Smonk by Tom Franklin

Author:Tom Franklin
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
ISBN: 9780061842627
Publisher: HarperCollins

8

THE REDEEMER

BEFORE DAWN, ON THE LORD’S DAY, MRS. TATE CRIMPED DEAD Elmer’s pants cuffs the way she preferred them worn and smoothed the pants at the knobs of his knees and folded his hands which slid back as before. She returned with twine and tied the buttonholes together.

She shooed a fly. She puffed the shoulders of his Sunday coat and wondered should she have dressed him in his postmaster outfit instead. She returned from upstairs with his lucky handkerchief (which he’d forgotten the day of the trial) and tucked it into his pocket, the irony not lost on her. With her flyswatter she pursued and killed flies for the better part of half an hour, all the while talking to him, accusing him of never being a believer. It was the most important thing in my life, she said. My faith. And how could the man who used my own bed not cherish that.

I cherished it, he would have lied.

You cherished cherishing those girls, she told him.

He said nothing. He had a towel over his face. She plucked a string of her own hair from his sleeve.

In times, she said, when God’s burden weighs us down, in His mercy He gives us leave. Such was the leave He allowed Lot’s daughters who plied their father with drink and went in and laid with him to preserve their line. And Lot without guilt. Fat, blind, drunk, happy. His shamed daughters going into his cave. The eldest first. Mrs. Tate popped a fly out of the air. Men are so simple, she said. Get them drunk, satisfy them, and they sleep. It’s the women who lie awake.

From outside she heard a gunshot. She went to the window and lowered her veil and peered into the night. The guard came trotting up and shrugged. Her gun had gone off again. Mrs. Tate let the drapes fall and raised her veil. She returned to her husband’s side and took his hand and told him she was sorry about last Friday. How she’d been cold to him when it was his turn to go see that young Hester Hobbs. You appeared properly burdened by it, she said. Didn’t even seem excited to go which is all I or any of us could ask for. Her so young, so pretty, and our need so necessary. And you not even eager to get out of the house. Pretending so well. And I was cold to you. Because I knew you wanted to go. You asked me to bring you a cup of water and I got the water and set it down so hard it spilled. Go, I said. Just go.

She looked at his shoulders and swatted a fly dead. And off you went. Walking slowly at first. I watched you out the window as your steps got faster and faster and you were almost running you wanted to get away from here so bad. Away from me.

She adjusted the cloth over his face and fluffed his handkerchief.

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