The Sunset Limited Page #4

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- No.

But you still like it?

Well, maybe I'm just

condemned to it,

bit in the ass by my own karma.

But I'm on the other side now.

You want to help folk

that's in trouble,

you pretty much got to go

where the trouble's at.

You ain't got a lot of choice.

How long have you

been here?

Oh, six...

going on seven years.

I don't understand

why you live here.

As opposed to where?

Anywhere.

Well, this pretty much

is anywhere.

I could live in another

building, I suppose,

but it's all right.

I got my bedroom over yonder

where I can get away,

got a sofa where

folk can crash...

junkies and crackheads mostly.

Of course they're gonna walk

off with all your portables,

so you can't own nothing.

But that's good.

You hang out

with the right crowd,

you pretty much get over

all your worldly cravings.

They took the refrigerator

one time,

but somebody caught them

out there on the stairs,

made them bring it back up.

Now I got that big

sucker over yonder...

traded up.

Only thing I miss

is the music.

I aim to get me

a steel door.

Then I can have me

some music here.

But you got to buy the door and

the frame at the same time.

I'm working on that.

I don't care nothing

about television,

but I sure do miss the music.

You don't think

this is a terrible place?

A terrible place?

Yes.

What are you talking about?

This place. It's a horrible place

full of horrible people.

Oh my.

You must know that these

people are not worth saving

even if they could be saved,

which they can't. You must know that.

Well, I like a challenge.

I started a ministry

'fore I got out of prison.

Now that was a challenge.

There was a lot of

brothers who showed up.

They ain't care

nothing about it.

They ain't really care nothing

about the word of God.

They just wanted it

on the resume.

- Resume?

- Resume.

You got some brothers in there

had done some real bad sh*t.

And they weren't sorry about a

damn thing except getting caught.

But the funny thing was a lot

of them did believe in God,

even more so than a lot of these

people out here on the outside.

I know I did.

You ought to think

about that, professor.

- I think I'd better go.

- Oh, hey hey.

You ain't got to go, professor.

Let me ask you something.

You ever had one of them days

where everything was just

weird all the way around

when things just kind of

fell into place?

I'm not sure what you mean.

Just one of them days

kind of magic,

one of them days where

everything turned out right.

I don't know.

Maybe.Why?

Well, I'm just wondering

if it ain't been

maybe sort of long

dry spell for you

till you took up

with the notion

that that's the way

the world is.

- The way the world is?

- Yeah.

- And how is that?

- You know, long and dry.

But the point is

that even if you feel that way,

what you got to understand

is that the sun don't shine up

the same dog's ass every day.

You understand what I'm saying?

If what you're saying is that I'm simply

having a bad day, that's ridiculous.

I ain't saying you're having

a bad day, professor.

I'm saying you're

having a bad life.

You think I should

change my life?

- What, you shitting me?

- I have to go.

Look, just hang with me

a little while longer.

What about my jailhouse story?

You don't need

no jailhouse story.

Why not?

Well, you're suspicious

about everything already.

You think I'm trying to

put you in the trick bag.

And you're not?

Well yeah, but I don't

want you to know it.

Well, in any case,

I have to go.

You ain't ready to go back

out there on them streets.

- I have to. - I know you ain't got

nothing you got to do.

- How do you know that?

- 'Cause you ain't even supposed to be here.

I see your point.

What if I tell you

a jailhouse story?

Will you stay then?

All right.

I'll stay a while.

All right!

The man says all right.

Okay, here go

my jailhouse story.

Is it a true story?

Oh yeah, it's a true story.

I don't know no other kind.

One day I'm in the chow line

and I'm getting my chow

when the n*gger

in the line behind me

gets into it with the server,

says the beans is cold.

So he throws the ladle

down in the beans.

Well, when he done that

there was beans

splashed up on me.

Well, I didn't want to get

into it over no beans,

but it did kinda

piss me off some.

I'd just put on

a clean uniform...

you know, khakis,

shirt and trousers.

And you only get two a week.

So I said something to him

like "Hey man, watch it"

or something like that.

But I went on.

I'm telling myself,

"Just let it go.

Just let it go."

But then the n*gger

said something.

So I turned back.

And when I done that,

he stuck a knife in me.

I ain't even see it coming.

Blood's just flying everywhere.

This wasn't no

jailhouse shiv neither.

This was one of them

Italian switchblades...

One of them

black-and-silver jobs.

Well, I ain't do a thing

but duck

and step back under the rail.

And I reached out and I got hold of

this table leg.

And it come off in my hand

just as easy.

It had this long screw

sticking out the end of it.

And I went to wailing

on that n*gger's head!

And I ain't quit!

I ain't quit

till you couldn't tell

it was a head no more!

That screw was stick

in his head

and I'd have to put my foot

on him to pull it out.

- What'd he say?

- What'd he say?

I mean in the line.

What did he say?

- I ain't gonna repeat it.

- That doesn't seem fair.

- Don't seem fair?

- No.

Here I am telling you

a bona fide blood-and-guts

tale from the big house,

the genuine article,

and I can't get you

to fill in the blanks

about what the n*gger said?

- Do you have to use that word?

- Use that word?

- Yes. - We ain't making much

progress here, is we?

It just seems unnecessary.

You don't want

to hear "n*gger,"

but you about to bail out on

me 'cause I won't tell you

some ugly sh*t the n*gger said?

Is you sure about this?

I just don't see why you

have to use that word.

It's my story, ain't it?

Anyway, I don't remember there being

no African-Americans

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