Free Deliver Us from Evie by M. E. Kerr Page A

says, ‘Don’t deny me the pleasure of giving you something great—that’s what money’s for!’”
    “I don’t know if Mr. Duff would think that’s what his money’s for.”
    “Patty’s got her own money. Her grandmother Duff left her a trust fund.”
    “Lucky her,” I said.
    “Are you being sarcastic, Parr?”
    “No, I’m being bitter. I wish I was rich.”
    “Because I want you to like her. She’s really neat!”
    “I don’t dislike her,” I said. “I don’t know her well enough to like her.”
    We passed the Vets’ Memorial Statue and saw a bra hanging from the bayonet.
    “They’re so original in this town,” Evie said.
    I said, “When Doug was home last weekend there was a huge pair of men’s jockey shorts there, and he got ticked off and he said he hated this town. Figure that out.”
    “Anna Banana is getting to him. It’s not Duffton getting to him. It’s her.”
    “Gawd, I hope not! I don’t want to be left holding the bag. What will we do if Doug decides he’s not going to farm?”
    “Don’t say ‘we,’ Parr. I’m not dead set on hanging around here anymore, either.”
    I just sat there as though something heavy had fallen on me and was holding me down.
    Evie said, “Sorry to say it, little brother, but that’s how I feel.”
    I said, “You’ll change your mind,” but it was only wishful thinking. The whole idea of Evie in the same sentence with change, once she was set on her course, was what you call an oxymoron. Opposite ideas combined.

20
    T HE CHURCH OF THE Heavenly Spirit was celebrating its new building. It was one large room with a pulpit and cross at the front, and choir loft in the rear.
    Angel was singing a solo that morning, so she didn’t sit with the congregation.
    I sat between her mother and father.
    Pastor Bob preached this fiery sermon on the sin of envy, followed by Angel’s voice.
    When she began singing, I couldn’t imagine what the hymn was all about.
    The first verse was:
    C-L-O-C-K— “ The world is like a shelf ,
    Do you ever think You should be like myself ?
    For I tick , tick , quick , quick ,
    With a merry chime working all the time.
    Tick !” said the clock ;
    “ What ?” said I.
    “ You can learn a lesson from my tick , if you try. ”
    I sat there thinking about what Evie’d just told me. Dad and Cord had decided on expanding our hog operation, and planting only corn come spring. I’d heard them say that with Evie full-time and me part-time they’d only need a few hands extra; then in summer Doug would be back, and we’d all pitch in and manage for three months ourselves.
    Then after that what?
    Dad would lose heart if he thought that in the future there’d be no Doug, and no Evie, either.
    He’d already told me he didn’t want me to be a farmer, not if it wasn’t in me. He’d said I should go to the university and spend my first two years thinking about a major. Maybe business, he said. Maybe even advertising, since the journalism school taught it, and I always had a lot to say about the commercials on TV.
    I liked the idea of making up commercials. I figured I could come up with better ideas than most I saw on the tube. It was something I’d never thought about before, and I’d even told Angel I was giving some thought to being an advertising man.
    But I knew I’d never be able to walk away from the farm if both Doug and Evie did.
    For the first time the thing between Evie and Patsy Duff got to me. If it hadn’t been for Patsy, my sister might have gone along without ever thinking she was all that different. She’d managed all right before Patsy came into her life…. Now Patsy was luring her with expensive clothes, teaching her dance steps (where was that going on?), and introducing her to all sorts of sophisticated things Evie could have easily died without ever missing.
    It seemed to me very possible that a Duff would be responsible for me never even getting to the University of Missouri. That made me damn mad,