It occurred to Edison Leonard that what had got him into trouble in the first place was not wanting to spend his days sweating in a field like this. But here he was, twenty years down the line, doing the same work he had stolen and killed to avoid. It was kind of funny, and he chuckled as he swung his mattock to claw up a clump of weedy earth, then pried it out effectively. He decided that he and Lee and Lonny were about the best laborers in the crew, because they had all spent years in prison, where there was a lot of time to fill, and they had all built muscle by lifting weights and doing pull-ups and push-ups.

“What are you laughing at?”

He turned his head in surprise, because it was a female voice. The woman was in her early thirties, and she wore a T-shirt, a long and loose skirt, and a wide straw hat. She was carrying a pair of plastic buckets that contained water and a couple of ladles and tin cups.

“I was just thinking about how many surprises there are in life,” he said. “I went to school to be an engineer, and a few things happened, and here I am.” He grinned at her. “Not all surprises are that kind though. Some are the ‘prize’ in ‘surprise.’”

“All I’m offering you is water, hon’.” Her smile was bright, pretty, and knowing. She fished a blue-speckled metal cup out of the water, gave it to him full, and locked eyes with him as he drank it down.

He finished and handed it back to her, and she dropped it back in the bucket. “That was great, thank you,” he said. “But is that sanitary?”

She shrugged and smiled. “Probably not. But I’ve noticed none of the very best things are.”

He said, “You’re right about that. Thank you again, ma’am.” He turned to look at the next yard of turf ahead.

“Charlotte.”

“Hmm?” He turned to her.

“My name is Charlotte.”

“A beautiful name for a beautiful person. Not a bad city either.”

“See you.” She bent at the knees to pick up the pair of buckets. She had wrapped the handles with a pair of dishcloths to keep them from hurting her hands, so she adjusted them, stood, and moved on to the next man, who was one of the locals. She gave him the same cup.

The sun was hot, and the work was hard and repetitive. Just being able to straighten his back and pause for a minute or two had been a pleasure.