remember if
they ate a good dinner. They get uncomfortable and deferential.
Erainya immediately becomes the hard-assed mother from the Old
Country they never had.
Del walked toward us, stepping carefully through the
dark maze of crisscrossed railroad tracks. He stopped about five feet
away from my window. From there, he could probably see Erainya's
face, Jem's pressed against the glass behind me, my face in the
driver's window. If Del recognized me from our brief encounter at
Ines', he didn't let it show.
"What'd you want?" he asked.
"Look, honey," Erainya told him. "I
didn't know you had another deal to take care of tonight. It's just I
thought you'd be expecting me."
Del shook his head slowly, fishing around for some
possible explanation. After almost a minute, when I was sure he was
going to decide Erainya was bullshitting him, he seemed to come up
with an idea. "You mean you're—"
"Sure," Erainya agreed instantly.
Del's large mouth opened, then closed. "Southwest
Carnival? The buyer from Arno?"
"I don't want to mess up your deal," she
said. "You go ahead with whatever."
Del came a step closer. He peered in at me, then back
at Jem. "You've got a kid with you."
I was getting the feeling Del had never scored real
high on those standardized achievement tests.
"That's Jem," Erainya agreed. "He's
mine. What — you make kiddie rides, you've never seen kids?"
Del held up his hands, immediately defensive. "I'm
just asking — I mean, if Arno sent you—"
He faltered, then gestured to where the human boulder
and the old rancher stood waiting. "It's just that we didn't—"
"You think you can give us a few minutes
afterward?" Erainya asked.
Del shifted, looked back at his two compadres. "It's
kind of late."
"My five-year-old, he's still up. You got an
earlier bedtime than a five-year-old?"
Del looked chastised. "What kind of unit do you
need?"
"I won't know that until we talk."
"You're prepared to do business tonight?"
He gestured toward the VW. "You ain't going to haul nothing in
this."
"I am always prepared to do business."
Del thought about that, then nodded with a little
more certainty. "I'll try to wrap things up. Wait here. You damn
near screwed my deal."
"Manners," Erainya warned him.
He held up his hands defensively again, patted the
air a few times, then retreated to his two friends.
The men talked. It took some doing, but Del
apparently got the old rancher to ease up, to go ahead with whatever
business they were planning.
Once the transaction started it went fairly fast. Bo
Peep opened the gates and the rancher backed his truck in. The three
of them opened the hangar doors and walked out a trailer — about
the same size as the truck but twice as tall. We couldn't see much of
the amusement ride on the trailer, since it was covered in yellow
tarp, but the shape was like a giant tulip.
Once the men got it hooked up, the rancher handed Del
a grocery bag. Del sat on the bumper of the truck and counted bricks
of cash while Bo Peep and the rancher waited. Apparently Del was
satisfied. He gave the bag to Bo Peep, shook hands with the rancher.
No smiles anywhere. The truck pulled away with its huge trailer and
disappeared down Camden. Del wiped the sweat off his brow, then
looked across the street at us and waved big, indicating we should
drive the VW in.
Erainya got in and closed the passenger door.
"I want you to notice something, honey,"
she told Jem. "I didn't lie to that man. Not once."
Del and Bo Peep stood in front of us, their faces
yellow and stern in our headlights. As we came in Bo Peep walked
behind us, very casually, and closed the gates. We wouldn't be
leaving quickly. And we didn't have any bags of cash to offer Mr.
Brandon.
"Honesty," I told Jem, "is good in
small quantities."
THIRTEEN
"It's been a crazy day," Del Brandon said.
He opened Erainya's door for her. Jem clambered out
first, did a beautiful tight-end run around Del, then headed
for the old-fashioned carousel animals
they ate a good dinner. They get uncomfortable and deferential.
Erainya immediately becomes the hard-assed mother from the Old
Country they never had.
Del walked toward us, stepping carefully through the
dark maze of crisscrossed railroad tracks. He stopped about five feet
away from my window. From there, he could probably see Erainya's
face, Jem's pressed against the glass behind me, my face in the
driver's window. If Del recognized me from our brief encounter at
Ines', he didn't let it show.
"What'd you want?" he asked.
"Look, honey," Erainya told him. "I
didn't know you had another deal to take care of tonight. It's just I
thought you'd be expecting me."
Del shook his head slowly, fishing around for some
possible explanation. After almost a minute, when I was sure he was
going to decide Erainya was bullshitting him, he seemed to come up
with an idea. "You mean you're—"
"Sure," Erainya agreed instantly.
Del's large mouth opened, then closed. "Southwest
Carnival? The buyer from Arno?"
"I don't want to mess up your deal," she
said. "You go ahead with whatever."
Del came a step closer. He peered in at me, then back
at Jem. "You've got a kid with you."
I was getting the feeling Del had never scored real
high on those standardized achievement tests.
"That's Jem," Erainya agreed. "He's
mine. What — you make kiddie rides, you've never seen kids?"
Del held up his hands, immediately defensive. "I'm
just asking — I mean, if Arno sent you—"
He faltered, then gestured to where the human boulder
and the old rancher stood waiting. "It's just that we didn't—"
"You think you can give us a few minutes
afterward?" Erainya asked.
Del shifted, looked back at his two compadres. "It's
kind of late."
"My five-year-old, he's still up. You got an
earlier bedtime than a five-year-old?"
Del looked chastised. "What kind of unit do you
need?"
"I won't know that until we talk."
"You're prepared to do business tonight?"
He gestured toward the VW. "You ain't going to haul nothing in
this."
"I am always prepared to do business."
Del thought about that, then nodded with a little
more certainty. "I'll try to wrap things up. Wait here. You damn
near screwed my deal."
"Manners," Erainya warned him.
He held up his hands defensively again, patted the
air a few times, then retreated to his two friends.
The men talked. It took some doing, but Del
apparently got the old rancher to ease up, to go ahead with whatever
business they were planning.
Once the transaction started it went fairly fast. Bo
Peep opened the gates and the rancher backed his truck in. The three
of them opened the hangar doors and walked out a trailer — about
the same size as the truck but twice as tall. We couldn't see much of
the amusement ride on the trailer, since it was covered in yellow
tarp, but the shape was like a giant tulip.
Once the men got it hooked up, the rancher handed Del
a grocery bag. Del sat on the bumper of the truck and counted bricks
of cash while Bo Peep and the rancher waited. Apparently Del was
satisfied. He gave the bag to Bo Peep, shook hands with the rancher.
No smiles anywhere. The truck pulled away with its huge trailer and
disappeared down Camden. Del wiped the sweat off his brow, then
looked across the street at us and waved big, indicating we should
drive the VW in.
Erainya got in and closed the passenger door.
"I want you to notice something, honey,"
she told Jem. "I didn't lie to that man. Not once."
Del and Bo Peep stood in front of us, their faces
yellow and stern in our headlights. As we came in Bo Peep walked
behind us, very casually, and closed the gates. We wouldn't be
leaving quickly. And we didn't have any bags of cash to offer Mr.
Brandon.
"Honesty," I told Jem, "is good in
small quantities."
THIRTEEN
"It's been a crazy day," Del Brandon said.
He opened Erainya's door for her. Jem clambered out
first, did a beautiful tight-end run around Del, then headed
for the old-fashioned carousel animals
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