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the hero of the Hill... Last of the Lint-heads."

Another coughing fit seized hold of Myrtle's voice. Lucius put a hand on her back and patted gently between her shoulder blades as she leaned forward trying to force it all out and finish. He could feel the fluid in her chest as each cough rattled and rumbled. "What time you need to be over at Dr. Bond's?"

"Nine thirty," Myrtle said; her voice was strained.

"You goin to see him about this cough?"

"Lucius, I don't wanna talk about all that just now!"

He let it go, but felt his stomach knot at the possibility that something might be very wrong with Myrtle.

He changed the subject.

"You see that boy earlier this evenin?"

"What boy?" She asked, lighting up another smoke. The ice in her tea tinkled in the glass as she took another long swallow and exhaled smoke from her nostrils.

"Red-headed kid, was sittin over there on the corner."

"Hmm..." Myrtle looked at the spot where Lucius was pointing. "No, I was cookin most the day; didn't much notice any young'uns... I don't usually, I suppose."

Silence held between them a while; Lucius kept looking over there at the corner until Myrtle finally had to ask him: "Why? What about this boy? He up to some mischief?"

Lucius shook his head. "Not that I noticed. He was lookin over here though, at my place that is. Not sure but... When I opened my door he sort of took off real quick-like; like he'd just seen somebody he didn't wanna deal with-you know?"

"Well, who can say about young'uns now-days? What with all that Woodstock n-such? All them drugs they on now... And now they gonna do this here De-segregation? Lawd, Lucius... this world is getting mighty confusing-you ask me."

"That it is."

"Everything's changing Lucius."

"It always changes, Myrtle."

"I know but I sorta come to like the way things is-least how it is round here for a long, long time-you know? I come to enjoy knowing I'm still in the same world I went to sleep in. It keeps my heart settled."

"Well of course it does, Myrtle. I sorta like how things have been-for us anyhow. But I pay attention to things in the big world too; things like the way some folks don't get to live the way they want when others do-like us. It's only a matter of time for it to change, and then change again. You and me both sat right here in your little room and watched them fellas walk on the Moon not a couple months back." He nodded and lighted another smoke before adding: "Things change, but it ain't all bad that they do."

"What'll happen to us all, Lucius If the Mills all go broke?"

"Who knows?" He said. But he did not say that she had hit the nail on the head. His own fears, spoken by Myrtle, seemed to hang over them like a Buick dangling from a #4 gauge thread. It just felt: precarious.

"You wanna come in with me for a bit and watch some TV till time to go to work?"

"Best offer I've had all night besides that wonderful meal!"

"C'mon," Myrtle said getting up from her chair. "The Virginian's about to start."

Learn more about this author, S Bond Herndon.
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