you take?” Wade said.
“How far is it?”
“It’s bout ten mile.”
He looked at his watch. “Let’s see,” he said. He looked up and squinted from the sun. “I’ll cut the meter off and run you out there for ten dollars.”
“All right.”
The driver got out in a hurry and opened the back door, saying, “Hurry up and get your stuff in fore that nigger woman gets out here.”
When the passenger was settled comfortably in the back seat with his groceries around him, he dug into the sack and found one of the hot quarts on the bottom. He pulled it out and twisted the cap off, then turned the bottle straight up.
“Put that bottle down, damn. These cops in town see you they’ll have my ass.”
He took it down. “What?” He was talking to the cab driver’s eyes in the rearview mirror.
“Hell, feller. You can’t be drinking beer in my cab in town. Don’t you know that?”
“Well, you got a cup or anything?”
“Naw, I ain’t got no cup. Just wait’ll we get out of town.” He picked up his mike. “Wait’ll we get up on the bypass at least. I’m fixin to check out for dinner there, Ethel.”
He pulled out into the street.
“You get that woman at Midtown?” said the radio.
“Did not there. I waited on her thirty minutes.”
He went down the hill and turned east.
“Well, she called back there and said she’s ready. Swing around and take her home before you go to dinner.”
He put his knee up and clenched the mike, steering with one hand.
“I’m heading to the service station right now with one goin down. This thing’s hot as a two dollar pistol, too. I might be able to get her in about a hour there. Maybe. Ten four?”
He stopped at an intersection and looked both ways, then pulled out. The radio sputtered, making the sound of frying bacon. He cut down the squelch and swung up onto the ramp and mashed the gas pedal to the floor. He met Wade with his eyes in the mirror.
“All right,” he said. “You can get happy now if you want to.”
He drove swiftly on the country road. Wade swayed slightly in the curves with his beer in one hand and a piece of the picnic ham in the other. Things were much changed from what he remembered from years ago. New houses, fields where woods once stood, a new county high school. Even the road was new.
“Say you live out there at London Hill?” the driver said. He didn’t look around.
“Right the other side of it.”
“You don’t know old Joe Ransom, do you?”
The old man thought about it a while. He’d known some Ransoms at one time, back when he was much younger. Thirty or forty years before.
“I don’t know,” he said finally. “I used to know a bunch of folks out there. I been gone a long time, though. What’s his daddy’s name?”
“I don’t know. You ain’t never heard of him?”
“I don’t reckon.”
“I just wondered. He’s supposed to live out there somewhere. I just thought you might know him.”
“I don’t guess I do,” Wade said. He dug into the sack for another piece of meat.
He was halfway finished with the second quart when he told the driver where to turn off.
“How much further?” the driver wanted to know.
“It ain’t much further.”
“I got twelve miles on this thing already,” he said, and he looked over his shoulder when he said it.
“I’ll pay you.”
Tractors were toiling their way through heavy clouds of dust. Trucks were parked in the fields with their loads of fertilizer and seed. The taxi sped by and left them behind.
“Bunch of farmers out here,” the driver said.
“It’s about another mile up here where you turn off. Big dirt road to the left and you go up this hill.”
He slowed the driver down, and as they turned onto the dirtroad he pitched the second bottle out the window. The track was rough and the car bellied
“How far is it?”
“It’s bout ten mile.”
He looked at his watch. “Let’s see,” he said. He looked up and squinted from the sun. “I’ll cut the meter off and run you out there for ten dollars.”
“All right.”
The driver got out in a hurry and opened the back door, saying, “Hurry up and get your stuff in fore that nigger woman gets out here.”
When the passenger was settled comfortably in the back seat with his groceries around him, he dug into the sack and found one of the hot quarts on the bottom. He pulled it out and twisted the cap off, then turned the bottle straight up.
“Put that bottle down, damn. These cops in town see you they’ll have my ass.”
He took it down. “What?” He was talking to the cab driver’s eyes in the rearview mirror.
“Hell, feller. You can’t be drinking beer in my cab in town. Don’t you know that?”
“Well, you got a cup or anything?”
“Naw, I ain’t got no cup. Just wait’ll we get out of town.” He picked up his mike. “Wait’ll we get up on the bypass at least. I’m fixin to check out for dinner there, Ethel.”
He pulled out into the street.
“You get that woman at Midtown?” said the radio.
“Did not there. I waited on her thirty minutes.”
He went down the hill and turned east.
“Well, she called back there and said she’s ready. Swing around and take her home before you go to dinner.”
He put his knee up and clenched the mike, steering with one hand.
“I’m heading to the service station right now with one goin down. This thing’s hot as a two dollar pistol, too. I might be able to get her in about a hour there. Maybe. Ten four?”
He stopped at an intersection and looked both ways, then pulled out. The radio sputtered, making the sound of frying bacon. He cut down the squelch and swung up onto the ramp and mashed the gas pedal to the floor. He met Wade with his eyes in the mirror.
“All right,” he said. “You can get happy now if you want to.”
He drove swiftly on the country road. Wade swayed slightly in the curves with his beer in one hand and a piece of the picnic ham in the other. Things were much changed from what he remembered from years ago. New houses, fields where woods once stood, a new county high school. Even the road was new.
“Say you live out there at London Hill?” the driver said. He didn’t look around.
“Right the other side of it.”
“You don’t know old Joe Ransom, do you?”
The old man thought about it a while. He’d known some Ransoms at one time, back when he was much younger. Thirty or forty years before.
“I don’t know,” he said finally. “I used to know a bunch of folks out there. I been gone a long time, though. What’s his daddy’s name?”
“I don’t know. You ain’t never heard of him?”
“I don’t reckon.”
“I just wondered. He’s supposed to live out there somewhere. I just thought you might know him.”
“I don’t guess I do,” Wade said. He dug into the sack for another piece of meat.
He was halfway finished with the second quart when he told the driver where to turn off.
“How much further?” the driver wanted to know.
“It ain’t much further.”
“I got twelve miles on this thing already,” he said, and he looked over his shoulder when he said it.
“I’ll pay you.”
Tractors were toiling their way through heavy clouds of dust. Trucks were parked in the fields with their loads of fertilizer and seed. The taxi sped by and left them behind.
“Bunch of farmers out here,” the driver said.
“It’s about another mile up here where you turn off. Big dirt road to the left and you go up this hill.”
He slowed the driver down, and as they turned onto the dirtroad he pitched the second bottle out the window. The track was rough and the car bellied
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