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Show 156 cutting stew meat with her cleaver. "I'm going to need a little more money this week," said Emma Loop. And Red said, "As long as I'm going out with a Catholic Pole you're going to need xaxx more money." And Emma Loop said, "That's right," and kept on cutting meat. Emma Loop didn't talk much but she communicated. Red emptied his xi pockets and put the rest of his money on the table. There were lots of things he didn't know much about, he admitted that himself, but he'd done plenty of work and contributed plenty to the house and did lousy in school because he never had time to do anything but work, and he didn't go out for any sports because he worked, but now he was aigxixam eighteen and liked a girl and liked her on his own time and that was his business god-damn-it, he was old e«ough to do lots of things including work at the Forge, which is where he figured he was going to end up, or even fight in a war, which he figured might happen too the way things were going in Europe, besides, he had some money saved in his bedroom. So he went and got his guitar and got ready to leave but when he went back into the kitchen Emma Loop said, "Your father needs help v/ith the storm windows." She cupped red meat in her hands and threw it in a pot, though with a little more force than usual, Red noticing an extra flick in the flip of her x wrists which caused hot oil to jump up and sprinkle her forearms. That made her mad. At Red. "I'll help him tomorrow," said Red. Emma Loop went back to the cleaver even though there wasn't any more meat. "Do you know what those Catholics will put you through?" she said to Red. "Helen's different." "It's not up to her. You think she doesn't have a family? You think she doesn't believe in her Church? " Red wasn't thinking about family or Church, he was thinking about "The Yellow Rose of Texas" sparkling like the dew, and he didn't come to America on a boat like Emma and never had to rely on other Germans for everything or fend off Irish, Italian, or Polish Catholics throwing beer bottles and blaming him for World War I, he'd had his singular v/ar with the Polish and Rutter Rutkowski still spoke with a slur because of it. Now he knew a girl who was so smart she pipped a grade T]\school, and so nice that she even went down to |
