WE E HERE FROM Geia. Our family did. Horse and wagon. I pretty much know that for a fact. I know theys a lots of things in a family history that just plain aint so. Any family. The stories gets passed on and the truth gets passed over. As the sayin goes. Which I re some would take as meanin that the truth t pete. But I dont believe that. I think that when the lies are all told and fot the truth will be there yet.
It dont move about from place to plad it dont ge from time to time. You t corrupt it any more than you salt salt. You t corrupt it because thats what it is.
Its the thing youre talkin about. Ive heard it pared to the rock — maybe in the bible—and I wouldnt disagree with that. But itll be here evehe rock is gone. Im sure theys people would disagree with that. Quite a few, in fact. But I never could find out what any of them did believe.
You always tried to be available for your social events and I would always go to things like cemetery ins of course. That was all right. The women would fix dinner on the ground and of course it was a way of campaignin but you were doin somethin for folks that couldnt do it for theirselves. Well, you could be ical about it I re and say that you just didnt want em in around at night. But I think it goes deeper than that.
It is unity and it is respect, of course, but the dead have more claims on you than what you might want to admit or even what you might know about and them claims be very strong indeed. Very strong indeed. You get the feelin they just dont want to turn loose. So any little thing helps, in that respect.
What I was sayiher day about the papers. Here last week they found this couple out in California they would rent out rooms to old people and then kill em and bury em in the yard and cash their social security checks. Theyd torture em first, I dont know why. Maybe their television was broke. Now heres what the papers had to say about that. I quote from the papers. Said: Neighbors were alerted when a man run from the premises wearin only a dogcollar. You t make up such a thing as that. I dare you to even try.
But thats what it took, youll notice. All that hollerin and diggin in the yard didnt bring it.
Thats all right. I laughed myself when I read it. There aint a whole lot else you do.
IT WAS ALMOST A three hour drive to Odessa and dark whe there. He listeo the truckers on the radio. Has he got jurisdi up here? e on. Hell if I know. I think if he sees you ittin a crime he does. Well Im a reformed criminal then. You got that right old buddy.
He got a city map at the quickstop and spread it out on the seat of the cruiser while he drank coffee out of a styrofoam cup. He traced his route on the map with a yellow marker from the glovebox and refolded the map and laid it on the seat beside him and switched off the domelight and started the engine.
When he k the door Llewelyns wife answered it. As she opehe door he took off his hat and he was right away sorry hed do. She put her hand to her mouth and reached for the doorjamb.
Im sorry mam, he said. Hes all right. Your husband is all right. I just wao talk to you if I could.
You aint lyin to me are you?
No mam. I dont lie.
You drove up here from Sanderson?
Yes mam.
What did you want.
I just wao visit with you a little bit. Talk to you about your husband.
Well you t e in here. Youll scare Mama to de