“Don’t worry.” The woman stepped back around the counter. “Glad to do it. Day like today, I suspect this is the last place you all want to be.”

Zeke grumbled, hunched over his coffee. “Yeah.”

Ruth still looked at the machine with curiosity. “Surely we won’t be here for long.”

Jimmy could not figure the unusual look on his great-aunt’s face. He took note of the girl, who kept turning around and smiling at Ruth, and Ruth smiling back, and he kept wondering what he was missing.

The girl’s game ended, and frisky as a squirrel, she walked up to Ruth, who regarded her as one would a leprechaun, with delight and a bit of wariness.

“You want to play?”

“Amy!” The woman was slightly amused, but very embarrassed. “Really, you know better than—”

“I’ll show you how.”

“Amy. Now I’m sure she doesn’t—”

“Well.” Ruth was already rousing herself to stand, motioning for the girl to reach her her cane. “I just might give it a try. Won’t hurt nothing. Will it, Amy?” She smiled at the woman, who did not to know how to respond at first, but who smiled finally.

The girl clutched Ruth’s other hand and Ruth rose to her crooked position, and in her crooked fashion made her way, much to Jimmy’s dumbfounded disbelief, to the video game.

Zeke crossed his legs, resting his chin on his hand and making a sucking sound with his teeth. He reminded Jimmy of an annoyed old hound dog regarding puppies playing a bit too close to him. His eyes betrayed disapproval, Jimmy realized, and something more—like disdain.

“Now.” The girl’s voice took on a schoolmarmish tone. She stood just beneath Ruth’s sagging breasts and between her arms. Ruth gripped the console of the huge black box and balanced herself there.

“This little man,” said Amy, “he wants to eat all these little dots here. But these fellows here, they want to eat him. Understand? But if he gets a hold of one of these here blue pills here and eats it, he’ll get big and strong and then he can beat them folk up and send them back to jail where they belong.” She looked up at Ruth. “Think you got it?”

“Well, we’ll see.”

“Okay, I’ll do the first game for you. Now watch.” She dropped a quarter in the machine, and a merry music bounced out of it. Jimmy walked over, hoping not to get Ruth’s notice.

“Oh, look a there,” Ruth squealed in a voice Jimmy had never heard before. “Uh-oh, he’s gone get him. Watch out. Watch out! Oops. Now you’s dead, ain’t you?”

“Yeah, but I got five men. Your turn.”