Mama you know better than to let this fool in the kitchen. He’ll eat us out of house and home.
Now you hush, Clayton.
What are you boring him with them old pictures for? You want a drink, Buddy?
Why I’ll bet Buddy dont even drink, do you Buddy?
Oh no, Clayton said. Buddy wouldnt take a drink.
Suttree grinned.
Lord I raised some that will, said the old lady. I dont know where they get it at.
At Ab Franklin’s, said Clayton, grinning and pouring at the sink.
I mean where they take after it from.
Clayton pointed with the bottle toward the albums. Take a look at a few of them old hard assed sons of bitches in there and tell me if you think any of em ever took a drink.
Why Clayton, said the old lady.
You sure you dont want a drink, Bud?
No thanks.
Put them old moldy pictures up and come out in the back here.
Suttree slid back his chair and rose and followed him out through the sunporch and into the yard, holding for a moment the cold glass of tea against his forehead. Clayton grinned at him.
You better have a little hair of the dog, Bud.
No, I’m all right.
Clayton lowered himself into a lawnchair and stretched his naked feet in the grass. Damn if I didnt tie one on last night, he said. The last thing I remember was somebody sayin did he have a hat.
Suttree held a folded bill toward him.
What’s that?
Here. That twenty I owe you.
Hell, that’s all right.
No. Here.
Hell, I dont need it.
Go on. He pushed it toward him.
You sure you cant use it?
No. Thanks a lot.
Clayton took the bill and tucked it into his shirtpocket. Well, he said. That old crossbar hotel has got some pretty high rates, aint it?
Suttree took a long drink of iced tea. It had mint in it. He liked the rough leaves against his lip and their rich smell. It does, he said.
Are you still fishin?
Yep.
You want a job?
Nope.
Clayton shook the ice in his glass. You’re a funny son of a bitch, he said.
Suttree stood looking out across the fields behind the house toward the mountains. He raised his glass and drained it.
Set down, said Clayton, patting the arm of the other chair.
Suttree propped one foot in the seat of the chair and rested his elbow on his knee. A cool breeze swung the kettled creepers hung from the porchjoists.
I believe it’s fixin to cloud up and rain, Clayton said.
Paper said it was supposed to.
How’d you come out?
I just walked.
Where from? You didnt walk out from town did you?
Well, I cut across from the river. I didnt have anything else to do,
I’ll give you a ride back this evenin anytime you get ready.
That’s all right, Suttree said.
Aunt Martha came from the kitchen with a fresh pitcher of tea.
You’ll stay and take supper with us wont you?
I better get on back.
The old lady filled his empty glass. Why Buddy, she said, you stay and eat with us.
Thank you, but I better not.
Hell, just stay with us. You dont have anything to do.
The old lady bent and poured Clayton’s half filled glass full. He sat looking down at it. Goddamn, he said. He pitched it out across the grass.
Why Clayton.
Clayton rose and went into the house muttering to himself.
Buddy, I do wish you’d eat with us.
I appreciate it, Aunt Martha, but I need to get back.
Let me bring you another piece of cake.
No thank you. Really.
She came no higher than his shoulder. He almost reached down to touch her.
Clayton called to him from the door: You sure you couldnt use a drink?
Suttree shook his head.
Clayton came out with his drink, one hand in his hippocket. They stood there in the shade, the three of them. Suttree drained his glass and handed it to the woman. I’ve got to go, he said.
They followed him into the kitchen and through the house. The aunt would have taken his elbow save that her hands were full. She set the glass and pitcher hastily on the table and caught him up. Suttree turned and was surprised to hear her talking of the weather. You let Clayton take you, she said. They will come a storm this evenin long fore you get back to town.
I wont melt, he said.
He got out the door. Clayton was looking past the top of her head.
Take care Bud.
Buddy you come see us, you hear?
He went on down the path into the road. He turned and raised one hand. The old lady waved timidly with just her fingers and Clayton saluted with his glass. It was much cooler and the wind was rising. Coils of dust rose in the road and spun off like smoke and the sky to the west lay banked in a discolored mass of thunderheads.
When he reached the highway large drops of rain were falling. They made hot slapping sounds on the macadam. He could see the rain coming across the fields where the darkly overtaken blooms buckled and dipped. He pocketed his hands and slumped and countrylooking he went down the edge of the black highway in the advancing downpour.
Before he had gone far an old Hudson pulled alongside him and sat there rocking and smoking and chattering while a man leaned across and lowered the glass just enough to let his voice out.
Hop in, old buddy.
I hate to get in your car wet as I am.
Caint hurt this old car.
Suttree climbed in and they pulled away. He watched the steamy green landscape fade beyond the dance of water on the hood.
Boy it’s come a clodbuster aint it, the man said.
It is that.
The man was leaning over the wheel to see. He nodded toward the dashboard where the radio was glowing. Listen at that there, he said.
Suttree inclined one ear. A dim voice in the dashboard had a story to tell.
Well he come down from there and he said: See ary raincloud up there? and he said: Nary one. And he said: Better go on up there and look again, and he went on up there neighbors and he come back down again and he ast him again, said did he see ary sign of a raincloud and he told em no, said he’d not saw sign one, and he said: Well, better go on up there one more time, and he done it, went up there, and directly he come down again and he ast him, said: Is they ary raincloud up there now? and he said yes, said: They’s one up there about the size of ye hat, and he said: Well boy you better get off the mountain cause it’s a fixin to rain.
The driver smiled. He can lay it down, caint he.
Suttree nodded.
I like to hear old J Basil. He’s all the time sayin: Aint that right Mrs Mull. Old deep voice. And she’ll say: That’s right Mr Mull. You like to hear him?
He’s all right, Suttree said.
Small birds were crossing the road in the windy sheets of rain. Going up a grade the wipers died and the glass peened over with rainwater. Suttree could not see out. Beyond radio and exhaust and valvechatter he could hear thunder rumbling away over the bewept hills.
They topped the hill and the glass cleared in a slow arc. Around a curve and Suttree pointed. I get out here, he said.
The man looked. Where? he said.
Here. Anywhere along here.
You not goin to town?
No. Just right here.
The driver looked about and he looked at Suttree. They aint nothin here, he said.
Just anywhere along here, Suttree said. This is where I get out.
The driver pulled up along the graveled shoulder and stopped. He watched Suttree. Suttree climbed out into the downpour.
I sure thank you, Suttree said.
You welcome, the man said.
Suttree banged the door shut and stood back. The car moved out onto the highway. Through the runneled glass he could see the man’s face turn again, as if to fix him there.