This point had seemed to be important to Eden, who’d paused to make sure it had struck home, and although Calvin didn’t understand at all, he’d humoured him and nodded. Eden seemed satisfied. He lifted the bit of burger he’d pushed aside on his plate and chewed at it. ‘He try to make you hate him, but you can’t do that. You do that and you die for sure. Just keep rememberin’ that he as old as the world and the world be the greatest creation the Great Spirit ever done.’

Calvin had squinted at Eden under the lamp, trying to make sense of what he meant. ‘You mean you love the Trickster, after what happened to your Pappy?’

Eden chewed some more at the cold grey meat. ‘I just saying he be part of the same stuff that you and me made of. White men know him too. They just got a whole heap of different names. ’Cept they don’t believe no more and that make them be weak as kittens.’ His eyes lit up. ‘I ain’t goin’ to be the one to meet him again, Calvin.’

Calvin thought he recognized an old person’s tone in the statement, the forced cheerfulness about dying that they adopt to make relatives dismiss it as folly.

‘You don’t know that, Eden. You got plenty years in you yet.’

Eden just looked at him. There was a pause. ‘Sam teachin’ good?’

Calvin had been relieved at the change of subject. When Eden fixed you with his gaze, it was as if he were reading your soul. ‘Sure. I don’t know that he be a shaman, but he be making a fine medicine man some day.’

It had been on his lips to add if Moses doesn’t kill him first but he knew he would get nowhere with Eden attacking his family.

Eden looked like he could hear Calvin’s thoughts anyway. ‘Sam be fine. He be a shaman okay. You teach him everythin’ you know.’

Calvin had nodded, and they had drunk the rest of the beer in silence.

At half-past ten, Calvin gathered his stuff up and made ready to leave. He cleared the table, left the pan in the sink for the women and helped Eden back to his chair where he would smoke for an hour more before going to bed.

As Eden sat down, his hand grabbed Calvin’s and he looked at him with such a kindly loving expression it made him stop and stand before him in surprise.

‘When we meet in the spirit world, Calvin, you be known as my son.’

Calvin had swallowed, moved by the first real display of affection Eden had ever declared. He could find nothing to say in response.

Eden smiled. ‘Don’t go wastin’ money on burgers tomorrow. I won’t need nothin’.’