Part 47 (1/2)

You can get hurt that way, old man, Jesus said.

The janitor cupped his hand over his ear. What? What you say?

Hurt.

And I can get hurt getting out of the bathtub, too.

Jesus turned up the heat in his eyes, red coals. The janitor winked at him. Dushan, the janitor said to No Face.

No Face did not answer.

Tell yo mamma I be up there to see her later.

d.a.m.n, Jesus said. You gon take that s.h.i.+t?

Aw, man, he can't sweat me. No Face waits a beat, watching Jesus.

n.i.g.g.a, he talkin bout yo mamma.

You don't know me from Adam. He ain't n.o.body. That's Redtail.

Who?

Redtail.

What kind of name is that?

Well, his real name is Roscoe. Roscoe Lipton.

He yall janitor?

The superintendent.

A janitor.

Yeah.

Don't see how he can be n.o.body's janitor. Too f.u.c.kin ole. n.i.g.g.a can hardly move.

Crazy too. n.i.g.g.a be feedin rats and s.h.i.+t. Feedin em.

What?

Word.

Jesus shook his head.

I know. But guess what?

What?

He used to be a pilot.

What?

A pilot.

You mean an airplane?

Yeah.

Jesus tried to picture the old drunk in a c.o.c.kpit. What he do, fly a bottle round his lips?

Nawl, in a war. Warplane. Flying Tiger. h.e.l.l from Heaven. He changed some enemies too.

That old drunk motherf.u.c.ker?

Yeah.

He can't change his dirty draws.

He did.

Musta been a long time ago.

Yeah. Old n.i.g.g.a can't even hear.

I can tell that. So that was why he did it, covered his deaf ear and cupped his good one.

But he hear good nough to hear what he shouldn hear.

What?

He a transformer.

Jesus considered the possibility of this.

You do something, and he can't wait to snitch. Hey, he might even snitch on you.

Jesus looked at No Face.

Round here, he gotta watch his back. I almost changed that n.i.g.g.a a few times myself.

I bet. He walk like you. He talk like you. He yo daddy?

No Face watched-one red eye-Jesus hard for a stocktaking moment.

They began their journey. Above the river, a gull white-winged along a wave. A hang-tailed hound sat tough beside a garbage can until No Face roused it with a speeding stone. A ragtop speeded past, but slow enough for Jesus to be momentarily blinded by a flash of hand signals.

Trey Deuces, No Face said.