The Testimony of Taliesin Jones (54 page)

To
ni
is
qu
iet
f
or a
b
it.
Th
en
h
e as
ks, 'What ab
out yo
u? Wh
at
d
o yo
u
wa
nt?' T
aliesin
i
s s
urprised th
at
he i
s e
ntitled to an
o
pinion
.

'
I d
on 't
mind. I
f s
he do
esn't
l
ove
m
y
fath
er
th
en
ma
ybe s
he
s
houldn't
s
tay w
ith
him
.'

'
What
a
bout
y
our f
ather,
what do
es
h
e
think
?' To
ni
as
ks.

'
He think
s
that
s
he will come b
ack.'

'
Do
yo
u think
s
he will?'

'
No. N
ot a
ny more
.'

So
metimes h
e see
s hi
s
par
ents
a
s
pe
ople
r
ather
th
an
p
are
nts. H
e o
nce th
ought
that th
ey
w
ere
we
ll
s
uited
s
imply b
ecause
th
ey
we
re t
ogether;
th
ey
mu
st
h
ave
b
een s
uited, th
ey
w
ere
to
gether
w
eren't the
y?
The
y
w
ere
hi
s
p
arents
.
S
een a
part h
e
ca
n
see
the diff
erences
m
ore
cl
early,
lik
e
th
e
s
ubtle diff
erences
b
etween
birds
.
Ju
st
as th
ey
l
eave t
he b
each,
T
oni
point
s
a
t th
e s
ky and h
ails
a
white bird with bl
ack
l
ines o
n it
s
win
gs.

'L
ook a
t th
is
.
It
's a
M
anx
Sh
earwater.
'

Th
e
bird
s
its in th
e s
ky mot
ionless,
l
ike a s
tar, it
'
s w
ings unflapp
ing
.
It
j
ust h
overs
in the wind
,
s
upported b
y
it
.
Th
e
bird l
ooks
di
rectionless a
nd
l
ost, a
lmost
as
if
i
t h
as
f
orgotten
wh
ere
i
t li
ves
.
It h
angs
in the
a
ir
a
nd p
eers
d
own o
n th
e wo
rld, l
etting
th
e
w
ind bl
ow
it
w
here it will.

L
ater
that
eve
ning
a
s his m
other
cook
s
dinn
er, Ta
liesin wand
ers
throu
gh
th
e
h
ouse
.
'It'
s yo
ur hom
e,'
hi
s
m
other s
aid to him
.
'Ton
i wa
nts
yo
u t
o
tr
eat
it
a
s
y
our
o
wn
.'

D
espite
thi
s e
ncouragement, Tali
esin
ca
n't full
y
r
espond
t
o
thi
s
in
vitation
.
Al
though
h
e
f
eels
mor
e co
mfortable th
an
h
e
did
o
n h
is
fir
st visi
t, h
e ca
nnot help him
self
tr
eading a
long the l
anding
l
ike a g
uest,
wa
rily and
w
ith
res
pect. I
f
thi
s we
re hi
s
h
ome
h
e
w
ould w
alk
w
i
t
h gr
eater ce
rtainty.

Hi
s
m
other's
'
n
ew'
bedr
oom
i
s
op
en.
H
e e
nters
a
nd pr
esses
th
e
b
ed
.
It
's
h
arder
th
an
h
is
f
ather's
and
wi
der. H
is
moth
er's
ni
ghtgown
i
s
f
olded ov
er the pillow, n
ext
to T
oni
'
s
p
yjamas
.
It
s
eems
o
dd th
at
th
ose
int
imate
cloth
es ca
n r
est so cas
ually n
ext
t
o a
nother m
an
's
.
And
ye
t, Toni
says
h
e
l
oves
h
i
s
m
other.
Do
esn
't
th
at give
him the ri
ght
t
o
l
ay
h
is
p
yjamas
th
ere?

H
e o
pens th
e c
hest
of dr
awers a
nd
sees
h
is
m
other's
lin
g
erie
a
ll
th
ere.
Th
e s
ame
lin
gerie
in
a
diff
erent
h
ouse,
but
s
till
th
e
s
ame
l
ingerie.
Th
e sa
me m
other
in a diff
erent
h
ouse,
but
s
till
t
he
same
m
other.
Or
is s
he? H
e
i
sn't s
ure
.
S
he i
sn't
th
e s
ame
.
It
's
n
ot
ju
st
th
e
h
aircut
th
at is
different, it
's
her m
ove
m
ents
,
h
er vo
ice.
S
he
see
ms h
appier,
and sh
e
s
ays s
he i
s.
Not
sa
d
a
nd
f
rustrated th
e way s
he u
sed
t
o
b
e
.
P
erhaps s
he ha
s
not d
one a
b
ad
thin
g
.
P
erhaps
th
is is a go
od thin
g
.
H
e ca
nnot d
ecide.

Th
at e
vening,
a
fter
a d
inner
o
f fi
sh
using th
e
v
ery s
ame fi
sh
kniv
es t
hat
we
re r
eclaimed
fr
om
th
e
farm
a
nd
se
nt in th
e c
hest, hi
s
m
other as
ks him
a
bout hi
s
fath
er's
pl
ans
f
or t
he
f
urniture
.
T
he furni
ture,
lik
e so
m
any
oth
er
th
ings,
h
as
b
ecome a
n
iss
ue
ove
r
w
hich h
is
p
arents
can
arg
ue th
eir
diff
erences.
H
is fa
ther, h
e s
uspects,
ge
nuinely d
oesn't ca
re
a
bout
i
t, but h
as deci
ded t
o care a
bout
it.
It
giv
es h
im a
n
exc
use to k
eep
in
co
ntact, H
is
m
other says s
he doe
sn't
r
eally
c
are w
hat h
appens to
th
e
furnitur
e.
F
or so
meone wh
o
d
oesn't ca
re ab
out
it
she
t
alks a
bout
it a g
reat d
eal.
Resp
onsibility
f
or
'th
e
i
ssue'
h
a
s
some
how d
evolved
t
o
T
aliesin.
H
e
h
as
b
ecome
th
e
liai
son, firs
tly
ove
r
w
hat pi
eces o
f
f
urniture
a
re
w
hose,
a
nd no
w ove
r
w
hen th
e sai
d pi
eces a
re t
o
be pi
cked
up
.

'
He
said yo
u
c
ould p
ick
them up when
y
ou
wa
nt,' T
aliesin
s
ays, not
h
iding
hi
s
b
oredom.