That Evening Sun Page #4

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for taking care of

your stuff, you know.

Let it rain in

your carburetors

and all.

Oh, I know.

I know.

At least it's

my carburetors.

I can't make out

what's what in there.

When was the last time

you cleaned this engine?

About a week

before never.

Do you want

her or not?

Yeah. I'll take it.

Uh, I don't have

enough cash.

Well, $200 ain't gonna

cure any of my problems.

Don't worry about it.

He do that

all the time?

Yeah, that's the

noisiest damn dog

in Ackerman's Field.

He starts out

about sundown

and keeps it up

till first light.

That so?

Good boy.

Hang on, I'll get

your food in a minute.

You still here?

I live here.

That's what

you think.

She sure is pretty.

This dog

follow you home?

Something like that.

Daddy ain't

gonna like that!

He sure is a cute

little thing.

Oh, yes, you are!

You're a cute

little thing.

You even look

like my Nipper.

Come on, come on,

let's do your business.

Can I tell

you a secret?

No.

Well, you're no fun.

Never claimed to be.

I got a date tonight.

Oh. Why

is that

a secret?

I didn't take you

for the homely type.

Well, for one, he's

a little bit older

than me,

and Daddy don't

especially like

me dating older boys,

but really it's

because this boy's daddy

got my

daddy drunk playing

gin rummy last fall,

and when my

daddy woke up

the next day

he was missing $40

and a Swiss Army knife

that my paw-paw gave him

when he was just a boy,

but Steve Jr...

That's the boy

I'm dating tonight...

Steve Jr. Said his daddy

won it fair and square

and that my daddy

just ought not play

gin rummy when he's drunk,

'cause he sucks

pretty bad at it

even when he's

stone sober.

But Daddy says Steve Jr.

Just wants what's

in my underwear

and he won't stop

till he has it.

And then he'll probably

take $40 from me, too,

but I don't

even have $40.

I just think he's mad

'cause he lost

paw-paw's knife.

I see.

Yeah.

Oh.

You're not gonna

tell him, are you,

about my date?

A child

shouldn't lie

to her father,

even if

her father's

Lonzo Choat.

Ain't nothing good

gonna come from that.

You and your rules.

I'm not a child.

I'm 16, and I'm not

lying to him, either.

I just got

some secrets,

that's all.

Everybody does.

Who does this gun

belong to, anyway?

You ask a lot

of questions.

There's a lot

I don't know.

I bought it for my son

when he graduated

law school.

That's a weird gift.

I thought I

might, uh,

get some target practice

back there in the woods,

maybe shoot me a

squirrel for dinner.

You're funny.

I can't imagine why anybody'd

put you in an old folks' home.

You seem fine to me.

I am fine.

Then why'd you go?

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