All the Pretty Horses

looked up from his plate at the painting as if he’d never seen it before and he said those are picturebook horses and went on eating.
    H E WENT UP the stairs to the mezzanine and found Franklin’s name lettered in an arc across the pebbled glass of the door and took off his hat and turned the knob and went in. The girl looked up from her desk.
    I’m here to see Mr Franklin, he said.
    Did you have an appointment?
    No mam. He knows me.
    What’s your name?
    John Grady Cole.
    Just a minute.
    She went into the other room. Then she came out and nodded.
    He rose and crossed the room.
    Come in son, said Franklin.
    He walked in.
    Set down.
    He sat.
    When he’d said what he had to say Franklin leaned back and looked out the window. He shook his head. He turned back and folded his hands on the desk in front of him. In the first place, he said, I’m not really at liberty to advise you. It’s called conflict of interest. But I think I can tell you that it is her property and she can do whatever she wants with it.
    I dont have any sayso.
    You’re a minor.
    What about my father.
    Franklin leaned back again. That’s a sticky issue, he said.
    They aint divorced.
    Yes they are.
    The boy looked up.
    It’s a matter of public record so I dont guess it’s out of confidence. It was in the paper.
    When?
    It was made final three weeks ago.
    He looked down. Franklin watched him.
    It was final before the old man died.
    The boy nodded. I see what you’re sayin, he said.
    It’s a sorry piece of business, son. But I think the way it is is the way it’s goin to be.
    Couldnt you talk to her?
    I did talk to her.
    What did she say?
    It dont matter what she said. She aint goin to change her mind.
    He nodded. He sat looking down into his hat.
    Son, not everbody thinks that life on a cattle ranch in west Texas is the second best thing to dyin and goin to heaven. She dont want to live out there, that’s all. If it was a pay in proposition that’d be one thing. But it aint.
    It could be.
    Well, I dont aim to get in a discussion about that. Anyway, she’s a young woman and my guess is she’d like to have a little more social life than what she’s had to get used to.
    She’s thirty-six years old.
    The lawyer leaned back. He swiveled slightly in the chair, he tapped his lower lip with his forefinger. It’s his own damned fault. He signed ever paper they put in front of him. Never lifted a hand to save himself. Hell, I couldnt tell him. I told him to get a lawyer. Told? I begged him.
    Yeah, I know.
    Wayne tells me he’s quit goin to the doctor.
    He nodded. Yeah. Well, I thank you for your time.
    I’m sorry not to have better news for you. You damn sure welcome to talk to somebody else.
    That’s all right.
    What are you doin out of school today?
    I laid out.
    The lawyer nodded. Well, he said. That would explain it.
    The boy rose and put on his hat. Thanks, he said.
    The lawyer stood.
    Some things in this world cant be helped, he said. And I believe this is probably one of em.
    Yeah, the boy said.
    A FTER C HRISTMAS she was gone all the time. He and Luisa and Arturo sat in the kitchen. Luisa couldnt talk about it without crying so they didnt talk about it. No one had even told her mother, who’d been on the ranch since before the turn of the century. Finally Arturo had to tell her. She listened and nodded and turned away and that was all.
    In the morning he was standing by the side of the road at daybreak with a clean shirt and a pair of socks in a leather satchel together with his toothbrush and razor and shavingbrush. The satchel had belonged to his grandfather and the blanketlined duckingcoat he wore had been his father’s. The first car that passed stopped for him. He got in and set the satchel on the floor and rubbed his hands together between his knees. The driver leaned across him and tried the door and then pulled the tall gear-lever down into first and they set out.
    That door dont shut good. Where are you goin?
    San Antonio.
    Well I’m goin as far as Brady Texas.
    I appreciate it.
    You a cattlebuyer?
    Sir?
    The man nodded at the satchel with its straps and brass catches. I said are you a cattlebuyer.
    No sir. That’s just my suitcase.
    I allowed maybe you was a cattlebuyer. How long you been standin out there?
    Just a few minutes.
    The man pointed to a plastic knob on the dash that glowed a dull orange color. This thing’s got a heater in it but it dont put out much. Can you feel it?
    Yessir. Feels pretty good to me.
    The