“I thought you remembered,” I say. “Anyway, he didn’t say much. He just said you wandered off.”
“‘He just said’?” Camel’s head shoots around. “‘He just said’? What the hell does that mean? You been in touch with him?”
I sink to the floor and rest my head on my knees. It’s shaping up to be a long night.
“What do you mean, ‘he just said’?” shrieks Camel. “I asked you a question!”
I sigh. “Yes, we got in touch with him.”
“When?”
“A while ago.”
He stares at me, stunned. “But why?”
“He’s meeting us in Providence. He’s taking you home.”
“Oh no,” says Camel, shaking his head vehemently. “Oh no he’s not.”
“Camel—”
“What the hell’d you go and do that for? You ain’t got no right!”
“We had no choice!” I shout. I stop, close my eyes, and collect myself. “We had no choice,” I repeat. “We had to do something.”
“I can’t go back! You don’t know what happened. They don’t want me no more.”
His lip quivers, and his mouth shuts. He turns his face away. A moment later, his shoulders start heaving.
“Aw hell,” I say. I raise my voice, shouting through the open door. “Hey, thanks Walter! You’ve been a big help tonight! Sure appreciate it!”
“Fuck off!” he answers.
I shut off the kerosene lamp and crawl over to my horse blanket. I lie down on its scratchy surface and then sit up again.
“Walter!” I shout. “Hey, Walter! If you’re not coming back in, I’m using the bedroll.”
There’s no answer.
“Did you hear me? I said I’m using the bedroll.”
I wait for a minute or two and then crawl across the floor.
Walter and Camel spend the night making the noises men make when they’re trying not to cry, and I spend the night punching my pillow up around my ears trying not to hear them.
? ? ?
I AWAKE TO MARLENA’S VOICE.
“Knock knock. May I come in?”
My eyes snap open. The train has stopped, and somehow I slept through it. I’m also startled because I was dreaming about Marlena, and for a moment I wonder if I’m still asleep.
“Hello? Anyone in there?”
I jerk up onto my elbows and look at Camel. He’s helpless on the cot, his eyes wide with fear. The interior door has stayed open all night. I leap up.
“Uh, hang on a second!” I rush out to meet her, pulling the door shut behind me.
She’s already climbing into the car. “Oh, hello,” she says, looking at Walter. He’s still huddled in the corner. “I was actually looking for you. Isn’t this your dog?”
Walter’s head snaps around. “Queenie!”
Marlena leans over to release her, but before she can, Queenie squirms free, hitting the floor with a thunk. She scrabbles across the floor and leaps onto Walter, licking his face and wagging so hard she topples backward.
“Oh, Queenie! Where were you, you bad, bad girl? You had me so worried, you bad, bad girl!” Walter offers his face and head for licking, and Queenie wiggles and squirms in delight.
“Where was she?” I ask, turning to Marlena.
“She was running alongside the train when we pulled out yesterday,” she says, keeping her eyes trained on Walter and Queenie. “I saw her from the window and sent Auggie out. He got down on his belly on the platform and scooped her up.”
“August did?” I say. “Really?”
“Yes. And then she bit him for his trouble.”
Walter wraps both arms around his dog and buries his face in her coat.
Marlena watches for a moment longer and then turns toward the door. “Well, I guess I’ll be on my way,” she says.
“Marlena,” I say, reaching for her arm.
She stops.
“Thank you,” I say, dropping my hand. “You have no idea what this means to him. To us, really.”
She throws me the quickest of glances—with just the merest hint of a smile—and then looks over the backs of her horses. “Yes. Yes. I think I do.”
My eyes are moist as she climbs down from the car.
“WELL, WHADYA KNOW,” SAYS CAMEL. “Maybe he’s human after all.”
“Who? August?” says Walter. He leans, grabs the handle of a trunk, and drags it across the floor. We’re arranging the room into its daytime configuration, although Walter does everything at half speed because he insists on holding Queenie under one arm. “Never.”
“You can let her go, you know,” I say. “The door’s closed.”
“He saved your dog,” Camel points out.
“He wouldn’t have if he’d known she was mine. Queenie knows that. That’s why she bit him. Yes, you knew, didn’t you, baby?” he says, pulling her snout up to his face and reverting to baby talk. “Yes, Queenie is a clever girl.”
“What makes you think he didn’t know?” I say. “Marlena knew.”
“Because I just know. There’s not a human bone in that kike’s body.”
“Watch your damned mouth!” I shout.