Strange Weather Page #4

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and if you do go out,

close the slider.

I like my condo

as cold as a popsicle.

It hurts me that you smoke,

honey.

It hurts me not to smoke.

Hey, Wes is back in town,

you know.

No, I did not know.

Well, I thought Tommy

would've told you.

I don't speak to Tommy.

Well, I thought you and Tommy

would've patched things up

by now.

I don't speak to a single person

from that family.

Not one of those sanfords

came to Walker's service.

Well, maybe they were looking

to gather in a cemetery

with a headstone.

Maybe they didn't want

to hear you reading

some complicated poem

out loud at a memorial.

It was keats.

Well, whatever, it was poetry.

Where's Wes at? Jesus.

I don't want to run into him.

- I might have to kill him.

- She's got a gun in her truck.

- It's a figure a speech.

- Oh, Darcy, really?

Look... Macy brought Wes

back to meridian

a couple months ago,

and he's not doing so hot.

He's over at the oak hill home.

What?!

That's for old people.

Well, he's 14 years older

than you, right?

- Do the math.

- Math's not her strong suit.

Oh, I know that, sugar.

We went to elementary school

together.

Wes is pushing 70.

- Goddamn it.

- I thought you should know.

I mean,

maybe you wish he was dead,

but you still share a history.

So, you girls are heading on

to New Orleans tomorrow?

After breakfast, yeah.

Mm.

And then what, Darcy?

You're just going to walk

into this guy's office

and tell him that you know

he took Walker's concept?

And what do you suppose

he's going to say to that?

I just need to be in

the same room with him,

look him in the eye,

then I'll figure it out.

I've never been much

of a planner.

I understand you want

to make things right

for Walker, for Walker's sake.

You don't think my blood boils

every time I think

of someone causing

that precious child any pain?

Remember when he was two and

we took him to see the ducks?

Quack, quack.

Quack, quack.

Wes was a nasty drunk.

He was beating on her

all the time.

Half the time, she walked around

looking like a goddamn raccoon.

So one night,

Darcy just picked up Walker

and some clothes and took off.

Never looked back.

Changed her name back to baylor,

got Walker's name

changed to baylor,

and then just cut the sanford

right out her life.

It's not like

I had a choice.

Mama and daddy told me

point blank

I couldn't come home,

that I had a husband

and that was that.

Well, they took up for Wes,

it's true.

They just didn't know

any better.

Really?

Didn't know better

than to refuse

to give their daughter

and grandbaby a damn penny?

You know Wes never paid

any child support.

Only time he'd call

was when he was all lit up,

crying about missing his boy

and then crying

'cause that boy was dead.

- Well, he felt bad about it.

- Says you.

No, Wes is not always a monster.

- Is.

- So Wes is always a monster, your parents were monsters.

Everybody who ever did you

any wrong is a monster.

- That's right.

- Oh, poor, poor pitiful Darcy.

Shut up, ml.

Hey.

You okay?

Yeah.

Darcy?

Darce?

Oh, my god.

Wes.

Wes.

It's me, Darcy.

Okay with you if I sit down?

Wes.

I don't know if you can

understand

a word I'm about to say,

but I came here

to talk to you about our boy.

You recognize this?

You said it was part

of his legacy.

It's part of his legacy,

all right.

Remember?

You gave it to him

on the day he was born.

That was your...

Idea of a...

Baby present, I guess.

I was thinking about it.

Standing out

on Mary Lou's balcony

last night.

I can't even explain to you

what it was like

watching that baby shoot

right out from between my legs

when he'd been inside me

for so long.

And then he was there.

And when they put him in

my arms wrapped up so tight,

and...

And I thought, oh...

Look at you.

You're a dreamer.

You're my baby boy.

I hope the world doesn't knock

that sweetness out of you.

When I walked into

the house that night

and saw his sneakers

sitting by the back door,

I called out his name.

I figured...

It was too hot

in that apartment of his,

and he'd come home to cool off.

He'd been so anxious.

So goddamn anxious all the time.

I walked back to check on him

and walked into his room.

Oh, oh, oh...

You hear those birds?

Do you?

Do you?

Do you?

Do you hear them?

Good-bye, Wes.

- Hey.

- Hey, you're back.

I just, uh, stepped out

for a little cup of coffee.

This came for you.

It's from geri.

But... so Mr. Wright's

not available

until tomorrow morning.

You're sure there's nothing

later today?

Darce, I gotta get back.

I can't stay away that long.

Shh, shh!

Uh-huh, yeah, of course.

He's only got

one spot free tomorrow.

I can't do that.

Mm-hmm,

yeah, well, I'm in meridian,

but I have contacts

in Jackson and hattiesburg,

and we would just love to get

a Mississippi franchise going.

Great. 11:
30?

Yes, my name is Addie bundren.

Yes, I will see you then.

Where in the hell did you get

that crazy name from?

- Faulkner.

- Relax that smart thing, baby.

Why are you always asking me

to be specific?

You know

that's not how I operate.

Oh, I think you're

very specific, Darcy.

You just don't like

to admit that you are.

It goes against the image

you like to promote.

And what's that?

Free spirit.

I do consider myself

something of a free spirit.

Nothing about

your spirit is free.

- You just have to trust me

that it was pressing.

You know I'm not the type...

Please insert 25 cents

for another three minutes.

You know I'm not the type

of person to just...

No, of course I understand.

Well, I'll think real hard

about what you said.

All right.

See you back in the office.

- Want me to wrap that up?

- Oh, yeah.

I'd like to finish my food

if you don't mind.

That he was going to have

to bring in another assistant

to fix it,

and that I know full well

what the situation is

and do I want to hang onto

my job or not?

- Well, do you?

- Of course I do.

- What about your application?

- What about it?

I talked to geri.

She says if you finish it up

by Friday, she can sneak it in.

You just gotta finish it.

I thought you wanted to make

something more of yourself.

That's what

you've been saying to me

for god knows

how many years now.

So don't you sit there

and just throw up your hands

and let this opportunity

pass you by.

You can still fix it.

Just turn around.

And not go find buford lapierre?

We're only about 25 miles away.

Are you suggesting I skip

going to New Orleans altogether?

What the hell did we come

all this way for then?

A couple days ago,

the army corps of engineers

opened up the spillway

to take some of the pressure

off the Mississippi.

They divert the excess water

right into

the atchafalaya river.

Yeah, and that means

that the low-lying towns,

they just flood out.

Well, our neighbors

in the north, Mississippi,

Georgia, Alabama,

and the carolinas and beyond

aren't getting a drop of rain,

but down here in Louisiana,

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