That Evening Sun Page #2

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was Nipper.

Daddy hated him

'cause he was so loud.

Plus he

sh*t everywhere.

Sorry.

Pamelal

Mama and I

got church.

Well, it's nice

to talk to you,

Mr. Meecham.

Just put that dish

out on the porch

in the morning,

all right?

All right.

If I ain't badly mistaken,

it's mine anyway.

What do

you want, Choat?

You're too late

for chatter.

Hell do you think

you're doing?

I think I'm

sleeping in the damn

sharecroppers cabin,

and I ain't

proud of it.

I tried to be polite,

make this easy, but...

you ain't

gonna have

that, are you?

This is my place,

and will be my place

till they lay me

in the goddamn ground!

Now, go on!

Let me rest.

Being old and crazy gets

you a little extra rope.

Best not hang

yourself with it.

Old people, man,

don't know when the

f***ing clock's

run out!

Son of a b*tch.

She's long, she's tall

She's six feet

From the ground

She's long, she's tall

Six feet off the ground

She's telling me

She's ain't

No hand-me-down

She got eyes

Like diamonds

But these shine

Just the same

She got eyes

Like diamonds

But these shine

Just the same

She got

Sweet ruby lips

Hair like a horse's mane

Ooh

You're back.

Did you run off?

I guess.

Are they

after you?

Hellfire, it's

an old folks' home,

Thurl, not a chain gang.

Well, I

don't know.

I don't know

nothing about it,

which is just as much

as I want to know.

You get in

this morning?

Yesterday.

Where'd you sleep?

Choat make

you a pallet

down on the floor?

I slept in

the tenant cabin.

That's mainly why

I come over here.

I need to use

your telephone.

Gotta call Paul,

get Choat outta there.

How was it,

you know,

down there

in Linden?

It was all right.

Was it?

That why

you'd rather sleep

in the slave cabin?

They fed you decent,

and nobody...

nobody mistreated you.

I got the feeling

if you died in your

sleep some night,

they just move you out,

move somebody else in,

nobody much

give a sh*t.

That ain't no life.

Ought to make

that call now.

Hello?

They broke my phone

or something.

Dad? What... who?

That Choat bunch.

Who do you think?

Dad, where are you

calling from?

You're supposed to be

at the home.

I'm supposed to be

where I damn

well please.

Look, I'm

in the middle

of a trial, Dad.

I want them out of

my house, and i want

them out today!

Laying up there,

sleeping in your

mama's bed,

eating off

her dishesl

You ought to be

ashamed, son.

Look, Dad, this is

too complicated for

the phone.

Just get a cab,

go back to the home.

I'll call you tonight and

I'll explain everything

about the sale.

You can't sell

what ain't yours!

Well, I'm your

legal guardian

and the trustee

of your estate.

Look, Dad,

I can't talk

about this right now.

You think you're

the only lawyer ever

to hit a golf ball?

Dad, go back to the

home. I'll call you

tonight, okay?

Okay?

Hello?

Take it y'all didn't

exactly see eye to eye.

You still got

that old Cherokee?

Yeah, I got it,

but I can't drive it.

They took away

my license.

Why'd they do that?

Oh...

I hit some folk.

Who'd you run into?

Uh, Mary Margaret Davies.

Oh! Is she...

she okay?

Oh, yeah,

she's fine.

I run into her butt!

You tried

all them years.

I reckon you finally

banged up against it.

So, how you get

around, then?

Oh, Julie comes

over on Tuesday

after she gets

the kids to school,

and then picks me up

and takes me to

town shopping.

Makes sure I

get my fiber.

You know, it's amazing.

After they raise

their own young' uns,

they come back

wanting to raise us.

She was always

a good kid.

How much you

want for it?

I got errands

to run.

Oh, I don't know.

It ain't worth

much to me.

Uh, $200?

Would you pay that?

Uh... I gotta take

a look at it first.

You ain't got the

best reputation

for taking care of

your stuff, you know.

Let it rain in

your carburetors

and all.

Oh, I know.

I know.

At least it's

my carburetors.

I can't make out

what's what in there.

When was the last time

you cleaned this engine?

About a week

before never.

Do you want

her or not?

Yeah. I'll take it.

Uh, I don't have

enough cash.

Well, $200 ain't gonna

cure any of my problems.

Don't worry about it.

He do that

all the time?

Yeah, that's the

noisiest damn dog

in Ackerman's Field.

He starts out

about sundown

and keeps it up

till first light.

That so?

Good boy.

Hang on, I'll get

your food in a minute.

You still here?

I live here.

That's what

you think.

She sure is pretty.

This dog

follow you home?

Something like that.

Daddy ain't

gonna like that!

He sure is a cute

little thing.

Oh, yes, you are!

You're a cute

little thing.

You even look

like my Nipper.

Come on, come on,

let's do your business.

Can I tell

you a secret?

No.

Well, you're no fun.

Never claimed to be.

I got a date tonight.

Oh. Why

is that

a secret?

I didn't take you

for the homely type.

Well, for one, he's

a little bit older

than me,

and Daddy don't

especially like

me dating older boys,

but really it's

because this boy's daddy

got my

daddy drunk playing

gin rummy last fall,

and when my

daddy woke up

the next day

he was missing $40

and a Swiss Army knife

that my paw-paw gave him

when he was just a boy,

but Steve Jr...

That's the boy

I'm dating tonight...

Steve Jr. Said his daddy

won it fair and square

and that my daddy

just ought not play

gin rummy when he's drunk,

'cause he sucks

pretty bad at it

even when he's

stone sober.

But Daddy says Steve Jr.

Just wants what's

in my underwear

and he won't stop

till he has it.

And then he'll probably

take $40 from me, too,

but I don't

even have $40.

I just think he's mad

'cause he lost

paw-paw's knife.

I see.

Yeah.

Oh.

You're not gonna

tell him, are you,

about my date?

A child

shouldn't lie

to her father,

even if

her father's

Lonzo Choat.

Ain't nothing good

gonna come from that.

You and your rules.

I'm not a child.

I'm 16, and I'm not

lying to him, either.

I just got

some secrets,

that's all.

Everybody does.

Who does this gun

belong to, anyway?

You ask a lot

of questions.

There's a lot

I don't know.

I bought it for my son

when he graduated

law school.

That's a weird gift.

I thought I

might, uh,

get some target practice

back there in the woods,

maybe shoot me a

squirrel for dinner.

You're funny.

I can't imagine why anybody'd

put you in an old folks' home.

You seem fine to me.

I am fine.

Then why'd you go?

I think I need

to get some rest.

Well, it was nice

to talk to you.

Bye, doggy.

You never did

tell me his name.

How about

we call

him Nipper?

Hupl Come here.

Yeah.

Hush, Nipper, hush.

Hush, Nipper, hush.

Atta a boy.

Hush, Nipper, hush.

You're a good dog.

Okay.

Now, here we

go, Nipper.

Hush, Nipper, hush.

Hush. Yeah. Good.

Good boy.

Hush, nipper, hush.

Good boy.

Hush, Nipper, hush.

Hush, Nipper,

hush! Hush!

Hush, hush I

How about shutting

up some of that

goddamn racket!

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