I like em myself, she said.
That sounds encouraging, if the help eats the food, he said. What kind of gravy comes with it?
Yellow.
Put some of that on the steaks too, would you?
I can tell him. I don’t do it myself.
If you would, he said. And some black coffee too, when you get a decent chance. Thank you kindly.
The woman put in their order and brought their coffee and milk, and in a short while she brought out their platters of food. They sat at the table in the little café and ate quietly, deliberately. When the brothers were finished they ordered themselves and the girl Dutch apple pie with a scoop of ice cream on top, but she could only eat half of hers. They paid the bill and walked up the block to the department store.
The shop windows out front had sets of bedroom furniture and living room sofas and lamps on display. They went inside the store and were met at once by a brisk short middle-aged woman in a brown dress. May I help you? she said.
We’re looking for the crib section, Harold said.
Baby cribs?
Yes, ma’am. We’re in the market for one. He winked at the girl. We want to consider your selection.
If you will follow me, the woman said.
They followed her back through the store aisles to a far corner. Here you see what we offer, she said. There were a dozen new baby cribs assembled and set up, fitted with mattresses and baby blankets, displayed among matching chests of drawers and changing tables. The brothers surveyed them and were astonished. They glanced at the girl. She stood aside, not saying anything at all.
Maybe you better just tell us about em, Harold said.
I’d be happy to, the woman said. The features you look for in a baby crib include this nontoxic easy-care finish. This plastic teething rail. This one side which raises and lowers for easy access. These hooded casters. This one-piece mattress support here. The brackets like these on this model so the mattress can be adjusted to various levels. This one offers a rail which lowers by knee pressure while the rail on this one lowers when you release these two catches. This model here permits you to convert it to a toddler’s daybed by removing the rail altogether.
She stopped and waited, her hands behind her back. Did you have any questions?
Why ever would you want hooded casters? Harold said.
For decoration.
Ma’am?
It looks better.
I expect that’s important, how the wheels look.
It’s an added attraction, she said. Some people prefer it.
I see, he said.
The McPheron brothers approached the baby cribs and began to inspect them closely. They manipulated the moveable sides, raising them and lowering them, and walked around each of the cribs and adjusted the height of the supports and peered underneath, and they pushed them and rolled them forward and backward. Raymond leaned over and punched down on one of the crib mattresses, causing it to bounce.
What do you think, Victoria? he said. How about this one?
It’s too expensive, she said. Every one of them is.
You let us worry about that. Which one of these do you like best?
I don’t know, she said. She looked around. This one, maybe. She indicated the least costly one.
That’s a nice one, Raymond said. I kind of like this one here, myself. They went on looking.
Finally the McPheron brothers chose the crib which converted to a daybed, the most expensive of the lot. It had carpenter-turned spindles and actual wood headboards. It seemed substantial to them and the side that was adjustable moved easily on its slides. They believed the girl would have no difficulty with it.
You have this in stock, I guess, Harold said.
Surely, the woman said.
Why don’t you bring one of em out.
But you understand it doesn’t include the mattress.
Doesn’t?
No. Mattresses are not included. Not at this price.
Well, ma’am, Harold said. We need a crib. And we’d rather to have a mattress to go with it. This girl’s going to have a baby and it can’t sleep on a board. Even if the board can be adjusted to three different levels.
Which one would you care to have? the woman said. They come in these possibilities.
She began to show them the mattresses. They chose a solid one which felt sufficiently firm when they squeezed it and turned it over, and afterward they selected several crib sheets and warm blankets.
The girl watched it all from a kind of abject distance. She had grown increasingly quiet. At last she said, Can’t you wait? It’s too much. You shouldn’t be doing all of this.
What’s the matter? Harold said. We’re having us some fun here. We thought you was too.
But it’s too expensive. Why are you doing this?
It’s all right, he said. He started to put his arm around her, but stopped himself. He looked down into her face. It’s all right, he said again. It is. You’ll just have to believe that.
The girl’s eyes filled with tears, though she made no sound. Harold took out a handkerchief from the rear pocket of his pants and gave it to her. She wiped at her eyes and blew her nose and handed it back to him. You want to keep it? Harold said. She shook her head.
The woman said, You do still want these?
Harold put the handkerchief away and turned to face her. That’s right, ma’am. We haven’t changed our minds. We still want em.
Very well. I just wanted to be positive.
We’re positive.
She called a stock boy and sent him back to the storeroom and he came out wheeling two large flat cardboard boxes on a dolly. He drew up at the counter.
The woman rang up their purchases. She said, Will this be cash or charge?
I’ll sign you a bank check, Raymond said. He bent over the counter, leaning on his elbow, and wrote stiffly into his checkbook. When he had finished he inspected what he had written, then he folded it once and tore it off and blew back and forth over it and handed the check to the woman. She looked at it.
May I see some identification, please?
He took out his old wallet from the inner pocket of his coat and picked out his driver’s license. She read it, then she looked up at him.
I didn’t know they would allow you to have your picture taken with your hat on, she said.
They do in Holt, he said. What’s the trouble? Don’t it favor me?
Oh, there’s a clear resemblance, she said.
She handed the license back to him and he put it away. Then she finished ringing up their purchases and gave them the receipt. And we thank you very much, she said.
The stock boy started toward the front of the store, dollying the new mattress and the new crib in the flat cardboard boxes printed with the bright factory lettering, moving out into the main aisle in a flourish. He advanced only a short way.
Son, Harold said. You can hold up there. That won’t be necessary.
I was going to take them out for you.
That’s all right.
The McPheron brothers hefted the two boxes and together carried them ladder-fashion under their arms, one old man in his good hat following directly behind the other, out onto the sidewalk and up the block toward the pickup. The girl came after, with the store bag of sheets and blankets. Together they made a kind of parade. People on the square, shoppers, women and teenage girls and old retired men, watched them pass, turning to stare as the two old men and the pregnant girl went by. Out in the winter air it was colder now and the sun was already starting to lean toward the west, while across the street the granite-block courthouse loomed up gray and solid under its green tiled roof. At the curb they set the boxes in the bed of the pickup and lashed them down with yellow binder twine from the toolbox. Then they backed out into the street and drove slowly out of town, riding up out of the South Platte River valley onto the cold winter flatlands of the high plains.