第6章 4

The line of march. Line of the cable. Viewed from above, this picture: They came then to a man tending bar in an open field. Yes, Thomas said. Relaxation of the cable. Drinks for everyone. Ah! said Thomas. Not too bad, said the Dead Father. Yum, said Emma. Another, Thomas said. That was vodka, right? the bartender asked.

On the rocks and could I have three olives? Three olives, said the bartender. Having made the drinks he folded his arms and leaned against a tree. Did you see the horses? asked the Dead Father. Clump of eight, Julie said. I counted. Black plumes, Thomas said. Black bridles, black trappings.

Black horses, said the Dead Father. Standing in a rank, very well trained, not a whicker. Perhaps they werent real? asked the Dead Father. They were real, said Thomas. Julie ordered another drink. Youve had enough, said the bartender, no more. Hes right, said Thomas, youve had enough.

Ill decide when Ive had enough, Julie said. I want another. He could lose his license if you fell down or committed an outrage, Thomas said. Thats true, said the bartender, I could lose my license. Here? asked Julie, indicating the emptiness. Who is to be outraged? One never knows, said the Dead Father. Thirsty pilgrims, natives of the district, commercial travelers.

Make it a double, said Julie. We do not serve unaccompanied women, said the bartender. I am accompanied am I not? Do you mean the one in the orange tights or the one in the golden robes? Both. I saw him with his thumb under there, said the bartender, had his thumb on it Ill bet. Shocking rude Id call it, in a public place.

Shocking, said the Dead Father happily. Never in all my years -- Youre a family man, now, the bartender said to the Dead Father. Thats perfectly plain. Very much so. Youve children, said the bartender, responsibilities. Beyond counting. Thought so, said the bartender, I can talk to you. We understand each other.

Yes, fire away. We can parley, said the bartender, make powwow. Thomas was looking at the yellow sky. Till the cows come home, said the Dead Father, so much are we on each others wavelengths. When hes got his thumb in there, asked the bartender, what do you feel? Left out, said the Dead Father.

Button button whos got the button? chanted Julie. Ive got the button. Can I see it? asked the bartender. Can I have another drink? A double Scotch appeared on the bar. Julie knocked back the Scotch. Then she removed her shirt. There was nothing under the shirt. Thats not what I meant, said the bartender, but God Almighty.

A crowd had gathered, both men and women. They were laughing. Thomas smoothed Julies stomach with his hand. Dont touch! she said, youll make the others angry. The crowd stopped laughing, both men and women, moved nearer, was looking at Thomas with angry looks. Who do you think you are? a man shouted angrily.

I am this ladys lover, Thomas shouted back. Leave our stomach alone! the man shouted. Your stomach? Thomas asked pointedly. They crowded closer. Hands were stretched out toward the stomach. Mostly we dont get this kind of group, the bartender said. Thomas began to write something with lipstick on the stomach. The white, interestingly folded, stomach.

Oh, you rascal! cried the crowd. Oh, you rogue! Julie rotated the stomach at the crowd. Sunlight bouncing off the tips of her breasts (purple). Emma sulking at the bar. Drinking a Campari-and-soda. Thomas held out the shirt to Julie. Our stomach! they said. Hes taking it away! The stomach heaved like a trampoline in the direction of its admirers. Julie put on the shirt tucking the loose ends of it into her long dark-green skirt to the ground. She looked at Thomas. Have I lost my beauty altogether? Not yet, he said. Quite wonderful, said the Dead Father. I was offended, of course. Suffer, Julie said. The pink of you against the green of the fields, said Thomas. Several of my favorite colors. They told me you were color-blind, when you were a boy, said the Dead Father. I never believed you were color-blind. A son of mine. I thought I was color-blind, Thomas said, because they told me I was color-blind. To green, they said. I never thought you were color-blind. You saw what we had agreed to call green. I saw what I thought and still think was green. Never thought you were color-blind or dim either, said the Dead Father, despite what I was told by the specialists. You had hope, Thomas said. Grateful for that. My criticism was that you never understood the larger picture, said the Dead Father. Young men never understand the larger picture. I dont suggest I understand it now. I do understand the frame. The limits. Of course the frame is easier to understand. Older people tend to overlook the frame, even when they are looking right at it, said Thomas. They dont like to think about it. Alexander approached Thomas. Look there, he said. He pointed. A horseman on the hill. I think hes following us, said Alexander. Youve seen him before? Yesterday. Always keeps the same distance. Not one of those we passed back up the road? No. Those were black, this is a bay. I wonder who he is, Thomas said. He looked at the Dead Fathers watch, which he was wearing on his wrist. Okay, he said, lets make tracks. The cable taut. The straggle along the road. The horseman following.