A Thousand Acres_ A Novel - Jane Smiley [58]
Jess said, “Who’s your father’s favorite child?”
I turned and looked at him. He was squinting at me, hands on hips. His lithe figure curved against the line of aspens. I said, “It’s always been Caroline, I’m sure.”
“Why do you think that?”
“You mean especially now that he’s cut her off?”
“Well, that. But why before, too? I mean, what is there about her that makes her favorite material?”
“Well, she’s the youngest. Probably the prettiest. The most successful.” This was not something I wanted to talk about.
“Maybe that’s a result of being the favorite.”
I put my chin in my hand, let my gaze rest on the old bedstead and thought for a minute. “She was never afraid of him. When she wanted something from him, she just stalked right up to him and asked him for it. He appreciated that, especially after me and Rose. I was terribly afraid of him as a child, and Rose would stand up to him if she had to, but mostly stayed out of his way. With Caroline, it was like she didn’t know there was something to be afraid of. Once, when she was about three, he lost his temper at her, and she just laughed like he was playing a game.” I was sweating.
“Do you care that Caroline is the favorite?”
“Hasn’t done her any good lately, has it?”
“No.” He smiled again. “But really.”
“Do you really care about that after you’re grown? I don’t think about it, I guess.” I smiled the way you do when you want someone to stop probing a subject, but you don’t want him to know that. I spoke idly. “Who’s Harold’s favorite?”
“Me.”
“Even now?”
“Even now.”
“But he and Loren are like twins. They see eye to eye about everything.”
“Oh, I don’t know. Every time Loren makes a suggestion, or even does something that he’s used to doing on his own, like deciding where to spray or cultivate, Harold accuses him of trying to take over. It gets worse and worse. Loren has been backpedaling furiously. Now he’s practically asking permission to wipe his ass, but in Harold’s mind, there’s this creeping plan, and Loren’s manner is just a cover for his stealthy progress toward the deep dark goal. Two weeks ago, Harold was saying things like, ‘Who said you should spray those beans?’ Now it’s, ‘You aren’t putting anything over on me! I know what you’re up to.’ ”
“How weird.”
“Well, it isn’t so weird.”
“Why not?”
“Well, for one thing, there’s you guys.” He broke off another stalk of big bluestem and began to stroke his palm with the tip. “I know you didn’t initiate the transfer, and I think even Harold knows it, but people are getting suspicious and wondering how you and Rose got Larry to give you the place, when obviously the whole thing is driving him crazy.”
“It was a complete surprise to us!”
“And very out of character for your dad, which is why people don’t believe what appears on the surface.”
I got out of the truck bed and stood myself right in front of Jess. “What are people saying?”
“Just things like, ‘There’s more to that than meets the eye.’ ”
“Shit! But Harold was there! He was there the very moment Daddy told us what he wanted to do. It was at your party, and Harold laughed! I know he was thinking what a fool Daddy was being.”
“Maybe so. At any rate, the talk will die down. It always does. I wouldn’t worry about it. That’s not Harold’s real problem.”
“What is?”
“That I’m here. He wants to keep me here, and I think he thinks the only thing he’s got that would keep me here is the farm.”
“Is that true?” My heart beat a little faster with this question. Jess said, “The thing is, Harold can’t understand being in a state of flux. I mean, he understands uncertainty. Every farmer understands that, but it’s something that comes from the outside, from the price of grain or the weather, not from within. If Harold’s ever been restless, I’d be amazed.” He turned away from me, tossed down the stem of grass, and picked up a few