He’s come back. She quickly went to the stove to reheat the stew. It was still pretty warm. He’s come back. Oh, he’s come back. She went to the bedroom to check her makeup and heard the kitchen door open. No time to fuss with her nose. She walked back to the kitchen, and there he was, putting beer in the refrigerator.

“Hi,” he said, looking up, white teeth flashing in his red brown face.

“Hi.”

“Dinner smells great. Want a beer?”

“Okay.”

He popped open two beers and set them on the table, while she dished up the stew. They ate in silence, Martha concentrating on her meal, trying not to watch Leon eat. Soon he sat back, satisfied. She kept sipping her beer, not really liking it but wanting to do what he did. It was warm by the time Leon had finished off the stew. He stood.

“Let’s see what’s on television.” He clicked it on, and the green newsman warped into view. Leon squatted in front of the set and fiddled with knobs until the newsman’s face turned bright red, then settled to a rosy pink. He looked up at her, staring at the set. “Better, huh?”

“Yes.” She cleaned the dishes. When she was through, she sat next to him on the sofa, sipping her warm beer, as he drank three more cans. She was feeling very sleepy. Her head bobbed up and down; every time she looked at the television, somebody new was there. Finally, there was just the white crackling, and Leon was sound asleep. She fetched a blanket, covered him up, and went to bed.

Outside, a rusted truck came slowly up the drive, and with a barely audible curse from the driver as he noted Leon’s pickup next to the house, it backed down, squealed onto the highway, and was gone.

8

CHAPTER 8

Fern’s baby was born without a nose. Addie put the squalling child into Fern’s weak arms, then tended to the birthing mess. Harry slumped to the kitchen for a shot of whiskey. Fern examined her child, head to toe. The baby looked normal, healthy. Her head was not as pinched nor as elongated as with some newborns she’d seen; in fact, the head was quite large, and square. The fingers, toes, and ears were perfect, but there was no nose.