Read Online Father and Son by Larry Brown - Free Book Online Page A

tail.
    â€œWhat’s your plans?” Virgil said.
    Glen flipped the cigarette butt out into the yard and stood up. He locked his fingers behind his head and stretched again.
    â€œI don’t know. I got to work on my car some more. I might see if I can get my job back.”
    â€œIf you go to town sometime I wish you’d pick me up a contact switch for my pump. I can straight-wire it to run but I don’t want to burn it up.”
    â€œI thought it run dry.”
    â€œIt ain’t run dry. They’s thirty foot of water in it.”
    â€œThat’s what Puppy said.”
    â€œPuppy don’t know shit about a well.”
    Glen opened the door and went into the kitchen with his father following him. The coffee was perking on the stove.
    â€œWhy don’t you clean this place up?” Glen said. “Looks like a bunch of pigs lives here or somethin.”
    He looked through the cabinets for two clean cups and it took a while. Virgil picked up a dish towel and grabbed the pot and poured. Glenopened the refrigerator to see a hunk of dried cheese, some rancid bacon, a can of evaporated milk.
    â€œI’ll get around to it,” Virgil said. He spooned sugar from a bag into his cup and tossed the spoon into the sink. Glen poured milk the viscosity of motor oil into his cup and looked at it.
    â€œDamn,” he said. “What do you do for food around here?”
    â€œI got some chili and stuff in that cabinet. Puppy’s good to bring stuff over. I can always walk down to the store.”
    â€œWhere’s your cane at?”
    â€œIt don’t hurt every day. Just some days.”
    â€œDoes it hurt today?”
    â€œNaw.”
    They sat down at the table and lit cigarettes. The Redbone peered through the ragged screen door and then flopped down against it. It sagged in and out with his breathing. Glen looked above the door. The two bent horseshoes were still hanging there on their rusty nails. He blew on his coffee and stared at nothing.
    â€œHow’s it feel to be out?” his daddy said.
    â€œWhat do you care?”
    â€œHow’d they treat you?”
    â€œKeep you in a pen about like a cow. Can’t sleep. Always somebody yellin some crazy shit at night.”
    Virgil looked at the dog lying against the screen door. He seemed to sleep about twenty-three hours a day.
    â€œHow you like my dog?” he said.
    â€œLooks like a shit-eater to me. Where’d you get that bag of bones?”
    â€œHe ain’t no shit-eater,” Virgil said. “That’s a pure-blood registered Redbone. He’s Purple Ribbon bred, by God. That there’s a good dog.”
    Glen picked up his coffee and sipped on it and said, “Good for what? Run rabbits probly. He’s pore as a damn snake.”
    â€œHe just needs a good wormin. I’m gonna worm him soon as I get me some worm medicine. Clean him out good he’d gain some weight.”
    Glen shook his head and made a face at the puppy. The puppy stretched his legs out on the porch boards and yawned before he lowered his head.
    â€œWhat do you want with a coon dog? You ain’t no coon hunter.”
    â€œHe’s just company,” Virgil said. He made a little motion with his cigarette. “Gets kinda quiet around here sometimes.”
    â€œDid you drink up the money for Mama’s headstone?”
    Virgil raised his eyes. “Who said I drank it up?”
    â€œNobody. But I know you.”
    Virgil turned away from him in the chair and watched the dog. This was no time to tell him about his mother. Not with him already starting in like this.
    â€œYou ain’t even gonna say you sorry are you?”
    Virgil didn’t look up. He couldn’t reason with him. Not when he got things in his head and kept them that way. It wasn’t any use to try. He was worn down and he’d had a long rest but now his rest was over and he didn’t know if he could take this all over