Jeffery Allen - Rails Under My Back

SO HOW YOU LIKE SOUTH LINCOLN?

I can live with it.

Is it as bad as they say it is? I mean, South Lincoln?

Just like anyplace else. You got yo bad spots.

And Red Hook?

We got more security here, in the senior citizens building. Now Buildin Six, down on Federal. Webb shook his head. I wouldn live there for free. And Buildin Nine on Wells. Couldn’t pay me to live there. They snuff you in a minute.

Damn.

But a lot of these young guys in South Lincoln just plain stupid. Smalltime. If you can make corn whiskey, fix up a still in the backyard. That way you can bribe the sheriff. But if you cook it on the stove …

Hatch nodded. Make sense to me. It really did.

Yes, I seen a lot of shit in my day.

Centered on the dresser, a photograph of Pool Webb’s son? grandson? — a fat-faced boy about Hatch’s age — and daughter? granddaughter? — probably younger — equally healthy in the face. This a eatin family. And his grandchild — so Hatch assumed — with a black-skinned, white-bearded, and red-costumed Santa Claus.

Those yo grandkids?

No, that’s my son and daughter.

Hatch saw a young, uniformed Webb — his sly eyes and mean pouted mouth — posed with a comely woman with a haughty face.

That your wife? She look West Indian.

Wife? Nawl. That’s my mamma.

Hatch chanced a second look at the photograph. Yes, the heavy face, one sign of the aged, the same heavy face that Pool also bore.

She from Tennessee just like me.

I see.

Me and my mother used to have a helluva time. I called her Sister. Sister and I go get drunk. We come home. She clean the kitchen before going to bed.

Yeah, she died here in the city. Nineteen fifty-seven. I was ready though. I knew it was comin. If a bird flies into someone’s house, someone will fly out.

A KNOCK ON THE DOOR roused Hatch’s heart.

Who is it? Webb screamed.

Lee.

Shit. Hatch, let her in.

The floor was swiftly waiting to Hatch’s feet. He freed the locks and drew the door open. Lee’s breasts greeted him.

Hi, young man.

Hatch’s tangled tongue came unloose. Hi.

Lee followed her breasts through the door. Hey, Pool.

Hey, Lee.

Hatch closed the door behind her. She was a good deal older than Hatch but a good deal younger than Pool. He was bad at tellin age.

I jus fed her. She sleep. Thought I’d come down here and see what you up to.

Jus waitin for you.

I know, honey.

Oh, Lee — Pool pointed at Hatch — this Hatch, my cousin.

Hatch almost spun his head at the word. My cousin. Why had Pool lied?

Hi, honey.

Hi.

Lee’s breasts reached for him.

BUT MY GRANDMOTHER RAISED ME. My grandmother and my uncle. We did all the work on the land. The three of us. My grandfather worked at a sawmill. The steam fried his eyes. He went blind. He passed when I was five.

My grandmother made root tea from the woods.

Drowned roots from a drained swamp.

Sassafras tea, Lee said.

Castor oil, Hatch said.

Nowadays, they got castor oil you can’t even taste.

WHEN I WAS SIXTEEN, I left town to work on the railroad. Webb spoke in a fat preacher’s voice. But I didn’t come to the city until after the war.

I came to the city for pussy I had met when I was stationed at Fort Square.

I came to the city in 1947. That’s when the city was the city. You could have roof parties. Sit in Circle Park all night.

See, I got married in 1938. My wife messed round with every Tom and his dick.

Your wife musta had some good stuff, Lee said.

Nawl. She was just hot in the ass. One of those Creoles. Everybody but me knew she was hot in the ass. They say Pussy and she say Present. My wife’s best friend told me how to catch her. I came home from work and caught her in the bed with a man. I put my gun on them. The man jumped up out of that bed and jumped out the window, dick whipping like a blind man’s cane. I put the gun on him.

Pool, my wife said, why you gon shoot that man?

I put the gun on her.

Pool, please don’t shoot me.

I put the gun in my pocket and left town that night, and that’s how I got here. Nineteen forty-six.

Yo wife’s best friend told, Lee said.

Yeah.

You know women are evil, Lee said.

The gospel truth.

Yo wife’s best friend told all right. That’s because she was gettin some of that big dick too, Lee said. Men with big dicks go from woman to woman. Mothers, daughters, sisters. My best friend I covered up for many times. But I ain’t want none of her men. I wouldn’t spit on a big dick man if he was on fire. It’s not the size of the man’s business that matters, but the service it renders.

I got service.

Pool, you bad. Ain’t he bad, honey?

Hatch smiled, unsure about what to say.

I went back home and asked my wife for a divorce. She talking bout she ain’t gon give me one. I put my gun on her.

Soon as I get back to the city, that woman throws me out. I done bought all of her furniture and I hear she got a new man enjoying it. I took out my knife and cut her across her stomach. Her girdle saved her.

See, I don’t take no mess. Once I was at the movie theater with my wife—

Whites sat on the first floor and blacks in the balcony, Beulah told.

— and there was this son of a bitch cursing behind us. So I asked him, Mister, can you please watch yo mouth. I’m here with my wife. He leaned forward right next to my ear—

You musta smelled his breath. Popcorn.

— and started cursing all in my face. Called me everything but the Son of God. Then he put his knife to my throat. Nigga, I’ll cut yo throat. He took the knife away and went back to cursing.

I told my wife, Let’s go.

I want to see the other two movies, she said.

Three movies for a dime, Beulah told.

So I waited til that last movie was almost over and took my wife outside and found me a brick. See, my arm was in a sling.

Why? What happened?

I hid that brick behind the sling and waited for that son of a bitch.

Pool, please, my wife said.

Just stand out of the way.

That son of a bitch came out and saw me. Nigga, you want some mo? He reached for his knife. I threw the brick and hit that son of a bitch in the head. That son of a bitch fall right out, blood gushing from his head.

These two ladies come from the shithouse. Mister, you done killed that man.

Pool, Lee said, you bad. Ain’t he bad, honey?

Hatch smiled.

See, I never took no mess from white folks either. Once I was in this bar and this half-drunk white man called me a nigga then kicked me. I grabbed him by his hair like this. Pool demonstrated. And beat his ass til I got tired.

Naw, naw. Them white folks woulda got you.

Think them white folks messed with me? See, they thought I was crazy. Boots, they say. They called me Boots. Boots, you crazy.

I worked with him. It rained the next day. He come up to me. Boots, we can’t haul wood today. Let’s go hunting. I went too.

What? Hatch said.

No you didn’t, Lee said.

Yes I did. I had my rifle and he had his.

Why’d you do that? Hatch said. Why’d you go hunting with him?

WELL, I BETTER GET BACK TO WORK, Lee said. Time fo me to feed her her lunch.

You leavin already?

A woman got to work, Lee said. Ain’t that right, honey? She winked at Hatch.

That’s right, Hatch said.

Pool grabbed Lee’s pointed tiddies. Lee, I may be old, but I can still shift the gears.

Lee retracted her titties. Pool, you bad.

Here, look at this. Pool worked his hand under the sheet.

Is it ready?

It’s ready.

Well, Pool, you send that young man over to tell me when it’s ready.