The delivery (24)

“I don’t understand.”
“Well, they know your ways, and so they know your weaknesses and can hide behind them.”
“You mean I know you’ll soften if I bring in the hay.”
“Yes, but worse if you rib me about my failures with women; that will get me off the subject pretty fast.”
“The subject?”
“Your hypothetical failing with respect to which I’d soften.”
“Sorry. Mind’s garbaged.”
“You know? I’m not hungry for much. Let’s get a couple of sandwiches at this Jason’s.”
“Sounds good to me.”
“Then we’ll go sit at that campus while it gets dark; it’s got some nice live oaks over back toward Main.”

The delivery (23)

“So she will not dwell on Clark or Red’s lifelong mistake with him. She will bury them and forgive them.”
“Yes.”
“What about Red?”
“She’ll miss him terribly ‘til she’s in her grave.”
“Will she miss Clark?”
“Doubt it. Not much to miss there.”
“What about when they were alive?”
“There were times when she gave advice, especially after the beatings.”
“He did not take it?”
“There was a passive streak in him; it was almost immobile.”
“So…”
“She held her peace and looked for better moments. They were both adults.”
“But…”
“It’s a tough world to preach in, especially to your kin.”

The delivery (22)

“Why is she burying Clark?”
“Hope does not take sides with evil; she looks it straight in the eye, and rejects it; here she will bury it.”
“What do you mean?”
”She’ll have nothing to do with it. She won’t make Red good at the expense of Clark, at least not formally.”
“Huh?”
“Well, clearly Clark’s acts were worse. She is not deceived about that.”
“Then…?”
“But she will bury both sides of the evil. There were the two of ‘em.”
“What?”
“Red put up with him; should have cut him off years ago.”
“That’s hard.”
“Well, it is; but, for her it was an equal failing for both of them.”
“Whew.”
“But she’ll forgive ‘em at the same time. That’s the harder part.”
“Whoa. But they’re both dead; so the evil is over.”
“Yes, but in her mind the death is the fruit of it. So the burial, the ceremony of it, needs to be complete. And the services will be exactly the same, I will bet.”

The delivery (21)

“This is just so awful.”
“Yup. These fucking women in these shorts that don’t belong in ‘em.”
“What?”
“These girls running around this campus.”
“What about ‘em?”
“Seen one that looks better than a pinch of shit?”
“One, maybe.”
“You got hope and eyes.”

The delivery (20)

“This whole deal is so screwed up, Nunk.”
“Sure is.”
“Here are these people running around this campus and your friend Red, is a few blocks away, who died way too early.”
“Yeah.”
“And his friends are now gone; so there is just this runnin’ around.”
“Not quite. There’s me. Ray. Twink. Dan. Hope and those other gals about my age I was talking to.”
“Who were they?”
“Just old friends of his who knew his art and traded flowers with him.”
“Is that all there is to the man, now?
“Jesus, I hope not.”
“Jesus?”
“Sorry, just something I said.”
"Too many Sundays with Aunt Mavis."
"Right about that."

The delivery (19)

“Ray Don, you headed out for work?”
“Yeah, where you staying?”
“I guess down on South Main. Let me make ‘em a call.”
“We’ll meet at my place to pick up Aunt Hope tomorrow. Let’s make it 2:30.”
“Good enough; anybody going to be there?”
“Not many.”

The delivery (18)

“Dan.”
“Hello, Straight.”
“I’m without words.”
“So am I. Red had ‘em with his art.”
“Twink’s flowers here…”
“Twink has ‘em with his flowers.”
“Shit, Dan.”
“Yeah.”
“Hold me, Dan. I can’t hold you.”

The delivery (17)

“Almighty God, Father of mercies and giver of comfort: Deal graciously, we pray, with all who mourn; that, casting all their care on you, they may know the consolation of your love; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”

“Leland, do you still have all those issues with religion?”
“Still have a few.”
“Let’s move over to this clump of trees for a minute. The boys will comfort each other.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“You’re as selfless a man as I have ever known, Leland. Since you were young, here in all that court trouble.”
“Oh…”
“You acquitted yourself very well.”
“Well, I was acquitted.”
“You’re much too modest.”
“Thank you, ma’am.”
“Of all people you should have the fewest issues with it.”
“Yes, ma’am. I’m working on it. Stet’s marrying into a Catholic family. I’ve gotten kind of friendly with Father John.”
“Good.”
“See you tomorrow?”
“We’ll pick you up in Ray Don’s Lexus.”

The delivery (16)

“There’s Dan. Go stand with him, Stet. We’ll be right along.”
“Are you going to make it through this?”
“Oh, yes. I’ve made it for ninety years, and I’ll be a while longer. We’ve got to find homes for Redford’s work.”
“You’re a little out of my league, Aunt Hope. All I know about painting is in a Glidden’s catalogue.”
“Nonsense, but I’ve a curator to help us out. We’re to see him Monday morning ten o’ clock sharp.”
"Yes. Ma’am.”

The delivery (15)

“Aunt Hope, let me introduce Stet.”
“You’re Stet. What a fine young man you are.”
“Thank you, ma’am; pleased to know you.”
“Please stay, Stet. Redford would have been so pleased to meet you and is honored to have you here.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“This one’s going to be easy, Leland.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’ve Clark’s service tomorrow.”
“What?”
“Wretched as he was, someone has to stand for him.”
“We’ll be there with you.”
“I‘ve the same priest scheduled for each. Same time.”
“You?”
“Nobody claimed the body.”

The delivery (14)

“I look Ok?”
“Ok is good enough here. You need to go home to Lupe.”
“You sorry S.O.B; these are your friends.”
“But you’re blood, and if I could have had you, I would have. Don’t look too good. You’ll have ‘em all sniffin’ around.”
“Shit.”
“There she is. I’m going to go stand by Aunt Hope. You just follow along.”
“O my God, Leland.”
“Easy, Aunt Hope, if I drop my cane we’ll both fall down.”

The delivery (13)

“We got to change our duds.”
“Use Red’s office.”
“This is some real painting, here, Nunk.”
“Red was world class. When I first knew him, I wondered how far he would go. He just settled in, raised his flowers, and did some really cool things with his canvasses.”
“How’d you meet him?”
“Friend of Twink. I used to go by to visit him just to relax during the case. There was real peace in his studio. That was before Clark. ”
“So why did Clark kill him?”
“Clark was a predator, he preyed on Red from the inside. The flowers and the art were Redbird’s freedom, but the rest came to be on Clark’s terms, I guess, until Red started to move out.”
“Hmm. How old was Redbird?”
“You don’t ask a beauty his age.”
“What?”
“If there ever was a man who could have been a high fashion model, it was Red.”
“He wasn’t Miss Green Eyes was he?”
“No, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah. He was a fascinating man, though.”
“So what happened with this guy, Clark?”
“I have not got all the recent details yet.”
“Why did he get with him in the first place?”
“Why do some women go for bad guys? Hell, if I know. Red made his mistake years ago, and Clark never let up. These guys don’t really have hotlines for abusive husbands.”

The delivery (12)

“There’s Twink.”
“The little guy who looks like a thin Elton John?”
“That’s Twink. Ray can’t be far behind.”
“There’s Ray.”
“Goddamn, it’s a quilting bee. Hey, Twink.”
“Hi Ray.”
“Hey, Stet, I want you to meet John, otherwise known as Amber, McFarlin.”
“How are you Mr. McFarlin, nice to meet you.”
“So this is your alter ego, huh, Straight?”
“Now Am, I did my best with him.”
“We don’t want all this truth to jump him at once.”
“He can take it; he read his Parmenides at UT.”
“What?”
“Private joke, Am; ask Ray about it.”

The delivery (11)

“Dickie Maegle?”
“Some sad-ass Rice football star, who played for ‘em one year they beat us.”
“Did not know they had any.”
“Few and far between.”

http://www.ricefootball.net/tackle.htm

The delivery (10)

“Take that right, there, Stet, and head on down Montrose. There’s St. Thomas, ‘member I was telling you?”
“Yeah, I see it. Boy, that was some kind of house in the old days.”
“Real old days.”
“Looks like Louisiana.”
“It’s the Bayou City.”
“Are we going to hole up with Ray?”
“Don’t know. Didn’t ask.”
“Well…”
“Don’t lose any sleep over it. We can always stay where the old Tides II was. Cheap fuckin’ place with a bunch of stunted Greek statues on shelves with a few used books. ‘Nary a memory of Dickie Maegle, who built the original place. But it still has a Tides II laundry basket.”


http://www.houstonarchitecture.info/haif/index.php?showtopic=1665

The delivery (9)

“Where are you?”
“Centerville.”
“You should be here around one.”
“Traffic ain’t bad. Whose goin’ with us?”
“Whoever shows; there could be a boatload.”
“I assume that’s one reason Hope wants it over. ”
“You, me, Dan, Twinkie and Stet will go together, and others immediate.”
“What kind of gig is it?”
“A graveside with an Episcopal priest. I’m sure you’ll get that irony.”
“I presume he ain’t African Anglican.”
“No, he ain’t.”
“I’ll keep it to myself.”
“Just come on in to the Gallery. You can change in back. Then we’ll head on out.”

The delivery (8)

“…Stet’s coming. He’s at the wheel.”
“And you’re drinkin’ Booker’s.”
“Better than Turkey.”
“It’s going to be a fucking circus.”
“Just what Red didn’t like. Just put it on the canvas and raise the flowers.”
“Yup, Twinkie knew him well.”
“Jesus, you fuckin’ guys. Well, at least Stet will find out that, once again, you’re human.”
“Reassuring. You asshole.”
“I am that. But I am a human asshole.”
“Goddamn sure are.”

The delivery (7)

“I’ll just drive on through. Let me pack up. I’ll stop in Fort Worth and make it in by early tomorrow afternoon.”
“Dan and Twinkie are beside themselves.”
“Big Dan?”
“You don’t know? Dan worshipped the ground Red walked on. He’s almost like Faulkner’s Rider. It’s scary. ”
“No.”
“Yeah. He’d helped him move the whole studio. Knew all about Clark. But Dan was out in Simonton doing some work for me that night. So when he got back the whole place was up in smoke. Nothing he could do.”
“So Clark snuck in behind him.”
“Yeah. And then he killed himself so Dan can’t even make him pay.”
“Jesus; I’ll call you when I take off.”
“Ok.”

The delivery (6)

“You got to come down. Aunt Hope just turned ninety. She’ll want to see you.”
“O Jesus.”
“You know it.”
“I know it.”
“It’s at 4:00 tomorrow afternoon. We’ll have a memorial later; I’m sure the art community will do something. But Hope is all that he had, and she wants it over.”
"Hmm."
“Well, you know Hope.”
“Yes, I do.”

The delivery (5)

“Listen. He’s gone.”
“No. When?”
“He was shot two nights ago, but he died yesterday morning. I would have called you yesterday, but I’ve been fully cranked for the last twenty-four. Been in some negotiations on top of all this. They are still going. Amber is in town and has been running point for me on this and just forgot to call you.”
“Oh….”
“Sumbitch set his studio on fire. Clark was Dr. Destructo.”
“Clark. But it figures. They were still together.”
“Couldn’t run him off.”
“Jesus..”
“But the art was gone. It’s saved. Red was moving.”
“Movin’ out on Clark?”
“Sounds like that’s what set Clark off; Red had had enough.”
“With Clark, it could have been anything.”
“Red was doing so well.”
“Why’d Clark have to do that?”
“I don’t know…”
“It’s taking everything to keep from puking my guts right here.”

The delivery (4)

“What’s up, Ray Don? Just walked out of a church and a Catholic one at that.”
“Whoa.”
“But I’m saved. I’m fixin’ to head south to look at some country west of Menard, near Spoon Draw.”
“You’re going to have to come a bit further south and east, my man.”
“What do you mean?”
“Redbird’s gone.”
“Gone?”
“Dead, Straight.”
“No.”
“ Murdered.”
“Ooooooooooooh.”
“Get off the road if you’re on one.”

The delivery (3)

“So what is a guy with all your background doing here?”
“You mean I could have been a Jesuit at Georgetown?”
“Yeah. Sounds like it.”
“It’s a long story, but I started with Franciscan leanings. I guess I ended up with them.”
“Well, we ought to visit some time; from what I could make of him, and I’m not much with Latin, I always liked Ockham.”
“Not one of the more popular of the order.”
“But, for me, the clear one.”
“Not much of a Papist.”
“Nor was Michael of Cesena. But that is about all I know, and we’ve both got work to do. I’ve got to run down south and look at some country. Maybe we can talk when I get back.”
“That would be nice. Vaya con Dios, Leland.”
“Best to you, Father.”


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_of_Ockham

The delivery (2)

“Don’t suppose you read Hegel in the seminary.”
“I have, but not there.”
“The immediate and the mediate sure get blurred in our little trade.”
“Yes, they do; which is why I leave a lot up to God and you, probably, to nothing in particular.”

The delivery (1)

“What is this little room?”
“The sacristy.”
“What’s it for?”
“You’d probably be satisfied with “sacred stuff.”
“Fair enough. You’re kind of a reductionist, Father.”
“I have found over the years, it’s a good thing to be. I can leave a lot up to God that way.”
“For quite a long time I’ve tended to leave a lot up to nothing in particular; if I just deal with the here and now, it’s usually plenty.”
“It depends on what you mean by the here and now.”
“Well, here and now is your two thousand dollars.”
“Gracias. And there and then are the meals, books, and lights for the next few months. You’ve filled the margin. God bless you.”