The Bridge

40

“Oh, my goodness,” Allie said. “I can’t believe Beauregard was arrested. Here in Appaloosa. How embarrassing.”

“He didn’t seem all that embarrassed,” Virgil said. “Did he, Everett?”

“Didn’t,” I said.

“I’m not talking about him being embarrassed,” Allie said. “I’m talking about me, about Appaloosa.”

“What are you embarrassed about?” Virgil said.

“This man, this renowned performer, has come here to Appaloosa to give us some culture, some entertainment, and he gets arrested?” Allie said.

“He did,” Virgil said.

“It’s just awful,” Allie said.

“Not sure I’d call scaring the daylights out of his wife culture or entertainment,” Virgil said.

“If he said he was practicing, he was practicing,” Allie said. “You don’t understand entertainment. You know nothing about practicing theatrical performance, Virgil Cole.”

“Sure I do,” Virgil said. “It ain’t practicing, it’s got its own special name, don’t it, Everett?”

“Rehearsing,” I said.

“That’s right,” Virgil said. “Rehearsing.”

“Well,” Allie said. “I’m downright embarrassed over this, Virgil. Appaloosa is embarrassed.”

“Pretty sure Appaloosa don’t give a shit,” Virgil said.

“They do,” she said.

Allie turned sideways in her chair with her right elbow on the dining table and her shoulders slumped. She looked like she was gonna cry.

“Well, Allie,” I said, as I got out of my chair and gathered plates off the table. “If it’s any comfort to you, I really enjoyed this dinner you fixed tonight.”

Allie wobbled her head a little and offered a slight smile.

“Why, thank you, Everett,” Allie said. “At least one of you is grateful of me.”

“Oh, goddamn, Allie,” Virgil said. “I’m grateful of you, Allie.”

“Are not,” she said.

“I am, Allie,” Virgil said. “I wasn’t the one that arrested him. Hell, I was the one that let him out.”

“He was, Allie,” I said from the kitchen.

“Really?” Allie said.

“He was,” I said, coming back from the kitchen to gather more plates.

Allie smiled a little. I think that made her feel better.

“Well,” she said. “I know it has to be hard for them with this weather, the whole troupe cooped up in those trailers, going on days now.”

Virgil nodded. He reached over and grabbed Allie’s hand and gave it a squeeze.

“I love you, Allie,” he said.

She smiled at Virgil.

“I love you, too, Virgil.”

Virgil got up from the table. He walked to the mantel and got a cigar from his cigar box.

“You’re not gonna smoke that in here, are you, Virgil?” Allie said.

“Wouldn’t think of it,” Virgil said.

Virgil put on his coat and stepped out the front door.

Allie got out of her chair and helped me finish cleaning off the table.

“I don’t think Virgil really has a real bone to pick with Beauregard,” I said.

“I’m not so sure,” Allie said. “I think he’s jealous.”

“Virgil don’t get jealous,” I said. “You know that, Allie. Fact is, if there’s one thing he personally don’t know nothing about, it’s jealousy.”

“Oh,” Allie said. “I suppose you’re right, Everett. Maybe that’s wishful thinking, what I miss.”

“What you miss?”

“A woman likes to know her man is so interested in her he don’t like to think about her having any other interest.”

“You got other interest?” I said.

“Of course not,” Allie said. “I’m speaking theoretically.”

“Theoretically?”

“Yes,” she said, then leaned her hip on the counter. “You know, a woman needs attention, Everett.”

I poured some hot water that was heating on the stovetop in the dirty dishes into the washbasin.

“Virgil just don’t like to see a woman, any woman, treated with disrespect. Whether she’s practicing or rehearsing or what,” I said.

Allie was just looking at me. Watching me.

“Most important, though,” I said. “Right now, we got bad dealings. A no-good bunch of business we’re dealing with, Allie, far more important business than Beauregard getting himself locked up and you needing attention. We got a two-hundred-foot bridge, no telling how many tons of iron that spanned the Rio Blanco River, blown up by somebody, somebody that is out there on the loose, and we got three Appaloosa law officials, good men, out there somewhere, missing.”