The Fugitive Kind Page #5

It tells the time of the day...

and the days of the week...

and the month...

and all the crazy moon phases.

I never stole nothing before I stole this.

And when I stole it,

I knew it was time to get off the party.

So you take this to Bertie.

That's my message to you

and the pack you run with.

I run with nobody.

I hoped I could run with you.

You are in danger here, Snakeskin.

You've taken off the jacket that said,

I'm wild, I'm alone...

and you've put on

the nice blue uniform of a convict.

I hoped you'd hear me...

and you'd let me take you away from here

before it was too late.

Fly away.

Fly away, little bird...

before you get broke.

Carol!

- Snakeskin!

- Carol!

Carol, you broke our agreement.

Now, come on,

and I'll drive you over the river.

- Snakeskin, you're in danger here.

- Shut up and come on.

Wait, please.

Hello, Lady.

Carol, wait for me in the car.

I told you once to never come in this store.

If your wild sister comes here again,

send somebody else for her. Not you.

Not you.

I hold hard feelings.

And don't pity me, either.

I haven't gone down so terribly far

in the world.

I got a going concern

in this mercantile store.

And back there is the confectionary

which will open this spring.

It's going to be like

the wine garden of my father.

You remember the wine garden

of my father?

You remember those wine drinking nights...

when someone loved you better than

anyone's loved you since?

I don't remember anything else.

No, wait.

I have something to tell you

I never told you before.

I carried your child in my body...

the summer you quit me.

- I didn't know.

- No. I didn't write you no letter about it.

I was proud then.

I had pride...

that summer they burned

the wine garden of my father.

And you washed your hands clean

of any connection...

with a dago bootlegger's daughter.

And took that society girl...

that restored your homeplace...

and gave you such wellborn children.

- I didn't know.

- And now you do know.

You know now.

I carried your child in my body...

the summer you quit me.

But I lost your child.

I wanted death after that.

But that don't come when you want it,

you know.

So I took the next best thing.

You sold yourself. I sold myself.

You was bought and I was bought.

Sold and bought like things in this store.

Lady, please.

Get out of here!

Get out!

I just wanted to tell you my life ain't over.

You all right, Lady?

I made a fool of myself.

I threw away pride.

Jordan.

- Come on, Vee.

- Jordan.

Jordan, you'll have to help me

with the floating island...

Can I help you, Mrs. Talbot?

Thank you, Mr. Xavier.

I brought this new painting

to hang in Jabe's bedroom.

Hey, ma!

- Come on up here.

- I'm coming.

What's that boy like, Jordan?

He's a beauty, Jabe. A real beauty.

When you go out, you take another

good look at him, will you?

Why don't you take a look at him, Jabe?

Go ahead. Call him up here.

Take a look at him.

There you are, ma'am.

I tell you, Mr. Xavier,

since I took up my painting...

my whole outlook is different.

I can't explain it.

You don't have to explain it,

I know what you mean.

It's like me when I'm playing my guitar.

I guess, when, before you started painting,

it just...

It didn't make sense.

What didn't?

Existence.

No.

My existence didn't make sense.

You lived in Two River County...

and you've seen some terrible things.

Awful things.

- Lynchings?

- Yes.

- Beatings?

- Yes.

You've been a witness and you know.

Yes, I've been a witness and I know.

We've both seen these things from seats

down front at the show.

You made some beauty, Mrs. Talbot...

out of this dark river country.

Hello.

Torrance Mercantile Store.

Why don't you come to my room,

so I can have a look at you?

I ain't met you yet.

- Who's talking?

- It's your boss, Jabe Torrance.

Your boss upstairs.

I hope Jabe likes this painting.

I want to see that poor sick man

brought back to Jesus.

I brought Jabe some floating island

for supper.

You fit the description.

What description is that?

I heard you were good-looking.

And sales have been picking up

since you took over down there, boy.

Yeah, business has been pretty good.

I bet most of this lively new business

comes from women, don't it?

The older ones?

Older ones are buyers.

They got the money, Jordan.

They sweat it out of their husbands and...

throw it away.

Doggone it, if that ain't the truth.

Stay here, Lady.

I'm tired, Jabe.

You're not getting enough help down there?

What was it that you wanted

to see me about, Mr. Torrance?

I just wanted to see who is working for me.

Okay, boy.

You can go on back down there now.

All right.

Bye.

How much am I paying him?

I said, how much am I paying him?

$37.50 a week.

Getting him right cheap, ain't I?

- Aren't you satisfied?

- What about you?

Are you satisfied, Lady?

Or are you dissatisfied?

Which?

Would you drive me someplace?

Sure, I will.

This is where all the young couples

would come to make love.

They'd come here, in the wine garden.

And you?

Me? Well, me...

I would sing with my father.

We'd wander among the white arbors.

Him with a mandolin, and me singing.

My voice is cracked now.

Maybe the face is cracked, too. I don't know.

But then...

How did it happen to burn?

My papa made a mistake.

One night, one summer,

he sold liquor to Negroes.

You heard of the vigilantes?

Yeah, I heard of them.

They took action that summer.

They rode out here with gallons of coal oil...

and set the whole place on fire.

Vines, arbors, fruit trees.

The whole sky lit up with it.

And all the way across this lake,

you could hear my papa calling.

Nobody answered the call.

My papa took a blanket by himself...

run up in the wine garden

to fight the fire all alone...

and he was burned alive.

He was burned alive in it.

I'm full of hate.

Whenever I look at a man in this county,

you know what I wonder?

I wonder if he was one of the vigilantes

that burnt my father alive...

in his wine garden.

I'm full of hate.

I'm...

- Hi, Lady.

- Hi. What do you want?

Jabe called about his car.

He said somebody stole it away

from the store.

But you see it was me.

Well, he said, he'd seen two people

go down to the garage.

A woman and a man.

That's right, a woman and a man.

Better go.

Well, see you tomorrow, Lady.

Where do you stay nights?

I stay over at the...

Wildwood Tourist Cabins.

- You like it there?

- It's all right. Yeah, it's nothing.

You want to save money?

Save money?

I never could save a cent in my life.

You could, if you stay in the place.

What place?

- This place.

- You mean his... Here?

- Here.

- Where could I stay?

Well, back of that drape.

A nurse slept there

when Jabe had his first operation.

And I'll get a plumber

to put in a hot and cold shower.

I'll fix it up nice for you.

- Well, I...

- Take a look at it...

and see if you like it.

- Okay, I'll have a look.

- Okay.

Well, go on.

You mean now?

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