tonight.”
“You both live here, right? Can’t you just leave it?”
Rabbit wasn’t listening to him. He kept pressing the same button on his phone, looking back and forth between the screen and the empty trailer. He raised the phone up to his ear and James watched his brother’s face. Rabbit had always been nervous, anxious, and single-minded once he got something into his head, but this seemed different. Maybe it was that hint of desperation again. James hadn’t spent time alone with his brother in years. It could have been just the way he was now. Whatever the reason, it made James uneasy. He felt as if he was on the edge of opening up doors that he knew he didn’t want to see behind.
“Well, I guess we gotta go up there.”
Rabbit threw the phone onto the dash and angrily cranked the car.
“Go where?”
“I don’t know where Delmore is for sure, but he’s probably up at the club.”
Rabbit spun the car around, backing over something with one tire as he did, and put it into gear. They started back the way they had just come, though this time Rabbit seemed intent on going as fast as could over the roots and hard sand ridges that encroached onto the edges of the rough dirt road.
“The club? Rabbit, where the hell are we going?”
“Lucky’s. He’s probably up there getting some cash from one of the girls who owes him. They’re always owing him something. I wish he’d answer his phone, though, and not leave me wondering all the time.”
They bounced onto a paved road and turned right, in the direction of the highway.
“Lucky’s? The strip joint? That’s near out by the county line. That’s twenty miles from here.”
“Well, yeah, what’d you want me to do?”
“Pull over.”
Rabbit looked over at James, confused. He didn’t slow down.
“You serious?”
“I want you to pull over.”
The turn for the highway was only a mile away. Rabbit kept his foot on the gas and the speedometer crept upwards. He didn’t say anything, but gripped the steering wheel tighter and turned his eyes back to the road. James’ tone changed, but his voice stayed level.
“Rabbit. I want you to pull over right now, or I’m going to have to come across this seat and make you pull over, and that ain’t gonna be pretty, now is it?”
Rabbit still refused to look at James, like a child who believes that if he doesn’t look at something that scares him, it will go away. James lunged toward him.
“Alright, alright. Jesus, man.”
The car slowed and Rabbit eased it on to the shoulder of the road. James twisted in his seat to face his brother.
“Now, listen. I didn’t decide to stay, and then come have a drink with you, so you could drive me all over the county on whatever stupid errand you are trying to pull for Delmore.”
“I ain’t—”
“No, stop it. I don’t care. I don’t. I don’t want to hear ‘bout it. I thought maybe it might be nice to talk tonight. You know, talk ‘bout Daddy, maybe.”
Rabbit still wouldn’t look at him. James rubbed the side of his face, grazing the stubble with his palm.
“For Chrissakes, I come back here for a funeral and I wind up driving around the middle of nowhere with you.”
There was hurt in Rabbit’s eyes, but James ignored it. He ran his hands along his jeans, smoothing them out.
“Take me back to my truck.”
“Come on, James. I want to hang out, I really do. I just gotta do this one thing.”
“No, I’m done. Drive me back to my truck, or I’m gonna drive myself back. You understand?”
They glared at one another for a long moment before Rabbit jerked the gearshift and silently pulled the car back onto the road. When they got to the junction for the highway, Rabbit spoke up quietly.
“You leaving town right away?”
“I don’t know.”
“You got somewhere to go? Some place you gotta be? You know what you’re gonna do?”
James craned his neck to look out the windshield at the night sky. It was completely
“You both live here, right? Can’t you just leave it?”
Rabbit wasn’t listening to him. He kept pressing the same button on his phone, looking back and forth between the screen and the empty trailer. He raised the phone up to his ear and James watched his brother’s face. Rabbit had always been nervous, anxious, and single-minded once he got something into his head, but this seemed different. Maybe it was that hint of desperation again. James hadn’t spent time alone with his brother in years. It could have been just the way he was now. Whatever the reason, it made James uneasy. He felt as if he was on the edge of opening up doors that he knew he didn’t want to see behind.
“Well, I guess we gotta go up there.”
Rabbit threw the phone onto the dash and angrily cranked the car.
“Go where?”
“I don’t know where Delmore is for sure, but he’s probably up at the club.”
Rabbit spun the car around, backing over something with one tire as he did, and put it into gear. They started back the way they had just come, though this time Rabbit seemed intent on going as fast as could over the roots and hard sand ridges that encroached onto the edges of the rough dirt road.
“The club? Rabbit, where the hell are we going?”
“Lucky’s. He’s probably up there getting some cash from one of the girls who owes him. They’re always owing him something. I wish he’d answer his phone, though, and not leave me wondering all the time.”
They bounced onto a paved road and turned right, in the direction of the highway.
“Lucky’s? The strip joint? That’s near out by the county line. That’s twenty miles from here.”
“Well, yeah, what’d you want me to do?”
“Pull over.”
Rabbit looked over at James, confused. He didn’t slow down.
“You serious?”
“I want you to pull over.”
The turn for the highway was only a mile away. Rabbit kept his foot on the gas and the speedometer crept upwards. He didn’t say anything, but gripped the steering wheel tighter and turned his eyes back to the road. James’ tone changed, but his voice stayed level.
“Rabbit. I want you to pull over right now, or I’m going to have to come across this seat and make you pull over, and that ain’t gonna be pretty, now is it?”
Rabbit still refused to look at James, like a child who believes that if he doesn’t look at something that scares him, it will go away. James lunged toward him.
“Alright, alright. Jesus, man.”
The car slowed and Rabbit eased it on to the shoulder of the road. James twisted in his seat to face his brother.
“Now, listen. I didn’t decide to stay, and then come have a drink with you, so you could drive me all over the county on whatever stupid errand you are trying to pull for Delmore.”
“I ain’t—”
“No, stop it. I don’t care. I don’t. I don’t want to hear ‘bout it. I thought maybe it might be nice to talk tonight. You know, talk ‘bout Daddy, maybe.”
Rabbit still wouldn’t look at him. James rubbed the side of his face, grazing the stubble with his palm.
“For Chrissakes, I come back here for a funeral and I wind up driving around the middle of nowhere with you.”
There was hurt in Rabbit’s eyes, but James ignored it. He ran his hands along his jeans, smoothing them out.
“Take me back to my truck.”
“Come on, James. I want to hang out, I really do. I just gotta do this one thing.”
“No, I’m done. Drive me back to my truck, or I’m gonna drive myself back. You understand?”
They glared at one another for a long moment before Rabbit jerked the gearshift and silently pulled the car back onto the road. When they got to the junction for the highway, Rabbit spoke up quietly.
“You leaving town right away?”
“I don’t know.”
“You got somewhere to go? Some place you gotta be? You know what you’re gonna do?”
James craned his neck to look out the windshield at the night sky. It was completely
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