Tishomingo Blues

'I know what it is.'

'Then what're you asking me for?'

'What is wrong with you?'

'Nothing.'

'I told you, don't ever bring none from home. Have these women sniffing the air, saying things about you.'

'They're so scared of you they don't come near me. I wasn't even invited to the tea. I wouldn't have gone, but they could've asked.'

Arlen said, 'You disobeyed me.'

'I didn't bring the pot, sweetheart. A soldier boy came by, a Yankee, and left it for me.' 'Who was it?'

'I don't want to get you upset.'

'I'm asking you who it was.'

'And I'm not telling, so go fuck yourself.'

This was not the girl used to write sweet letters to him in the joint. They changed on you, all of 'em. Set 'em up with a nice house and a car and turned into alligators.

'You're trying to get me to smack you,' Arlen said, 'so you can, scream and get people looking out their tents. I'll ask you again we get home, you can scream all you want.'

Now she was giving him her sleepy-eyed reefer grin, like she knew something about him he didn't. She did it all the time and it liked to drive him crazy.

Arlen said to her as he always did, hoping for an answer but never getting one, 'What is wrong with you?'

An hour or so before this, in General Grant's camp, Germano had come out of his tent sweating in his underwear, growling, telling Hector and Tonto, 'That's it, fuck it. I can't sleep in there, I'm going back to the hotel.'

There was no way to argue with him if that's what he wanted to do. Hector said, 'Of course,' and said he would get Groove and Cedric to take him. It didn't matter to Germano who drove him, but it did to Hector; he wanted to be here if the Confederates came to visit.

Germano asked if Robert was sleeping. Hector said no, but he was around someplace. Germano said, 'Tell him I've gone back.'

When they had left, Hector said to Tonto, 'There was no way to stop him. Now, what if he finds Robert in bed with his missus?'

Tonto took time to think about it, but all he said was, 'I don't know. I guess we have to wait to find out.'

They were sitting by the table in front of Germano's tent now, the lantern hanging above them from the awning. Both Hector and Tonto, when they thought of Jerry or would mention him, it was always as Germano. They couldn't understand why Robert allowed him to be the boss. They would protect the man's life, not having much respect for him, but because Robert would say to do it, okay? You mind? Not the way Germano the hard-on said to do something. Robert made you feel close to him. 'Working for Robert,' Hector said, 'was like being in the fucking movies.' Robert had imagination. Go on down to Mississippi and take over a deal from the Dixie Mafia. What? First get you some Civil War uniforms. What? And Civil War guns. Yeah? And you get to play war like when you were kids. Yeah? No kidding.

Sitting in the lantern light, Hector said, 'He could have been a killer of bulls, a good one with his own style. But I believe he would have someone else plant the sticks.

'You know why? Because he likes to have people with him who know what they're doing. Planting the sticks looks difficult, but requires far less nerve than to go over the horns with the sword. I believe he can be anything he wants that catches his eye.'

'Don't you know what he wants to do?' Tonto said. 'He wants to dive off that ladder.'

'He told you that?'

'No, but he would like to.'

'How do you know?'

'See the way he watches that quiet guy dive off the ladder, that Dennis. Look at Robert's eyes, man, when he says `Hey, shit,' and shakes his head. He would give up something to do it. The guy high in the air, twisting and turning, is in control of himself, showing how cool he is. And Robert 's cool. He keeps Dennis around because he respects him as a man.'

'You believe he wants to,' Hector said, 'but you don't know it.'

Tonto said, 'No, not the same way I know that guy down the street, the Confederate guy, is coming here. But the feeling I have about Robert is that I know it.'

'From the other way also,' Hector said, 'two of them coming.'

Jim Rein, the Fish, saw the two sitting in the lantern light. The one behind the table had the pigtail in his hair. The one at this end of the table had the bandanna covering his. He was looking this way. Jim Rein said to Newton, 'That one there was at Junebug's with the general and the nigger.' Meaning Robert, the one Newton was looking for.

Newton said, 'Ain't those two niggers?'

Jim Rein said, 'I think they's Mexicans.'

Newton said, 'What's the difference? They look like smokes to me.'

They saw Arlen, who'd come from the opposite end of the tent street, facing them now, Arlen's Navy Colt stuck in his belt near to the front. Jim Rein and Newton wore their revolvers in military holsters with the flaps cut off. Jim Rein saw the one wearing the bandanna staring at him the same way he'd stared at Junebug's without ever saying a word. As Jim Rein and Newton came up to Arlen, Jim Rein saw the two Mexicans or whatever they were bring out their own Colt revolvers from wherever they kept them and lay them on the table-at the same time without saying anything or nudging each other.

Hector Diaz looked at the three Confederate soldiers in their hats with no style to them, no personality, three guys, Hector believed, who were used to scaring people by the way they looked at you. But now the expression on the face of the leader changed. This was the one called Arlen. He said, 'How you boys doing this evening?'

Hector looked up at him. Tonto looked at the other two.

'Getting yourselves some air?'

They didn't answer that one either.

'Can't get you boys to say nothing,' Arlen said. 'How about your general, Mr. German-o? How's he doing?'

Hector smiled a little; he couldn't help it. He said, 'Our general is asleep.'

'You his guard dogs?'

'No, what you said, we getting the air.'

'Ask him to come out here,' Arlen said, 'so I can speak to him. Or I can step inside the tent.'

'I tole you,' Hector said, 'he sleeping.'

Arlen nodded at the table. 'Those pistols loaded?'

'Yes, they are,' Hector said.

'You know you're not suppose to put loads in your guns?'

'Yes, we know it,' Hector said, 'the same as you know it.'

Arlen said, 'What're we getting to here?'

Hector turned his head to Tonto. 'Fucking High Noon, man.'

Arlen said, 'I didn't hear you.'

'I tole him,' Hector said, 'you want to pull your guns, but you don't have the nerve.'

The one with the tobacco stains in his beard said, 'What'd he say?'

But the one, Arlen, was louder, telling them, 'You think that's what we come here for? To shoot you? Jesus Christ.'

'Our Lord and Savior,' Hector said. 'No, I don't think to shoot us. Maybe scare us so we go home.'

'We gonna see you tomorrow,' Arlen said, 'when we do Brice's, and run you off with rifle butts and bayonets.'

Hector said, 'And swords?'

'You want to sword-fight?' Arlen said. 'I got a sword. Shit, we'll do 'er any way you want, Pancho.'

Hector turned to Tonto again. 'You hear this guy?'

Tonto only shrugged.