off to Europe. This whole thing’s going to blow over.”
So Cord was right, in the long run, I thought.
It was the short run we had to get past.
And living with it I had to get past.
After Sheriff Starr left, Mom said, “This is what I mean, Parr. This is exactly what I mean!”
“What’re you talking about, Mom?”
“Someone like Evie gets all the blame. She’s the funny one, the fluke … and Patsy Duff is just a rebel with a wild streak.”
Then she shook her head and blew her nose again. “I suppose I understand why Cord did what he did. He’s feeling desperate, probably doesn’t even know it himself. It’s hard to feel yourself losing someone you love. But it was such gratuitous cruelty…. And for it to be done to Evie, too. Evie doesn’t have a mean bone in her body.”
I almost blurted out right then and there that I was in on it along with Cord.
But I was too big a coward. I couldn’t face Mom’s knowing I was capable of doing something like that. I couldn’t imagine answering to Dad, much less Evie. I had a feeling then that if there was any way I could work it, it’d be a secret I would keep all my life.
27
T HAT SATURDAY NIGHT DAD was like a hornet that had been stepped on but not killed. He was beat and angry: at Cord for what we’d done, at Doug for not getting home until the planting was already down, and at Evie for refusing to say she’d stop seeing Patsy Duff.
He had a shower and a sandwich and then he went straight to bed.
Evie had a shower, too. Then she took off in her Pontiac, not saying where she was going.
Around nine o’clock Mr. Kidder called me to say he’d pick me up at five the next morning, so I could attend the sunrise service at The Church of the Heavenly Spirit.
Mom was good-natured about it, but when we got up to our room, Doug read me out.
“I broke my neck to get here so we could all go to St. Luke’s together. You know how Mom likes that at Easter.”
“You should have broke your neck to plant with us.”
“I had an interview with the dean this morning. It was the only time he could see me, Parr…. I’ve got some news.”
I thought, Uh-oh. I knew something was coming. I knew my brother. He’d dismissed the Evie thing by saying there was no point talking about it: What was done was done. I don’t think it sank in about Patsy and Evie, not really. He was caught up in his own world over at the university.
I got under the covers and snapped off my light.
He left his on. He sat on the bed in his shorts, hands on his knees, leaning forward so he could talk softly.
“I’m changing my major,” he said.
“Yeah?”
“I want to be a vet, Parr. I want to work on farm animals. I know a lot about livestock diseases already. I’m good at that sort of thing.”
“What’ll happen here?”
“There’s Evie, and there’s Cord. And Dad can hire help. He’s going to have to anyway, or he’s going to have to rent out some of the land.”
“Didn’t you hear what’s going on with Evie?”
“That’ll pass. I’m talking about the future. I’ll be here to help out in season, and summers, for a few more years. That’ll give Dad time to figure things out.”
“Or have a heart attack.”
“I can’t help it. I don’t want to be a farmer.”
“Anna Banana change your mind?”
“Don’t call her that. She helped me see things more clearly. She doesn’t want to live on a farm, either. If you marry a woman who doesn’t want the farm life, forget it.”
“Marry her?”
“Someday. But even if I never marry Bella, I don’t see myself living Dad’s life. I want more for myself, Parr.”
“Okay. I don’t blame you.”
“It doesn’t mean you’ll be stuck here. Don’t let it mean that.”
“I’ll be the only one left.”
“Evie will be here.”
“I doubt it.”
“You kidding? Evie loves this place.”
“You used to, too.”
“Not like Evie…. And Cord’s a good farmer. Evie doesn’t have to date him. She’ll
So Cord was right, in the long run, I thought.
It was the short run we had to get past.
And living with it I had to get past.
After Sheriff Starr left, Mom said, “This is what I mean, Parr. This is exactly what I mean!”
“What’re you talking about, Mom?”
“Someone like Evie gets all the blame. She’s the funny one, the fluke … and Patsy Duff is just a rebel with a wild streak.”
Then she shook her head and blew her nose again. “I suppose I understand why Cord did what he did. He’s feeling desperate, probably doesn’t even know it himself. It’s hard to feel yourself losing someone you love. But it was such gratuitous cruelty…. And for it to be done to Evie, too. Evie doesn’t have a mean bone in her body.”
I almost blurted out right then and there that I was in on it along with Cord.
But I was too big a coward. I couldn’t face Mom’s knowing I was capable of doing something like that. I couldn’t imagine answering to Dad, much less Evie. I had a feeling then that if there was any way I could work it, it’d be a secret I would keep all my life.
27
T HAT SATURDAY NIGHT DAD was like a hornet that had been stepped on but not killed. He was beat and angry: at Cord for what we’d done, at Doug for not getting home until the planting was already down, and at Evie for refusing to say she’d stop seeing Patsy Duff.
He had a shower and a sandwich and then he went straight to bed.
Evie had a shower, too. Then she took off in her Pontiac, not saying where she was going.
Around nine o’clock Mr. Kidder called me to say he’d pick me up at five the next morning, so I could attend the sunrise service at The Church of the Heavenly Spirit.
Mom was good-natured about it, but when we got up to our room, Doug read me out.
“I broke my neck to get here so we could all go to St. Luke’s together. You know how Mom likes that at Easter.”
“You should have broke your neck to plant with us.”
“I had an interview with the dean this morning. It was the only time he could see me, Parr…. I’ve got some news.”
I thought, Uh-oh. I knew something was coming. I knew my brother. He’d dismissed the Evie thing by saying there was no point talking about it: What was done was done. I don’t think it sank in about Patsy and Evie, not really. He was caught up in his own world over at the university.
I got under the covers and snapped off my light.
He left his on. He sat on the bed in his shorts, hands on his knees, leaning forward so he could talk softly.
“I’m changing my major,” he said.
“Yeah?”
“I want to be a vet, Parr. I want to work on farm animals. I know a lot about livestock diseases already. I’m good at that sort of thing.”
“What’ll happen here?”
“There’s Evie, and there’s Cord. And Dad can hire help. He’s going to have to anyway, or he’s going to have to rent out some of the land.”
“Didn’t you hear what’s going on with Evie?”
“That’ll pass. I’m talking about the future. I’ll be here to help out in season, and summers, for a few more years. That’ll give Dad time to figure things out.”
“Or have a heart attack.”
“I can’t help it. I don’t want to be a farmer.”
“Anna Banana change your mind?”
“Don’t call her that. She helped me see things more clearly. She doesn’t want to live on a farm, either. If you marry a woman who doesn’t want the farm life, forget it.”
“Marry her?”
“Someday. But even if I never marry Bella, I don’t see myself living Dad’s life. I want more for myself, Parr.”
“Okay. I don’t blame you.”
“It doesn’t mean you’ll be stuck here. Don’t let it mean that.”
“I’ll be the only one left.”
“Evie will be here.”
“I doubt it.”
“You kidding? Evie loves this place.”
“You used to, too.”
“Not like Evie…. And Cord’s a good farmer. Evie doesn’t have to date him. She’ll
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