny,
'Would you like to seehirn?' Mrs. Harrison asked,
'No, rhank you,' said Evie.
.It happenednot long after you l€{t' Bill. I wish€d you had
kno.!i'n,so as to ptćpar€ Evic. I thou8ht of comĘ out afte|
you.'
.v€ll'' said Mr. Harison' .This is very, very
sad ncws.
Very sad. Sam Deckerwas as 6n€ a nlan as I've known. How
lon8 have w€ known him, Mafthal'
.oh' years. Śince back belor€ _ Evie, w€ will €xpecr you
to comestay th€ night. You don't want to go all the way out
to your place again, do youl'
'I t}rinkI'll go to my fatber's,' Evi€ said.
740
'Oh. no. dear.Not alone.'
'I'd rather.'
'lvell, an)'tbingyou say. If it were ze, though-'
They drove there in Mr. Harrison's c-ar.Mrs. Villoughby
sar in back, and Evie was urged to wedgeherselfin thc front
s€at betw€en rhe Haffisons. Touches kept gratingagainsthe.
- Mr. Harrison's elbow as he shifted gears,Mrs. Harrisont
s}nrp.eĘed purse' her cold gloved fing€rs patting Evie,s
wrńt. Every now and then Mrs. Hardson €lick€d her tongue
arrdshook her head. .Such a Pati€nt man, he was,' she said.
'Oh, and all thosetroubles.First his wife passing- well.'
.H€ was just l€aning across th€ fence' like'' Mfs. vil.
loughby said. .He said' ..Mrs' !0illou8hby' all my pott€d
plantsare dying.I don't und€ r stend it.'' ..It'sthat maid of
yours,..I told him...Not ńar I have any proof. but in my
heartI feelshe negl€ c s them.Yellow) leavesneverpinched
off, a son of unwateredlook to the soil. I could be wrong,"
I gid. or meant to sav. but ńen h€ took in a br€aih and
openedbis mouth and slumped over. I couldn't get sttaiSht
what had happened.I said' ..M!. D€cker? !vhy' Mr. Decker!''
The fence held him up. H€ seem€d to be festin&'
'Now. now.' said Mrs. Haffison.
. ..All my pott€d plans are dying'' he told me. oh' linle
did he know!'
They stopped in front of Evie's fath€r's house, where all
the lights sti|l blazed. At fust th€y planned to come in and
keep her company, but Evie wouldn\ allow it. .I'd rańer be
alone,'shesaid.
.oh, no, d€ar, not at a tińe like this' I know it śe9''|ś
you'd
rańer. Brrt we'll be quiet a5 mice. I'll just make t€a .nd not
'No. I meanir.'
'Vell, maybe Mrs. !0illoughby' then.'
'oh, I'd lols to!' M!s. villoughby said.
'No. Tbrnk vou.'
'Whateveryou say, ofcor:rse,'said MrB. Haffison. 'l would
think, mys€lf . bui rhai's not impoftant. Just try and ger
some rest, and we'll be by ro talk about the affangemmts in
the mo.ninB.r
147
 'Ar.angenents?' Evie said. She thought of song arrange-
menrs,then fumitu-re'th€n llowers in vas€Ś. Mean{'hil€ Mrs.
Harrison and Mrs. Villoughby looked at each other in
silena' as if ńere wereno possiblesynonymthey could think
o{ ro off€f hćr. .oh. Arrangements,'Evie said finaly.
.Vill you call us if you need anyńing}'
.Yes. And ńank you for all yorr've done.'
.He was a mighty ńne man'' Mr. Harison said suddenly.
He coughedand looked down at the ste€ring wheel.
Evi€ and Mrs. willoughby climbed out oI the car and
watched ir driv€ off. A8ainst th€ lighted house Mrs; vil.
loughby was only a silhouette,topped by a scribble of hair,
Charms iingled when she moved. 'There is the fence,' she
said. .He \r'asleaningover it' likć. I was standingin that patch
of €arth, wishing it was spńn8 and dme ro plant perunias.H€
came up slow. l.eaned his elbow on that {enceand said . , .'
She padded away' maybe srill talkińg. Evi€ wait€d until
she was lost in ńe darkness before she climbed her own
The hous€ had not yet heaJd of the d€ath. Clocks ticked'
th€ lefrigerator whirred' a desk lamp lit an ash tray with a
pipe resting on i! and ńe shon-wave radio was speaking
spanish. Evie clicked thc .adio off and then mov€d ńrou8h
th€ house,slill in her coar.,shedidn't touch Enything'she
looked at th€ dishes in ńe kitchen sink' then at the bed
upstairswhich Clotelia had left unrnade.She leanedforwa:d
to srudyan oval phoro8faphaboveńe bureau:a womanin
a high-neckeddress,perlect ctearnyfeaturescurled over the
ba.k of a chair, a tail of hair tied low on her neck wnh a
wide black bow. An ancesto!,maybe; no one could t€I| h€r
any rnor€. Undg he! father's bed two socks lay like cutled
mic€' startling her.
Hef old foom held a bulletin boarĄ a pennant'covered
wastebasket'and the upsrals telephone.EverythinBels€ had
b€€n borne away by Drutn in th€ U.Haul-It truck. Evie sat
down on the floor aJń Pulled the lelephone by its tail until
it restedbeween her feet.Tlen shedialled clotelia,s nuńbel.
.clor€lial' she said.
'Vho's this?'
.Ids Evi€.'
1Ą2
'Oh. Hey.'
.l'm cal|incwith bad news'Clotelia.My lańer died..
.oh, my Lord hav€
Therewaisilence.Then Clo(€ | ia 9.\id.
'lt was a h.art atta.,k.'
'Vell, Lord have mcrcy. That poor man. Vas he all alone
.H€ was talking to Mrs. villoughby.'
.Hćr. I ould think of betrer!o di€ with.'
.well, l wa! wonderin8. could you com€ sray th€ night
Pith m€? I'u be here ti! tonorrow.'
.sure thin8;' said clotelia. .I b€ ńght ov€f. vell' l'rd. Did
'l'll seevou then.'Evie said.
ShebLrnsup and dialledag;in.'David?'shesaid.
.Thiśk his brońer. David ain'rh€ r € . ,
.v€[, rhis is Evi€ Decker. could I speak to D.uń casey)
He's out in youf sh€d.'
'shed?what shedis that?'
.ls that a jok€ or someńingt'
'He's our in your toolshed.'
'what would he be doing out tbere?'
.ob, Lord' I don't know'' Evi€ said.
Just meŚsingaround.
Give hjm a message then, I don't care.'
.v€ll, I will if l ever run inro hin.'
.say my ła(herdi€ d . say I'm ,orry but l canl bothersend'
n8 rhe Po|iceafter him rig'hrnow and I'|l s€ e him in the
noming.'
'Vhar?'
Just tell him to come on home, will youl'
'oh. well. if I -'
She.hurrg up and start€d wand€rin8 órough the rooms
aqain.Now rb€ hous€ wls quietin8down. Beneathrh€ sur-
{ac€ noiseof c|ocksand motorsrh€ r € was a deep.8rowin8
silencethat layeredin from th€ rvalls, making her feel clumsy
and out of plac€. Her shocs clack€d againstrhe floot boards.
Her full coat snatchedat ash trays and Egurinesas shepassed
them. Ib the livin8 loom her mother smiled hopetullv from
a 6ligr€e ffam€, h€r hair tighdy cdmPcd and her lipstick too
143

dłk, rernemberednow by no living person. Her father's
textbook lay in an amchair on toP of a sheal of grad€d
quizzes.And evetyvhere she looked therewere props to pass
time with: compleredcrossword puzdes' a fac€ rnadeout of
used narch€s' a R.ld,* D'8.śivocabulary test neatly fi[€d
out in pencil.
Clotelia arrived wearing a long striped robe, like one of
ńe three wise men. Her head was wrapped in a silk turban.
Dam of gold dangl€d from her ears. .My Lofd' I can't .ake
it in,' she said. 'The news don't stick in ny head.Well, been
on€ of thos€ daF' I rDighthav€ known. lPher€ is youJ bangs'
may I ask?'
'I'm pinning them back now,' Evie said.
'You look lite trash. Go cotnb the!! down. If you want I
6x you some cocoa and then you tell me how it come about.'
.Ther€'s nothing io tell. I wasnl thćre'' Evie said.
But Clotelia onlv waved a hand and sweot on into the
kitchen - swept literauy, gadrdng with the hem of her robe
all the dust baIs she had left behind that day. 'Now dren,'
she said as sh€ took down the cocoa box. .Did he paŚs
pcacetullWhat was his lasrwords)'
.I wasnt ńer€' I said. He wondefedwhy his poned plants
weredying.'
.oh' that poor man. Blam€d m€' I bet.'
'He didn't say.'
.You donl loot good' Evi€. How far along afe youl'
'Vhat?'
.How fafl Two monthsl Thr€el'
.oh' ńy' and n€ver told your daddy.lwhar is it nakes you
act like thatl' She lit óe flarne uader a saucepanof milk.
'Vell, drey is a silver-backed mirror in the guest room he
always said he would will to ńe. Hć tell you thatl'
'No, but you can have it an).way.I donl care,' Evie said.
.He give you thc house. I reckon. Vell' I will say ńis: He
always was a gendeman.Never causeme trouble' like ońers
I could name. Now I got to find me anothcr job.'
'You could get yourself a faaory iob,' Evie said.
.oh' you b€ foping m€ in to tak€ care o{ that baby of
yours, I expect.'
1Ą4
.fue you ctazy? You might sacrińce him up at a Black
}anóer rally.'
'Listen to that A deathnight and you talk as mean-mouth-
cd as you ever did. Here, driok your cocoa.'
she oaŚsedEvie a floweredmuc and óen leamd back
againsrrh. si!k, foldingher armsin her tongflowingsleeves.
Her hands, striped a soft glowing y€Ilow ar rhe outsideso{
h€r palm' grip'ed her elbows. .And aow t hear you quit
school,'shesaid.
'ltrho said ihat? I never quir.'
'Been weeks since you been,I hear.'
.\re[' said Evie. she ran her fingersaround ńe rim of he!
mu8. I! w.s mr€i she coulrll't rememberthe last tim€ she
tad artend€d a class. .AĄ.way' I'm starrin8ba.k nexi we€k''
she said.
.You sćparaied,too, ain't you,' 6aid clotelia.
.seDarar€d?'
.Fróm ńat husband of yours.'
'No, I'm not sepa.ated.'
.wlt€r€'s he .t. then?'
.oh' at hom€' I guess.'
.vhy aint he he!e, in your tim€ of troubl€? or why ain't
.It's comDlicated.'Evi€ said.
.oh, l
iist bet ł is. No point iń a husband if you ain't
going to leal on bim during str€ss, now, i6 the!e?'
'Clotelia, for heaven'ssake,' Evie said. 'Vill you srop just
,r''pi'a at m€l will you leave m€ ó.?'
't!flell. Sorv.' said Clotelia. She unfolded her arms and
gafed dowD at her ńngemails, sh€l'pink with half'moons
left unpainted..If I'd of thought' I,d of brou8ht my ńońer''
she said.
Evic put het head in her han<ls.
.My noóer is a consoler at the Baptist church. sh€ gp to
all thc funerals and console the moumers till thev is cheered
up.'
.How would she go about that}' Evie 1sked in a muffl€d
.oh' just hus them and pat their should€rs' offer them
Kecnex. How else would she do?'
145
 Then Clotelia, who was not like her mother at all, tumed
her back and rinsed out rhe cocoa pan' and Bvie cupp€d lier
hands around her mus for warmth.

r6

1rs BEEN vDExs since I've b€€n out in rhe countrY.' said
!vLs. Harrison. '!trouldn't you think winter would be ozar
by nov} Look at that Śky. Look at those !fe€ś, not a si8n of
green.If you like, I can tum on dre hcater, Evie.'
.I am a littl€ cold,' Evi€ said.
Mrs. Haruisoo reaóed fo. a lev€. somewherebćn€arh th€
dashboard.She drove with a look of suspenseon her face,
x if sbe constałly wondeled how she was doing. Her back
was very straighr;six inches s€patared het from óe back of
.he car seat.
Mrs. Harrison couldn't come, of course. It was a school
day. Evie understoodthat but Mrs' Harison se€med afraid
shehadn't,Shesaid,'Oh, ii only Bill couldhavemadeit. He
wantedto, you know thar. And narurally he wi[ be coming
to the funeral. He f€€ls just terrible about all this. Your fańer
was the filst teacher we met when Bill came here to be
prjncipal'..I'rnsam Decker,''he said - oh, I rememb€ f it
iusr as .leai! Had on that baggy suit of his. There was some
confusionin his mindaboutwherheror not I meantro shake
hands.And now look. But if Bill was to turn his back for a
seconĄ even, ńat school would shatter into Pieces.
"Bill," I said,"Evie wiU understand. You are comingto the
'ust
fun€ r al, aren'tyou?''andhe said,..Ma(ha, you know l an'',
I felt surevou wouldnl be insulted.'
.No' of cou$e not'' Evie said. .He did mor€ than enough
lastnight,'
'Oh, that was nothing,'said Mrs. Harrison.
.vell' I did appr€ciate it.,
They geemedto have leach€d th€ end of a dance s€t, both
of them cunsying and murmuring a panem of words. But
146 147

Evie had Bouble remembering what to say.Her voicewand'
ered'searchin8for theprop€ r tone.Had sheshownth€ right
anount of gratitude?1vasan}.thing € l se ąPeaed of her?A
row of gfownupslined the baĆkof her mind' shakin8thek
headsat the € l umsinessof Evie Decker.
.You'll haveto tell me wher€ ro tum, dear.I'ven€ v er b€ e n
.ob. Righr up thereat th€ tobaccobarn'' Evi€ said.
.Don'r you hav€ troubl€ with undesirablen€ i ghbours
'I don\ know any of them.'
Mrs. Hafrhon swun8 lo th€ right, onto deeP clay ruts
hardened bv frost. It sounded as if the botrom of the ca.
w€re dropping out' Her glovedhandsweretight on th€ wh€el,
srrain€d shiny acrossthe knuckles, and she looked anxiously
around her while th€ c.r seemedto bound of its own accold
through the dry fields. Arorrnd a cun,e there wete two ńil
childr€n' roPy.haired,lost in clothestoo bi8 for th€m' holdiog
a dead rabbit by th€ heels and offerin8 it forń' .My staĄ'
said Mrs. Har.ison.sh€ saiiedon pa$ themwhile a narow
lin€ suddenly pinched her eyebrowstogether.
.one thingI told Bill'' shesaid..Itold him'..ThaŃ heaven
she's married, Bill," r{/e hadn't thought it at lhe time, of
course,but nor? look. You wont be all alone in the world.
You have yourself a hand-picked guardian. Are you cenai'
this is the roadl'
'Yes. Our househ jBstoverthere.'
'Where?'
.Tłeze'' said Evie, and she nodded at th€ tatpape' shack.
Yer for a minute, she hadnl been sure herseli It looked
different.The Ę today was a srarl gfey.v'hit€, arching over
treelessbillows of parched land and dwarfing the house and
ńe single bush that grew by the door. Blank squaresof grey
were refl€cted off thć windowPan€s. A ddbble of Śmoke ros€
from the rusted óimney pipe. M.s. Harison &ove inro the
dirt yard and parked betweena wheel-lessbicycleand a claw-
foorcd barhrub, but beforeshe had turned the motor oft Ev;e
said,'Oh, dont comein. Really.I'll be all right.'
.Vell' are you surel' Mrs. !Łrrison asked.
'I'm positive.Thark you ver)'much.'
.vell. .wc'll Śee you at lhe funeral' then. or before' if you
think of anyrhingyou need.You lel us know'
she waired while Evi€ colleded her coat alound h€r and
turnbled for the doo! handle. Then she raised one gloved
hand and shot off into th€ road, still Btiff.backed.A spufr of
dust hovered behind her.
Evie climbed the two woo.l€n st€ps, avoiding rhe corn€r that
was mtting ofl its nails. When shq openedthe door she was
!]et by a damp smel!; as if the dntry sky had seepedin
tbrolgh th€ aacks afound th€ windows. It took hel a minut€
!o understandwhy thin$ were in such a iumble; the kidnap-
ping had slippedher mind. A óair lay on irs side' poking
splint€ry legs into h€f path. The sha8gy ru& worn down to
bare fabric in spos, ivas twisted b€nearh it' At the other €nd
of the roorn there was a hallfinished gąmeof idiois delight
on a footstool, a heap of paper anpbnes made by Drum on
al idle day, ńve empty beer cans and arl ashtray full of
cigare$ebuttsand ch€wirtg'gum wTappe.sand the metal tabg
from beercans.A srape-iuie srainon the wall had seeped
ńrough tbe whlleposterpaint she had cove.€ d it with' Th€
room mighi have been left we€Ls ago, hard€nin8 b€neath its
stale ńlm of dust.
.Drum?'sh€ caued.
Sheheardsomethingfrom the bedroorn,not quite a sound.
.Isńat you' Dfuml'
By tbe time she reaóed the bedroom door' Dfum was
alreadysitting up. one sid€ of his face was cfeasedfron rhe
pillow.Beyondhim was Fay-Jean Lindsay.wearins an oranse
lace slio which seemedto have drained all the colour from
the resi of her. Her face and her pointy shouldersw€r€ dead
white; her tow hair sreamed down her back as pale as ice.
.oł-oh', she said' and reachedfor ńe black dress crumpled
at the end of the bed. Drun onlv looked stunn€d. He and
Evie star€d at each orhe! wińout expression, n€ith€r one
..Whatare yol doing hcte|' he asked her ńnally.
.This is wh€r€ I live.'
.!0ell' where you been?You ńink you can jrrststay away
aU night and then pop back in againl'
149
 .I'v€ be€n home. My fath$ died.'
'Oh. Oh, Lord.' He looked for help to Fay-Jean,but Fay-
Jeansar amongóe blanketsgloping h€f way upward rhrough
her black dress. Nothing showed bu. rwo limp arms raised
bward rhe ceiling. lVhen her face had poked tbrough she
said' 'Vell' excuse ne for b€ing h€r€ but you were away'
after all. lVill you zip me upl'
.cĆrtainly'' Evi€ said. Now, too late,she hit upon óe
Polite
tone of voice sbe had neededfor the 8rownupi she zipp€d
the dresswhile Fay'Jeaoh€ld h€r hat off her n€ckj sherł/air€d
padently while Fay-J€an trained long toes ben€ath th€ bed
feelingfor her spik*heeled shoes'M€anwhilć Drum had risen
and was shakingout his dunsarees.He wore yellowedunder-
pantsand an undershin with a hole in the chesr,irs neckband
frayed. He hopped one.{oot€d into rhe dungar€es' cl€nchin8
hi6 musclesagainst tbe mld. 'l,ook,' he kept saying. 'Vait.
List€n.' But nothing mor€. Evie handed Fay.Jean he! coat
and saw her ro rhe door. 'How do I 8er out of herea' Fay-
Jeanask€ d '
'Valk to rhe higbway and catch a bus.'
.!qak? Ii thegeshoes?couldn,ryou
iust dfiv€ me?'
.I don't have th€ time'' Evie said' and shut the door.
, l€ave this place. start a new life. Gve sohe shapeto ńin8s.'
She went to rhe kitchen and beganmaking coffe€' still in
her coat. The boat gave ber a brisk, comP€tent f€eiing. lvhile
she was waiting for butter to rnelt in the frying pan Drum
came out' d.€ssed in his dungar€es and a klraki shin' and
stood bebind her. .Well' t do!'t know what to say', h€ said.
Ević tilted ńć Ęing pan' €v€ning th€ butter.
.And then about your father. Well. He waŚ a right nice
guv.'
She rapped an egg and brok€ it' neatly.
.I dont know what got into me'' Drum said..It was ńat
kidnapping. How could you do me that way? And then it
looked like you had decidednor rc come back asain. Eithet
ńat or fofgot all about it. v€ wait€d and waited, tbos€ thre€
Sirls iusr Bpping aroundthe roolshed.Violet lryiog to s(arr
son8s. Evi€, say something. vhat are you
thinking?'
.I am thinking thar we have !o get organisćd,'Evie said.
150
.Have you .v€f boked at this p\acc? It's a mess.And I'm
fo€efing to death, it's much too cold.'
.we|l, is rłal what you want to talk abo t? Hot.ś,keePin8?'
.Not housek€epi.g'
iust thin8s in 8eneral. Youte got to
Ptrll yous€lf together'Dfum. I ke€p meaningto tell you thfu:
I'm expectinga baby. It's coming in six monńs o. so.'
Shesaambled ńe eggsaround rapidly, not looking at him.
Drum said nothing. Finally she ler out her breath and saiĄ
'Did you hearme?'
'I heard,'
'Vell, you don't act like it.'
.It .why didn't
iust took me by surpris€' like'' D.um said.
you rnentionthis befor€l'
.I was waitin8 for th€ rigbt tine.'
.Is th€ risht rime?'
Then'''s shc did look at him. but she couldn't tcll what he
was thinkin8. He lean€d against the wall with his boots
crossed,his eyes fx€d on rh€ swirling e88s,so rhat a she
could see were the straight dark lin$ oI his lashes. 'Right
time o! .|ot,' she said after a minut€, .we ar€ 8oing to have
to make some aBangcm€nts. Now, my father has left m€ his
house. lue can move in this afternoon - jusr pack up and
.You m€an l''? there? Live in his hous€?'
.It's olrl hous€ now.'
.vell' what ń€ diff€rence?,
.] Iik€ it whele we are'' Drurn said.
.\p€ can'r stav h€re. Drum.'
'I don't know why not.'
.wĄ I can't go said Drum.
..whatdo you ń€a',c''''
nl'
'\Phat I said. I can't do it,'
H€ sat down at rhe kit€hen table, bracing hims€f with bis
han<isas iI he had a headache.Evi€ srar€d at him' but he
*ouldn't say any mor€. }l€ folded his atms on the table and
waited.she pour€d his coffee' dishedout his eggs'and found
him a fork. Then she sai4 'All right. I'll go thcre alone.'
.You mean l€ave Ęe)'
151
 .If I hav€ to.,
.You don't haveto'' said Drum. .Evi€ ' I don't know why
you aretalkinBthisway,Is it Fay-Jean? Fay-lr" donl mean
nothing'I sw€ a r it. oh' how am I 8oingto cotrvinceyou?'
.Fay-J€ a n.Don1rnakem€ laugh''sa'dEvi€ . .All I'm asking
is for you to Pick yourŚelf up and move to a decent house
with me. If you dont do ir, then it's yo leavingttte.I did
8ive you ih€ choice.'
'That's no choice,' Drurn said. 'Evie, I would do almost
anythin8 for you but nor this' Nor 8€t organisedand follov
after you this way, You used ro like it here. Can't you iust
stayand wait till my |uck is óanged?'
H€ laid one hand on her arm. His wtisi was Barked with
a chafed red line. Evie felt sorn€ńing pulled out of h€r rhat
he had drawn, like a hard deep string but she squared her
cornersas if sbe were a stack of librarv cards.
'l havethe babynow,' shesaid.
.I don't s€ e how tbat € h anges anythin8.'
'No, I know you don't.That'swhy I'm leaving.'
'Can'r we talk aboutthis?'
But he had to say that to her back. Shewas already leaving
rheroom.she wenrro ńe b€ d room andpulledour a suircase.
wbich she opened on the bed. Then sh€ began folding the
bloułesrhathungin herclorer.Hundredsoftimes.in movies
and on television,shehad watch€d this sceneb€ing r€heafsed
for her. wives had laid blousesneatly in ovemight bagsand
had giv€n them a brisk linle pat' then crossśdon clicking
heels to collect an armload of dressesstill on their hangers.
There was no way slrc could rnake a niseke. H€r morions
w€r€ prescrib€d for her' right down to the tucking of foll€d
stockirgs into empry corners and the thoughdul look she
gave tne empty clos€t.
Drum came to be her audience'l€aning awkwardly in the
doorway with hh hands in his po€k€ts. .You are movin8 in
mo much of a rush,' he told her.
.!(hatl' Śaid Evie. and she stared dowD at her ha'ds'
overflowins wirh scarvesand h€adbands.
.People óon\ just take off lik€ this' Th€y think things
through. Th€y talk a lot. Like: How r,vill you suppoń thal
baby,all alone)'
15f
'l'll get along.'
.Yes, well,' Dlum Śaid. .T,/,,3 for 3ure.' He pic!€d up a
baaette from the floor and studied it, tumin8 it ove! and
over in his hands. Then he śaid'.How will you .xPlain !o
mangels, having "Casey" w.ote a6oss your face?'
'I'll tell them it's my name,' Evie said. Then she paused,in
ńe middle of rolling up a b€lt. .It n my name.'
Drum ftowned at the barrette.'Now that vou have donc
all ńat cuabg' he said' .and enduredthrough ble€ding and
police ca.s and stitches,are you going to say it was just for
Pw osęsot idefttifcation?'
He tGs€d the barr€tte into ń€ open suitcaŚ€. Evi€ &a8ged
an aifline bag f.om under the bed' and ńlled it with undć..
wear and stray botdes lrom the medicine cabinet. In rhe
bathroom, holding a tube of toothp.ste and vi'.tching her
smudgedfacein ńe minor' shesaid' .1didn,tdo it.'
'matl'
'l dirln't cut my forehead.Someoneelse did.'
.You don't mak€ s€ns€'' Drum told her.
.Vell' you were ńere. You rememberhow it was. The
singbg was good and there were .whenfans shouting back at
you
and lots of people d'ncing. I went into th€ festroom
.n arSumentstartedup. I forga just how. Me and a redhead
and sornefriend of hers, She got rnad. She told her friend ro
hold me down and she slashed your name on tny face. "I
hope you're satisńed''' she said. Tńal was how it happened.'
.Lif€ is
8etting too clutter€d'' Drum said.
'Didnl I tell you so?'
she fipPed th€ airline bag.There wele other things of hers
all over the hous€' books and recordsand piecesof clothing'
but all she wanted now was to ńnish up. In movies ńe
packing did not go on so interminably. She picked up the.
suitcase,but Drum moved forward to take it away from her.
'Evie, don't go,' he said,
That was said in movies too. Then the whol€ sc€n€ would
end {'ith his changinghis mind' saying he would come wiń
her aq'where, but what did Drum know about thiigB like
that? 'Corne with me, then,' she said, and al! Drum said was,
'No. I can'r.'
He had neveronce done what she bad expecredof him,
153
 He catried the suitcas€ , sbe carried the a;rline bag. They
crossedthe cold din yard to the car. 'Keys,' said Drum, and
when she handed them to hjm he op€ n ed rhe trunk and slid
tbe bags in. He was going to let her go, tben. Sbe climbed
into the driver\ seat and waited for lim to slam !h€ trulk
lid dovn. .Mayb€ *' be said' when he had come around ro

she rolled the windolv dow.. 'Yrhat?'

'I sa;d, maybe later you will change your mind. Do you

'I never back down on things,' Evie said.

He reachedin \łith the keys. He didn't even say 8oodbye;
just laid the keys in the palm of her hand, leaving her with
a trace ofhis cool, sLicksurfaceand a smell ofnarigolds and
a bdef tearing sensationlhat lasted lon8 after she bad roll€ d
out of the yard roward toM.

On Saturd.y night ar the Unicorn, Joseph Ballew and Drum'

LADDER
stings Casey played rock music on a wooden dancepladonn,
the same as aiways. Joseph Ballew sang two oew songs and
OF YEAR S
Drum\Irln8. caśeyr;ng o|d ones. stoPplng h|\ Śtrumming
occasionally to speak out berweenverses.
,wherc
is the ćirculat stailś?, he asked.
And then, Bu! rhe leters u a, dt backua s.
'Wo A yo1' expLri"?'
His audi€nc€ just nodded, accePting what h€ said' The onry
person who could have answeredhim was not present. atnikble in hątdback
flom Chafta b windB

HF
aDll!
r!--ril
154
 BALTIMORE !flOMAN
DISAPPEARS DURING FAMILY
VAcATIoN
Delaware stlte Police enomĆed €ady today that
Codelia F. Crinstead, 40, wife of a Roland lark phys-
ician' has been .€polted misŚing whil€ on holiday with
ho. family ń lethany Bća.h'
Ms. Gdnstead waŚ lasr s@ aromd noon this past
Moldan waking south along the s&€t.h of sand
betwćen }€ńan! and s€a cololy.
vitn6s of hs delartuc - her hDsband, Di sańuel
crinstead' 55, and her ń@ childlen' sua!' 21'
Rańś5' 19' and carou' 15 - wćre uable b recall
atry suspicious characterŚ i! thć vi.inity' They repolted
that to the bes! of their recollectio! she simply *tÓll€d
away. Her failuĘ to Ęturn was not lmarked until late
attermo!.
A slend*, sńa|lboled woman with cudy fair o!
light'bown hai., Ms. G.inŚtead Śtandś5'2" o' !oŚ
sibly 5,5'' and weighŚ.ithł 90 or 110 louds' He.
eyes are blue or guy o. p&haps 8r€en! and her nose is
nildly subumed ń additio' to being f.dtled'
}resmably she wds a.rying a lżIge snżw rote
tilr]md with a pitrk bow, but fMily ńeńbeś could
ńot .gree upon h€i .lońi!g. ln all probabillty ł was
sonething pi.k or blue' h€r huŚband Śucgeś!ćd'eithł
frilled or lacy o!.looking kińd of bab''dou-'
Authorities do nor suspet drownńg; Śin.e Ms.
crifut€ad avoided swinninc wlEoeve. posible and
plofe$ed a disuna avesio! to Mter Itr f.ct' he! siŚte.,
Elifa Fele!,52' haŚ alleged to rePo.te6 that the nisn
ing wońan .may iave b@n a cat in hd mo* r€ent
Anyone with knowlcdge of Mś. Gfi.stead's wherc'
aboutŚ is u!8€d to contżct ńe Delawa.€ sĘte Police at
TEIS ALL STARTEDon a Saturdaymomingin Man one of
thosewalm sPringda}śthatsmelllik€ cl€ a n linen.Delia had
8one to the supefma.ket to shop for thć w€ekś m€als. sh€
was standing in th€ produ€e section, languidly choosing a
bunch of celery' Grocery stores always made h€r refl€ctive.
why was it' she was wondering' rhai celery was not call€d
.corduov olanc? That would be much more colotńn. fud
garlic bri$s should be 'moneybags,' because their shape
remindedher of the sacks of sold coins in {olktales.
A customer on he! daht was sortĘ tfuough th€ 8r€etr
onions. It was early enough so the store was nearly empry
and yet this p€rson s€em€d to b€ €dging in on h€r a bit. oncć
or twice the fabric of his shtt sl€eve brushedh€r &ess sle€v€.
Also' he was leally no more than sti'rin8 thos€ onions
aroud. He would lift one rubber-band€d clunp and ńen
drop it and alight on anońer. His fiigers were vefy long and
agile,alrnosr spidery.His cuffs wele y€llow oxford clorh.
H€ said. .vould vou know if th€se are called scallions?'
.vell' som€times'' Delia said' she seiz€d ńe nearestbunch
of celery and steppedtoward ńe plastic bags'
'Or would theybe shallots?'
.No' theyle scallions', sh€ told hiln.
Needlessln he steadiedthe roll of bagsoverheadwnne she
pee|edone off. (He towered a good foot abov€ he.) she
dropped ńe celery into the bag arrd reachedtoward the cup
of twist ti€s, but he had already ptucked one out for her'
'!{rhat are shallots, anrvayt' he asked.
She would have feared that he was trying to pick her up'
exc€pt that wh€n she tum€d she saw he was surely rcn years
hel iuaior' aad very goodlookĘ besides.He had straight'
dark-yellow hair and milky blue eyes that made him seein
dreamy and peaceful.He was smiling dowtl at h€r' standing
a tinle closer than strangersotdinarily stand.
'Um . . .' shesaid,flustered.
'Shallos,' he remindedher
 .shallots are fatte!' she Śaid. she set the celery in her groc-
€Iy cart. .I beli€ve they're above the parslen' she called over
her shoulder,but she found him next to he! krping step
with her as she wheeledher cart toward the citrus fruits. He
wole bluĆjeans,very faded, and soft moccasinsrhat couldnt
be heard above 'King of the Road' on the public somd
'I also need lemons,' he told her.
she slid anońer g]ancear him'
'l-ook,' he 6aid sudderly. He lowered his voice. 'Could I
ask you a big favor?'
'Um...'
.My ex-wi{€ is up aheadin potato€s. or not €x I guessbut
. . . estranged,lett say, and !he's gor her boylri€nd with h€r.
Could you iust pr€tend w€'re togethe!?Jusr till I can duck
'well, of course,' Delia said.
And wirhout even takiDg a d€ep breath fust' sh€ plun8ed
happily back into the old high-schoolatmospheteof roman-
tic intrigu€ and d€.eption. sh€ narrowed her eyes and lifted
hel chń and s'id' .v€'ll shÓw /:łl'and sailed past the fruits
and mad€ a U-turn into root ve8śtables. .v/hich one is sh€?,
she rnurmuredthrough ventriloquist lips.
.Tan shirt'' he whisp€I€d. Th€n h€ sta.tled her wiń a
sudden burst of laughter.'Ha, ha!'he told her too loudly.
.Aren'tyou cl€ v et to say so?'
Buf .tan shin' was nowhere n€ar an ad€quate description.
The womanwho turnedat rhe somd ot hiśvoice wore an
ecru raw-silk tuni€ over black silk tlousels as slim as two
p€ncils' Her hait was absolutely black' cut shorter on one
side, and her facewas a perfea oval. '!flhy, Adrian,' she said.
Vhoever was with her - some man or othe! - turned tbo,
still grippńg a Potato. A dark' thick man with rough skin
like stucco and eyebrowsthar met in rhe middle. Not up to
the womant stand'rd at a ; but how many people wer€?
D€lia's companion said' .Rosernary I didnt see you. so
dont foĘet'' he told D€lia, rct b.eaking his srride. He ser a
hand on her cart to steer it into aisl€ 3. .You Promised me
you'd make youJ narv€lous blan€man8€ tonight.'
'Oh, yes, my . . . blancmange,'Delia echoedfairtly. Vhat-
ever blancmangemight be, it soundedrh€ way she felr just
158.
then:pale and plail-faced and skinny' with h€f freckles and
her ftizzy brown curls and h€r rufflćd pink round.colla!€d
dress.
They had bypassedthe dairy caseard the juice aisle, where
Delia had planned to pick up severai itens, but she didn't
point that out becausethis Adrian person was still talkilg.
'Your blancmangeand then you., uh, what, your meat and
vegetabl€ sand da-da-da. . .'
The way he let his voice die r€miflded her of rhos€ popular
songsthat €nd with the sirrgersjust absentmindedlydrifting
awayfrom ńe nicrophone'.Is sh€ lookingat us?' he whis-
pered.'Check it out. Dont make it obvious.'
D€lia glancedover pretendingto be Ńruck by a display of
conveft€d ric€. Both the wife and the boyfriend had their
backs to her, but there wąs somethiry attificial in th€ir pos'
tue. No one codd ńnd russetpotatoesso m€sm€rizing. .well'
sh€'s lookills'' Delia murnured. she turned to see
'''"Ź'alb
hergrocery can rapidly 6llin8 wirh pasta.Egg noodl€s, rotini,
lineuine- Adrian nuns in boxesat random. 'Excu* ne . . . ,'
.oh' sonn' he told her' He stuff€d his hands h hiŚ pockets
and lop€d off. D€lia {oHowed'pushing h€r calt very slovly
in casehe rneantfor rhen to separatenow. But at the end of
!h€ aisl€, he paused and considered a row of tinned ravioli
until she caught uP with him. .Th€ boyfriendt name is skip-
peg'he said.'He'sher accountant.'
.Ac€ o utatrt!' Delia said.He didnlfit the ima8e.
.Half a dozen times, at leaŃ' h€t come to our house. sat
in our actual living room, going over her tax€s. Rosemary
owns this cat€ring firm. The Guilty Party, it's ca ed. Ha.
"SinJullv Delicious Foods for Every occasion." Th€n next
ńirrgI know, she,smov€d il with hirn. Sheclaimed she only
neededa few weeks by herself' but when ńe phoned to s'ly
so, I couid hear him coachins her in the back$ound.'
.oh. dntt t€ r ribl€ . , Delia said.
A woman wirh a babv in her ca.t reachedb€rwe€n them
for a can of macaroń and ch€es€' Delia steppedback to give
'If it's not too much tlouble,' Adrian said when the wonan
had rnoved awan 'I'li iust tas alons while you 6nish your
shopping. It would look sort of fishy if I left rieht now' all
159
alone. I hop€ you donl nifld.'
Mindt This was the nost interesringrhinB that had hap-
penedto he! in y€ars. .Not a bn'' she told him. she wh€eled
her cart into aisle 4. Adlian strolled alongsidehei
.I'mAdrian Bly Briće,by theway,'he said..I8uessI
ou8h!
rc {nov }orl name.-
.I'm Delia Grinst€ad'' sh€
told him' sh€ plucked a botile
of mint flakes from rhe spice rack.
.I dotr'tbeliev€ I'veev€ r ru into
a Delia b€ f ore.'
.ve itt coldelia, realiy. My father nam€d
m€ that''
.And'are you on€ ) '
'tun I one what?'
.fu€ you you fathel'sCordelia?'
'l don't knoq' shesaid.'Het dead.'
'Oh, I'm sofry.'
'He died this past winte!' she said.
Ridiculousln tears 6lled her ey€s. This whole conv€rsation
had raken a r,vron8 turn som€wh€r€. she squared her
should€ls and pushed her cart on down rhe aisl€, veefing
around an eldelly couple confening over salt substitutes.
'Anyhoq' she said, 'it got shodened to De'ia right away.
L'k€ h the song.'
'V/harsong?'
.oh' the . . you know, rhe one about Delia3 gone, onć
' to leavethis imase o{ herselfb€hind, .Th€y do have a sunday
mor€ rcund . . . My father used to sin8 m€ to sl€ep with
'l neverheardit,' Adriar said.
The tune on the loudspeakernow was 'By the Time I cer
to Phoenix.compeunswith herfather\gruffvorcemunerirg
.Deltal con€ ' in her mind' .Anyhow!.she
said J8ain.more
brightly.
Th€y start€d up the next aisl€: cerealson the left, popcorn
and sweetŚ on the righr' Delia needed comflakes, but
corn{lakeswere sucha /az'ly item, she d€cided againstthen.
(vhat ingredientswere required for blancmang€?) Adlian
gazed idly at sa.ks of bunerscotchdrops and rum balls. His
skin had that slight tawnńess that you occasionally see in
fairhaired men' and it seemedalmost wińoul textule. He
musr not have to shąv€ mofe rhan two or threetimesa week'
.I nyself was named for an uncle'' h€ said. .Rich Uncl€
Adrian Bric€ . PrÓbablyall for nothing,thou8h.He\ mad I
160
chang€ d my namewhenI married'.
'You changedyou namewhenyou maniedl'
.I used to be Adrian Blice th€ second. but th€n I married
RosemaryBly and we both beame Bly'B.ice.'
.oh, so there'sa hyphen,,Delia said. sh€ hadn't r€alized.
.It was € n tirely hel idea, Believeme.'
As i{ summonedup by his words, Rosemary appealed at
rheońer end of the ai.|e.Sherossedsomethrng into the red
p|asticlo|e baśker han8rnglrom Skrpper\fi't' Womenliłe
Robemaryneverpuchaśed rhelr8Io.eles by rhecanloJd'
.If we w€nt to the movie, though, we'd miss th€ corcelt''
Adrian said instantly .and you know how I'v€ looked for'
ward to the corceft.'
.I forgot,,Delja said..The conce.t!They'll be playĘ. .,
'
But she couldnt think of a sin8l€ composer.{And maybe
he had meant sone other kind of concet - a rock shoq {or
insfance.H€ was youngenough.)Rosemarywatchedwithout
a {lickerof expressionas Deiia and Adrian approached.Delia
was th€ ńrst to lower her €ves. .w€'ll iust save the novie for
lomoEow,' Adrian was saying.He guided hs cart to the le{t
a bit. All at once D€1ia feh woefully small . not dainty and
p€tite, but squat,humble,insignificant.she didn,t standmuch
tal€r than Adriant armpit. she increasedher spe€d' anxious
matinee,don't they?' Adrian was askinS.
'Of course rhey do,' she told hin' a little too enphaticaliy.
.\g€ could go to rhe nvo o'clock showing' right aftel ouJ
champa$e brunch.'
By now she was tearing dow. rhe n€xt aisle. Adfian had
to lengthen his strid€ to k€ep up. They narrowly missed
hitting a man whose carr was Śtacked with 8igantic PamPers
ln ai.|e 7 rhey zęped through the gourmerse.tion -
ancbovypaste,\mokedoysrer' and arnred at babl foods.
whłe tleliacoltected hersellenouehro remember sheneded
st'ain€d sDinach.she siowed to studv the rows of little jars'
.Not thoń!' Adriąn hiss€d. They raced on, leaving behind
aisl€ 7 and careeninginto 8. .sorry'' he said. .I just thought
if Rosemary saw you buyins baby {ood . . '
If she saw h€r buyil8 baby food' she'd think Delia wa6
just a housewifewith an infant waiting a. hom€. Ironically'
161
rhough'Delia had lon8 pJssedthe infanLś|age. To suspect
her or havinga chi|d ńar youne was to flarrerhen Al| ęhe
neededthe spinachlor was her mint pea soup. Bur she didn'r
bother explaining that and insteadselecteda can of chicken
broth' .oh,' Adrian said, trav€ling Past her, .consornrnć!I
meant io buy som€ . '
He dropped a tin in h€r cart _ a {ancy brand with a sleek
whh€ lab€l. Then h€ wandeled on, hands jamrnedflat in his
reł pockets. Come to think of ir' h€ reninded Delń of hel
ńrst r€al boyfliend _ in faa, her only boyfriend,lor counung
h€r hLsband. vill Britt had possess€d this sam€ angularity,
which had seerned$acetul at sornernomentsand ungainly
at oth€rs; ard h€ had cocked his elbows behind ltin in iust
this wan like knobbn sharpwrngs,and his ears had,ruck
out a bit too. It was a relief to 6nd that Adrian's ears
sruck out. She distrusredmen who were too handsome.
At the end of the aisletheylookedin both directions.No
tellingwhereRosemarymighrpop up nexr,wirh rbar care-
free.untrammeled rorebasket'Bul the.oasr t^asclĆa.'and
Delia nosed h€r cart toward paper goods. .vhat'' Ad{ian
said' .youwant to buy Źol'}'
Yeś'sh€ did. sh€ had barely passedthe halfłvaynatk. But
she saw his poinr. The longer they hung around, rhe greater
hiŚ chances of anoth€! conffontarion' .we'll leave.' she
d€cided. she started for the l€arest ch€ckout counrer. bllt
Adrian,lacinghis fugersrhroug}the 8rid of rh€ carr' d'ew
it mwardtheexpresslanes.'Ore, rwo,rhree. . .' Shecounred
her Puchaś€ s aloud. .we canl go therel l.ve goL s'xlefn'
H€ pulled the cart into the fifteen-iten lane. behjnd an old
woman buying nothing but a sa€k of dog chow. He Śtarted
dwping noodle boxes onto the counte! Ah' weli. D€tia
rummag€d through her bag for her checkbook. The old
woman in front of rhem, meanwhile,was deposiringbits of
5mallchangein lhe caŚhlerŁpJlm. she handedovet a penny
and rhen.ifrer a search.ano.h., p.nny.A third pennyhaźl
a Pieceof lint Śtuck to it, and she piucked that away painstak-
rngly.Adrian gavean exasperated sigh. I forgorcat food,'
Deliatold him.Shehadn\ a hopern rhisworldrharhe would
volunt€er to go back for iti she juŃ thought a flow of ralk
might settlehjm doM some' .se€ing that do8 chow reminded
162
me, we're almost out,' she said. 'Oh, never mind. I'll send
RamŚay for it later.'
The old woman was hunting a founh penny. She was
posirive' she Śaid' dBt she had afuth€r on€ somewh€r€.
.Ramsay!' Adrian repeatedto hinselJ. He sigh€d again
-
or no' this rine h€ was laughing. .I bet you live in Roland
Park,' he told Delia.
'vell, yes,I do.'
.I kn€ w it! Everybodyin Roland Park has a last namefor
.so?'shesaią stung..what'swrongwith that?'
'Oh, nothing.'
.lt hnt even true'' she said. .vhy, I knov lots of peopl€
.Don't tak€ offeńse!I live in Roland Park myself'' h€ said.
'lts lusrpue luck I wasn\named. .. oh. Bennins(on. or
McKinney; McKinney was my moth€r's maiden name. I be.
yotlr brcbaxd's moth€r's . . ' and if we decide against the
blancmang€ tonight we cąn always have it tomorrow night,
don't you think)'
sh€ felt dislocatedfor a second'until Śhe understoodthat
Rosemaly must b€ in earshoi a8ain. sEe €nough: a tote
basket,still loaded, atived on rhe counter behjnd her own
8roceries. By now ńe old womaohad mov€ d away.toftering
uder her burden of dog chor and the cashier was asking
them,'Plasticbags,o! paper?'
.Plastic' pl€ase,' Adrian said.
Delia openedher mouth ro obiect (she generallychose
papef' her6€lf)' but sh€ didnt want to conr|adict Adlian in
Adrian said' .Delia'I don,rb€ l ieve you'vem€ t my. . ''
Delia turned aroud, already ptast€ring a pl€asantly suJ.
prised smile on her face.
'Mn ah, Rosenary,' Adrian said, 'and her, ah,. Skipper.
This iŚ Delia Gins.ead.'
Rosemafy wasnt srnilĘ at all' which made Delia feel
fooiish' but skipp€r 8ave h€r an amiabl€ nod. He kept his
anns folded across his chesr* shon, musculararms, heavily
furred' bulging Eom rhe sleevąs of his polo shin. .Arry
relation to D. ciinstead?' he asked her.
.Yes|H€ \ my
'.. he was my .. ' h€ ' s my husband,'she
163
said. How to *plaill the exist€nce of a husband' in the
Bur skipper se€ned to take this in stride' H€ told Rose'
mary' .Di Grinstead's my mother\ GP. B€en treatjn8 hel
foleveŁ Ri8ht?' h€ asked Delia.
.Right'' she age€d' not havilg the faintesridea.Ros€mary,
meanwhile,wert on studyingher coolly. Shecarried her head
at a delibelatetiit, accentuatinBrh€ asymmetricalhaifdo wlrh
its dramatic downward siant toward her chin. k was non€ of
Deliat busin€sŚ' of @urse, but privately she rhoughtAdrian
d€s€rv€d sonebody more likable. she thought even skipPe!
deservedsomebodvmore likable. She wished she had wo{n
his! heelsrhis morning, and a dressierdress.
'Dr. Grinstead is iust about the last man in Baltimore who
nakes housecalls,' skipper was t€ in8 Rosemary
.l*|ell'or y iI itt absolut€ly essential,'Delia said. A reflex:
she never gave up trying ro protect her husband from his
Behindher'ńe scaonersaidpeep' . . peep. .' peep' reeis.
tering h€r gocerieJ' The music had stopp€d playing sev€.al
milutes back' as Delń just nov noti.ed, and the murmuring
of shoppelsu lhe storesouded hushedand ominouś.
'ThaCll be thiny-three fonx' the cashier announced.
Dćlia tuJned to 6ll in her chak and found Adrian handing
overrhe money..oh!.she said.prepanngo argue.BuLńen
she grew consciousof Rosemary listening.
Adrian flashed her a wide, sweet smile and acceptedhis
change. .Good s€eing you,' he told the other couple. He
walked on out' pushing the cart, with D€lia trailńg b€hind.
It had been raining off and on for days, but this mor ng
had dawned clear and the parking lot had a rinsed, fresh,
soft look under a ńlm of lemony sunlight. Adrńn halted the
cart at the cuIb and lifted ouftwo of the grocerybags,leaving
th€ thi'd for Delia' Nexr came rhe problem of whose car to
head foi He was already startiag toward hrs own, which
was evidentlyparked som€where near the dry cleaner's'when
sh€ stoppedhim' vait'' she said. .I'm right here.'
.But what if they s€e us? w€ catr't leave h differetrtcarsl'
.Vell' I do have a
Ę to get back to', Delia snapp€d. This
whole businesshad gone fal €nough, it occurred to her. she
was missing h€r baby-food spinach and her cornflakes and
164
untold other items on account of a total stlanger.She flung
oDenthe trunk of her Plymouth.
-'Oh,
all right,'Adrian said.'Vhat we'il do is load these
groceries very very slowly, and by that iime rhey'll hav€
driven awaŁ They didn't hav€ so much to ń!g up: two
steaks,two potatoes,a head of lettuce, and a box o{ after
dinner mirts. That won't take long '
Delia was astonishedat his powels of observationShe
watched hirn anange his ba8s in her Eun.k, after which he
comuned a good hal{ minute repositioning a sDall box of
something.Orzo, it was - a most peculiar, tiny-sized pasta
that she'd of.en noticed on the shelf but n€v€r bougbt. she
had thorrghrit resembledrice, in which cas€ vhy not serve
lic€ inst€ad, which was surely mo|e nutrkious? she handed
him the bagshewas holding,andhe setrledthatwith elabor-
at€ care &tween rhe first two. .fue th€y comi!8 out yet?' h€
.No,, shesaid,lookingpasthim loward ń€ store..Listen'
I owe you some morcy.
'No, really,I hare to pay you back Only I plannedro
wńrea checkand t don\ haveany.a;h.VoU|dyou accepl
a chć&} I coutd show you my drivert license,'she said.
He lauehed.
.l'm s€rious.' she told him' .tf you don,t mind taking a_'
Then she caught sight of Skipper and RosernaryenergiĘ
from the supermarket.Skippe! huggeda single brown paper
bag. Rosemary carried nothing but a pus€ ńe size of a
sandwich,on a 8litt€ry gold€n chain.
.Isit th€ r n?' Adlian asked.
He benrinsideher lrunk and stanedreanangĘ grocenes
agaiu. 'Tell me when rhey're gone,' he said.
The couple crossedto a low ted sports car' Ros€mary was
ł lersrSkiDDeas heiqhltf not raller,and she had rheslouch-
ilg' indiffeiinLgair of a .ulway model' lf Śhe hJd walked
mto a well-her hiDboneswouLdhave hir tu,t.
'tue they lookirs our wayt' Adrian asked.
.I dotr't ńink they se€ us.'
Skipper openedthe passenserdoor, and Rosemary folded
tre...t{ o"t óf sińt. rr" handed in the sack of 8rocefi€s and
165
shut the door, slrode to the dliver's side' slid in and stalt€d
rhe eryine, Only rher did he shut his own door. loith a
tightly knit, snarling sorrnĄ rhe litde car spun aroud and
buzzed off.
'They're gone,' Delia said.
Adtian closed the trunk lid. He seemedolder now. For the
ńrst tine' Delia saw the Jragil€ lines etchedat ńe co.n€rs oI

'Vell,' he said sadly.

It s€med crass to mention money again' but sh€ had to
say, 'Abour rhe check . . .'
.Please.I owe yoł', he said. .I ow€ you mole than that.
Thanksfor goingalongwirh me on rhir.'
'It was nothin&' she told him. 'I just wish there'd been,
oh' sonebody r€ally appropriat€.'
.APP|optiat€ ? '
.som€body . . yos knoq'sh€ said. .As glanorous as your YotlRlcopY oł li|JD'& oF YłAns'
'
RbTNL,IRICDa{4J9 lPlrlsmlir D*l
..Whatare you talking about?' h€ asked. .vhn you'i€ vefy
THIścoUPdN $ 8'DEEMABLĄ T]l&oł'C'l ANY !Óo*sHoP IN THE
pr€tty! Yorr have such a lirtle lac€' like a flow€!'
Śhe felt herself llushing. He must have thought she was . UNITIDK|lcDOM.
fishing for complir en s. 'Anyhoq I'm slad I could help out '
łilis iłEeIĄ' oer[R ls op'ENTo Ań ptlRcHAsEts oF LADD& oF
sh€ said. she backed away]from him and opened hei car
YĘł\i uNlrl ł}.rJt'lY a9J
'Goodbye.'he .aid. Thanksagain.
As if he had been her host' he went on stanóng there To THE B.o9{sąI-L!n - PL!ĄŁ ŚlND THIa voUcHtR To
while she maneuveredout o{ the parking slot. Natura[y she
made a mess of it, knowing he was warching. She cur her śLEBLooMFltLD BY 30 5ErrEMBERl995 AT T}IE
wheelmo sharpln and the power.steeringbelt gav€ an €mbar- FollovlŃc ADDRESS|
rassńg scle€ch. But finally the car was free and sbe rolled
away. HeI r€arview mitror showed Adrian lifting a palm in
farewell' holdńg it steadyuntil she turned south at the li8ht.
Halfway home, she had a suddenrealization: she should
have given him the groceli€Ś he had picked out. Good 20VAUXHA|-LBłrDGERoAD
heavens- all thar pasta, those litd€ grains oI orfo' and now
sh€ r€nembeled his consommćtoo' Conso.nnć
she wasn,t even sure how to p{onounceit. sh€ was 'nadrilćne:
driving &
away with propeny that belonged to someoneelse, and it
was shametulhow pleasrd she felt, and how lucky, and how
rĄt
CHATTO & W I N DU S
Laddć, ofyeac i9 ont rcw in chatto & vildus hardback.

166
 Ako by Azne Tybr it Yiaage
SAINT MAYBE
vhen ei8hteen'yĆar-old Ian B€dloe picks the bubble of his
familyt optimistic s€If'deceplion, his brother DaMy d.ives into
a wall, his sister-inJaw falls apan, and his parents age before
his eyes. Consumed bt guilt Iaa finds rhe hope of forgivenes at
the Church of the Second Chance, and leaves coUego to cope
with óe thr€e children h€ has inherited and his own embarrass.
ing nćw religion.
.Compulsively re-adable'realistic' fu'lr1 touching' cMliaŹ
-
BREA]TIING LtrSSONS
{,inn€r of the Pulitzer Prife
Ma88ie MoĘn and her husband Ira drive f|om Baltimore to
Deff Lick to attend the funeral of the husband of sąena'
Maggie's childhood friend. Durń8 the couse or the,joujney,
with its sevćral unexpecteddetouls . into the |ivesof old friends
and grown children - Anne Tyiet shos all rhere is to kńo\ł
abour marriage the expectańon$ the disappojntmenfs! ńe way
children can create stoims in the family; ńe way that wife and
hNband can fallln love all over again; the way rhat evelythiĘ
- and nothing - cha!8€s.
'BREATHING LESSONS is . plearue ro read... otenarnin8
and Bently wi6e' -Tine Out
THE ACCIDENTAT, TOURJST
How does a man addid€d to routine - a man who nosses hiŚ
teeth before love.makńg - cope with the chaos of everyday lif€?
I(/irh the loss of bis son, rhe deparure of his wlfe and the atival
of Muliel' do8 tńńel f.om Meow.Bow do8 clinic, Macon's
artemprs at ordinary life aJe tia8ically and cońicaily undone.
.I bavent tead an}'thin8tbis y€ a r I've enjoy€ d mor€ . .. Funn'
profound' sad and ultimate|y re^slIin€ .relegaph
- Suddy
Alro bf Arrnc Tyl"r il Wrrtage
DINNER AT THE HOMBSICK RESTATJBINT
Tkou8h evely fanily run ńemońes which bind ii bgeńer -
dc*ite € v er'1hing. Tbe 'lu]ls of Balrimole we'e no ex@pńon.
.Ąbandoned bv her salesman husband' Pedl is left to bling up
}.i óJe€ childJen alone - Codv, a flawed devil, Eła, g flawed
Ęnr' and Jef,ny' err'nt and passionate' Now as Pe-arlIies dńg'
rifiy encased in hef Pńde and so|itude, the Past is unlocked
.!d wiń it its s€crets'
.T!nny, hearr.hamm€ri[8, wise . . . From start to fnisll superb
- N€/ Yolł TińeŚ Book Relieu
-t.rtainnmc
MORGAN'S PASSING
ryou would s.y hewas a man who had 8oneto Pi€ c eJ. ormybe
}.'d always b€en in pieces|Mybe he'd adved unasemb|ed ' . .'
Yith his house ń shambles, and his dau8htere growin8 uP and
Laving him, Morgian Gower nć€ds n€w roles to PIay' new liv€s
tD ente! i to. Then comes his fust dramatic en ounter with
Erily Meredith . . . and the stan of an extraordinaly obs€ssion.
?ue magic, a cont€mporjry faĘ tale that overflows with affec.
oon' m'śteryand lau8!ie., - vaśhi,|gtofl staf
TIIE CLOCK V'INDBR
Having sack€d her handyman' the newly'widowed }'{rs. ElteF
iof, quickly ńn& a replacement in Elizabeth - a lanky' awkward"
*E!in8 8i'l. The Emersons - th€re are !ćven gown'up childten
- have a r€Dutation for cfazińe$ - rh€Y fhriv€ on c.isis - and
EiiaMt fndś he^er dr.wn into th€ir disoldelly live$ a8ainst
he| will - but in th€ €nd it is hdd to t€ll whethet she is a victim
of the vanPidc Emeńons ot de fa.to |er of the fani|'r.
she writes with virtuo€ity, conGdence and !€tfed isight and
@mPassion' _ T'e TiŹes
 Ako by Aae I!/ez m Wtztzge
THE ]IN CAN TRBE

3.youn8 Jańie Pile dies i' a iratic accide't, she leaves

#fr ńiqi { iillĘ*#.ł"n'.:'

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IF MORNING EVER COMES

#l$;łłłłj'łtĘtĘ'*Jd*':.. delightfuI,
reveałł*.'.
a ."r
"H';,;::B':,TiłiŁ#ł

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