Delicious Foods by Hannaham James

Author:Hannaham, James [Hannaham, James]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
ISBN: 9780316284929
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Published: 2015-03-17T07:00:00+00:00

For four days that October the crew marooned Eddie and Tuck by themselves, providing only the most rudimentary food, usually care packages consisting of a bruised orange, a salty, disintegrating baloney sandwich, a half-pint of warm milk or watery OJ from concentrate, and one packet of generic mayo. Someone from the crew would drop several packages at a time in green Styrofoam containers outside the barn on the path, which was really just two deep, muddy parallel tire tracks with long grass between them. Without entering, the person might call out to check on Tuck, who could barely drag himself down the small hill where he and Eddie relieved themselves.

Because food came only once a day, Eddie divided the lunches evenly and saved half of his for dinner. He would do the same for Tuck, whose worsening illness had begun to make Eddie unsure of his own health. He begged for alcohol; Eddie whined until they brought it, charging against Tuck’s debt.

During the day, Eddie explored the woods and fields around the barn, thinking that he might see his mother somewhere. Periodically he made sure that he could still breathe by inhaling as much of the humid atmosphere as he could and running as far as he dared without losing sight of the barn and then back again, his vitality confirmed by his panting and sweating.

The food bringers talked but the talk did not say anything, it was only nervous chatter, like the night people in Houston. Eddie could tell that they might not remember how to have conversations, so when he tried asking about Darlene, he half expected to get garbled responses. Words without meanings jumped out of the sides of the food bringers’ mouths; their eyes were always bloodshot and jumpy.

I’m missing school, Eddie said to one of them. I’ve got to go back. Is Darlene Hardison here somewhere? She’s my mother. I need to find her.

You need? I need. I need me a rug, this food bringer said. He swallowed his words and barely opened his mouth when he spoke. I got me some bad rug-need, that’s what I’m about! Fat motherfucker giving me attitude. Fattitude, that’s what it is. Ha! One thing you gotta say about me, I’m funny. When I leave here I’ma go to LA and be a comedy star in the movies like Eddie Murphy. You watch.

Have you seen Darlene Hardison?

Once or twice a food bringer did not seem out of it but never answered his questions except by grunting equivocally, and they all regarded him with unsettling, blank cow-eyes. Eddie suspected that someone had ordered them not to say anything except to ask about his health.

You okay? a food bringer said, almost as an afterthought, while leaving.

I think so.

Fever? Chill? Ache?

No.

The guy pointed at Tuck lying in the corner. He ain’t dead yet? He spoke with what sounded to Eddie like impatience.

No. Better than he was yesterday.

Hmm. Might not be medical. That’s what How an’ them saying. On account a you ain’t got it.

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