03/15/01

Still no knock at the door from the police yet. Probably just a matter of time.

There’s a story in today’s paper questioning Porch Rot’s possible role in my trailer fire and his disappearance afterwards. The story raises the same questions I’ve been dealing with regarding whether Porch Rot really did himself in or just faked his death. I guess you have to wonder the same thing about Clean Phil now too. I still keep having the thought that the woman buried in the well is that anorexic girl who used to be Phil’s girlfriend--- the poet girl who kept coming around the place looking for him who then went missing. Maybe Porch Rot took her interest coming around to mean something it wasn‘t, tried to make a pass at her, something happened, and then he panicked. Or maybe she found Clean Phil out in the world, something happened that she died in his company, and then he arrived back home with her body to bury her. Porch Rot assisted in the deed, and then advised Phil to remain in hiding. Well, who the hell knows?

Phebe had the day off and insisted on going up to the prison to see Rocky with the baby. I thought I’d be OK, but I always get all kinds of anxiety going into that place. I think if I ever got sentenced to a place like that I’d probably drop dead in minutes. Rocky was pretty happy to see everyone. He said Cornelius had visited him last week. That was surprising. I guess he told Rocky despite everything that’s happened with him breaking it off with Maddy that he still thinks of Rocky as his brother-in-law. Rocky told me he thinks Cornelius made up his mind to forgo becoming a woman. He came into the prison without the Cornelia garb at least. I guess Cornelius told Rocky he wasn’t too happy slum-lording for Dr. Hardik. He said it was hard to feel like a lady dragging poor folks belongings out to the curb in drag. He said it was always easier to get rent money in burly Texan male-mode anyhow. He asked Rocky if he thought there was any room on the farm for him to return, maybe try to start up things again. Rocky told him to come see us.

Rocky said he had heard about the trailer fire and before I could even get a word out of my mouth, Phebe says, your father thinks me and Stash Skimington are having an affair, and that Stash tried to kill him to take over everything. He’s a lunatic! Rocky looked pretty astonished.

Your mother and I are going to work real hard to provide a home for your son, I manage to say. Don’t worry any troubles we might be having. We‘ll get through. We’re family.

Rocky still looked pretty astonished. Phebe looked pretty astonished at that point too.

And just then Mookie shit his diaper really loudly. It was perfect.