For all Leroy’s plans to give his sons a better life—which never materialized—LJ made his own way. Even Dupree, in his final year of high school, had apprenticed himself to a carpenter, Mr. Day, who said he showed a real talent for it.
“LJ, Abel said y’all are going to the pictures.” Dup barged into the office in his usual fashion—boisterous, energetic, overflowing with life. “What time? I want to go.”
“You’re working the Starlight, Dup.” LJ’s bass voice carried more authority than a big brother’s usually would. “Ma needs you here.”
“Can’t Maggie or Jethro cover for me?Stagecoachis John Wayne. I got to see it.”
“You’ve seen it three times,” LJ said.
“So have you.”
“Jethro is out on the boat with his father,” Tuesday said. “And Maggie’s manning the concession. I suppose I could—”
“Don’t, Ma. Don’t let him off the hook.”
She brushed her hand over Dupree’s wild curly hair. “You need to sit in Travis’s chair, get this mop tamed. I’m surprised Principal Warner lets you walk the school halls.”
“I’ll go right now. Get all spiffed up for the pictures.”
“You’re not coming with us, Dup.” LJ stood, forgetting the tools in his lap as they clattered to the floor. “Even if Ma covers your shift, which she shouldn’t, you’re not going with Abel and me.”
“Abel is my friend too.”
“You’re working the Starlight. End of story.”
Tuesday startled at the edge in LJ’s voice. If something was up, he’d tell her soon enough. Meanwhile, Dup huffed off, slamming the office door so hard the light fixture over the desk swung.
“Are you sure you can’t take him along? He admires you so much. I can work the Starlight with Maggie. If I need to, I can call Sylvia or Donny.”
“You’d have tanned my hide for acting as rude as he does.” LJ had completely disassembled the skate and lined up the worn wooden wheels on the floor. “At school he’s all charm. ‘Yes, ma’am’ and ‘no, sir.’ With you, he gives lip.”
Tuesday propped against the file cabinet and watched LJ work the skate. He was right, of course. She coddled Dupree, trying to make up for all the ways Leroy disappointed him. At the end of the day, she wasn’t his father, and boys needed fathers. Girls too, if anyone was asking. She’d have liked to have known her father. Even his name would be something.
“LJ, do you ... do you miss your pa?”
“Nope.” He held up the skate to inspect the boot. The size 8R was burned into the leather sole. “Mr. Diamond is more of a pa to me than Leroy Knight. And Doc too.”
“Doc? W-when do you see Doc?” Tuesday had seen him atThanksgiving but not since. He stayed a few days, eating leftovers and swapping stories from the Great War with Lee, captivating LJ and Dupree. One morning, she woke to learn he’d hopped a ride on an early-morning train. His absence always left a hole in the house. Maybe a little of her heart too.
“He comes by every few weeks. We go over to Eglin or Niceville. He says he don’t want to come by the house with just you there. Said it might make Pa mad, but who gives a flying fig what Pa thinks?”
“I do, and so should you,” Tuesday said. “What do you and Doc talk about?”
“Flying, mostly.” LJ worked the delicate parts of the skate so skillfully.
“Do you want to fly as a vocation?”
“I hope so, yeah.” He sighed and set down his tools. “I know you want me to stay here, take over the Starlight someday, but—”
“Someday, LJ. I know it’s not your passion. You have dreams to chase.” Tuesday brushed aside LJ’s bangs. “You need to see Travis too. Whatever you do in life, LJ, I wish you happiness. I hope you find a nice girl, get married, settle down in Sea Blue Beach, and take over the Starlight while you work on giving me a passel of grandchildren.”
“Ah, Ma...” LJ blushed at the idea of marriage and babies. “I will. One day. Promise.”
It didn’t seem so long ago she’d been the blushing bride, full of hope. “I can still see your pa sporting you around town in the crook of his arm, so proud. He was only a year older than you are now.”
“Probably trying to figure out how to make a buck off me.”
Word was spreading around town how Leroy Knight ran a small gambling ring through North Florida and southern Alabama. Along with it, he moved bootleg hooch, avoiding the Feds and their taxes.
