sullen and quiet, so Mama had to drag the story out of
him. He did go back to Octavious to demand an
additional payment, only this time, Octavious had his
men throw Daddy off the grounds. Daddy sat in his
truck, beeping his horn and creating a disturbance
until Octavious called the police.
This morning the police told him Octavious
wasn't making a formal complaint, but Daddy was
warned to stay away from the Tate property. If he
came within a hundred yards of it, they would lock
him up again. He ranted and raved about how the rich
controlled the law. He vowed to find a way to get
back at them. Mama, refusing to talk to him,
nevertheless made him something to eat. Finally he
calmed down and talked about taking up Fletcher
Tyler's offer to hire him as a guide for hunters in the
swamp.
"Nobody could do it better than me. It pays all
right and they give you tips," he told Mama. "Well?"
he said when she didn't comment. "What'cha so quiet
for? It's what you want me to do, honest work, ain't
it?"
"I'll believe it when I see you actually doing it,"
she told him.
That set him on a tirade about how Cajun
women don't give their men the support the men need.
He raged about it for a while and then went off to trap
some muskrats.
The day passed slowly into another hot and
muggy night. Fireflies danced over the swamp water