You go ahead, the boy said. I’ll shower after you.
If that’s what it takes to get any supper around here, Raymond said. All right then.
He went back to the bathroom and showered and scraped off the bristles on his face and came out with his hair wetted down, wearing a freshly laundered pair of work jeans and a worn-out flannel shirt. Victoria said supper was ready and they should sit down and eat.
You’re going to let him eat without cleaning up first? Raymond said. How come?
He’s not as dirty as you were. And you’ve taken so long in the bathroom this food’ll burn up if we don’t eat it now.
Well by God, Raymond said. That don’t seem fair. It sounds like you got favorites, Victoria.
Maybe I do, she said.
Huh, he said.
They sat down together at the table in the kitchen as they had for each of the meals that week, and before they had eaten much of their supper a pickup drove up in the yard and stopped in front of the house. Raymond went out onto the little screened porch to see who it was. Maggie Jones and Tom Guthrie were coming up through the wire gate.
You timed it about right, Raymond said. We just sat down to eat. Come on in.
We’ve already eaten, Maggie said.
Well. Is something wrong?
We came out to see you. There’s something we want to talk to you about.
Come in. I’ll be done eating pretty quick. Can it wait that long?
Yes, of course, Maggie said.
They came inside and Victoria brought chairs from the dining room. Raymond started to introduce Maggie and Guthrie to Del Gutierrez, but Maggie said they had met the night before at the movie theater.
Then I guess we’re all acquainted here, Raymond said. He turned to Victoria. They say they don’t want to eat. Maybe they’ll drink some of your coffee.
Victoria poured them each a cup and Raymond sat down and began to eat again. Victoria and Maggie talked about school and about Katie’s day care in Fort Collins. Then Raymond was finished and he wiped his mouth on a napkin. What did you want to talk to me about? Can you talk about it here, or is it something we better go into the other room for?
We can talk about it here, Maggie said. We just came out to take you into town to the Legion. To the firemen’s ball.
Raymond stared at her. Say that again, he said.
We want to take you out dancing.
He looked at Tom Guthrie. What in hell’s she talking about? he said. Has she been drinking?
Not yet, Guthrie said. But we’ll probably have a few drinks pretty soon. We just thought we’d better get you out for a night.
You did.
Yes. We did.
You want to take me to the firemen’s ball at the Legion.
We figured we’d come out and pry you loose. You wouldn’t go otherwise.
Raymond looked at him and turned and now he looked at Victoria.
Yes, why don’t you? she said. I want you to have some fun.
I thought you kids would want to go into town again yourselves. This is your last night. You have to go back to school tomorrow.
We need to get packed and you can’t do anything to help with that. Why don’t you go? I want you to.
He looked across at the boy and Katie as if they might be of some help. Then he looked at nobody. It just appears to me like this is a goddamn conspiracy, he said. That’s what it appears like.
It is, Maggie said. Now go put on your town clothes so we can get going. The dance has already started.
I might do that, he said. But I’m going to tell you something first. I’ve never been so pushed around in all my life. I don’t know if I care for it, either.
I’ll buy you a drink, Maggie said. Will that help?
It’ll take more than just one drink to wash this down.
You can have as many as you like.