Leo stopped the Valiant in front of the Hungry Pioneer Inn. He left the engine going and ran across the street to buy a package of Junior Mints at the Fremont concession counter; he didn’t want to smell like beer, but he didn’t want to smell too much like mints either, so back in the car he drove up to the job site to give his mouth a few minutes to air out to halfway normal. He left the headlights on, aimed at the locked barn, and got out of the car. The air was warm and smelled like sunbaked grass. There was a quarter-moon, and the field down the slope stood out dim in the dark. He looked up at his roofing job. The shingles were too black to make out but he was sure Floyd was right, that his ridge line was way off. He wondered who would end up fixing it. He got back into the car and as he started it up he thought how this was the last place where he and Allie had made love; he remembered the way she swung her bare leg around him and pulled him into her like there was no time to lose. He backed out of the drive and drove down the hill past the poplar trees, the leaves looking so small and round in the peripheral path of the headlights, and he hoped Allie would be home, though he had no idea what he would say to her at all.

Mrs. Donovan’s hair was pulled back in a braid and she smiled as soon as she opened the screen. She stepped to the side for him to come in and as he did, she said quietly how nice it was to see him and wasn’t your father able to come?

“No, Mrs. Donovan. He has guests over.”

“Her name’s Tess, man. Jesus.”

“Please, hon. I just put Chris to bed.”

Chick sat in his wheelchair at the end of the picnic table, his leg cast resting on the corner of a bench. Allie’s door was open. Leo smelled fried fish and Crisco. He waved at Chick, walked over, and shook his outstretched hand. Chick’s nose was sunburned, his glasses were pushed down the end of it, and his watery eyes looked straight up at Leo over the rims. Chick squeezed hard and held on a couple seconds, then he let go and pointed to the bench his foot was propped on. “Sit.”

Leo sat down. On the table was a bottle of Old Crow next to an uncut watermelon. In front of Chick was an empty glass jigger. Mrs. Donovan walked into Allie’s room and shut the door behind her.

“Thanks for coming to the show.”

Chick poured whiskey into the shot glass and pushed it over the table to Leo.

“No thanks.”

“Drink half.”