First thing is, we got to eat.”
Al broke in.
“I got a tankful a gas in the truck.
I didn’ let nobody get into that.”
Tom smiled.
“This here Al got a lot of sense along with he’s randypandy.”
“Now you figger,” Ma said. “I ain’t watchin’ this here fambly starve no more.
One day’ more grease.
That’s what we got.
Come time for Rosasharn to lay in, she got to be fed up.
You figger!”
“This here hot water an’ toilets —” Pa began.
“Well, we can’t eat no toilets.”
Tom said,
“They was a fella come by today lookin’ for men to go to Marysville.
Pickin’ fruit.”
“Well, why don’ we go to Marysville?” Ma demanded.
“I dunno,” said Tom. “Didn’ seem right, somehow.
He was so anxious.
Wouldn’ say how much the pay was.
Said he didn’ know exactly.”
Ma said,
“We’re a-goin’ to Marysville.
I don’ care what the pay is.
We’re a-goin’.”
“It’s too far,” said Tom. “We ain’t got the money for gasoline.
We couldn’ get there.
Ma, you say we got to figger.
I ain’t done nothin’ but figger the whole time.”
Uncle John said,
“Feller says they’s cotton a-comin’ in up north, near a place called Tulare.
That ain’t very far, the feller says.”
“Well, we got to git goin’, an’ goin’ quick.
I ain’t a-settin’ here no longer, no matter how nice.” Ma took up her bucket and walked toward the sanitary unit for hot water.
“Ma gets tough,” Tom said. “I seen her a-gettin’ mad quite a piece now.
She jus’ boils up.”
Pa said with relief,
“Well, she brang it into the open, anyways.
I been layin’ at night a-burnin’ my brains up.
Now we can talk her out, anyways.”
Ma came back with her bucket of steaming water.
“Well,” she demanded, “figger anything out?”
“Jus’ workin’ her over,” said Tom. “Now s’pose we jus’ move up north where that cotton’s at.
We been over this here country.
We know they ain’t nothin’ here.
S’pose we pack up an’ shove north.
Then when the cotton’s ready, we’ll be there.
I kinda like to get my han’s aroun’ some cotton.
You got a full tank, Al?”
“Almos’—’bout two inches down.”