"Sally don't see as well as she used to--do you girl?" Her tail
wagged and she led them to the house.
"You've got bees." Charlie pointed at four hives that stood on 2x4's at
the end of a narrow garden.
"Yep. Good year, last year."
"The lilacs are even bigger than I remember," Margery said.
"They keep right on going." Tucker took them through the house and
kitchen to a screened back porch. Charlie and Margery sat at a large
table while he brought bread, cheese, pickles, salami, mayonnaise,
mustard, a bowl of lettuce, and a smaller bowl of radishes. He set
plates and three glasses. "I've got beer, water, and--a little milk."
"Beer," Charlie said.
"Margery?"
"Beer."
"Three sodas coming up," Tucker said.
He and Margery reminisced. "Jack had a taste for the good stuff,"
Tucker said. "Five o'clock, regular. Never minded sharing, did Jack."
Charlie ate steadily and accepted another can of beer.
"Not bad, Tucker," he said. He had noticed a small wooden horse on a
shelf when he first entered the porch. During lunch, as Tucker and
Margery talked, his eyes kept returning to it. He got up and walked
over to the shelf. "What's this?"
"Something I made."
"Do you mind if I look at it?"
"Nope."
Charlie carried the horse back to the table. It was carved from wood,
light colored, about five inches high, galloping across a base of
wooden grasses and flowers. There was an air of health about it.
Pages:
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28