“You young people think you're smart,” the fat lady said disdainfully. She waddled away toward the bingo tent, holding her purse more tightly under her arm” Sarah was giggling helplessly.

“You're impossible.”

“I'll come to a bad end,” Johnny agreed. “My mother always said so.”

They walked up the midway side by side again, waiting for the world to stop making unstable motions before their eyes and under their feet.

“She's pretty religious, your mom, isn't she?” Sarah asked.

“She's as Baptist as you can get,” Johnny agreed. “But she's okay. She keeps it under control. She can't resist passing me a few tracts when I'm at home, but that's her thing. Daddy and I put up with it. I used to try to get on her case about it-I'd ask her who the heck was in Nod for Cain to go live with if his dad and mom were the first people on earth, stuff like that-but I decided it was sort of mean and quit it. Two years ago I thought Eugene McCarthy could save the world, and at least the Baptists don't have Jesus running for president.”

“Your father's not religious?”

Johnny laughed. “I don't know about that, but he's sure no Baptist. After a moment's thought he added, “Dad's a carpenter,” as if that explained it. She smiled.

“What would your mother think if she knew you were seeing a lapsed Catholic?”

“Ask me to bring you home,” Johnny said promptly, “so she could slip you a few tracts.”

She stopped, still holding his hand. “Would you like to bring me to your house?” she asked, looking at him closely.

Johnny's long, pleasant face became serious. “Yeah,” he said. “I'd like you to meet them… and vice versa.”

“Why?”

“Don't you know why?” he asked her gently, and suddenly her throat closed and her head throbbed as if she might cry” and she squeezed his hand tightly.