After Charles Ray left, Jim knew he could not go home again. He looked deep into his inner‑self and found murder written all over some part of his soul.

It seemed after all the good times he had with both May Sue and Charles Ray, he would've forgiven them. He would if he had not known both of their thinking.

He should never learned to read people's minds the way he could. It hurt too much when he reached down into the psychic and found he could not accept and forgive.

Charles Ray with his college education was the one who should been able to read other people's minds. Maybe it was Korea. Being close to people and seeing them die, it did something to a person. It got to where he'd been able to tell almost when a bullet was going to hit a man.

Probably the Lieutenant who made Captain, knew he was looking for more than a certain house in the destroyed village. After it was all over, and before they shipped Jim back to the States, he was able to pass on some information that stopped the war. Not won the war, just made negotiations possible.

After the whiskey hit his bare stomach, Jim craved water. It took almost all the strength he possessed to walk the few steps down to the river where his jug still floated. The jug water tasted fishy which reminded him to look at Charlie once more.

Even though the fish acted angrier than the last time Jim looked, he was holding up well. Was it really anger? Sometimes, Jim found out anger and sorrow looked an awful lot alike. He guessed it was because the two emotions were so close together. Somehow he was never able to confuse anger and laughter.

He took time enough to splash cool, muddy water on his face before he decided it must still be raining up about where he and Charles Ray hunted deer. The water was still rising.

He was glad now his friend stopped by and saw the condition of the riverbank where it was going to cave in anytime. Another thing he was thankful for was it was not raining down this far and ruining his fishing. He knew May Sue would try and make him come in if it came a good shower even. She was like that.

It was odd about Charlie, but he did not bother to move anymore. Maybe he thought Jim was his friend.

Well he would tell the fish if he could, he was not. One thing Jim knew was, he was no bleeding‑heart liberal from some big state university. He would cut a fish's throat just like he would not marry any Mexican.