World and Town by Gish Jen

Author:Gish Jen
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
ISBN: 9780307594419
Publisher: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
Published: 2010-10-04T22:00:00+00:00

Jed Jamison and Everett are talking so loud on the checkout line, Hattie can’t help but hear them, and she’s not the only one. The whole store can hear them, and the whole store’s listening—the whole town, it seems.

“Heard you’re building yourself a pole barn,” says Jed.

“It ain’t a pole barn,” says Everett. He has three loaves of bread under his arm and a jar of peanut butter. “It’s a home for me to live in.”

“Heard it’s on Ginny’s property. Ain’t it on Ginny’s property?” When Jed steps toward the register with his wagon, Everett, right behind him, and Hattie, at the end of the line, move up, too.

“Our property,” says Everett, taking his step. “Seeing as we are not divorced. It’s our property.”

“Heard it was the farm that got sold to pay for the property,” says Jed. “Heard the money came from Rex’s place. Making the new property Rex’s place, too, right? In a way it’s Rex’s new place.”

“Interesting,” says Everett. “Here Rex is stone dead but he has himself a new place. And here Ginny and me’ve been married thirty-seven years but our place is still her pa’s. How do you like that.”

“Hear you’re not real married at the moment,” says Jed.

“Did you. Well, we’re still involved, see,” says Everett. He nods. “We’re involved.”

“Heard you’re putting up your pole barn right in the middle of her view,” says Jed.

“It ain’t a pole barn,” says Everett.

“Your structure, then. Heard you’re putting up your structure right in the middle of her view.” Standing almost as tall as Everett, Jed has to lean way down to unload his groceries from his wagon.

“Had to be located somewhere, Jed. And where’m I going to sleep? Tell me. Seeing as how I’m so welcome in my own home. You going to put me up?”

“Not tonight.”

“There you go. Where’m I going to sleep if I don’t build? She mention who put up the house she’s so kindly hogging, by the way? Who figured out where to put the sunroom, so as to take in the view?”

“Don’t think she did.” Jed moves down the counter to be checked out. “Not that I recall.”

“She’ll see better when she can’t see,” says Everett. “Mark my words, now. She’ll see better when she can’t see.”

“Heard it’s a thing of beauty.”

“It’s tall, Jed. I’m not going to tell you different. I’m building tall.”

“Heard you’re ruining her garden with deer.” Jed’s helping bag up his groceries himself.

“Deer do roam these parts, Jed. I didn’t invent ’em.”

“Heard you’re sprinkling your lot with apple scent so they’ll come eat up her garden,” says Jed. “Heard you’re wrecking the whole thing.”

“There a law says a man can’t sprinkle apple scent in his own yard?” says Everett.

“No, sir, there is not,” says Jed.

Everett sets down his econo-sized peanut butter. “Well, then, how do you like that. This here’s still a free country, it turns out. A free country.”

Jed laughs and, when he yawns, puts a hand up to his mouth, egg carton and all. “Guess it is.

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