Read Online The Wake of Forgiveness by Bruce Machart - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Bruce Machart
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sounds lively tonight."
"Whole town's lively on account of that near beer you brung." Novotny winked at the boys and handed the jug to Karel. "You know these boys here, I believe, or did once. Villaseñ bought their pop's land down your way."
Karel bubbled the whiskey and took a cigarette from his case. When he lit the thing, the first pull of smoke fell slowly, as if of its own weight alone, from his nostrils, and then he gave these boys a look, one they didn't manage to return, as they appeared intent on studying the scuffed toes of their boots. Good-looking fellows they were, broad across the shoulders and bright in the eyes the way boys tended to be when they got the first scant sniff of their own manhood. If they had a whisker between them, Karel couldn't locate it. "Son of a bitch bought a passel of folks' land," he said, passing the whiskey back to Novotny and putting a hand out as the band took up a new number inside. "Only twins I recollect was the Knedlik boys, and they were still on the tit last time I saw them."
Now the boys turned their attention upward in unison, and the one with the scar stepped forward, smiling, and shook Karel's hand while indicating his brother with a tilt of the head. "Joe here ain't got off it yet," he said, a statement that earned him a hard elbow to the shoulder and smiles all around. "Name's Raymond."
Karel took note of the mark the boy wore, a thin and winding line of poorly mended flesh that ran from the swollen underside of his left eye to the corner of his mouth. "Someone mistake your face for a beefsteak, did they, Raymond?"
The boy put his hands in his pockets and gave his brother a glance through the corner of his unblemished eye. Novotny said the Knedlik troubles had made the paper more than once, and wondered how it was that Karel always knew the market prices of hay and cotton if he never unfolded the
Gazette.
Karel shrugged and kept his eyes on the boy to let him know he was still awaiting an answer. Before they went inside, with the moon flickering between a few remaining wisps of clouds, Raymond Knedlik worked his tongue around in his mouth awhile and spat between his front teeth. He took a step sideways to square his feet with his shoulders. "It was a family matter," he said.
Karel nodded and turned for the door, but the boy took hold of his shoulder and stopped him short.
"Seeing that we're talking appearances, Mr. Skala, I'm wondering who it was what nailed your ear to your shoulder and left it there until your neck growed that way. A family matter, was it?"
Karel held his cigarette between his teeth and shot Novotny a look that had both amusement and wonder in it.
Who in hell is this little green-ass?
he wanted to say.
And why is it that I want to kick him in the ribs and slap him on the back all at the same time?
Instead, he took a long pull from his smoke and did something he rarely did, something that had always proved as useless as sowing seed in Septemberâhe tried to straighten his neck so he could look this boy level in the eye without leaning.
He couldn't any better than he ever could, so he spat his unfinished cigarette from his lips and ground it asunder with his boot heel instead. "I ain't got a family no more," Karel said, "excepting my wife and girls."
"
Excepting?
" Raymond said. "Hell, you can feed me shit on a biscuit if you ain't got me beat. All I got left is Joe here."
"That a fact? Last I heard, your pop had bought a parcel up county from Flatonia."
"Yessir. And me and Joe here just sold it. Which, so long as we're on the subject of commerce, you reckon it's some of that beer left for sale inside? We wouldn't mind drinking one to your family, Mr. Skala. We hear it's getting bigger presently."
"It damn well better be," Karel said, opening the door. "On both counts."
T HERE WAS BEER left aplenty, and Elizka Novotny there to pocket Karel's coin and hand him the glass, making sure, each time, to brush his fingers with hers when she
"Whole town's lively on account of that near beer you brung." Novotny winked at the boys and handed the jug to Karel. "You know these boys here, I believe, or did once. Villaseñ bought their pop's land down your way."
Karel bubbled the whiskey and took a cigarette from his case. When he lit the thing, the first pull of smoke fell slowly, as if of its own weight alone, from his nostrils, and then he gave these boys a look, one they didn't manage to return, as they appeared intent on studying the scuffed toes of their boots. Good-looking fellows they were, broad across the shoulders and bright in the eyes the way boys tended to be when they got the first scant sniff of their own manhood. If they had a whisker between them, Karel couldn't locate it. "Son of a bitch bought a passel of folks' land," he said, passing the whiskey back to Novotny and putting a hand out as the band took up a new number inside. "Only twins I recollect was the Knedlik boys, and they were still on the tit last time I saw them."
Now the boys turned their attention upward in unison, and the one with the scar stepped forward, smiling, and shook Karel's hand while indicating his brother with a tilt of the head. "Joe here ain't got off it yet," he said, a statement that earned him a hard elbow to the shoulder and smiles all around. "Name's Raymond."
Karel took note of the mark the boy wore, a thin and winding line of poorly mended flesh that ran from the swollen underside of his left eye to the corner of his mouth. "Someone mistake your face for a beefsteak, did they, Raymond?"
The boy put his hands in his pockets and gave his brother a glance through the corner of his unblemished eye. Novotny said the Knedlik troubles had made the paper more than once, and wondered how it was that Karel always knew the market prices of hay and cotton if he never unfolded the
Gazette.
Karel shrugged and kept his eyes on the boy to let him know he was still awaiting an answer. Before they went inside, with the moon flickering between a few remaining wisps of clouds, Raymond Knedlik worked his tongue around in his mouth awhile and spat between his front teeth. He took a step sideways to square his feet with his shoulders. "It was a family matter," he said.
Karel nodded and turned for the door, but the boy took hold of his shoulder and stopped him short.
"Seeing that we're talking appearances, Mr. Skala, I'm wondering who it was what nailed your ear to your shoulder and left it there until your neck growed that way. A family matter, was it?"
Karel held his cigarette between his teeth and shot Novotny a look that had both amusement and wonder in it.
Who in hell is this little green-ass?
he wanted to say.
And why is it that I want to kick him in the ribs and slap him on the back all at the same time?
Instead, he took a long pull from his smoke and did something he rarely did, something that had always proved as useless as sowing seed in Septemberâhe tried to straighten his neck so he could look this boy level in the eye without leaning.
He couldn't any better than he ever could, so he spat his unfinished cigarette from his lips and ground it asunder with his boot heel instead. "I ain't got a family no more," Karel said, "excepting my wife and girls."
"
Excepting?
" Raymond said. "Hell, you can feed me shit on a biscuit if you ain't got me beat. All I got left is Joe here."
"That a fact? Last I heard, your pop had bought a parcel up county from Flatonia."
"Yessir. And me and Joe here just sold it. Which, so long as we're on the subject of commerce, you reckon it's some of that beer left for sale inside? We wouldn't mind drinking one to your family, Mr. Skala. We hear it's getting bigger presently."
"It damn well better be," Karel said, opening the door. "On both counts."
T HERE WAS BEER left aplenty, and Elizka Novotny there to pocket Karel's coin and hand him the glass, making sure, each time, to brush his fingers with hers when she
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