The Testimony of Taliesin Jones (67 page)

T
he m
emories s
pool
on.
H
is
m
other
is
thr
owing a c
up
o
f
cof
fee,
hi
s fa
ther i
s
t
alking
t
o
th
e
wall
;
thin
gs a
re
s
mashing int
o s
mall
pieces
.
G
lue
is
putt
ing
th
em
to
gether;
th
ousands
of
tiny h
ands
w
ork
away at
putt
ing
the
se
thin
gs
t
ogether
w
ith
s
uch
fi
nesse th
at
n
ot
e
ven
th
e s
mallest
jo
in
ca
n b
e see
n. H
e ope
ns hi
s eyes g
roggily
a
nd f
ocuses o
n Bill
y's o
utstretched
arm w
hich,
see
n throu
gh
th
e
milk
y
h
aze,
h
as a
f
aint g
low. H
e is ex
hausted
a
nd
ca
n' t
s
peak
.

B
illy s
till h
as
hi
s
hand
o
n T
aliesin's
b
ack. '
It's
good
t
o c
ry,' h
e says
. '
W
h
a
t
yo
u
s
o win t
ears yo
u will r
eap
in j
oy.'

Ta
liesin
wa
nts t
o
return the
favo
ur bu
t
h
e
i
s s
pent. H
e
r
ests
h
is
h
ead
i
n
h
is
h
ands
th
e way
hi
s fa
ther d
oes a
fter
a
h
ard
d
ay. T
he d
arkness
in h
is
h
ead
i
s
lik
e a
cl
eaned
bl
ackboard
rollin
g over
t
o
th
e w
hiteboard. H
e sees a
n
ew,
cl
earer
p
icture.
Hi
s fa
ther
is at a
t
able ea
ting
t
he
sa
me m
eal as
h
is mo
ther.
T
here
is
n
o an
tagonism b
etween
th
em a
nd th
ey a
re
ea
ting th
e s
ame
food w
ith
eq
ual deli
ght, ag
reeing th
at i
t
tas
tes
g
ood. H
e si
ts b
etween
t
hem a
nd
o
ffers th
em
m
ore.

'W
hat
do yo
u
see?
' Bill
y as
ks.
'
I
ca
n
see
m
y
moth
er a
nd m
y fa
ther
ea
ting. I
'm g
iving th
em
f
ood to e
at
a
nd th
ey
lik
e
it.
'

'T
hen
t
hat i
s w
hat
yo
u
s
hould d
o
.
W
hen
yo
ur m
other
comes
t
o see yo
u
.
Y
ou s
hould
p
repare
a
mea
l
for
h
er
a
nd bl
ess her t
hat
way
.'

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

T
A
LIESIN
PREPARES A MEAL
fo
r h
is
moth
er's vis
it. It
is a
m
eal of
fi
sh
finge
rs,
potatoes a
nd p
eas a
nd
,
f
or p
udding,
pomeg
ranat
es.
T
he
g
rocer
sa
id th
at
p
omegranates we
re
goo
d t
o se
rv
e
to
p
e
ople on diffic
ult
occas
ions
.
Th
ey
h
ad
t
he
p
ower
t
o
br
in
g
p
e
ace. P
lus th
ey we
re
a
t
alking
poin
t.
I
f co
nver
sa
tion i
s di
fficult
t
hen
t
he m
ost
m
ysterious
fruit in th
e wo
rld
wo
uld d
istract
th
em eno
ugh
.
Ju
st ea
ting pom
egranates ge
ts
peo
ple
go
ing, h
e sai
d
.
Eve
n
e
s
tranged hu
sbands
and
wives
.

Wh
en
hi
s
m
other a
rrives
,
T
aliesin
finds him
self g
r
ee
ting h
er a
lone
o
n th
e
d
oorstep.
Hi
s
father is in th
e
loft di
gging o
ut
so
me
o
ld b
oxes
bel
onging
to Talie
sin's
moth
er.
It
's a goo
d tim
e
f
or
h
er
t
o a
rrive, h
e
think
s
.
The
d
a
ffodil
s
th
at
l
ine
th
e
h
edges a
re
co
ming
o
ut
a
nd
s
uperseding the sn
owdrops
w
hich h
ave
done
th
eir
b
it
.
Sh
e'll
b
e seei
ng thin
gs
f
or
th
e
fi
rst
t
ime i
n
a
l
ong
t
ime a
nd
a
lthough h
e
h
as
n
o
e
xpectation o
f h
er
r
eturn
in
g
f
or good
n
ow, pa
rt
of
h
im
h
opes
that
s
he
w
ill
see
th
e bes
t
of w
hat
s
he's
miss
ing
.

Hi
s
m
other
p
arks
th
e ca
r in th
e
dri
ve
and
s
tays in h
er sea
t f
or w
hat
see
ms lik
e
minut
es
.
H
e c
an see her pokin
g faces a
t th
e
dr
iver
'
s
mir
ror as s
he p
owders
her nos
e a
nd
c
hecks h
er
lip
stick.
It
see
ms odd th
at s
he should do thi
s
.
Sh
e
h
as a new s
tyle
aga
in. Thi
s
t
ime
h
er
h
air
i
s
as
s
hort as a b
oy's
.
H
is fa
ther j
oins
him in th
e
do
orway
rubb
ing
his fac
e
and cl
earing
h
is
thro
at
.
T
aliesin e
mbraces his mother and wond
ers
if
s
he
w
ill k
iss
hi
s fa
th
e
r
o
r sh
ake
hi
s
h
and.