Spencerville

some great times. But as you once said, we did some shitty things then. You sent me a shitty letter, for instance. It’s okay. I got the same kind of letters from total strangers. But we all talked love, love, love, and we did a lot of hateful things. Me, too.” He added, “When I got your letter, I wanted to literally kill you. I would have if you were there.”
    “What can I say? We were young. There were solar storms, and Jupiter and Mars were lined up or something, and the price of grass dropped, and we went totally fucking bonkers. If it hadn’t happened, you and I would have been at John’s Place last night, bitching about farm prices and railroad wages, and maybe Billy Marlon would have owned the place and been a city councilman if he hadn’t gone to Vietnam. Christ, I don’t know.” He took a bite of muffin and said, “Some of who we are is in our genes, some of it is our culture, some of it is in our stars, and a lot of it is our personal history. You, me, Cliff Baxter, Annie Prentis, and Billy Marlon. We were born in the same hospital within a year of one another. I don’t have any answers.”
    “Me, neither. I’d like you to do me another favor. After I’m gone, go see if there’s anything you can do for Marlon. He lives out at the Cowley farm on Route 8. See if you can get him into a VA hospital.”
    “Sure. You’re a good guy.”
    “Don’t let it get around.”
    Gail said, “You must have a lot of mixed feelings right now. You’re about to leave home again, and you’re embarking on a great and unknown journey into a new life with another person. Are you excited or scared shitless?”
    “Yes.”
    They finished breakfast and Gail asked Keith if he had an extra toothbrush.
    “Sure. I’ll find it. Come on up.”
    They went upstairs and into Keith’s room. He opened the wardrobe.
    Gail looked at the uniforms, the saber, the bulletproof vest, and the odds and ends of a career that required many accessories. She asked, “What exactly did you do?”
    “This and that.” He took out the M-16 rifle. “Basically, I spent twenty-five years fighting commies. They got tired of it about the same time I did.”
    “Was it fulfilling?”
    “Toward the end, it was about as fulfilling as your job. Here—this is called the fire control selector. It’s on safety now. Move it here, and it’s ready to fire. You just keep pulling the trigger. It chambers a new round and cocks itself automatically. This is the magazine. It holds twenty rounds. After you empty the magazine, you push this catch and the magazine pops out, then you push a fresh magazine in and make sure it clicks in place, then you pull this handle back and it will chamber the first round, then it’s automatic again.” He handed the rifle to her.
    She said, “It’s so light.”
    “And it doesn’t have much kick.”
    She practiced loading a magazine, chambering a round, and aiming. She said, “It’s pretty simple.”
    “Right. It was designed for people like a Billy Marlon. It’s simple, light, easy to aim, and very deadly. All you need is the will to pull the trigger.”
    “That I don’t know.”
    “Then you shouldn’t take it.”
    “I’ll take it.”
    “Okay. Here’s the carrying case. There are four fully loaded magazines in these side pouches, and in this pouch is a scope, but don’t bother with that. It’s for long-distance firing. I don’t think you’ll wind up in a firefight with the Spencerville police, but you’ll feel better at night if this is under your bed. Okay? ”
    “Okay.”
    She said, “I’ll go unlock the trunk, then take Jeffrey for a walk.” She went downstairs, and a few minutes later, as Keith got dressed, he saw them through the window out by the barn. He went downstairs and out the back door and put the carrying case in their trunk beside the empty food containers. He closed the trunk and went inside and poured another cup of coffee.
    A few minutes later, Gail and Jeffrey returned. Gail said, “Really nice place here.” They made small talk for a few minutes, then Gail said, “Well… time to go.” She put her arms around him and kissed him. “Good luck, Keith. Call or write.”
    “I’ll write. Meanwhile, get a security company down from Toledo to check out your phones, and get a mobile phone.”
    “Good idea.” Jeffrey took his hand. “Hey, if you need anything before you take off, don’t call—stop by.”
    “I think it’s all set. The house key’s under the workbench