drove them in his car to Bessyâs house. She lived several miles outside of town in a cabin paid for by her brother, who was very rich. Pate and Larsen got out of the car and walked to the cabin. They stopped under the window, where the blinds were raised a crack. They could see part of the bed and part of the floor, and a leg that dangled off the bed but did not touch the floor.
âMakes me sick,â said Pate. âProbably spooning.â
âWhose leg is that?â said Larsen.
âFuck does it matter?â said Pate. âEither itâs a leg belonging to a man thatâs about to go a-whoring or it isnât.â
âHow do we get him out here?â said Larsen.
Pate thought for a moment. âWe talk to Bessy first.â
âWhy?â
âWe convince her that Sonny needs to go a-whoring to get it out of his system, then she goes inside and prods Sonny for us. We talk to Sonny first and heâll refuse outright, on principle. Then weâll have a real scene on our hands. Now what would make a lady come outside before a man?â
âA baby crying?â said Larsen.
âThatâs it,â said Pate. âMake that baby cry noise you do so well.â
Larsen began to whimper, then lifted his voice into pealing cries. They watched the leg right itself on the floor. Then another leg came down to meet it, and the legs walked themselves to the door.
âKeep it up,â said Pate.
They heard the screen door open and close, and Bessy appeared before them under the window. She wore a thong and carried a bottle of milk. She was beautiful.
âYou always greet crying babies with thongs?â said Pate.
âHi, Pate,â said Bessy. âHi, Larsen. I heard a baby crying out here, where is he or she?â
âJust us babies,â said Pate. He and Larsen laughed. Larsen made the crying noise again.
âIâve heard Larsenâs impression before,â said Bessy. âThis was different.â She poked around in the weeds and in the ditch, looking for the baby.
âWe wanted to ask if Sonny could come out with us tonight?â said Larsen.
âSonnyâs no prisoner,â said Bessy. âWhere are you going?â
âA-whoring,â said Pate. âI believe in honesty first.â
âYou boys use protection when you go a-whoring?â said Bessy.
âOf course,â said Larsen.
âAlways,â said Pate.
âWell,â said Bessy. âSeeing as a-whoring is just about the only thing Sonny and I canât do together, itâll make it all that more special for him.â
âCan you go inside and prod him?â said Pate.
âSonny doesnât like it when we prod him,â said Larsen.
âIâll prod him and send him along,â said Bessy. âYou boys have fun tonight.â
Pate and Larsen said goodbye to Bessy and walked to the car. Pate told Larsen to sit in the backseat. They sat in the car together with the heater on, waiting for Sonny.
âBessy is really considerate,â said Larsen.
âImmodest, though,â said Pate. He honked the horn.
After a while, Sonny appeared in the headlights. He wore a fur coat, and was slightly better-looking than his friends. He sat down in the passenger seat.
âHowdy, stranger,â said Pate. He started to drive to the whorehouse.
âHello, Sonny,â said Larsen.
âBessy tells me weâre going a-whoring,â said Sonny.
âSure are,â said Pate. âYou know what day it is, donât you?â
âBessy has me all turned around,â said Sonny.
âItâs Friday, for your information,â said Pate. âFriday and payday. What kind of shit coat is that?â
âIt was a gift from Bessy,â said Sonny. âI like it.â
âI guess itâs good to have you back,â said Pate.
âItâs good to be back,â said Sonny, yawning.
âAre you too tired
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