Read Online Walking Across Egypt by Clyde Edgerton - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Clyde Edgerton
Ads: Link
at. It's not hardly a spoonful."
"I don't know about that sugar in the blood either," said Alora. "Dr. Harmon told my mama she had sugar in the blood and I don't know if she did or not. He got her started on insular and she died seven years later when she was sixty-four, which is right young. I wondered a lot of times if she'd lived longer if she hadn't a got started on that stuff. I don't think he ever checked her but once. Right at the beginning."
"Insular?" said Robert.
"Yeah. Insular."
Elaine looked upward.
"I got to go watch the ball game," said Finner, standing. "You coming?" he asked Alora.
"Go ahead, I'll be on."
"You can turn it on here," said Mattie. "Are the Braves playing?"
"Yeah."
"I like the Braves. Turn it on, Robert."
"I declare they got so many niggers playing these days," said Alora. "There was a team on the other day, I forgot who it was, they had a nigger playing every position but third base."
"You don't see many nigger third basemen," said Finner. "Third base is the hot corner."
"Excuse me," said Elaine. She stood, walked down the hall and to the bathroom, closed the door, pulled down her slacks and panties, sat down on the commode, put her elbows on her knees, her palms on her chin. I'll wait them out, she thought. She stared at the little space heater. Her mother used no central heat or air conditioning until the outside temperature was down in the forties or up in the nineties. Elaine often tried to explain to her mother how she was saving very little money if any in the long run.
Ten minutes later when Elaine heard the back screen close, she stood, pulled up her panties and slacks, flushed the commode and went back to the den. The ball game was playing loudly.
"Well, I've got to be going," said Elaine. "I'm supposed to be at a meeting in Chapel Hill at four."
"Nice to have met you," said Lamar, holding a piece of fudge in his mouth.
Elaine walked over to Mattie in the kitchen. "I'll see you soon, Mama. Take care of yourself, don't eat so many sweets, and don't fall through another chair."
"I don't know what my weight'll do without my sweets," said Mattie. "I've fell off I don't know how much."
"Well, you do what the doctor says. He knows better than you."
Robert stood. "I got to get going, too."
"Thanks for cleaning out my gutters," said Mattie, and laughed.
"You're welcome. I'd like to know why we kept that ladder around here."
Mattie stood on the back steps as Robert and Elaine walked across the back lawn to their cars. "Come back when you can stay awhile," she said.
"How you like your MG?" Robert asked Elaine when they reached her car.
"I like it okay. It's fun to drive." Elaine watched Mattie go back inside. "She doesn't look good to me, Robert."
"Seemed all right to me."
"She just didn't look good. She has fallen off some."
"You stop eating a pound of candy a day and you'd fall off too."
"It's not funny."
"Well, she seemed all right to me. I got to get going; good to see you," said Robert. "She'll be all right."
"Good to see you, Robert." Elaine got into her car, cranked up, backed out of the drive, and drove away.
Robert stood in the backyard. He looked at the aluminum ladder. Somebody needed to carry it back to Finner's garage out there, and clean up what was left of the old wooden one. He walked over, grabbed the aluminum ladder, lifted it. It was surprisingly light.
He held it horizontally in one hand as he walked out to Finner's garage. The garage door was open now. He went inside and hung the ladder in its place along the wall. It was cool and damp in the garage. His shoulders felt very weak from hanging so long. Thank goodness his mother had put the mattress and cushions and pillows under him. "Need a plumb line from your foot." She could always come up with something funny in tense times. He couldn't. Not like she could.
There was a table of jars there in the back of the garage. The floor was hard packed dirt. It was so cool. Yeah, he hadn't inherited that
"I don't know about that sugar in the blood either," said Alora. "Dr. Harmon told my mama she had sugar in the blood and I don't know if she did or not. He got her started on insular and she died seven years later when she was sixty-four, which is right young. I wondered a lot of times if she'd lived longer if she hadn't a got started on that stuff. I don't think he ever checked her but once. Right at the beginning."
"Insular?" said Robert.
"Yeah. Insular."
Elaine looked upward.
"I got to go watch the ball game," said Finner, standing. "You coming?" he asked Alora.
"Go ahead, I'll be on."
"You can turn it on here," said Mattie. "Are the Braves playing?"
"Yeah."
"I like the Braves. Turn it on, Robert."
"I declare they got so many niggers playing these days," said Alora. "There was a team on the other day, I forgot who it was, they had a nigger playing every position but third base."
"You don't see many nigger third basemen," said Finner. "Third base is the hot corner."
"Excuse me," said Elaine. She stood, walked down the hall and to the bathroom, closed the door, pulled down her slacks and panties, sat down on the commode, put her elbows on her knees, her palms on her chin. I'll wait them out, she thought. She stared at the little space heater. Her mother used no central heat or air conditioning until the outside temperature was down in the forties or up in the nineties. Elaine often tried to explain to her mother how she was saving very little money if any in the long run.
Ten minutes later when Elaine heard the back screen close, she stood, pulled up her panties and slacks, flushed the commode and went back to the den. The ball game was playing loudly.
"Well, I've got to be going," said Elaine. "I'm supposed to be at a meeting in Chapel Hill at four."
"Nice to have met you," said Lamar, holding a piece of fudge in his mouth.
Elaine walked over to Mattie in the kitchen. "I'll see you soon, Mama. Take care of yourself, don't eat so many sweets, and don't fall through another chair."
"I don't know what my weight'll do without my sweets," said Mattie. "I've fell off I don't know how much."
"Well, you do what the doctor says. He knows better than you."
Robert stood. "I got to get going, too."
"Thanks for cleaning out my gutters," said Mattie, and laughed.
"You're welcome. I'd like to know why we kept that ladder around here."
Mattie stood on the back steps as Robert and Elaine walked across the back lawn to their cars. "Come back when you can stay awhile," she said.
"How you like your MG?" Robert asked Elaine when they reached her car.
"I like it okay. It's fun to drive." Elaine watched Mattie go back inside. "She doesn't look good to me, Robert."
"Seemed all right to me."
"She just didn't look good. She has fallen off some."
"You stop eating a pound of candy a day and you'd fall off too."
"It's not funny."
"Well, she seemed all right to me. I got to get going; good to see you," said Robert. "She'll be all right."
"Good to see you, Robert." Elaine got into her car, cranked up, backed out of the drive, and drove away.
Robert stood in the backyard. He looked at the aluminum ladder. Somebody needed to carry it back to Finner's garage out there, and clean up what was left of the old wooden one. He walked over, grabbed the aluminum ladder, lifted it. It was surprisingly light.
He held it horizontally in one hand as he walked out to Finner's garage. The garage door was open now. He went inside and hung the ladder in its place along the wall. It was cool and damp in the garage. His shoulders felt very weak from hanging so long. Thank goodness his mother had put the mattress and cushions and pillows under him. "Need a plumb line from your foot." She could always come up with something funny in tense times. He couldn't. Not like she could.
There was a table of jars there in the back of the garage. The floor was hard packed dirt. It was so cool. Yeah, he hadn't inherited that
Similar Books
