Foster drank a little whiskey. The electric bulb suspended overhead was arcing, dancing shadowy light. He waited a pause and then said, “Who was it?”

“Who was who?”

“When my grandmother did her best to strike you dead and ran off out of here and left you? You talk about being alone then. But you were just a boy. Bad hurt. So who was it that took care of you? Who was that person?”

Mebane nodded. Took up his whiskey. Did not drink but set it down and looked at Foster. He said, “Did you hear me?”

“I did.”

“All right.” Mebane nodded again. Then took up his cane and rose up, using the table edge to push his body against to stand. Clamped hard on the cane looking down at Foster. He said, “It was her mother. It was the only one here. It was Helen took care of me.”

Foster studied him. Then said, “She must’ve known what you’d done. To get your head laid open.”

“Well, I sure didn’t tell her.”

“But she knew.”

“I don’t know what she knew. What I can say for sure is I was hurt and her daughter was run off and one man was dead on account of her running off. So who can say why she did what she did? What she knew? What her reasons was? Maybe it was just to save herself. Maybe it was nothing more than that.”

“Now wait. You’re telling me there was just the two of you here alone and her nursing you and you two did not talk at all? Not one bit beyond what you needed or wanted? With everything else gone away you did not talk to her?”

Mebane weaved against the cane. As if the cane was the one reliable piece in the upright grouping of himself. A single slender raised vein pumped on his forehead. He said, “I tell you what. Some of this work you have to do yourself. I can’t lead you through like a child at a medicine show. What I’m doing. Is to go pee. I’m an old man. My bladder can’t hold that whiskey like it used to. Then I’m going to bed.” He scowled at Foster. “Other than that, I’m not going anywhere.”

“Well I guess I’m not either anytime soon.”

“There you go.”

“One thing.”

“What’s that?”

“I understand why you’re telling me all this. But sometime you’ve got to tell me the rest. The part I came after. Just so you know.”

Mebane looked at him a long time. The old man’s eyes watery with fatigue. Foster began to think Mebane would say nothing, was waiting for Foster to say something more.

Finally Mebane said, “You watch yourself with that girl. She is the only creature on this earth I love even a little bit. Do you follow me?”

“I guess so.”

“You’ll get what you want, in my way and my time. When I’m satisfied that I’ve got it right.”