Sam stared in wonder and tipped lemonade into the tea bowls. “Is that a good job, welding?”

He passed us each a bowl, and one to Rennel, who hunched beside the record player. Spike explained that it makes a living, but he’d like to be a fireman.

Carlotta came and sat next to me.

“Is he really your brother?”

“Yeah. Listen. He’s got four healthy kids. Why don’t you ask his wife what you’ll need? She knows all about that stuff.”

“That’s a good idea. He’s nice.”

“Why don’t you let him get your toilet fixed?”

“It’s so nice shitting in the woods. Aram’s face gets this beautiful expression when he’s done it. Very still and strong and peaceful.”

“You go out together?”

“We hold hands. Sometimes it’s hard for me.” She leaned back against the pillows and closed her eyes.

Spike was explaining how he used to smoke grass with some Mexicans he knew when he was a kid in California.

“I don’t see anything wrong with it. But I don’t run across it anymore. I drink beer now in the summer and red wine in the winter.” He lifted the tiny tea bowl in one scarred brown hand and sipped politely at the lemonade. Sam was delighted.

“If you ever want to try some again just come on over.”

“I’d like to see Jean stoned once. She’s pretty funny when she’s had something to drink. That’s my wife.” He put down the tea bowl and got up gingerly, bending his good leg and keeping the other stretched out in front of him. “Well, I’m going to take my kids swimming. Why don’t you all come along?”

Sam jumped up. “Thanks, we’d like to, but we’ve got dinner all set up here. But we’ll come over. And you come here whenever you’re passing by, okay?”

My brother nodded. He looked down at me, crouched and barefoot. “You’d better come over sometime.”

The Volcano Bar diet

The great Volcano Bar diet is the only one that has ever worked for me, and I remember it with enormous affection. Still, it must be admitted that an intricate concatenation of factors are necessary for its success, and the exact circumstances would be difficult to reproduce for the benefit of the generally obese public.