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In the yard, a jalopy was stuffed to the gills with people and junk Tied to the back end were a stack of buckets, a cast-iron frying pan, and a wooden crate full of ine puffed black smoke into the air and rattled the metal fra to tie the boards and a woer seat holding a baby

The far—stood by the driver’s-side door, dressed in coveralls and a shirt with only one sleeve A banged-up cowboy hat was pulled low over his dusty face

“Whoa,” Mo back her sun hat

“Heyya, Rafe,” Will said, spitting tobacco into the dirt at his feet “Elsa” He pulled away froon When he got there, he stopped, said nothing, shoved his hands in his pockets

“Where yah goin’?” Daddy asked

“We’re licked,” Will said “You know lanced back at his wife “And now there’s the new one Can’t take it no ”

Loreda straightened They were leaving?

Mom frowned “But your land—”

“Bank’s land now Couldn’t make the payments”

“Where will you go?” Daddy asked

Will pulled a creased flyer out of his back pocket “California Land of milk and honey, they say Don’t need honey Just work”

“How do you know it’s true?” Daddy said, taking the flyer from him Jobs for everyone! Land of opportunity! Go West to California!

“I don’t”

“You can’t just leave,” Mom said

“Too late for us A faoodbye”