Bastard Out of Carolina Page #3

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Come on out here, girls! God!

I knew you'd say yes!

Oh Anney, what you do to me!

You've never even imagined, Anney.

- Hey, Bone.

- Hey.

Are you sleeping?

You're starting to look like me,

Bone. You're growing up.

What do you think, honey?

Think I'm doing the right thing?

I don't know.

I think I am.

I hope I am.

Sometimes I just get so tired,

you know.

Sometimes I just want

somebody strong to stand by me.

Stay with me.

I'll stay with you.

I know you will, Bone.

You'd better hurry up and get married

before you start showing!

This dress is too tight.

It ain't right, his own brother

turning him down to be best man.

That's because

he isn't the best man, Mama.

I'm the best man.

Come on boys, let the girls

say goodbye to their Mama.

Oh honey, don't cry.

I'll be home before you know it.

And then you'll have a new Daddy,

and we'll be a family.

Right?

Now you be happy for me, sugar.

I am.

Why can't we go, Bone? Why can't we?

Because it ain't for children.

What are you doing, Earle?

Giving you a chance

to change your mind.

Hellfire, Earle, I'm not going

to change my mind.

I've got a man who loves me.

He loves you alright...

Like a gambler loves a fast racehorse,

or a desperate man loves whiskey.

You're just jealous.

Maybe I am.

You keep it, it'll do you some good.

- You look pretty.

- Thank you.

It's going to be a boy,

I'm telling you. Glen Junior.

Well, hot damn, Glen.

Congratulations, boy!

Oh, to hell with you.

To hell with all of you.

I tell you, never come

between a man and his ambitions.

Anney gives him anything but a boy

he's going to go plumb crazy.

Well a man should never put

his ambitions in a woman's belly.

Me, I don't trust a man

who won't take a drink.

Hell, that'd serve him right

if she gave him another girl.

I'm hoping Anney does give him a son.

A half-dozen sons while she's at it.

There's something about that Glen.

I almost like him...

but I've got a feeling the boy could

turn like whiskey in a bad barrel.

- Hey smart girls.

- Hey Mama.

Sweetheart, I've got you something.

Thank you, baby.

Give me that.

I'm making you a horsey.

Hey, Bone!

Come sit with me, come on.

Here.

The doctor says it's going

to be a while, but she's doing fine.

I know she's worried.

She thinks if it's a girl

I won't love it.

It'd still be our baby.

Even if she did have a girl,

we'd have another soon enough.

I'll have my son.

Anney and I, we'll have

our little baby boy.

I know it.

I just know it.

Come here.

Your Mama's going be alright.

And I love you Bone.

I know you don't believe me,

but I do.

We're going to be happy.

Real happy.

Everything's going to be alright.

Get in the back, Bone.

Go on, go to sleep.

Your Mama's going to be alright.

But she won't have no more babies.

My baby's dead.

My boy.

My boy.

For the things

which are not seen are eternal.

Now may the peace of God,

which surpasses all understanding...

so guide your hearts

and your thoughts in Christ Jesus.

Now in glory, forever and ever.

And may the grace of god in communion

with the sweet fellowship...

of the holy spirit go and rest

upon us throughout this day.

In Jesus' name, amen.

We're moving.

What? Where?

I found us a place over

by the JC Penney mill.

Why? What's wrong with this place?

Damn you, Glen Waddell.

Don't you take Anney so far away.

It's alright, Alma.

It's going to be alright.

You want to help me move?

Get packing?

What? What?

We don't need nobody else's help,

we're going to do fine on our own.

OK?

Alright.

Let me get started then.

Where's your Mama?

Sleeping.

What've you got there?

A picture.

Let me see it.

Now, Bone,

this ain't your Daddy.

I'm your Daddy, Bone.

Reese, honey.

Tell me I'm your Daddy.

Daddy.

That's right.

Now you do it.

Say it.

Call me your daddy.

Daddy.

What's going on?

Where's Bone off to?

She's taking a little walk.

That child's moody as hell.

I don't know why they fired me,

I was doing everything

I was supposed to.

I've got three sons.

One's a lawyer, finest around, going

to be district attorney some day.

Another one is a dentist with the

biggest practice in Greenville County.

They make their Daddy proud.

And then I've got you.

When are you going to do something

to make your Daddy proud?

I'll tell you when, never.

You come here looking for a job?

Is that why you are here?

Yes.

No Sir.

Other boys are getting laid off too,

honey.

Maybe you ought to ask James

for that money he owes you,

for the work you did on his porch.

I can't do that. I'd rather starve.

But he owes you.

I told you I can't do that.

I know it's hard, Glen,

but James is your brother.

We ain't gonna have the rent

if you don't get it from him.

You don't understand.

James never said nothing

about paying me at all.

Hell, he didn't even ask for my help.

I just went over there and did it.

I never asked about money,

I couldn't.

Well, we'll just see then.

There's other things we can do,

other jobs.

We can get Earle's help to move.

After that, things seemed to move

irreversibly forward.

We moved and moved again.

We lived in no one house more

than eight months.

Moving had no season,

it was all seasons.

Crossed time like a train

with no schedule.

We moved so often our mail

never caught up to us,

moved some times before

we've even got unpacked,

or I'd learned the names of all

the teachers in my new school.

Moving gave me sense of time passing

and everything sliding...

as if nothing could be held onto

anyway.

It made me feel, ghostly unreal,

unimportant.

Like a box that goes missing,

turns up but you realize you never

needed anything in it anyway.

What the hell is this?

Earle was just trying to help,

Glenn, Good Lord.

How can you shame me like that?

I'm a grown man, I don't need

your brother to pay my damn way.

You give that back to him tomorrow.

That's crazy, we need this money.

You just do as I say!

Sell the damn radio

while you're at it.

Things I do aren't good enough

for you?

I put my hand in a honey jar, it

comes out piss! Nothing I do is right!

Everybody has troubles

now and then, honey.

You just give it time, sweetie.

Things are going to work out.

Shut up.

You shut up.

Don't give me that Mama crap.

You shut your mouth!

You just shut up, shut up!

I'm sorry Anney, you know I don't

mean to yell at you, I'm sorry.

You know how much I love your Mama,

you know I do.

Oh Jesus, Glen.

You don't know your own strength.

I guess I don't.

But Bone knows I'd never mean to

hurt her. Bone knows I love her.

Hell, Anney! I love all of you.

You know that.

No, he never meant to hurt me.

Not really, I told myself.

But more and more those hands

seem to move before he could think.

My dreams were full of long fingers,

hands that reached around

door frames,

crept over the edge of the mattress,

fear in me like a river,

like the ice dark blue of his eyes.

I'm hungry

When we get enough bottles, we'll

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