Tom asked,
“What’s this here?”
“Agricultural inspection.
We got to look over your stuff.
Got any vegetables or seeds?”
“No,” said Tom.
“Well, we got to look over your stuff.
You got to unload.”
Now Ma climbed heavily down from the truck.
Her face was swollen and her eyes were hard.
“Look, mister. We got a sick ol’ lady.
We got to get her to a doctor.
We can’t wait.” She seemed to fight with hysteria. “You can’t make us wait.”
“Yeah?
Well, we got to look you over.”
“I swear we ain’t got any thing!” Ma cried. “I swear it.
An’ Granma’s awful sick.”
“You don’t look so good yourself,” the officer said.
Ma pulled herself up the back of the truck, hoisted herself with huge strength.
“Look,” she said.
The officer shot a flashlight beam up on the old shrunken face.
“By God, she is,” he said. “You swear you got no seeds or fruits or vegetables, no corn, no oranges?”
“No, no.
I swear it!”
“Then go ahead.
You can get a doctor in Barstow.
That’s only eight miles.
Go on ahead.”
Tom climbed in and drove on.
The officer turned to his companion.
“I couldn’ hold ’em.”
“Maybe it was a bluff,” said the other.
“Oh, Jesus, no!
You should of seen that ol’ woman’s face.
That wasn’t no bluff.”
Tom increased his speed to Barstow, and in the little town he stopped, got out, and walked around the truck.
Ma leaned out.
“It’s awright,” she said. “I didn’ wanta stop there, fear we wouldn’ get acrost.” “Yeah! But how’s Granma?” “She’s awright—awright. Drive on. We got to get acrost.”
Tom shook his head and walked back.
“Al,” he said, “I’m gonna fill her up, an’ then you drive some.”
He pulled to an all-night gas station and filled the tank and the radiator, and filled the crank case.
Then Al slipped under the wheel and Tom took the outside, with Pa in the middle.
They drove away into the darkness and the little hills near Barstow were behind them.
Tom said,
“I don’ know what’s got into Ma.
She’s flighty as a dog with a flea in his ear.
Wouldn’ a took long to look over the stuff.
An’ she says Granma’s sick; an’ now she says Granma’s awright.
I can’t figger her out.
She ain’t right.