Page 4
By Jack Joseph Smith
to a hault at an intersection of bricks laid streets in an
area called old Virginia mannor. The homes are well constructed
and date back two generations of upper-middle class. The boys
begin to unload and stack bailed newspapers designated for
this stop. A women in her early thirities approaches. She is
well dressed and reasonably attractive. The women has been let
off at the beginning of her steps by another lady possibly ten
years her senior, who has parked her car, and is now carrying
the thin type of boxes made for clothing in the fancy shops up
the walk and into a stone home, above a manacured lawn.
Although the lady has retained much of the figure of youth, she
comes on to Ben with a controled and deliberate voice of a much
older women set into the conservitive ways of the upper middle-
class fifties.
She is speaking: "What are these boys doing with you and
this paper truck. They should be in school?"
Ben is out of his truck now helping the boys.
"Hey lady," he says. "We're sett'in up a situation. How about
it now, let's everybody go about their own business."
She stands back. Narrowed in, and speaks. "I'm calling the
school board and the labor people. What are your names boys? I can
see that your not from his part of town."
Ben begins to pace up and down snickering and shaking his head.
The boys notice Ben's displeasureable humor, and begin to giggle.
"I'll just get the licence," she says going to the back of the
truck.